Program Contents About Our School Executive Directors About The Instructors WRD Programs Show Orders Awards Program Acknowledgements Saturday, June 8, 2024
At Washington Rock Dance, we believe in acknowledging the sincere individuality residing in each and every student of dance. We foster the unique development of our students by providing an opportunity to be creative, understand the field of body mechanics, and discover their personal sense of artistry through the performance of high caliber works. Our developmentally focused training is dedicated to locating a student’s maximum potential while experiencing a smart, inspirational, and fun environment. About Our School
Executive Directors Cleo Mack (Co-Owner, WRD) is an award winning choreographer who holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Wilson College and a BFA in Dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts Rutgers. Her work has been described as “a collision of quirky sophistication and unmeasured recklessness.” She has been commissioned by the Outlet Dance Project at Grounds for Sculpture, 10 Hairy Legs, Perpich School of the Arts, and Quad City Ballet. Ms. Mack has been honored to receive a 2023 Individual Artists Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in recognition of her high artistic merit and has been selected by Dance Magazine as one of the “25 to Watch.” Cleo has enjoyed support from the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and has also received space grants from The Field, DTW, and Lincoln Center. Ms. Mack’s choreography has been presented at Joyce Soho, Dance Theater Workshop’s Fresh Tracks, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., WAX, P.S. 1 Moma, the Hungarian American Dance Festival in Hungary, and at NJPAC as part of Jersey Moves. 2016 marks the inception of Mack's newest project, Rock Dance Collective (RDC), a shared project with collaborators Kelli McGovern and Blair Ritchie dedicated to pushing progress in the field of dance. As Artistic Director of RDC, Cleo makes work in traditional and non-traditional environments where the aim is to create worlds and design space to build a shared experience for audiences. Ms. Mack is the Director of Dance at the Middlesex County Magnet School of Performing Arts and co-owner of Washington Rock Dance. She has been a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts and a teaching artist for the American Repertory Ballet Institute, DeSales University, Muhlenberg University and the University of Iowa. She was the recipient of the 2017 Hollins University Teaching Award. Cleo serves on the board of Dance New Jersey. She recently served on the committees to rewrite the New Jersey State English Language standards as well as the New Jersey State Arts Standards. Cleo is a professional costume designer and has created costumes for Alexandra Bellar, Pam Tanowitz, Meghan Frederick, Chein-Ying Wang, Randy James, Stephanie Batten Bland, Paul O’Campo, and Julia Ritter. Kelli McGovern (Co-Owner, WRD) is a Doctoral student in the Ed.D. Dance Education program at Columbia University’s Teachers College and a recipient of the Arnhold Fellowship Scholarship. She is a graduate of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey with an Ed.M. in Dance Education from the Graduate School of Education and a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts. Kelli is a full time tenured dance educator at Bayonne High School (BHS) where she has created the dance arts curriculum in the district and the BHS Young Dancer Program, an outreach program designed to offer dance classes to the community.
Ms. McGovern is also co-owner of Washington Rock Dance (WRD) along with her business partners and collaborators, Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie. WRD is a private dance school, founded in 2015, based on developmentally focused training designed to maximize the potential of each student. WRD creates a foundational support structure for professional dance company, Rock Dance Collective (RDC), a non-profit company of which McGovern is a Founder, Executive Director, and Dancer. RDC has been commissioned by Rutgers Summer Stage, DanceNOW SteelStacks and Joe’s Pub, as well as CoLab Arts. RDC has selfproduced multiple evening-length works throughout NYC and NJ. Kelli served on the writing team for the 2020 NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards for Visual and Performing Arts, developed the Model Curriculum Dance Assessments to be used as the guide for all dance programs in New Jersey, and has facilitated workshops for NJ CTE Arts Assessments. She has been selected to present her educational philosophies at the National Dance Education Organization National Conferences in Arizona, Washington, D.C, Florida, and Colorado. Kelli is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Blair Ritchie (Co-Owner, WRD) holds an M.F.A. in choreography from Wilson College and a B.F.A. in Dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts. Throughout her career as a dancer, she has performed nationally and internationally as a member of multiple modern dance companies. Blair was a member of the faculty at Mason Gross School of the Arts Dance Department at Rutgers University for twelve years. She sat on their Dance Technique Curriculum Committee and created the curriculum for the Yoga for Dancers course. In collaboration with Rutgers University and Om Factory in New York City, she developed the first ever Rutgers/Om Factory 200hr. Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training. Currently, Ms. Ritchie is a full time dance educator in the Bayonne School District and is an owner of Washington Rock Dance, a private dance training facility located in Warren, NJ. She is also a Founder and Managing Director for Rock Dance Collective, which has been commissioned by DanceNOW SteelStacks, DanceNOW Joe’s Pub, Rutgers Summer Stage, and CoLab Arts. Her company's educational and professional work has been presented at many conferences, performance venues, and universities throughout America. Blair is a registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and has completed her 500 hour teacher training with renowned yoga teachers Sue Elkind and Naime Jezzeny at DIG Yoga. She is also a Registered Restorative Yoga Teacher after completing her Restorative Teacher Training with renowned teacher Jillian Pransky. For the last decade, she has continued her education in alignment based Hatha yoga and the life affirming philosophy it brings with it. She has also taken extensive therapeutics training to learn the practical applications of yoga and hands-on adjustments for the chronically and acutely injured body.
