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FACULTY
Faculty - Dance Department
Elyse Cote, Ballet, is a native of Enfield, CT. She studied with The Dance Lab and Hartford Ballet. She was also accepted for summer sessions at North Carolina School of the Arts. Elyse has recently done workshops with Connecticut Ballet and Full Force Dance Theatre. She has performed with Connecticut Contemporary Ballet, Manchester Ballet, Ballet Theatre Company, and Sonia Plumb Dance. Her choreography has received local acclaim including the honor of being performed in the 5x5 Dance Festival. Currently she is a Co-Artistic Director of the burgeoning contemporary ballet company CONNetic Dance, with whom her choreography has been performed at Nine Ways Out, a shared choreographer’s concert in Boston, and the Charles River Dance Festival.
Diana Evjen, Tap, Jazz, Dance Pedagogy, was born and raised in San Jose California, where she began her training in dance. She was a soloist and ensemble member of the JOD Dance Company with whom she traveled throughout Europe, studying and performing at numerous venues including the Worlds Fair in Seville and the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. She has performed in the Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf Ballet and Swan Lake. Then she went to college! She was a member of the modern dance company MOVOM, the student dance group, DANCEWORKS and the Hofstra Dance Team. As a part of her curriculum she studied from great choreographers at the Broadway Dance Center. She coached the competitive dance team at Huntington High School. Diana has taught master classes in New York, California and Boston. She is a member of Dance Masters of America, Dance Teachers Club of CT and the American Fitness Professionals for Pilates. She currently directs the Evjen Academy of Performing Arts in Farmington, CT and is a member of the Poets Feet Dance Ensemble.
Anne Filion, Somatics, Music for Dancers, has completed her Ph.D. scholastic (ABD) in Dance at University of Quebec in Montreal. She holds a master’s degree in Adult Education and is a Certified Movement Analyst from the Laban Movement Institute of Movement Study in NYC. She has a private practice as a Dance/Movement Therapist in West Hartford, Connecticut. She is also a Mezzo-Soprano, member and soloist with the Hartford Chorale as well as guest soloist with different choral organizations. In 1974, she won the Canadian Track and Field Championship as a high jumper and was a member of the Canadian pre-Olympic team, 1974 to 1976.
Darcie Froman, Modern, Ballet, is the Co-founder and Co-Artistic Director for SOMA Dance Company and is a 2006 Graduate of the Hartford Conservatory in Dance Performance and Dance Pedagogy. Ms. Froman is originally from Oklahoma where she attended NEO A&M College as a Theater Major. Ms. Froman also attended the Ailey School in New York where she was on full scholarship. She is currently on faculty at the Classical Magnet School, as well as, the Hartford Conservatory.
Jeanne Giroir, Ballet, Dance Pedagogy, studied at Harkness Ballet with Patricia Neary, Patricia Wilde, Alexandra Danilova and Stanley Holden, and danced with Harkness Ballet. She was a leading dancer with Hartford Ballet, dancing roles in the Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Coppelia, and others. She has taught master classes in universities across the country and also teaches at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.
Saré Hale, Tap, Jazz, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in 2001. She has studied all areas of dance including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. Her studies also included Dance Kinesiology, the Art of Dance, Dance Appreciation, Dance History and Choreography. She has been an instructor and choreographer since 1997. Her biggest debut was with the Arena Football League’s New York Dragons Dance Team televised on NBC. She has also performed for the United States Basketball League with the Westchester Wildfire Dance Team. She was captain to the nationally ranked Hofstra University Dance Team and became head coach and choreographer to a nationally ranked High School Dance Team in Huntington, NY. Saré is the Assistant Director/ Choreographer to the Evjen Academy of Performing Arts located in Farmington, CT. “I want my students to recognize WHY they want to perform. The passion in dance and performing is what makes me work on making young adults appreciate the art they were given and work hard to master the dedication needed.”
