Staff & Faculty

Erin Lally (BFA, MA) is the Co-Executive Director of Harkness Dance Center, and Director of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at 92NY. Since 2002, Erin has taught dance in public schools, studio, and community settings, sharing her love of dance with children, educators, and families. She taught with Luna Dance Institute in Berkeley, CA where she served as the Family Services Manager, specializing in family dance classes and working with parents and children in the reunification process. Erin is the former Education Director of RIOULT where she led DanceREACH, RIOULT’s education outreach program. Erin was also a founding member and Dance Specialist at Bronx Charter School for the Arts in the South Bronx, NY where she created the dance curriculum and was the dance educator for grades K-5. Erin has served as a teaching artist for New York City Center, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, and American Repertory Ballet Company. Erin holds certificates from the 92NY’s Dance Education Laboratory, the Language of Dance (LOD), and a BFA in Modern Dance Performance at the University of the Arts, and a MA in Dance Education at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Erin is the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Leadership Award from the New York State Dance Education Association. As an active practitioner, Erin teaches weekly family dance classes in the School of Dance, facilitates DEL workshops, and coaches new dance teachers. Erin believes in the power of dance to build relationships and foster community. She is thrilled to lead dance at 92NY, making the mission of Dance for Every Child a reality.

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 is the current President of the Marymount Manhattan College Dance Advisory Board as well as a member of the Adjunct Faculty. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from said institution with a BFA in Modern Dance and a Minor in Art History. Alison lives in New York City with her wife and four children and is honored to be shepherding the Harkness School of Dance during this exciting time at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Chelsea Spraker joined The 92nd Street Y, New York in 2016 where she now serves as the Director of Administration for the Harkness Dance Center. Chelsea supports all aspects of dance at 92NY and works to provide programmatic solutions and operational support for the School of Dance, Dance Education Laboratory, Performance and Artists in Residence programs. Chelsea is an experienced leader and creative professional who is an advocate for dance education and is committed to making the arts accessible to everyone.

Prior to joining 92NY, Chelsea served as an arts administrator for various organizations including Gibney Dance Center, The Feldenkrais Institute of New York and The New York State Summer School of the Arts. As a performing and teaching artist, she worked with the Student Company at Mark Morris Dance Center and performed with the Mariah Maloney Dance Company among other New York City based artists. Chelsea graduated Summa Cum Laude from The College at Brockport, State University of New York with a BFA in Dance and Minor in Business Administration.