Elsa Posey, R.D.E. is Founder and Director of Posey School and teaches ballet classes for children and adult beginners as well as professional dancers. She is respected as an international scholar of dance, dance history, and dance pedagogy, specializing in dance for young children and classical ballet.

She attended schools of the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater. In addition to meeting with her classes at Posey School, she is President of the National Registry of Dance Educators, Past President of the National Dance Education Organization, and a national advocate for arts education.

Ms. Posey serves on the Board of the New York State Dance Education Association recognized by the NYS Department of Education; Board of Directors, Dance Notation Bureau; Co-Chair Education Committee, International Association for Dance Medicine and Science; Past-Treasurer, Congress on Research in Dance; Past-Board member, National Dance Association

Ms. Posey works with many organizations such as the Dance Notation Bureau, Dance Critics Association, Congress of Research in Dance, National Association Schools of Dance, Dance History Scholars, International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, World Dance Alliance and Dance and the Child International. Ms. Posey is the recipient of the National Dance Education Organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kimberly M. Wager recently graduated from New York University with her Masters degree in Dance in Higher Education and the professions. At NYU she held the co-chair position for the National Dance Educators Organization.

Kimberly has been a dancer/performer/choreographer/teacher for many years. Her focus as a young performer was in the Cecchetti method of ballet where she excelled in her examinations up to the advanced level. Kimberly has danced with the Rebecca Kelly Ballet Company based in New York City and the North Country Ballet Ensemble based in Plattsburgh, NY. Kimberly also studied privately with Rebecca Kelly and Carol Rioux both based in New York City where her technique has been refined. Along the way Kimberly has also studied with masters in the Cecchetti ballet method such as Pamela Moore, Betty Seibert and Debbie Guibord.

Recently, Kimberly has been honored by becoming an affiliated member of the CCA or Cecchetti Council of America. This membership was awarded to her because she has mastered all levels of the technique up to the Advanced 1 level; this now gives her the ability to prepare students for exams up to Advanced.

In 2003 she held an internship position with the National Ballet Company in Bowie, MD where she taught master classes in ballet and Modern as well as performed with the company. She also has extensive experience in arts administration and backhand stage management.

Most recently, Kimberly has danced professionally with Marcea Daiter in the Kaleidoscope of Kulturs Dance Theater in New York City. She is learning the modern dance techniques of Ms. Katherine Dunham in an Afro-Caribbean style of modern dance. She recently went to Kampala, Uganda in Africa to study traditional Ugandan dance forms and to teach orphaned African children to dance.

Kimberly’s choreography has been praised and awarded by being sent to the American Dance Festival to have her piece ìA Brush in Timeî performed. She recently has worked with Ms. Jacqueline Smith-Autard who has written many books on dance composition.

Kimberly is currently working on having her thesis on Cecchetti ballet technique published and eventually adding to it and making it into a complete published work.

Carissa Basedow earned a BFA Dance Major, from Montclair State University. She has over five years teaching experience in regional schools of dance, and performing experience with Moves and Motions Dance Company, Nassau BOCES Dance Company, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, and Montclair Dance Repertory Company. Ms. Basedow has her own individual teaching approach. She gives her students a deep understanding of technique equipping them with mechanisms they can integrate into everyday life. She instills a performance quality that gives students the opportunity to stand out from the rest.

Abigail Agresta-Stratton, RDE, earned a BFA in Theatre Arts from Adelphi University and a MA in Dance Education from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education. She has studied ballet and modern dance, as well as many cultural dances. She has performed with Mary Anthony Dance Theatre in works by Mary Anthony, Charles Weidman and Bertram Ross, and with independent choreographers such as Michiyo Sato.

Abigail was Company Manager of Mary Anthony Dance Theatre for three years and the Scholarship Coordinator for the Mary Anthony Dance Studio for four years.

She has taught dance in many public and private schools and studios and has created and implemented a multi-faceted dance curriculum at PS 161. Abigail became the full time dance educator at West Islip High School on Long Island in New York and is writing the dance curriculum.