Sonia Plumb, Modern Dance, received a B.A. in Dance and Theater from Trinity College, Hartford, CT. In 1990 she formed Sonia Plumb Dance Company for which she has choreographed over thirty pieces. Her work has been performed in adjudicated showcases including: “Connecticut Choreographers’ Forum”, “5x5”, “A New Generation of Dance” at SUNY Purchase, New York, “New Dance/New Haven” and “Dance Services Network Choreographers’ Showcase” in Hartford as well as the “International Festival of Arts and Ideas”, First Night, and the Special Olympics. In 2000 and 1996 she received the Connecticut Commission on the Arts Choreographers Fellowship for Artistic Excellence. She studied in New York with Douglas Boulivar, Marjorie Mussman, and Jocelyn Lorenz, at the Mark Morris Dance Workshop, Mark Morris Choreographer’s Workshops, the Bates Dance Festival, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Other teaching credits include: Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, Dance Connecticut, Hartford Children’s Theatre and Connecticut Concert Ballet, as well as area residencies. She is currently working towards her STOTT Pilates certification.
Linda Presnyakova, ballet, moved to the United States from her native Russia to attend the Hartford Conservatory Diploma School where she earned her Diploma in Dance Performance. Since then, she has taught for the Town of West Hartford, the Valley Ballet Studio in Collinsville, Connecticut, and the Hartford Conservatory Community Division.
Iouletta Stratos, Ballet, Modern, graduated from the Hartford Conservatory in 2003 with a degree in Dance Performance and Dance Pedagogy. While she was studying at the Conservatory, she danced for David Dorfman as an understudy for all the dancers. She participated at the Ted Hershey Marathon with her own pieces. She took part in many workshops including the Alvin Ailey workshop in Athens, Greece, the Limon Company at Skidmore College in New York, the New England Regional American Contemporary Dance Festival in New Hampshire, and advanced ballet at the Boston Conservatory in Boston.
Bonita Weisman, Improvisation, has been teaching, performing and choreographing in Hartford since 1983. She grew up in Manhattan and trained under such notables as Bonnie Bird, Mary Anthony, June Lewis, Louis Falco, James Truitte, Carol Fried, Nat Horne and Simone Forti. In Connecticut, she has taught at Connecticut College, Trinity, Wesleyan, GHAPA and in the BFA program at Hartt School. Bonita's focus is improvisation and its truth. She is dedicated to taking risks and pushing edges in performance and collective process.
Elyse Cote, Ballet, is a native of Enfield, CT. She studied with The Dance Lab and Hartford Ballet. She was also accepted for summer sessions at North Carolina School of the Arts. Elyse has recently done workshops with Connecticut Ballet and Full Force Dance Theatre. She has performed with Connecticut Contemporary Ballet, Manchester Ballet, Ballet Theatre Company, and Sonia Plumb Dance. Her choreography has received local acclaim including the honor of being performed in the 5x5 Dance Festival. Currently she is a Co-Artistic Director of the burgeoning contemporary ballet company CONNetic Dance, with whom her choreography has been performed at Nine Ways Out, a shared choreographer’s concert in Boston, and the Charles River Dance Festival.
Diana Evjen, Tap, Jazz, Dance Pedagogy, was born and raised in San Jose California, where she began her training in dance. She was a soloist and ensemble member of the JOD Dance Company with whom she traveled throughout Europe, studying and performing at numerous venues including the Worlds Fair in Seville and the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. She has performed in the Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf Ballet and Swan Lake. Then she went to college! She was a member of the modern dance company MOVOM, the student dance group, DANCEWORKS and the Hofstra Dance Team. As a part of her curriculum she studied from great choreographers at the Broadway Dance Center. She coached the competitive dance team at Huntington High School. Diana has taught master classes in New York, California and Boston. She is a member of Dance Masters of America, Dance Teachers Club of CT and the American Fitness Professionals for Pilates. She currently directs the Evjen Academy of Performing Arts in Farmington, CT and is a member of the Poets Feet Dance Ensemble.
Anne Filion, Somatics, Music for Dancers, has completed her Ph.D. scholastic (ABD) in Dance at University of Quebec in Montreal. She holds a master’s degree in Adult Education and is a Certified Movement Analyst from the Laban Movement Institute of Movement Study in NYC. She has a private practice as a Dance/Movement Therapist in West Hartford, Connecticut. She is also a Mezzo-Soprano, member and soloist with the Hartford Chorale as well as guest soloist with different choral organizations. In 1974, she won the Canadian Track and Field Championship as a high jumper and was a member of the Canadian pre-Olympic team, 1974 to 1976.