Deja Baret (Faculty Member WRD) holds an EdM degree from the Dance Education program at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. During this time, Deja was selected from her class to be a member of the Rutgers CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) Reaccreditation Team as a K-12 EdM Dance Education representative. Currently, Deja works full time as a teacher of yoga and dance at Bayonne High School. Furthermore, she is a dance instructor for the Bayonne High School Young Dancer Program and Junior Dance Team, teaching a variety of dance styles to children ages 2-11. Deja is also a yoga instructor for the Bayonne High School baseball team, working with them weekly to strengthen and enhance their performance as athletes. Outside of Bayonne High School, Deja teaches dance at Washington Rock Dance in Warren, NJ. In May of 2020, Deja graduated Magna Cum Laude with her B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. While at Mason Gross, she performed in works by Cleo Mack, Randy James, Chien- Ying Wang, John Heginbotham (under the direction of Courtney Lopes), and Jordan Lloyd. In October of 2019, Deja performed for Chien- Ying Wang alongside her peers at the International Creative Dance Seminar in Beijing, China. Deja is currently a company dancer for Rock Dance Collective, performing in multiple venues in New Jersey and New York. In 2018, Deja received her 200- hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Certification through Om Factory and Rutgers University under the direction of Taryn Vander Hoop and Blair Ritchie. Danielle Fishman (Faculty Member WRD) graduated from The Ohio State University with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship. During her time there she trained with former Mark Morris and Merce Cunningham company dancers Susan Hadley, Daniel Roberts, and Karen Elliot, by Eddie Taketa a former Doug Varone company dancer and director and Andrew Turtletaub, an original Mia Michael’s dance company member. Danielle has performed in pieces that appeared at the Joyce Theatre in NYC and the Riffe Center Theatre in Columbus, OH. In 2017, Danielle taught dance at a private school to children with autism at the middle and high school level. That same year she received her certification for dance teacher training in Dance for PD (Parkinson's disease) from the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, NY. In 2020, Danielle received her Acrobatic Arts Training Certificate. while Danielle has enjoyed choreographing for high school dance teams and competition studios, her passion is in teaching. She is trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, hip hop and acrobatics. She has taught all of these styles of dance at Washington Rock Dance for 8 years and Dance Attitudes for 12 years. Danielle taught dance at a charter school in Manhattan in 2022 and she now teaches dance to 4th-8th graders at Henry E. Harris Community School in Bayonne, NJ.
Athena Lambos holds a Masters in Dance Education from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Education. She graduated from Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and with a minor in Developmental Psychology and Education as a Social Science. At Rutgers, Athena was awarded the Dance Education Program Fund and Graduate School Education Alumni Challenge Endowment. She was inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts and graduated with honors. Athena completed her full-time clinical internship at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Iselin, NJ. She attended the Academy of Fine Arts and Academics at Bayonne High School under the direction of Kelli McGovern. Throughout her high school years, Athena participated in several programs including NYU Tisch Future Dancers and Dancemakers in 2018, as well as Rutgers Senior Dance Conservatory in 2017 and 2018 as a scholarship recipient. Athena grew up in Bayonne, NJ where she started her dance training at Dance With Me Dance Studio and later trained at Washington Rock Dance in Warren, NJ under the guidance of Kelli McGovern, Cleo Mack, and Blair Ritchie. She has completed the Polestar Pilates Reformer Teacher Training Program, 200Hr Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training and Pilates Mat Certification through Lila Core. Athena is currently teaching dance and yoga at Washington Rock Dance in Warren, NJ and Co-Directoring the Bayonne High School Junior Dance Team in Bayonne, NJ. Athena has worked with choreographers including Kelli McGovern, Cleo Mack, Lori Alexander, Blair Ritchie, Kyle Marshall, Heather Favretto, Kimberly Elliott, Tony Bordonaro, and Ani Javian. Madison Meredith (Faculty Member, WRD) is a dance educator, performing artist, choreographer, and Registered Yoga School (RYS) 200 certified yoga teacher in the greater New Jersey area. Madison received a Master of Education in Dance Education with a K-12 Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. She also received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University with minors in Psychology and Education as a Social Science. Madison's full-time student teaching was completed at Union City High School under the mentorship of Emma Russo and Cristen Pennello. She has trained extensively in tap, modern/contemporary, hip hop, jazz, ballet, and musical theater. Madison has performed works by Tony award winner John Heginbotham, Emmy nominated choreographer Chloe Arnold, and other acclaimed artists such as Opus One Contemporary Dance, Chuck Wilt of UNA Productions, Lynn Neuman of Artichoke Dance Company, Caitlin Casson, John Evans, Reggie Oliver, Robin Passmore, and Marissa Stahl. She has performed at the 92Y Future Dance Festival 2023, White Wave Dance Festival, Mark Morris Dance Center, the Hudson Guild, CHI Movement Arts Center of Kun-Yang Lin Dance in Philadelphia, PA, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, and University of the District of Columbia in the 2017 DC Tap Festival Showcase. Madison’s professional choreographic works have been presented at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn, NY, the Adrienne Theater in Philadelphia, PA, and the Koresh Artist Showcase in Philadelphia, PA. She has also set choreographic works for MOVE Central Jersey, Gloucester County Institute of Technology dance department, Union City High School dance department, Swedesboro-Woolwich Little Theater. In addition to teaching at the School of Nimbus and for Nimbus's Community Programs, Madison in on staff at Mark Morris Dance Center, Be You Dance Center, Washington Rock Dance, All For Dance, and has teaching partnerships with Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Fresh Theater Arts, and BOLD Arts