Abigail is a graduate of Dance Education Laboratory at the 92nd St Y and utilizes Laban Movement Analysis, as well as Language of Dance in her teaching. She has been a member of the New York City Department of Education Blueprint Committee, a scorer for the New York State Dance Content Specialty Test and Chair of New York City Dance Educators / United Federation of Teachers. She was the Co-Coordinator of the National Dance Education Organization and the New York State Dance Education Association / National Dance Education Organization at New York University conferences. Abigail is currently President of New York State Dance Education Association, recognized by NYS Department of Education. She is a Registered Dance Educator. She and her husband, Daniel A. Stratton, are the proud parents of Charlotte and Maxmillian Anthony Stratton, who studies art and dance at Posey School.

Isabella Eredita Johnson, Pianist, directs and produces OPERA NIGHT on the first Friday of every month at the Northport Methodist Church on Main Street. She is former Chairman of the Northport Arts Coalition and cultivates diverse interests in the arts. Isabella holds a Bachelors and Masters Degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and is both a concert pianist and piano teacher. Whenever her busy schedule permits, she accompanies ballet classes at Posey School and assists with choreography.

Melissa Goscinski, Art Program Director
Melissa comes to Posey school with a wealth of experience and knowledge. She obtained her Master of Science in Art Education from C.W. Post University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Besides being an artist herself, Melissa has recently worked with students at the Gifted Youth Program in Brookville, the TRI Community Youth Agency in Huntington and Weekday Pre-School here in Northport. She prides herself on creating a welcoming environment where students can explore art as a means of self expression. Melissa is New York State Certified in teaching
grades K – 12.

Allison Savitz, Music Program Director - Allison Savitz has been working with children for the past nine years in pre-school settings. Allison has a musical background—she accompanies her classes with an autoharp, string instruments and some woodwinds. It is the joy and energy she brings with her that the children love.

Allison works in the Half Hollow Hills School District, Lockmusic2gether of Babylon, East Northport Music Together, Weekday Nursery School, Music Together of Sayville, She volunteers for St. Paul’s Lutheran church, is a member of SEPTA (Special Ed PTA) and has three children of her own.

Ghislaine Grillo, Danskinetics, was born in Paris, France. She began studying dance at the age of 9 and by age 13 was performing on stage all over Europe. She continued to study many dance techniques including ballet, modern dance, jazz, tap, African, and Spanish dance with internationally renowned teachers. By 17, she was assisting the ballet master of The Paris Opera and was performing with the modern dance troop, Les Ballets Contemporains de Paris. She was certified in ballet and modern dance by the Ecole Superieure d’Etudes.

Choregraphiques de Paris and established her own school of dance, developing her own method of free expression through movement, “Expression Corporelle”. In America, Ghislaine discovered Danskinetics, another form of movement that encourages the body/mind/spirit connection and became a certified Danskinetics instructor in 1998 (Kripalu Center, Lenox, Mass.). She will be teaching Danskinetics on Thursday mornings.

Jeff Bennett spent his early professional life teaching theatre, English, vocal music and public speaking. In addition to staging over fifty high school shows, he has directed plays at Queens College, Port Jefferson's Theatre Three, Huntington Village Theater Company and New York City's Cafe LaMama. Many of Jeff's students have distinguished themselves professionally. Jeff Bennett is the author of Secondary Stages, a guide to organizing and implementing a successful and dynamic high school theater program. The book was featured on NBC's Today Show in April, 2002 and is published by Heinemann Drama.

Jeff Bennett founded the Bare Bones Theatre Company in the fall of 1999. The Company, which began life as a CED course, took up residence at Posey School in 2001. Two eleven-class sessions are offered during the fall and spring semesters. Each class focuses on fundamental acting skills: believability, concentration, sense memory, intention--and then progresses gradually to the preparation of scenes from established plays performed for invited audiences.
 

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57 Main Street • Northport, N.Y. 11768
631-757-2700