MANAGERIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE

Elissa Machlin-Lockwood, Artistic Director, began dancing at age 3 at CMDE, and began teaching dance over 30 years ago. She attended The Martha Graham School, Jacobs Pillow Summer Dance Festival, Bennington College, Simons Rock College, and the New School for Social Research. She has taught students ranging in age from toddlers to seniors and from beginner to advanced in a wide variety of settings, has developed and implemented numerous original programs for CMDE, and continues to teach and present her own choreography. In her role of Artistic Director, she manages all of CMDE's artistic and professional-development programming, supervises all staff, and is the primary liaison between CMDE staff and the Board of Trustees. She is also the Chairperson of the 2009 Committee for the Bergen County Week of the Young Child Family Fun Festival; a member of the Bergen County Department of Cultural and Historical Affairs' FY09 & FY10 Arts Grants Panels; a member of the Bergen Youth Collaborative (created in 2008 to address critical issues facing youth in Bergen County); a member of the Advisory Committee for the Bergen County Teen Arts Festival; a member of Bergen Dancemakers; and a former Board Member of Dance New Jersey.

Bonnie Hyslop, Arts Administrator, joined CMDE in 2002, with over twenty years of experience as a manager in the performing arts field, and a degree in Arts Administration. Bonnie has previously held the positions of General Manager of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Treasurer of Dance-New Jersey, General Manager of Garden State Ballet in NJ, Managing Director of Pan Asian Repertory Theater in NYC, and Business Manager of Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. She is currently also the Account Manager for Howard Shore, the Grammy-Award winning composer for Lord of the Rings.

Lisa Repasky-Sandhusen, Marketing & PR, has over fifteen years of marketing, public relations and production experience in the commercial broadcast and advertising world. In California, she was Director of Promotions for the Rogue Performance Festival in Fresno, and her innovative use of new media and standard print and broadcast media generated the "buzz" necessary to bring people together to support the cultural arts community, resulting in an exponential rise in ticket sales and public involvement. Before joining the Rogue Performance Festival, Lisa worked in many capacities multi-media world. A graduate of Framingham State College, she has a BS in Media Communication with a minor in Writing. She has worked in advertising houses with accounts ranging from high-tech and security sensitive (such as Raytheon) to the highly commercial (such as Reebok). Lisa also worked as a Promotions Manager for Local FOX and NBC affiliates in various parts of the country and was Art Director for the Fresno, California NBC affiliate (KSEE-24). Her experience includes developing sales and marketing packages as well as creating print campaigns. Lisa’s varied experiences enable her to look at all available media outlets to create a complete but cost-effective marketing strategy that benefits the budget and the goals of the client. Lisa joined the Center for Modern Dance Education in 2006 as the Marketing Coordinator after moving to NJ from CA.

Shirley Ubell, Founder & Advisor, began teaching dance in her home in the 1950s, incorporated CMDE in 1962 as a non-profit community organization, and was its Director for most of the organization's existence. Ms Ubell has a BA in Psychology and a Master of Science in Movement Therapy from Hunter College, and is a Registered Dance Therapist. She took her first modern dance lesson at the late age of 19 from Maya Kyla, and continued at The Martha Graham School and at The Mary Anthony Dance Studio. She now serves in an advisory capacity to CMDE's artistic and administrative staff, assists with individual-donor solicitations, and continues to dance, all with the aim of having everyone experience the joy of dance.

ARTISTIC FACULTY

Lateefah Fleming began her dance career at the age of seven, as part of the Afro-Caribbean group La Rocque Bey Dance Company in Harlem NY. She earned a degree from City College of New York, and is certified in Pilates Mat , Pilates Reformer, Personal Training, Group Fitness, Pre- and Post-Natal Fitness, and Vinyassa Yoga. She has performed with The Perry Dance Company, the Middle Eastern Dance Company Rainbow Essence, Oasis, and her own company, Raqs la Majali, A World Dance Fusion Experience. She has trained in numerous dance techniques at Broadway Dance Center, The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Steps on Broadway, Perry Studios, and with various masters of Oriental dance. She started her own fitness firm, empowerfit, and is the Group Exercise Director at The Spa At Glenpointe. Currently she is completing a Master’s Degree in Natural Health. She joined the CMDE faculty in 2005.