Rebecca Pavelko (Faculty Member, WRD) is a professional dancer and dance educator. She is a graduate from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey with an Ed.M. in Dance Education from the Graduate School of Education and a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts. Rebecca is a Washington Rock Dance and Bayonne High School Dance alumni. She is currently a dance educator in Union City Public Schools, BHS Young Dancer Program in Bayonne, NJ, and Washington Rock Dance in Warren, NJ, teaching Creative Movement, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Yoga to ages 2-18. Rebecca is currently a dancer for tri-state area dance companies: NewBrese Dance Project, Rock Dance Collective, O'CampoWang Dance, and TalubaDance. She has had the opportunity to dance in venues such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dixon Place, Spoke The Hub, NBPAC, Green Space, as well as internationally in Italy, Germany, and China. Jordan Pratko (Faculty Member, WRD) is an Ed.M. graduate in Dance Education with a K-12 teaching certification from the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University. While at Rutgers, Jordan was awarded the Mastrobuono EdM Dance Education Excellence Award Scholarship, the Mastrobuono Distinguished EdM Dance Education Student Scholarship, and the Nancy Higginson Dorr Award. Jordan is a full time dance educator and yoga instructor at Bayonne High School (BHS) where she has collaborated with Kelli McGovern to create the yoga curriculum in the district. Jordan teaches various dance styles and age levels at Washington Rock Dance (WRD) in Warren, NJ. Additionally, she is a yoga and fitness instructor at Ken Pilates in Hoboken, NJ. In May 2019, Jordan graduated summa cum laude with her B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts. While at Mason Gross, Jordan performed the works of Ani Javian, John Evans, Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie. Currently, she is a company dancer for Rock Dance Collective (RDC) and has appeared in various venues across New York and New Jersey. Her original choreography has been performed at the Loree Dance Theater and Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater in New Brunswick, NJ and the Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York City. Jordan is a 200-Hour Registered Vinyasa Yoga Teacher (RYT) through the Om Factory in NYC under the instruction of Blair Ritchie and Taryn Vander Hoop.
Julia Ramirez (Faculty Member, WRD) is an emerging artist currently based in New Brunswick, NJ. She is a recent graduate with her Master’s degree (Ed.M.) in Dance Education and K-12 Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University as of May 2023. In February 2023, she completed a residency at Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, NY and presented her newest work, Kinematic Indeterminacy, which will be performed at Spring4Spring’s festival in Metuchen, NJ and the 2023 White Wave Dance Festival in June. She is also the company intern for David Dorfman Dance and since 2020 has worked diligently as a member of their administrative team, a rehearsal assistant, a guest teacher, and a production assistant. In the summer of 2022, she co-created and taught at LEAP in New Haven, Connecticut alongside Nik Owens. Julia completed her student teaching internship at Middlesex Vocational High School under the supervision of Cleo Mack. Together, they co-directed and choreographed Flux States in December of 2022 performed at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. She has had the opportunity to work with Bab’s Case as a guest artist in implementing The Dancing Alphabet in K-5 public schools in Jackson, Wyoming in 2021. Julia graduated in the spring of 2022 with her BFA in Dance Performance and was awarded the Margery J. Turner Choreography Award for a work of exceptional undergraduate student group choreography. Since graduating from the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Julia’s work has been featured in the 2023 92NY Future Dance Festival, Kun-Yang Lin’s Performance Series, the Koresh Artist Showcase, 92Y Emerging Choreographers Festival, Women's Day Dance Festival, Uptown Rising Performance Series, and Rutgers University. In addition to collaborating with fellow interdisciplinary artists, she has performed on stage and in films for various artists in the NYC, NJ, and PA area. She has performed at venues such as Dixon Place, Ten Tiny Dances, Muhlenberg College and Point Park University. Cassidy Delilah Rivas (Faculty Member, WRD) is a professional dancer, choreographer, educator, and creative born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate of Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, where she received her Ed.M in K-12 Dance Education. At Rutgers University, Cassidy also graduated Summa Cum Laude with her B.F.A in Dance Performance at Mason Gross School of the Arts. During her time at Rutgers University, Cassidy was a recipient of the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Memorial Scholarship. Cassidy is currently a full-time K-12 Dance Educator at Union City High School (UCHS) in Union City, New Jersey. Cassidy is also one of the coaches of the Union City Dance Team, Drillettes, with the support of Becky Pavelko. In addition, Cassidy teaches with Washington Rock Dance (WRD) in Warren, NJ, working with various age ranges and dance genres/styles. Cassidy is also a current member and professional dancer with Rock Dance Collective (RDC), which is a non-profit dance company founded and based in Warren, New Jersey. Throughout her career, Cassidy has had the honor to work and collaborate with various artists including Earl Mosley at Earl Mosley's Institute of the Arts, Cleo Mack Rock Dance Collective, Rennie Harris Illadelph, Stefanie Batten Bland (SBB), Benny Royce Royon, Kim Elliott, Shannon Gillen Vim Vigor, Alexandra Beller, Christal Brown, and Shay Bland.