Darcie Froman, Modern, Ballet, is the Co-founder and Co-Artistic Director for SOMA Dance Company and is a 2006 Graduate of the Hartford Conservatory in Dance Performance and Dance Pedagogy. Ms. Froman is originally from Oklahoma where she attended NEO A&M College as a Theater Major. Ms. Froman also attended the Ailey School in New York where she was on full scholarship. She is currently on faculty at the Classical Magnet School, as well as, the Hartford Conservatory.
Jeanne Giroir, Ballet, Dance Pedagogy, studied at Harkness Ballet with Patricia Neary, Patricia Wilde, Alexandra Danilova and Stanley Holden, and danced with Harkness Ballet. She was a leading dancer with Hartford Ballet, dancing roles in the Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Coppelia, and others. She has taught master classes in universities across the country and also teaches at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.
Saré Hale, Tap, Jazz, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in 2001. She has studied all areas of dance including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. Her studies also included Dance Kinesiology, the Art of Dance, Dance Appreciation, Dance History and Choreography. She has been an instructor and choreographer since 1997. Her biggest debut was with the Arena Football League’s New York Dragons Dance Team televised on NBC. She has also performed for the United States Basketball League with the Westchester Wildfire Dance Team. She was captain to the nationally ranked Hofstra University Dance Team and became head coach and choreographer to a nationally ranked High School Dance Team in Huntington, NY. Saré is the Assistant Director/ Choreographer to the Evjen Academy of Performing Arts located in Farmington, CT. “I want my students to recognize WHY they want to perform. The passion in dance and performing is what makes me work on making young adults appreciate the art they were given and work hard to master the dedication needed.”
Sonia Plumb, Modern Dance, received a B.A. in Dance and Theater from Trinity College, Hartford, CT. In 1990 she formed Sonia Plumb Dance Company for which she has choreographed over thirty pieces. Her work has been performed in adjudicated showcases including: “Connecticut Choreographers’ Forum”, “5x5”, “A New Generation of Dance” at SUNY Purchase, New York, “New Dance/New Haven” and “Dance Services Network Choreographers’ Showcase” in Hartford as well as the “International Festival of Arts and Ideas”, First Night, and the Special Olympics. In 2000 and 1996 she received the Connecticut Commission on the Arts Choreographers Fellowship for Artistic Excellence. She studied in New York with Douglas Boulivar, Marjorie Mussman, and Jocelyn Lorenz, at the Mark Morris Dance Workshop, Mark Morris Choreographer’s Workshops, the Bates Dance Festival, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Other teaching credits include: Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, Dance Connecticut, Hartford Children’s Theatre and Connecticut Concert Ballet, as well as area residencies. She is currently working towards her STOTT Pilates certification.
Linda Presnyakova, ballet, moved to the United States from her native Russia to attend the Hartford Conservatory Diploma School where she earned her Diploma in Dance Performance. Since then, she has taught for the Town of West Hartford, the Valley Ballet Studio in Collinsville, Connecticut, and the Hartford Conservatory Community Division.
Iouletta Stratos, Ballet, Modern, graduated from the Hartford Conservatory in 2003 with a degree in Dance Performance and Dance Pedagogy. While she was studying at the Conservatory, she danced for David Dorfman as an understudy for all the dancers. She participated at the Ted Hershey Marathon with her own pieces. She took part in many workshops including the Alvin Ailey workshop in Athens, Greece, the Limon Company at Skidmore College in New York, the New England Regional American Contemporary Dance Festival in New Hampshire, and advanced ballet at the Boston Conservatory in Boston.
Bonita Weisman, Improvisation, has been teaching, performing and choreographing in Hartford since 1983. She grew up in Manhattan and trained under such notables as Bonnie Bird, Mary Anthony, June Lewis, Louis Falco, James Truitte, Carol Fried, Nat Horne and Simone Forti. In Connecticut, she has taught at Connecticut College, Trinity, Wesleyan, GHAPA and in the BFA program at Hartt School. Bonita's focus is improvisation and its truth. She is dedicated to taking risks and pushing edges in performance and collective process.