Juan Carlos Gonzales-Varela graduated from the National School of Superior Ballet in Lima, Peru, and was awarded a scholarship to attend the Professional Training Program at the School of Dance Theatre of Harlem. He has performed in Chile, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and extensively throughout the United States. He has choreographed for television, as well as appearing in a series of HBO specials in 2002. Juan Carlos has trained, danced with, and taught for the Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, and danced with Kun-Yang Lin, since 1995. He was a company member of the all-male pointe troupe Le Grand Ballet de Loonis in the 1990s, danced with Ariane Anthony & Company from 1999-2002, and with Rachel Cohen & Company and Rococo Productions. He was awarded a scholarship and attended the Professional Training Program at the School of Dance Theatre of Harlem. He currently performs and teaches ballroom, Latin, ballet, and modern dance in NYC and NJ, including at Stepping Out Studios, Manhattan's largest and most diverse Latin and Ballroom dance school. He teaches Latin and Modern Dance for CMDE, including the multi-generational Family Latin Dance Class.

Silinea Lucius, a Maryland native, began her ballet training at Jones-Haywood School of Ballet. Her love of dance eventually led her to Howard University, where she earned a BFA in Musical Theatre. She also trained with the Broadway Dance Center in NYC and the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England. She has taught at the Dance Institute of Washington, Dance & Body Works, and Hudson Repertory Dance, and has performed with various regional theatres including The Shakespeare Theatre and The Kennedy Center. She was a member of Seventh Principle Contemporary African Performance Company, and has been a member of the CMDE faculty since 2005.

Linda Mensch has a BA in Choreography from Bard College. She is the Artistic Director of The Moving Company in Warwick, NY. She has taught for many years at the Gowanus Arts Exchange in NY, Center for Modern Dance Education, and at Bard College. Her choreography has been performed from London to NYC. In 2007 she choreographed the work "CMDE Family Tree" for the Center's students, staff, and alumni, which was performed at the organization's 45th Anniversary Gala. In 2008-2009, she taught people living with cancer at Gilda's Club Northern New Jersey as part of the Can Dance! collaboration. She currently teaches choreography at CMDE, and teaches in the Road Recovery program at the Hawthorne School in NY.

Karen Francesca Silvano is a graduate of the National Academy of Dance in her native Rome, Italy. After a London experience at the Covent Garden School of Dance, she moved to New York, where she graduated from the Ailey School. Karen Francesca has been dancing with several companies and independent choreographers, such as Mary Anthony Dance Theater, Ramos Dance, Kun Yang Lin, and I Giullari di Piazza, a company that reconstructs theater, music, and dance productions from the Italian Renaissance. She holds a B.A. in Romance Languages and Literature and teaches Italian at Pasquack Valley High School. She is honored to be the director and choreographer of CMDE’s Junior Repertory Company, and is grateful to the CMDE family for allowing her to create so much choreography and multimedia works.

Alexandra Stavrou-Wilson is a dancer, choreographer, and musician who has developed a contemporary repertory that is deepened by the use of her Greek heritage and Haitian dance experience. She holds a degree in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. After being part of the innovative dance performance scene in the 60s and 70s, Ms. Stavrou-Wilson was an artist in residence in Papua, New Guinea under the auspices of the National Cultural Council, and was a working artist in New Zealand in the early 1990s. Upon her return to N.J., she discovered CMDE, and has since been teaching and performing for the Center, specializing in working with children with disabilities in public schools and with the elderly at senior centers.

Sarah Savoye studied dance on scholarship at CMDE from age 3 to 18, and joined the staff at 19. In addition to teaching for CMDE, she has also been supervising the Center's Saturday Workshop series for many years. She earned a BA in Theatre from Ramapo College, and has been performing and choreographing for community theater productions. She is currently as an assistant in a Montessori School 3-6 year old classroom and completing her Montessori Certification.