Richard Sayama (Faculty Member, WRD) Originally from Honolulu, Hawai’i, Richard Sayama graduated early from Marymount Manhattan College with a double major in B.F.A Modern Dance and B.A Business Arts & Management. There he has performed works by Paul Taylor, José Limón, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, Elisabeth Motley, Maria Torres, and many more. Upon graduation, Sayama joined Jon Lehrer Dance Company where he has toured domestically and internationally over 5 years. He has finished seasons with Jon Lehrer Dance Company, Alison Cook Beatty Dance, iKADA Contemporary Dance Company, Rock Dance Collective, McKoy Dance Project and XY Dance Projects. Sayama currently dances for LaneCoArts, Obremski/Works, H.T Chen & Dancers, One Day Dance, and General Mischief Dance Theatre. Sayama recently performed with the Limón Dance Company as a guest artist at New York City Center's 2023 Fall for Dance Festival. Julia Shicatano (Faculty Member, WRD) is a graduate of Rutgers University where she received an Ed.M degree in Dance Education and K-12 teaching certification. She has taught dance in multiple high school performing arts programs in New Jersey and is currently an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. Julia has appeared in a National T-Mobile commercial, ColorMe Cosmetics Times Square commercial, and worked with RWS Entertainment and Vivacity Entertainment in New York and New Jersey. Julia also has experience with promotional modeling with Matrix Hair. In 2019, Julia graduated with a B.F.A in Dance Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. While attending Mason Gross, she had the pleasure of performing works by Chien-Ying Wang, John Evans, Blair Richie, Cleo Mack, and Martha Graham Dance Company members Miki Orihara and Nya Bowman. In addition to teaching and performing, Julia is a personal stretch therapist through Kika Stretch Studios and judges for National Dance Competitions across the East Coast and Midwest. Rachel Stanislawczyk (Faculty Member, WRD) is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Rutgers University, where she earned her Ed.M in Dance Education with a K-12 teaching certification in 2020. During her time at Rutgers, she taught as a Part-Time-Lecturer of Ballet in the Dance Department at Mason Gross School of the Arts, and was awarded the Ed.M Dance Education Scholarship. Rachel graduated with a BFA in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2017. In the spring semester of her junior year, she was a student in the University of South Florida’s Dance in Paris Program, where she studied with various celebrated dance artists in Europe. Post graduation, Rachel became a lead teacher of the Mark Morris Dance Group’s (MMDG) Dance for PD® program, where she taught classes at MMDG, New York University, Juilliard and Ballet Academy East. She is the Director and Founder of the Dance for Parkinson’s Program at American Repertory Ballet: a program for people diagnosed with PD and their caregivers. Currently, Rachel is a full-time Dance Educator at David Brearley Middle and High School, where she’s developing the dance curriculum for Kenilworth School District. Chantal Taluba (Faculty Member, WRD) is a Washington Rock Dance alumni and graduated with a BFA in dance while double majoring in psychology from Rutgers University. Her company, TalubaDance, performs in the NYC area for many different festivals and events. Taluba currently works in a school for children/adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. As an emerging choreographer, her artistry is heavily influenced by her work and background in psychology. The movement that Taluba creates is based on ideas of different theories, stigmas, and research in psychology.
Becky Visintainer (Faculty Member, WRD) graduated from Rutgers University with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a Masters in Dance Education PK-12. She spent a year abroad studying at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, UK. Becky has had the opportunity to perform works by many accomplished choreographers both at home and abroad including Keith Thompson, John Evans, Kim Gibilisco, David Parker of The Bang Group, Sumi Clements of Summation Dance, Lizzie Kew-Ross, Valerie Preston Dunlop, and Cleo Mack to name a few. Currently she is a company member for NJ based dance company Rock Dance Collective. Becky is a dance educator in New Jersey directing the dance department at North Plainfield High School and teaching at Washington Rock Dance Studio. She is also a Part-Time Lecturer for Rutgers Graduate School of Education, instructing a course for the Dance Education Program. She is certified in ABT's National Training Curriculum Pre-Primary through Level 3. She is also a 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and holds a Yin Yoga certificate. Becky is active within the larger dance community serving on and writing interdisciplinary lessons for NJPAC's Teacher Resource Committee. She has also served as an adjudicator for the NHSDA Scholarship and has participated in NDEO's Mentorship program as a new-teacher mentor. Kerry Zak (Faculty Member, WRD) is a performer and dance educator hailing from Livingston, New Jersey. Over the past year, she has lived and worked internationally as a professional dancer for RWS Entertainment Group, as part of the inaugural casts for 10 brand-new shows at Iberostar Hotels and Resorts (Riviera Maya, Mexico) and MSC Cruises’ World Europa. Kerry obtained her master’s in dance education (Ed.M.) as well as her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from Rutgers University. She has taught dance at the high school, vocational level at both Union County Vocational Technical Schools, Academy for Performing Arts in Scotch Plains, NJ, and the Grunin Performing Arts Academy as part of Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools in Toms River, NJ. During her graduate studies, she served on the student board for the Rutgers National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), received the Mastrobuono Scholarship for excellence in the study of Dance Education, and was inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. In her time as an undergraduate, she performed in works by Mark Morris (Joyce Theater, NYC), Yin Yue, Alexandra Beller, Maxine Doyle, Randy James, Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie. She holds her 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification through OM Factory NYC, and is an ABT® certified ballet teacher in levels Pre-Primary through Level 3. This year, Kerry joined Celebration Talent Competition as an adjudicator and is overjoyed to teach at Washington Rock Dance and bring her passion for the art of dance to all!
