Curriculum Vitae | kfaraclas.wixsite

Education

MA in Teaching Dance in the Professions: ABT Pedagogy, New York University

NY, NY | September 2020 – August 2021

National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) 2020 Virtual Conference
- Attended through a scholarship from NYU SDEA (Student Dance Education Organization)
Choreographer for Master’s Concert
Observed ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School via Zoom
Lead and participated in dance workshops for NYC Public Schools via Zoom
Scheduled to complete MA degree in May 2021

Significant Courses: ABT Ballet Pedagogy, Teaching Creative Movement, Laban Movement Analysis, Dance Administration and Leadership in Higher Education and the Arts, ‘Research in Dance, History, Culture, and Pedagogy of Jazz Dance’, Concert Prep 1 & 2

Professors: Deborah Damast, Allegra Romita, Dr. Susan Koff, Dr. Richard Magill, Patricia Cohen, Harriet Clark, and Raymond Lukens

BFA in Dance, Minors in Psychology & Dance Pedagogy, Mercyhurst University

Erie, PA | August 2016 – May 2020

Honor’s Program
Dean’s List Recipient, GPA 3.86
Mercyhurst Ambassador
Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst, Peer Mentor
Dance Club President
Outreach Representative
Dance Department Leadership Team
National Honor Society for Dance Arts
SoMar Dance Works
- Local resident company dancer
Liturgical Dance Ensemble
- Performed abroad in Norwich, England
American College Dance Association
- Conference attendee and performer
Project Dance, Pittsburgh
- Workshop attendee and performer
Study Abroad
- Spent 2 months studying in Dungarvan, Ireland

Significant Courses: Dance Pedagogy, Intro to Arts Administration, Kinesiology, Anatomy & Physiology, Sports Psychology, Intro to Labanotation, Choreography (4 semesters), Production Practicum (Backstage/Tech), Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Musical Theatre Technique, Pas de Deux, Variations

Professors: C. Noelle Partusch, Jennifer McNamara, Solveig Santillano, Mark Santillano, Tauna Hunter. Michael Gleason, Lesley Boires-Scalise and Matthew Christensen

Part-Time Student, Yale University

New Haven, CT | September 2015– December 2015

Selected to take courses at Yale University during my senior year of high school
- Enrolled and completed Dance History with a 4.0

Professional Certifications

ABT® Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 7 & Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum
Boston Ballet Adaptive Dance Teacher Training
- Certificate of completion for a two-day--14-hour adaptive dance teacher training program. Training included information on various disabilities (Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy), inclusive classroom practices, movement exercises, breaking the stigma behind disabilities, and beginner ASL.

Arts Related Job Experience

Middle School Dance Teacher, Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Annapolis, MD I August 2023 – Present

Form lesson plans
Schedule field trips
Direct Dance Company & attend festivals
Organize & run spring dance concert

Dance Teacher, Johns Hopkins Peabody Preparatory

Baltimore, MD I September 2022 – Present

Teach ballet, pointe, variations, pre-pointe, stretch & conditioning both year-round & at the summer intensive
Choreographed section for spring production of Sleeping Beauty

Dance Teacher, Star Makers Academy of Dance

Bowie, MD I July 2021 – August 2023

Taught ballet and pointe
Formed lesson plans

Dance Teacher, Davy Dance Academy

Cape St. Claire, MD I June 2022 – August 2023

Taught Ballet
Led themed summer camps for young children

Online Dance Teacher, Outschool.com

May 2020 – June 2023

Taught ballet, dance conditioning, variations, adaptive dance, and college preparedness courses to students ages 3-18
Formed lesson plans/curriculum
Communicated with parents
Created class listings and schedule classes

Summer Internship, Ballet Hartford

May 2021-August 2021

Organized costume closet
Updated website
Created flyers
Researched grants, dance festivals, and potential donors

Dance Costume Loan Manager, NYU Tisch

New York, NY | October 2020 – May 2021

Organize and keep stock of dance costumes
Help undergraduate students select costumes for their choreography projects
Assist in designing new costumes with undergraduate students
Fill out and distribute loan paperwork