Roger Turner started dancing at age 12 as a CMDE scholarship student. After CMDE, he attended Rowan University where he studied theatre, dance, and psychology. During his college years, Roger performed in local Repertory Theatre and toured as a dancer for a Hip-Hop group. He went on to join the United States Army, and later worked in marketing for a music label. Returning to the performing arts, Roger joined CMDE's faculty in 2000, where he has taught and choreographed for a variety of classes, including Hip-Hop, Real Men Dance, and Afro-modern, and has co-directed CMDE's summer programs for boys and teens at-risk since 2002. He also teaches dance at various after-school programs and at New Jersey City University. He is currently a member of the Seventh Principle Performance Company.

Janelle S. Smith-Reed teaches dance full-time in the Newark Public Schools. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts (FAME) and was a Fellowship student at The Ailey School. Janelle is trained in Horton, Graham, Dunham and Ballet techniques. She earned a BFA in Dance from Montclair State University and received her Masters in Arts Administration from Seton Hall University. She was a recipient of 2007’s The Governor’s Teacher Recognition Program, a recipient of the Marion A. Bolden Award for Professional Development Initiatives within the Performing Arts, and a recipient of the 2008 Excellence in Dance Award from the Newark School District. Janelle is a member of the International Dance Council and was a co-writer for Arts High’s dance curriculum. She has been the coordinator for Newark Public School’s district-wide dance events and had developed Newark’s Dance Educator’s Resource Handbook. She has also developed Newark Public School’s Dance eBoard, which is a resource to dance educators around the district. Janelle has performed with the Denishawn Repertory Company, Maxine Steinman and Dancers, Six Degree’s Dance Company, and is currently dancing with the Seventh Principle Performance Company. She is currently the director of the Center for Modern Dance Education Repertory Company for teenagers.

Sarah J. Wertheimer started dancing at an early age, and has assisted in and then taught classes for people with developmental disabilities since 1992. She has been working with the Moving Experience Dance Company for teens with developmental disabilities since its inception in 1999, and has been directing the Company since 2005. She currently teaches full-time at the Community High School in Teaneck for teens with learning disabilities, and has been coaching the school's Dance Team since 2007. Sarah is a graduate of Hofstra University.

Yahaya Kamate is the Associate Artistic Director of the Seventh Principle Performance Company and the Founder of Kamate Traders, "trading art for smiles". He has performed world-wide and soloed with companies including the National Ballet Cote D'Ivorie, Ballet D'Afrique, and Mask Dance Company. He is currently teaching at mark Morris Dance Center for NY and NJ Young Audiences, Alvin Ailey, and elsewhere. He has been with Seventh Principle as principle artist/choreographer since 1997. He has choreographed for CMDE's real Men Dance Ensemble and currently teaches the Center's Family African Dance Class.

Candace Hundley-Kamate is the Artistic Director of the Seventh Principle Performance Company, is a multi-disciplinary artist and choreographer. Originally from Newport News, Virginia, she is currently a resident of South Orange, NJ. Mrs. Hundley-Kamate earned a BFA in 1991 from Tyler School of Art /Temple University, in Philadelphia, PA , and has been developing her work in the visual arts and choreography since 1992. She is a licensed instructor in Umfundalai, a contemporary African dance technique and philosophy created by Dr. Karimu Welsh Asante for professional dance training, pedagogy, and research. She has also studied with artists such as Ron Brown, Kevin Jeff, Karen Bamonte (Zero Moving Dance Co.), Peter McCoy (Jubilation/Bejart), Craig “Spider” Moore, Mamadou Dahoue, and Youssouf Koumbassa, among others. She has performed with Ariamu and Company, Ibeji, African Art in Motion, New World African Dance Theater, Urban Bushwomen, and the Arthur Hall Reunion Ensemble. Her teaching credits include Columbia University in NYC, Seton Hall University in NJ, University of the Arts in PA, New Jersey City University, the Annenberg Institute for Arts in Education in PA, Manhattanville College in NYC, NJPAC Dance Academy in NJ, New York Sports Clubs, and the Ailey School in NYC. She was a 1999 fellowship recipient from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation in the interdisciplinary category. Ms. Hundley-Kamate has been a guest artist at CMDE since 2000, was Artist in Residence in 2002 through a Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Artists and Communities Grant, She and her company use the CMDE studio for company rehearsals, and continue to collaborate with the Center on various projects.