Amber Perkins dancers go professional
NORWICH – Creativity, hard work and perseverance can pay off, but in the world of dance, few people are lucky enough to make it into the professional leagues.
The fact that a handful of dancers who honed their craft in the City of Norwich, and now have what it takes to profit from it, is worth celebrating.
Travis St. Denny, a 2006 Norwich High School graduate and former student of the Amber Perkins School of the Arts (APSA), will perform at the Joyce Theater Oct. 27 through Nov. 1 as a member of Garth Fagan Dance.
St. Denny was selected to join the internationally-acclaimed modern dance company after auditioning in July. He has been rehearsing for a just over a month, and performed recently at a Democratic Party fundraiser hosted by Caroline Kennedy. Following a run at the Joyce, Garth Fagan Dance is scheduled to perform the first week in December at Nazareth College.
Known as the true original and genuine leader of American modern dance, Fagan has been recognized by a host of awards and honors. For his path-breaking choreography for The Lion King, he was awarded the prestigious 1998 Tony Award for Best Choreography.
“Garth Fagan is a modern legend,” said Mikey Perkins, one of APSA’s principal choreographers. “He’s one of the greats from the 50s and 60s who made modern dance what it is. And he was Amber’s teacher at SUNY Brockport; her inspiration into modern dance.”
St. Denny, the son of Beth Kelly and Mark St. Denny of Norwich, started dancing at APSA at the age of 6. He attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia for a year before transferring into the Alvin Ailey School Certificate program last spring.
“Trav has so much drive and passion. It is so surreal that he is dancing with the dance company of my teacher. Everything has come full circle. I am so proud to have him venturing off,” said studio owner/choreographer Amber Perkins.
The dance studio on Birdsall Street can also be proud of Michael McBride, a student who traveled from Binghamton several times a week for three years in order to study with Perkins. McBride signed a contract in June to join the Alvin Ailey American Danse Theater. The Fordham University senior is currently on tour with Alvin Ailey in Denmark, and returns to New York City for performance dates in December.
The Alvin Ailey School in Manhattan is the largest dance complex in the world solely dedicated to dance education and performance. Three APSA dancers are currently enrolled in programs there: Thomas Sutter of Johnson City, Krystin Alexander of Norwich and Liz Little of Vestal.
APSA teacher and choreographer Christina Jensen has been selected to appear in a second season of the Radio City Rockets Christmas Spectacular show in Nashville this holiday season. The South New Berlin graduate was required to reaudition for the role despite having performed in the Rockettes’ show last year.
The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular will be performed on the resort’s property at the Grand Ole Opry House opening Nov. 20 through Dec. 27.
“The toughest part of auditioning this year,” Jensen said, “was the fact that there are so many shows closing due to the poor economy, so the turnout of dancers auditioning were twice as many as last year.”
Jensen was graduated in 2008 from the University of the Arts in Center City Philadelphia where she received a bachelor’s degree in modern dance and performance arts. In addition to her job at APSA studios in Norwich and Vestal, she has accepted a teaching post at SUNY Oneonta beginning in January.
And, Oxford native and APSA teacher/choreographer Derek Stratton continues dancing and touring around the world with the internationally popular modern dance troupe, Pilobolus.
“We’ve had these kids forever, and finally they are all moving on to professional careers,” said Mikey Perkins.
To cap it off, Amber’s dance company, the Phoenix Project Danse Theatre, has been invited to perform “Stonehenge” as part of the Thang Dao Dance Festival for Emerging Choreographers. The festival is on November 6th and 7th in the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center in New York City. The Phoenix Project troupe consists of the following dancers: St. Denny, Stratton, Sutter, Alexander, M. Perkins, Robin Wonka of Rochester, Jenna Thomsen of Ithaca, Samantha Valashinas of Norwich, Blake Zelesnikar of Binghamton, John Michael O’Neill of Binghamton, Melissa Bikiniwicz of Binghamton, Kali Keis of Appalachin, Marika Matuszak of Binghamton, Tara Franklin of South New Berlin and John Wonka of Oxford.