WRD Reach Programs The Washington Rock Performance Ensemble program gives our students the opportunity to perform at various dance competitions multiple times throughout the year. The consistent performance experience enables the dancers to develop at an accelerated level and enhance the dancer’s ability to feel comfortable performing on-stage. The ability to dance as part of an ensemble presents each dancer the fundamental ability to work within a group with an understanding that the success of one is the success of all. Our performance groups consistently place with high overall scores and receive numerous choreography and special judges awards. All genres of dance are represented in the curriculum for members of the Washington Rock Performance Ensemble. Performance Ensembles
Junior Performance Ensemble: Level 1 Sage Brotspies Daisy Chen Luna Liu Emerie Rivas Lucca Shi Avery Short McKayla Stein Junior Performance Ensemble: Level II Londynn Antoine Blake Baldwin Emma Crystal Camilla Jiminez Laci Millard Alondra Rodriguez Junior Performance Ensemble: Level III Cora Camiolo Stella Ferreiro Abigail Liu Lyla Macke Ameera Shah Alexa Short Junior Performance Ensemble: Level IV Madison Berez Sydney Feldman Kaleigh Gartner Evie Kleinberg Grace Maslovsky Nina Shah Emma Stoicescu Elle Ulsaker Senior Performance Ensemble Angelina Blanco TJ Cale Giada Damiano Liana Damiano Rebecca Nuzzi Olivia Phan Sydnie Shapiro Jillian Shaw Nina Shaw Olivia Taylor Lina Zangrillo Elite Performance Ensemble Emily Aroneo Ava Cafiero Annabelle Cheng Jaya Dave Sienna DiGiacomo Rebecca Flum Abby French Thea Horowitz Gigi Mandarakas Juliana Steier Kayla Wang Performance Ensemble Members
Washington Rock Ballet Founded in 2003, the Washington Rock Ballet Company (WRB) has offered dancers, ages six to eighteen, the unique opportunity to work and dance alongside professionals in the field. Every holiday season, the Washington Rock Ballet Company produces a full length, “Nutcracker.” This large scale production bestows the company members with the privilege to perform a full-length ballet in a professional theater while working with professional dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and multiple contemporary and modern dance companies from the Metropolitan area. The process of developing a ballet dancer is progressive and continual. WRB employs 6 levels of study, each requiring that physical and developmental benchmarks are met in order to progress to the next level. Washington Rock Ballet meets for company class and rehearsals every Saturday from September to June.
Level 2 Isla Buchanan Eleanor Craig Audrey Petrewski Amy Shao Mia Bolewicz Sage Brotspies Eleni Brousti August Davies Jessica Krupp Myles Lodge-Bing Laci Millard Charlotte Pena Isabella Pimenta Sophia Poon Ezra Saltzman Level 3 Victoria Bodajlo Cora Camiolo Molly Casagrand Sydney Collman Grace Coyle Stella Ferreiro Shiloh Greenbaum Leela Hannan Lyla Macke Sophia Parisi Dia Sachin Ameera Shah Level 4 Kaleigh Gartner Evie Kleinberg Grace Maslovsky Oliver Ort Nina Shah Sonia Shah Emma Stoicescu Beatrice Young Level 5 Taylor Cale Alice Daleiden Giada Damiano Liana Damiano Kate Holczinger Michaella Moriarty Olivia Phan Sydnie Shapiro Jillian Shaw Nina Shaw Olivia Taylor Lina Zangrillo Level 6 Emily Aroneo Ember Arp Annabelle Cheng Jaya Dave Rebecca Flum Abby French Thea Horowitz Mary Cate King Gigi Mandarakas Juliana Steier
The original iteration of this pre-professional student company was founded in 2001 by Cleo Mack as a way to provide her professional company with performance and rehearsal opportunities while offering to a select group of students the opportunity to learn and perform alongside professional dancers. Often, the professional and the student realm are kept as entirely separate and distinct spaces. As a result, the “jump” from one world into the next is often clunky, challenging and overwhelming. Students who had the unique opportunity to work, both in rehearsal and on stage, with professional artists had more asked of them due to the caliber of the show and those performing in it. This ask proved to be an important catalyst in their development as dancers as it pushed them into their zone of proximal development by situating them next to other dancers who had decades more training and experience. Ever since, we have spent the last twenty two years developing the model of teaching big concepts through evening length dance. What we have learned is that this model of creation allows for a lasting synthesis of information and a deepening impact of the work we do in the studio and on stage. Washington Rock Modern Company, also known as MoCo, trains dancers ages nine to eighteen in modern technique, improvisation, and composition. Each year, RDC2 produces an entirely original evening length work that explores the idea of creating big art through big concepts. The practice of offering students an opportunity to study a concept through evening length dance allows them to develop life long skill sets and a deep understanding of ideas. The students are integral in the development of the concept from the infancy of the project. They help to create the movement language, develop characters, and help organize the overarching structure of the work. Rock Dance Collective II