Private Dance Teacher, Self-Employed

CT | June 2020 – August 2020

Provided outdoor socially distant private lessons for 9 year-old girl with Autism

Resident Life Manager, Milwaukee Ballet School

Milwaukee, WI | May 2020 – August 2021

*Was contracted to work, but job/program was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic*

Arts Administrator Summer Intern, Orlando Ballet School

Orlando, FL | May 2019 – August 2019

Communicated information and answered student and parent questions
Made and answered phone calls
Took inventory and organized supplies
Used MindBody to register clients for classes
Created Excel spreadsheets to organize company data
Met and picked up dorm students from the airport
Organized and distributed apparel

Resident Assistant, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet

Carlisle, PA | June 2017-July 2017; June 2018- July 2018

Attended 1 week of training and obtained my Red Cross certification
Directly responsible for twelve 14-16 year-old female residents
Planned and held group activities such as tie-dye, movie & spa nights
Attended field trips with residents
Brought injured and sick residents to Urgent Care
Mediated roommate issues
Drove residents to the airport
Met weekly with my staff and had one-on-one meetings with my dorm director

Assistant Dance Teacher, Woodrow Wilson Middle School

Erie, PA | January 2019 – March 2019

Helped teach dance and choreograph for underprivileged children
Enforced sign-in and bathroom policies
Reprimanded poor behavior and mediated problems
Worked alongside/shadowed an experienced dance teacher
Interviewed students to gain insight on their experiences with this program, as well as learn why they dance, how dance makes them feel, and how their home/family life affects their ability to be able to do so

Other Job Experience

Patient Care Assistant (PCA), CT Department of Disability Services

Guilford, CT | May 2020 – Present

Assist young adult with Autism with daily activities
Engage in life enhancing activities such as reading, cooking, gardening, games, hiking, swimming, dancing, etc.
Look out for the overall well-being of the individual
Provide transportation for grocery shopping and volunteering

Ambassador, Mercyhurst University

Erie, PA | January 2017 – May 2020

Preserved and upheld the history of the University and the Sisters of Mercyhurst
Gave campus tours to prospective students and faculty members
Worked presidential and large University events
Directed guests around campus and hold doors
Mentored ambassador pledges

Dining Server, Evergreen Woods Retirement Living Center

North Branford, CT | August 2014 – May 2020

Took orders and served the residents
Prepared soups, salads, and desserts
Served alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
Set and cleared tables
Cleaned the kitchen area at the end of the night

Training

Year-Round

The Ballet Theatre of Maryland (2021-2022)
Mercyhurst University Dance Department (2016-2020)
New England Ballet School & Company (2011-2016)
New Haven Ballet (2003-2011)

Summer Intensives

The Ballet Theatre of Maryland (2021)
American Ballet Theatre Collegiate Intensive (2018)
Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (2017 & 2018)
University of Utah (2016)
Ballet West (2015)
Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet (2014)
The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts (2012)
The New England Ballet School & Company (2011)
Eastern Connecticut Ballet (2010)

Performance Experience

Ballet Embody
The Ballet Theatre of Maryland
SoMar Dance Works
Mercyhurst University Company Ensemble
Mercyhurst University Liturgical Dance Ensemble
Lake Erie Ballet
New England Ballet Company
New Haven Ballet

Example Repertoire - The Nutcracker, Giselle, Benjamin Brighton’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Swan Lake (Act II), Firebird, Sleeping Beauty, The Adventures of Little Red Riding Hood, Peter and the Wolf, Kitri Act I Variation, Swanhilda Act I Variation, Gamzatti Act I Variation, excerpts from La Bayadere and Coppélia

Choreographic Experience

Shift (2021)

Music: North Atlantic by Hilary Hahn, Hauschka

Shift was a research-based exploration during my graduate studies at NYU. My goal was to learn how to move and initiate movement using different body parts from a mostly seated perspective in order to become a better teacher and choreographer for different able-bodied individuals.

