Arts & Entertainment

Mohegan Lake, Yorktown, Shrub Oak 'Dance for Joy' Members to Dance in Lincoln Center

Under the direction of the youth ballet company director Roberta Humphrey, 25 girls will perform on Sunday, March 3. Tickets for the performance are available for purchase at Dance for Joy.

Mohegan Lake's 'Dance for Joy' members are on top of the world – they were one of the groups who were showcased in London over the summer and this weekend 25 of its dancers will perform at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center.

Under the direction of the youth ballet company director Roberta Humphrey, the girls will perform on Sunday,  starting at 5 p.m. Performances include 'Dreams,' choreographed by Humphrey, Imagine,' choreographed by Rowena DiBenedetto, and 'Coffee in a Cardboard Cup' and 'That’s Entertainment' choreographed by Deanna Ford.

Tickets for the performance, expected to last three hours, are $30 and they are available for purchase at Dance for Joy (914-526-4485). 

Find out what's happening in Peekskill-Cortlandtwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The sponsoring of the performance is the American Alliance of Performing Arts Educators (AAPAE), a non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing youth performing arts groups from across the country with annual shows. 

Over the summer, 28 young dancers from 'Dance for Joy' performed at the London Invitational Dance Festival, which took place at the same time as the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The trip was coordinated by the American Alliance of Performing Arts Educators (AAPAE), which recognized the Yorktown studio as a distinguished dance studio and approved the company's inclusion into the festival.

Find out what's happening in Peekskill-Cortlandtwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"London was a fantastic experience on many levels," Humphrey said. "We were able to tour castles, see the changing of the guards, ride the London Eye, tour on a boat along the Thames River, tour the Harry Potter sound stage, all sorts of sight-seeing, soaking up a different culture, eat lots of great food, and then perform in two fabulous settings."  

The girls took center stage at Warwick Castle and at Island Gardens. In total 72 people came along for the trip – some dancers traveled alone, some with just their moms, some with their entire family. 

"By the end of the week we had bonded into a wonderful large, all inclusive, family," Humphrey said. "Truly a most wonderful trip! It was indeed the experience of a lifetime."

The names of the girls performing at Lincoln Center are:

Emily Azcue Putnam Valley

Jessica Boyle Cortlandt Manor

Samantha Confalone Cortlandt Manor

Emily Cregan Shrub Oak

Julie de Marte Yorktown Heights

Kayla Dustin Mohegan Lake

Ayanna Louise Gibson Mohegan Lake

Rose Grace Crompond

Holly Jones Putnam Valley

Meaghan Kaiser Yorktown Heights

Jenna Kelly Yorktown Heights

Rozie Kwechin Mohegan Lake

Marianne LaCalamito Yorktown Heights

Eleanor Lougee-Heimer Yorktown Heights

Leora Matalon Garrison

Morgan McNamara Putnam Valley

Cara Murray Cortlandt Manor

Deanna Myskiw Mahopac

Samantha Nelson Mohegan Lake

Eva Rabson Putnam Valley

Lauren Scinto Yorktown Heights

Mariana Silva Putnam Valley

Erin Spedaliere Shrub Oak

Amelia Spittal Putnam Valley

Victoria Velazquez Mohegan Lake


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