Rock Dance Collective II Dancers Level 1: Madison Berez Stella Ferreiro Evie Kleinberg Oliver Ort Sonia Shah Emma Stoicescu Beatrice Young Level 2: Taylor Cale Giada Damiano Liana Damiano Michaella Moriarty Rebecca Nuzzi Olivia Phan Sydnie Shapiro Lina Zangrillo Level 3: Emily Aroneo Ember Arp Annabelle Cheng, Jaya Dave Rebecca Flum Abby French Thea Horowitz Gigi Mandarakas Juliana Steier Kayla Wang Sophia Zangrillo
1. Bad Waiters Choreographed by Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie Junior Performance Ensemble III and IV Show A 2. Newton’s Law Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Elite Performance Ensemble 3. Tiki Tiki Room Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Junior Performance Ensemble I 4. Drive Choreographed by Madison Meredith Sydney Feldman 5. Paper Planes Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Ameera Shah 6. Say a Little Prayer Choreographed by Cassidy Rivas Kaleigh Gartner, Carina Jalota, Evie Kleinberg, Grace Maslovsky, Nina Shah, Sonia Shah, Emma Stoicescu, Elle Ulsaker, Beatrice Young 7. Fancy Choreographed by Becky Visintainer Junior Performance Ensemble II
8. Winter Song Choreographed by Becky Pavelko Victoria Bodajlo,Cora Camiolo, Molly Casagrand, Sydney Collman, Grace Coyle Malu DeCastro, Stella Ferreiro, Leela Hannan Abigail Liu, Lyla Macke Sophia Parisi, Ameera Shah, Alexa Short 9. Hero Choreographed by Madison Meredith Madison Berez, Sydney Feldman, Kaleigh Gartner, Evie Kleinberg, Nina Shah Emma Stoicescu 10. Bop Til You Drop Choreographed by Becky Visintainer Ruby Blick, Siena Bucco, Daisy Chen, Carmela D’Annunzio, Evelyn Kirchheimer, Quinn Lafkowitz, Luna Liu, Laci Millard, Lucca Shi, Avery Short, Leanna Utz 11. Clap Snap Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Londynn Antoine, Sloane Atanasio, Sage Brotspies, Emily Camuto, Luna Carollo, Zoe Collman, Lena Czarnecki, Olivia D’Annunzio, Kira Feuchtbaum, Bryce Janasek, Sarina Oren, Grace Perrotti, Emerie Rivas, Natalie Rodriguez, Amy Shao, McKayla Stein, Mary Kate Walsh 12.Let it In Choreographed by Becky Visintainer Emily Bash, Madison Berez, Sydney Feldman, Evie Kleinberg, Oliver Ort, Aria Riegel, Sonia Shah, Emma Stoicescu, Elle Ulsaker, Beatrice Young
13. Tick Tick Boom Choreographed by Deja Baret and Blair Ritchie Victoria Bodajlo, Cora Camiolo, Sydney Collman, Stella Ferreiro, Brynn Kalenich, Victoria Liang, Abigail Liu, Lyla Macke, Mia Romano, Ameera Shah, Alexa Short, Lucas Stoicescu, Gianna Umile 14. My Favorite Things Choreographed by Rachel Stanislawczyk Isla Buchanan, Daisy Chen, Eleanor Craig, Alyssa Gekhtman, Audrey Petrewski, Mia Bolewicz, Sage Brotspies, Eleni Brousti, August Davies, Carina Jalota, Jessica Krupp, Myles Lodge-Bing, Laci Millard, Charlotte Pena, Isabella Pimenta, Sophia Poon, Ezra Saltzman, Amy Shao 15. I Love It Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Madison Berez and Sydney Feldman 16. Let’s Get Loud Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Brynn Kalenich and Mia Romano 17. That’s My Girl Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Alexa Short 18. Coppelia Choreographed by Cleo Mack, Kelli McGovern, Jordan Pratko, Rachel Stanislawczyk Washington Rock Ballet Company 19. The Archer Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Madison Berez 20. Slow Fade Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Stella Ferreiro 21. Just Got Paid Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Ameera Shah
22. Ready For It? Choreographed by Dani Fishman Ava Balakrishnan, Madison Berez, Sydney Feldman, Kaleigh Gartner, Parker Golden, Evie Kleinberg, Katrina Ling, Grace Maslovsky, Theadora Niszczak, Aria Riegel, Emma Stoicescu, Elle Ulsaker 25. Tainted Love Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Elite Performance Ensemble 24. Feel Good Too Choreographed by Madison Meredith Cora Camiolo, Molly Casagrand, Fern Emswiler, Stella Ferreiro, Shiloh Greenbaum, Abigail Liu, Lyla Macke, Ameera Shah, Alexa Short 23. Sway Choreographed by Cleo Mack Senior Performance Ensemble