PER(fec)(cep)TION (2020)

Music: Her Eyes the Starts by LUCHS, Clear Language by Balmorhea, Master of the Tides by Lindsey Stirling

“PER(fec)(cep)TION,” incorporates themes such as how we perceive ourselves versus how others perceive us—in a more whimsical fashion. The stage is adorned with a life sized music box, in which the ballerina placed inside comes to life. With a hint of magical realism, other dolls from her world emerge from the box as well. The dancer puts on her usual act until she is coerced by the others into letting her guard down. During this fleeting moment of time the dolls are transformed, reaching a sense of liberation and enlightenment.

Impressions: A Dance for Camera (2019)

Music: Snakez by Allistar

A paint-based exploration symbolic of people, places, and experiences that have a strong effect on others. The dancer, dressed in nude increasingly added and spread paint on her body as she danced on a white tarp to show how each impression in our life leads to our greater being.

Restless Creature (2019)

Video Collaboration by Elizabeth Venorsky & Caitlin Cummings

Music: The Hours by Philip Glass

“Restless Creature” serves as a piece of social commentary surrounding the pressures of our fast-paced society. In many cultures, especially the East Coast of the United States where I grew up, there is a constant drive to be fast and efficient in all circumstances even if it inhibits our humanity or the quality of the product. Individuals may experience a sense of anxiety and stress to live up to the pace or even precede the rest of society. This can lead to a sense of restlessness where one feels defeated, low self-esteem, and a sense of never being good enough. Time not spent wisely, is time wasted in these people’s minds.

The dancers symbolize society as a whole—the pressure to keep up, but also unwind as rest and relaxation have become a pressing topic for the self-care culture. One dancer embodies the archetype of the restless creature in which they feel overwhelmed and mentally drained by their surrounding environment. I hope that the audience is drawn into the intensity of the piece as well as its universality. Perhaps it will help to unveil the restless creature within or surrounding us.

Paint the World: A Dance for Camera (2019)

Music: Rainbow by Kesha

Paint the World takes on the idea of liberating oneself to let go of pain and accept the beauty that emerges after the storm as depicted by the emergence of rainbows.

Reflections: A Dance for Camera (2018)

This video project brought light to how frequent mirrors are in our everyday lives and the role they play in terms of mental health and our personal body perceptions. At the end of this film, it depicts the conscious change the dancer made to initiate positive self-talk with herself.

These Bodies (2018)

Music: Skeletons by Drehz and Numb by Lacy Magic

“These Bodies,” explores both human commonality and individuality. We are all skin and bones, inherently the same at our core when we strip away everything else. Life and death are inevitable and experiences we all have in common and will one day undergo. It is what we chose to make of this all, and where we chose to invest ourselves that allows for the unique human experience. My piece was inspired by a quote from the Mumford and Sons song “Awake My Soul” which reads:

“In these bodies we will live

In these bodies we will die

Where you invest your love

You invest your life.”

Prison of Decision (2018)

Music: Ricochet by Drehz

My choreographic intent was to portray an internal conflict. Each dancer was supposed to represent a different archetype (Freud’s Id and Superego), and they were each vying for their way in a situation of a difficult decision within the mind. In the end, the “good conscience” gave in to the more dangerous or risky decision.

Tempus Fugit “Time Flies” (2018)

This piece illustrated the way in which many people move mechanically through life not taking the time to truly pause and breathe in its glory.

Service

Dance Teacher & Choreographer for Individuals with Disabilities, Milford Merry Musical Theatre

Milford, CT | September 2012 – May 2016

Worked with children and young adults with mental and physical disabilities
Taught ballet and creative movement classes
Helped put on an Adaptive Nutcracker and spring performance each year
Served as the liaison between the New England Ballet Company and the Milford Recreational Center
Dealt with behavioral outbursts
Communicated with non-verbal individuals