Taking Off Like A Rockette

By John Voket

When you think of great New York institutions, Radio City Music Hall with its shimmering line of high-stepping Rockettes certainly ranks among the top. But here in Newtown, an hour or so north of the boards of that world famous theater, several artistic instructors including two former Rockettes are helping the next generation of dancers and actors get a taste of what professional show biz is all about.

Every day, hundreds of commuters drive past the unassuming storefront that houses Dance Etc, while inside the creative hopes and dreams of dozens of students are realized as they struggle through challenging routines in jazz, ballet, hip-hop dance and musical theater classes. But, despite the New York-style discipline meted out to the many young (and adult) talents who come to get oriented to the rigors of performing arts, the Mt Pleasant studio was bustling with energy during a recent class.

As musical theater students, mostly pre-teens, wind their way through a number from Bye-Bye Birdie, instructor and Dance Etc founder Linda Davies shouts out directions, imploring one student to keep smiling as she executes a spinning maneuver during the fairly complex choreography. Although Ms Davies turned over ownership of the studio several years ago, she remains active overseeing a popular ballet/tap program and the musical theater class The Bee has been invited to see.

Besides her continued work at the Hawleyville school, Ms Davies remains very active in the local creative arts community producing, directing and choreographing for the Brookfield High School Dance Team and Theatre Association. Her musical theater class is attended by students interested in learning all aspects of musical theater, and provide a balance of acting, dance and vocal instruction.

Dance Etc’s current owner and creative director, Jen Turey, is one of the two former Rockettes bringing real world training to the many students who seem to return her professional, low-key instruction with energetic and nearly flawless routines. Dozens of Ms Turey’s students comprise the Dance Etc Dance Team, which debuted its work last weekend in New Milford in a showcase that also served as a final full dress rehearsal for this weekend’s first official competition, the aptly-titled “Access Broadway,” event in Stamford.

Having paid her dues on stages from the Shubert in New Haven and Cape Cod Playhouse to the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, and as an adjunct faculty member at Western Connecticut State University, Ms Turey appears to be as comfortable directing and choreographing as she is in the spotlight. She was the recipient of the 1998 Independent Critics Award for Best Production for her rendition of Crazy For You for the Reagle Players located outside Boston.

In addition to performing in national and international tours of 42nd Street, The Will Rogers Follies and Crazy For You, she has also kicked her heels as a Radio City Music Hall Rockette, a performing coup that was shared this Christmas season by another Dance, Etc instructor, Alana Niehoff.

Ms Niehoff is certainly no stranger to the professional stage. The Aurora, Colo. native joined Alabama Ballet at age 15, where she performed the lead roles of Dew Drop, as Snow Queen in Nutcracker and Mercedes, The Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote.

In 2000, she left Alabama to join American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in New York City where she worked with various choreographers and appeared in the ballets Napoli, Allegro Brilliante, and la Folia. Ms Niehoff has also danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker as a guest artist with the New England Dance Ensemble, appeared in the production of Hans Christian Anderson at Main State Music Theatre, in an instructional dance video for Broadway Dance Center choreographed by Michelle Assaf, and modeled in various ads for Prima Soft Pointe Shoes.

According to Ms Turey, while her staff handles much of the day-to-day instruction at the academy, she will remain extremely busy through the spring balancing several classes while supporting Dance Etc’s 2006-07 dance team, which consists of over 50 students. 

“Through these competitions, workshops and performances, some students have received multiple scholarships to dance programs in New York City and in other areas of the states,” she said. “The team has won top awards including the Odyssey Award, Ultimate Achievement Awards, Top Scoring Studio Award and Entertainment Awards in addition to many overall top placement awards.”

One of her students, Samantha Diaz-Hennessey, a senior dance team member,  holds the regional titles of Miss Starquest and Miss Showbiz 2006, Ms Turey added proudly. Ms Diaz-Hennessey also teaches pre-dance, ballet/tap and jazz classes for the school.

Actor Eric Campros comes to Dance Etc as a hip hop, jazz instructor. He began his career at age 13 playing Peter on the hit television show “Saved By the Bell,” and has appeared on numerous series including “Roseanne,” “The Wonder Years,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Law and Order,” and “The Profiler.”

After studying Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, for one year, he moved to Los Angeles where he received scholarships from several leading dance academies before heading to an East Coast gig with Alvin Ailey Dance Company in New York City. He toured nationally with Aaliyah, also appearing in two of her videos, and went on to tour with The Backstreet Boys on their Millennium World Tour. In 2001 Mr Campros appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards with Britney Spears, and last year he appeared with Mikaila during various concerts.

Instructor Cathy Welker began dancing at age 7.  At 11 she was awarded a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet where she studied for many years.  She has toured the US and Europe in many musicals, as well as performed in regional theater and summer stock, and is a former NCAA regional champion in gymnastics.

Jill Gorrie is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, is a performer, dance teacher and choreographer who resides in New York City.  As a performer, she has traveled throughout the US with the Broadway national touring production of State Fair starring John Davidson, as well as with numerous regional productions.

Ms Gorrie is also on the national faculty of Dance Masters of America and her choreography has been awarded national titles throughout the dance competition circuit.  Recently, she traveled to South Africa and Italy to teach master classes, and was a principal dancer in the film The Stepford Wives starring Nicole Kidman.

Rounding out Dance Etc’s talented faculty is Valerie Smith, a ballet and jazz instructor, who is away this season to assist the choreographer and perform in Walnut Street Theatre’s production of 42nd Street in Philadelphia.

Students interested in checking out Dance Etc programs are invited to one of the spring classes forming now. Adult/Teen Stretch and Dance with Ms Davies are planned for Mondays from 8 to 9 pm starting January 22. Adult Tap with Ms Turey will run Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:30 pm, while an Adult Ballet will be offered Tuesday mornings from 10:30 to 11:30 am. An Adult Jazz class is also scheduled Wednesdays from noon to 1 pm.

For more information visit the Dance Etc website at NewtownDance.com.