Instructors

Sameena Mitta

Sameena Mitta is the founder and artistic director of MeenMoves, as well as of the government-funded education and outreach program, MadHops. A graduate of the professional ballet training program of The School of Dance in Ottawa, Mitta was a recipient of the Celia Franca Scholarship, and was awarded with distinction the Associate Diploma of the Cecchetti Society. She has spent over 15 years teaching and working as a freelance modern dancer, performing for numerous choreographers and teaching at schools throughout North America and abroad. Mitta has performed with The White Oak Dance Projec ...

Sameena Mitta

Sameena Mitta is the founder and artistic director of MeenMoves, as well as of the government-funded education and outreach program, MadHops. A graduate of the professional ballet training program of The School of Dance in Ottawa, Mitta was a recipient of the Celia Franca Scholarship, and was awarded with distinction the Associate Diploma of the Cecchetti Society. She has spent over 15 years teaching and working as a freelance modern dancer, performing for numerous choreographers and teaching at schools throughout North America and abroad. Mitta has performed with The White Oak Dance Project in their New York Season of Past Forward, in the Czech Republic with Dagmar Spain and in New York with The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble, Kathryn Alter and Dancers, Aviva Geismar, Luis Tentindo and The Juilliard Opera Company, among many others. In 2008 she received a MA in Dance Creation at UQAM focusing on Movement Intervention for survivors of domestic violence. Mitta, with her dance-theatre company, MeenMoves, has presented works in North America, India, Japan and Europe. Esteemed festivals have selected and produced Mitta’s pieces, including the evening-length work Growing Pains, co-presented by ODD in Ottawa (2013). She has shown work at Ailey APAP2018 (NYC, 2018) and at BAM Fisher (NYC, 2018) as well as Frigid Festival (NYC, 2014), Westfest Dance Festival (NYC, 2015), 60x60 (NYC, 2015), BAX’s Winter Festival (NYC, 2016) and Dance On The Lawn (NJ, 2018). She presented her evening-length work, alternative (f)Acts, at the Martha Graham Theater (NYC, 2017). In 2015, Mitta was invited to create work through a residency at the Lake Studios in Berlin, Germany and has produced work for the Choreographer’s Collective in NYC. She has received funding from the Canadian government for her outreach programming and has sat on juries in Canada and the USA for several organizations offering funding and scholarships. She is the recipient of the choreographic fellowship at NJPAC (2018-2020) and is on faculty at the Limón Institute, Ballet Tech and the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center. Mitta’s interests include arts activism and diversity in dance.

This instructor is currently teaching the following classes:

Modern Dance Limón Technique (Advanced)

Modern Open Level (Limon and Horton)

Alison Manning

Alison Manning is the former Executive Director and Co-Producer of The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard, working with the organization from 2008-2020 to provide meaningful residency opportunities for national and international dance and performing artists and bringing the performing arts to the Vineyard community. She is founding Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer of DanceTheYard, The Yard’s year-round professional dance company, with choreographic partner and company Co-Artistic Director Jesse Keller Jason. Jesse and Alison’s choreographic body of work has been presented at ...

Alison Manning

Alison Manning is the former Executive Director and Co-Producer of The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard, working with the organization from 2008-2020 to provide meaningful residency opportunities for national and international dance and performing artists and bringing the performing arts to the Vineyard community. She is founding Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer of DanceTheYard, The Yard’s year-round professional dance company, with choreographic partner and company Co-Artistic Director Jesse Keller Jason. Jesse and Alison’s choreographic body of work has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow, Mass MOCA, The Yard, The Dance Complex, Ohio University, Triskelion Arts, among others.

Alison is a passionate Horton teacher and an avid tap and rhythm dancer and advocate. She discovered her love for the Horton technique as a scholarship student at Jacob’s Pillow, working with the great Milton Myers, and has continued studying with mentors Mr. Myers, Kristina Berger, Karen Gayle and other lauded Horton Teachers through the years. She taught the technique on Faculty at The Yard each summer, and as a guest teaching artist at NYU Steinhardt School, Wesleyan Univeristy, Peridance Capezio Center, and STEPS on Broadway. In addition to teaching, Alison dances and performs with The Bang Group and has worked for The Peggy Spina Tap Company, Xodus Dance Collective, Kinodance company among others. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Modern Dance and Minor in Art History.

Photo credit: Sally Cohn