28. Tambourine Choreographed by Becky Pavelko Emily Bash, Madison Berez, Sydney Feldman, Kaleigh Gartner, Parker Golden, Evie Kleinberg, Katrina Ling, Grace Maslovsky, Isabel Milov, Meerabala Mohanakrishnan, Aria Riegel, Nina Shah, Sonia Shah, Emma Stoicescu, Elle Ulsaker 27. Smooth Criminal Choreographed by Julia Ramirez Blake Baldwin, Myles LodgeBing, Emilia Schwarzman 26. I Love Rock n’ Roll Choreographed by Cleo Mack and Jordan Pratko Anya Barai, Maya Barai, Ruby Blick, Nil Kayaci, Evelyn Kirchheimer, Quinn Lafkowitz, Anastasia Nadolny, Leanna Utz, Eleni Brousti, Emma Crystal, Lilou Emswiler, Camilla Jiminez, Laci Millard, Alondra Rodriguez, Emilia Schwartman
29. Run to You Choreographed by Blair Ritchie and Deja Baret Junior Performance Ensemble III 30. Boogie Shoes Choreographed by Rachel Stanislawczyk Blake Baldwin, Lena Czarnecki, Amelia Klimuc, Jessica Krupp, Bella Labadie, Gaia Megrish, Luna Mocean, Sonia Mutafov, Mckenzie Nolan, Victoria Norton, Mary Kate Walsh 31. Swamp (excerpt) Choreographed by Cleo Mack, Blair Ritchie, Julia Ramirez Rock Dance Collective II 32. Make It Look Easy Choreographed by Blair Ritchie and Deja Baret Victoria Bodajlo, Cora Camiolo, Stella Carollo, Sydney Collman,Amara Feuchtbaum, Stella Ferreiro, Leah Ginnino, Leela Hannan, Brynn Kalenich, Lyla Macke, Mia Romano, Ameera Shah, Alexa Short, Noelle Stoddard, Lucas Stoicescu 33. Young and Beautiful Choreographed by Rachel Stanislawczyk Madison Berez, Sydney Feldman, Kaleigh Gartner, Carina Jalota, Evie Kleinberg, Grace Maslovsky, Nina Shah, Sonia Shah, Chelsea Sun, Elle Ulsaker, Beatrice Young
34. Pandora’s Box Choreographed by Cleo Mack, Kelli McGovern,Blair Ritchie, Jordan Pratko, Rachel Stanislawczyk Junior Performance Ensemble IV, Senior Performance Ensemble, and Elite Performance Ensemble 35.Finale Presentation: “Unwritten” Show B 1. Sway Choreographed by Cleo Mack Senior Performance Ensemble 2. Lines Choreographed by Cleo Mack Elite Performance Ensemble 3. “A” Your Adorable Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Morgan Buran, Aurora Carollo, Siena DeGennaro, Scarlett DiMeo, Nayeli Domingues, Caroline Gao, Siena Giaimo, Grace Langowski, Angelina Lee, Penelope Loof, Magdalena Mandel, Olivia Moriarty, Ayla Murad, Milani Ridley, Daphne Yacone
4. Purple Phase Choreographed by Cleo Mack Taylor Cale 5. Return to Form Choreographed by Cleo Mack Giada Damiano 6. Rockin’ Robin Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Nicole Bermudez, Katarina Barros, Ayla Greenbaum, Hazel Jiang, Valentina Miller, Jenna Wei, Fai Yang 7. Wild Choreographed by Dani Fishman Rebecca Nuzzi 8. Run Away Baby Choreographed by Athena Lambos Carmela Baran, Mia Bolewicz, Isla Buchanan, Caroline Dealaman, Emerson Fine, Payton Fine, Leanna Larkin, Kate Lukacs, Gaia Megrish, Giuliana Morano, Audrey Petrewski 9. Tom’s Diner Choreographed by Madison Meredith Senior Performance Ensemble and Elite Performance Ensemble 10. Flowers In The Garden Choreographed by Jordan Pratko and Becky Pavelko Allison Cua, Sabrina Haik, Brianna Luzaj, Samantha Peiffer, Madison Dalton, Colette Huddle, Chloe Kielblock, Grace Lopez
11. All These Woes Choreographed by Cleo Mack, Chantal Taluba and Blair Ritchie Olivia Phan 12. Creep Choreographed by Cleo Mack Liana Damiano 13. Burn Choreographed by Cassidy Rivas Sydnie Shapiro 14. Splish Splash Choreographed by Rachel Stanislawczyk Anya Barai, Maya Barai, Karolina Wegiel, Eloise Yacone, Fai Yang 15. Profit$ Choreographed by Cleo Mack Senior Performance Ensemble 16. Gravity Choreographed by Cleo Mack Junior Performance Ensemble IV 17. When I Was Older Choreographed by Athena Lambos Angelina Blanco 18. Esmeralda Choreographed by Marius Petipa and coached by Cleo Mack Giada Damiano
19. Better Days Choreographed by Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie Elite Performance Ensemble 20. Don’t Cry Choreographed by Rachel Stanislawczyk Olivia Taylor 21. End of Time Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Nina and Sonia Shah 22. Telephone Choreographed by Madison Meredith Angelina Blanco, Taylor Cale, Giada Damiano, Liana Damiano, Rebecca Nuzzi, Olivia Phan, Sydnie Shapiro, Jillian Shaw, Nina Shaw, Olivia Taylor, Lina Zangrillo 23. Love Is Complicated Choreographed by Cleo Mack Giada and Liana Damiano 24. Bibbidibobbidiboo Choreographed by Rachel Stanislawczyk Charlotte Buchanan, Mercedes Camiolo, Sabine Gola-Saral, Vivienne Hanson, Cora Huddle, Ira Shakthi Karthic, Nora Larkin, Katherine Paciorkowski, Susana Pimenta, Maria Sgro
25. Queen Bee Choreographed by Dani Fishman Angelina Blanco, Taylor Cale, Giada Damiano, Liana Damiano, Michaella Moriarty, Rebecca Nuzzi, Olivia Phan, Sydnie Shapiro, Jillian Shaw, Nina Shaw, Olivia Taylor, Lina Zangrillo 26. Atlas Choreographed by Chantal Taluba Grace Maslovsky 27. Time Choreographed by Blair Ritchie Giada Damiano, Liana Damiano, Olivia Phan, Rebecca Nuzzi 28. As It Was Choreographed by Chantal Taluba Emma Stoicescu 29. One Dance Choreographed by Cassidy Rivas Maya Bakos, Angelina Blanco, Taylor Cale, Giada Damiano, Liana Damiano, Rebecca Nuzzi, Olivia Phan, Sydnie Shapiro, Jillian Shaw, Nina Shaw, Olivia Taylor, Lia Vaquedano, Lina Zangrillo