The fact that a handful of dancers who honed their craft in the City of Norwich, and now have what it takes to profit from it, is worth celebrating.
Travis St. Denny, a 2006 Norwich High School graduate and former student of the Amber Perkins School of the Arts (APSA), will perform at the Joyce Theater Oct. 27 through Nov. 1 as a member of Garth Fagan Dance.
St. Denny was selected to join the internationally-acclaimed modern dance company after auditioning in July. He has been rehearsing for a just over a month, and performed recently at a Democratic Party fundraiser hosted by Caroline Kennedy. Following a run at the Joyce, Garth Fagan Dance is scheduled to perform the first week in December at Nazareth College.
Known as the true original and genuine leader of American modern dance, Fagan has been recognized by a host of awards and honors. For his path-breaking choreography for The Lion King, he was awarded the prestigious 1998 Tony Award for Best Choreography.
“Garth Fagan is a modern legend,” said Mikey Perkins, one of APSA’s principal choreographers. “He’s one of the greats from the 50s and 60s who made modern dance what it is. And he was Amber’s teacher at SUNY Brockport; her inspiration into modern dance.”
St. Denny, the son of Beth Kelly and Mark St. Denny of Norwich, started dancing at APSA at the age of 6. He attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia for a year before transferring into the Alvin Ailey School Certificate program last spring.
“Trav has so much drive and passion. It is so surreal that he is dancing with the dance company of my teacher. Everything has come full circle. I am so proud to have him venturing off,” said studio owner/choreographer Amber Perkins.
The dance studio on Birdsall Street can also be proud of Michael McBride, a student who traveled from Binghamton several times a week for three years in order to study with Perkins. McBride signed a contract in June to join the Alvin Ailey American Danse Theater. The Fordham University senior is currently on tour with Alvin Ailey in Denmark, and returns to New York City for performance dates in December.
The Alvin Ailey School in Manhattan is the largest dance complex in the world solely dedicated to dance education and performance. Three APSA dancers are currently enrolled in programs there: Thomas Sutter of Johnson City, Krystin Alexander of Norwich and Liz Little of Vestal.
APSA teacher and choreographer Christina Jensen has been selected to appear in a second season of the Radio City Rockets Christmas Spectacular show in Nashville this holiday season. The South New Berlin graduate was required to reaudition for the role despite having performed in the Rockettes’ show last year.
The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular will be performed on the resort’s property at the Grand Ole Opry House opening Nov. 20 through Dec. 27.
“The toughest part of auditioning this year,” Jensen said, “was the fact that there are so many shows closing due to the poor economy, so the turnout of dancers auditioning were twice as many as last year.”
Jensen was graduated in 2008 from the University of the Arts in Center City Philadelphia where she received a bachelor’s degree in modern dance and performance arts. In addition to her job at APSA studios in Norwich and Vestal, she has accepted a teaching post at SUNY Oneonta beginning in January.
And, Oxford native and APSA teacher/choreographer Derek Stratton continues dancing and touring around the world with the internationally popular modern dance troupe, Pilobolus.
“We’ve had these kids forever, and finally they are all moving on to professional careers,” said Mikey Perkins.
To cap it off, Amber’s dance company, the Phoenix Project Danse Theatre, has been invited to perform “Stonehenge” as part of the Thang Dao Dance Festival for Emerging Choreographers. The festival is on November 6th and 7th in the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center in New York City. The Phoenix Project troupe consists of the following dancers: St. Denny, Stratton, Sutter, Alexander, M. Perkins, Robin Wonka of Rochester, Jenna Thomsen of Ithaca, Samantha Valashinas of Norwich, Blake Zelesnikar of Binghamton, John Michael O’Neill of Binghamton, Melissa Bikiniwicz of Binghamton, Kali Keis of Appalachin, Marika Matuszak of Binghamton, Tara Franklin of South New Berlin and John Wonka of Oxford.
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