30. Pandora’s Box Choreographed by Cleo Mack, Kelli McGovern, Blair Ritchie, Jordan Pratko, Rachel Stanislawczyk Junior Performance Ensemble IV, Senior Performance Ensemble, Elite Performance Ensemble 31. Finale Presentation: “Unwritten” Show C 1. Newton’s Law Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Elite Performance Ensemble 2. Profit$ Choreographed by Cleo Mack Senior Performance Ensemble 3. Cantaloupe Island Choreographed by Chantal Taluba and Thea Horowitz Thea Horowitz 4. Tom’s Diner Choreographed by Madison Meredith Senior Performance Ensemble and Elite Performance Ensemble
6. Bring Me The Mountain Choreographed by Cleo Mack Kayla Wang 7. Anatomy Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Lina Zangrillo 8. Tainted Love Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Elite Performance Ensemble 9. Transfigure Choreographed by Becky Pavelko Searle Conches, Etasha Geddam, Shreeya Geddam, Keya Patel, Shiva Patel, Deborah Pazmino, Sarah Pazmino, Emilie Wagman 10. Fear Of The Water Choreographed by Becky Pavelko Ava Cafiero 11. Memory Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Gigi Mandarakas 12. Escalation Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Nina Shaw 5. Shake It Out Choreographed by Jordan Pratko Kaleigh Gartner and Evie Kleinberg
13. Bill Withers Choreographed by Madison Meredith Emily Aroneo, Ava Cafiero, Annabelle Cheng, Jaya Dave, Sienna DiGiacomo, Abby French, Thea Horowitz, Emilie Wagman, Kayla Wang 14. Do It Like This Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Jillian Shaw 15. Off And Away Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Abby French 16. Lessons Choreographed by Blair Ritchie Sienna DiGiacomo 17. Sway Choreographed by Cleo Mack Senior Performance Ensemble 18. Walkways Choreographed by Dani Fishman Emily Aroneo, Ember Arp, Ava Cafiero, Annabelle Cheng, Jaya Dave, Sienna DiGiacomo, Rebecca Flum, Abby French, Gigi Mandarakas, Kayla Wang 19. Thus Always To Tyrants Choreographed by Athena Lambos Terry DeAngelis 20. It Never Entered My Mind Choreographed by Kelli McGovern Thea Horowitz
21. Work It Choreographed by Cassidy Rivas Emily Aroneo, Zoya Balakrishnan, Ava Cafiero, Annabelle Cheng, Mackenzie Clark, Jaya Dave, Sienna DiGiacomo, Rebecca Flum, Abby French, Gigi Mandarakas, Juliana Steier, Kayla Wang, Sophia Zangrillo 22. Elevation Choreographed by Cleo Mack Rebecca Flum 23. Lines Choreographed by Cleo Mack Elite Performance Ensemble 24. Lady You Shot Me Choreographed by Cleo Mack Annabelle Cheng 25. In The Middle Choreographed by Cleo Mack Emily Aroneo, Ember Arp, Angelina Blanco, Ava Cafiero, Taylor Cale, Annabelle Cheng, Giada Damiano, Liana Damiano, Jaya Dave, Sienna DiGiacomo, Rebecca Flum, Abby French, Etasha Geddam, Shreeya Geddam, Thea Horowitz, Gigi Mandarakas, Michaella Moriarty, Rebecca Nuzzi, Shiva Patel, Olivia Phan, Sydnie Shapiro,Juliana Steier, Kayla Wang, Lina Zangrillo, Sophia Zangrillo 26. A Different Kind Choreographed by Cleo Mack Emily Aroneo 27. Better Days Choreographed by Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie Elite Performance Ensemble 28. Que Sera Choreographed by Cleo Mack Jaya Dave
29. Pandora’s Box Choreographed by Cleo Mack, Blair Ritchie, Kelli McGovern, Jordan Pratko, Rachel Stanislawczyk Junior Performance Ensemble IV, Senior Performance Ensemble and Elite Performance Ensemble 30. Finale Presentation: “Unwritten” Five-Year Award Gianna Umile Etasha Geddam Shreeya Geddam Ava Cafiero Lyla Macke Keya Patel Shiva Patel Ten-Year Award Taylor Cale Evie Kleinberg Awards Ceremony Fifteen-Year Award Emily Aroneo Jaya Dave Graduating Seniors Emily Aroneo Ember Arp Ava Cafiero Jaya Dave Etasha Geddam Keya Patel Emilie Wagman Sophia Zangrillo
National Honors Society of Dance Arts Washington Rock Dance Chapter Senior Members Emily Aroneo, Ember Arp, Ava Cafiero, Jaya Dave Junior Members Mary Cate King, Juliana Steier Your pasión and dedication will lead you to fulfill your dreams we love you immensely Mom and dad ! Precious Angelina,
Livi, You continue to amaze us with your dedication and love towards dance! What a great year it has been. We love seeing your growth as a dancer and we cannot wait to see what comes next! Love, Mom, Dad, Ben and Grandma
you should be so proud of the beautiful dancer you are becoming. Your love for dance grows each and every year. We love watching you on stage and seeing you shine. Always continue to dance with your heart. Love, Mommy, Daddy, & Matthew SSoopphhiiaa