Dance Advisory Board Members
The MMC Dance Advisory Boardoffers recommendations, guidance, and assistance in promoting the work of the MMC Dance Department. Its mission is to friend-raise and fundraise for the Dance Department through several yearly events. Funds raised are used to enhance dance students’ learning experiences that cannot be provided through the department’s operating budget. In addition, some limited scholarship assistance is also made available.
Advisory Board Members
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Eleanor Imperato ’68
Eleanor M. Imperato is a freelance writer, poet, and photographer. In addition to her role as president of the Marymount Manhattan College Dance Department Advisory Board, she is an active member of the Queensborough Community College Fund Board, and a member of NOIAW (National Organization of Italian American Women).
She received a BA from Marymount Manhattan College and subsequently earned an MA in Liberal Studies from New York University. While not a dancer, her lifelong love of dance began modestly with a Modern Dance semester class with noted dancer Janet Collins. It continued for a brief period in the early 70’s with adult ballet classes at the Joffrey Ballet School on West 10th and Sixth Avenue in New York City. During those golden years of dance and together with her MMC classmate, Mary Whitney, who eventually became Marketing Director for the Joffrey Ballet, Imperato attended countless dance performances of the best dance companies of the world. She is still an enthusiastic balletomane, but her involvement with the MMC Dance Department adds a more meaningful dimension in that it promotes dancers in the early stages of their future careers.
Her professional life has included positions at Pan American World Airways, thus traveling all over the world; in publicity at the Science Museum of Long Island; in publicity and public relations at the Manhasset Public Schools; and in fundraising at Marymount Manhattan College. While raising her three children in Manhasset, she held many volunteer leadership positions in her community including President of the Friends of the Manhasset Public Library and Executive President of the Manhasset School Community Association. She still resides in the area with her husband, Pat, and Duncan, their 12 year old cat. Her now grown children, Alison, Gavin, and Austin, have successful careers of their own.
Imperato is the author of a first collection of original poetry entitled Woman’s Work, and is currently preparing her second, Purple Sins. Her book, Doors of Memory/Porte della Memoria, a memoir of her early years in Avella, Italy, was published in conjunction with a photographic essay by the same name that was exhibited in two New York City Galleries. In her most recent book, Carving Life: Walrus Ivory Carvings from the Bering Sea, she shares her love for Alaska, her appreciation for the Alaska Inuit history and art, and her personal encounters with many of the carvers whose work was exhibited at the QCC Art Gallery in Bayside, New York.
Besides being an avid reader, Imperato also enjoys traveling to destinations in the U.S. and Europe as well as to off-the-beaten track locales. Her most memorable trips include visits to St. Lawrence Island and Shishmaref in Alaska; Timbuktu, Mali; Chichicastenango in Guatemala; and Macau, an autonomous region on the south coast of China. Who knows what other far away and unusual destinations await her in the future.
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Alison Manning ’08
Alison Manning ’08 is the Executive Director and Co-Producer of The Yard, a 46 year old dance and performing arts organization on Martha’s Vineyard. She has been leading, in partnership with Yard Artistic Director and Executive Producer David R. White, to a reimagining of the Yard legacy for a new century and new generations of artistic and educational practice.
Manning joined The Yard in 2008, after receiving her BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College. After bedbug accepted to the School at Jacob’s Pillow and working with the great Milton Myers she went on to teach the Horton technique at The Yard, Peridance Capezio Center, STEPS on Broadway, New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education, Ohio University and Wesleyan University. She dances professionally with The Bang Group and is Co-Artistic Director of DanceTheYard with Jesse Keller, The Yard’s resident staff-directed dance company. Manning has performed and toured in the past with The Peggy Spina Tap Company, Kinodance Company, Xodus Dance Collective, among others. Her own choreographic work, with collaborator Jesse Keller, continues to be presented each year as part of The Yard’s presentation series as well as at Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Stage, Gibney Dance Center, West End Theater, Triskelion Arts, ACDFA and NY Theater Lab. Mrs. Manning is a proud wife and mom of three children and is humbled to serve on the Advisory Board of the Marymount Manhattan College Dance Department.
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Jere Hunt ’09
JERE HUNT, a native of Huntsville, AL, received his BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College under the direction of Katie Langan. He has been a member of Rioult Dance New York since August 2010, and was privileged to set Rioult’s signature work, Bolero, on students at Adelphi University. Mr. Hunt has danced with Vera Huff/Veracity Dance Theater since 2012, and has also worked with SYREN Modern Dance, DeMa Dance, as well as many independent choreographers. He was an apprentice with the Alabama Ballet under the direction of Wes Chapman. Mr. Hunt is frequently seen as a guest artist with Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre in their annual production of The Nutcracker at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH, and in the past has also been seen as a guest artist with City Center Ballet, Huntsville Ballet, Alabama Youth Ballet, and Ballet Tennessee.
Mr. Hunt has taught for the Rioult Dance NY Summer and Winter Intensives and has been on the Summer Intensive guest faculty at Ballet Tennessee and Lebanon Ballet School. He has also been a guest teacher and lecturer at Marymount Manhattan College, Curry College, Eglevsky Ballet School, Huntsville Ballet School, Alabama Youth Ballet, and Grissom High and Lee High Magnet Schools in Huntsville, AL. As a choreographer, he has created works for students at Ballet Tennesee as well as Images and Co. 2 Dance Ensembles at Grissom High School and the Dance Magnet Ensemble at Lee High Magnet School. His piece, Acceptance, won “Best Modern Piece” at the Panoply Choreography Competition in 2013. www.jerehunt.com
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Jeanette Aultz ’00
Jeanette Aultz ’00 is an alumnae of the BFA Dance program. She spent 7 years as Costume Designer and Costume Coordinator for Department productions. She went on to earn her MFA in Theatrical Design and Technical Production with a concentration in Costume Design from CUNY Brooklyn College in 2006, studying under Professor Rebecca Cunningham. Jeanette has since assisted Prof. Cunningham on the second edition of her book “Basic Sewing for Costume Construction” as well as the 2nd and upcoming 3rd editions of “The Magic Garment.”
In her career, Jeanette has been both a Costume Designer and a Technician, currently concentrating in her work as a Draper. Design highlights include: the world premiere of “An Appeal to the Woman of the House” with Retro Productions and “Somewhere With You” presented at the New York Musical Theater Festival with music by JT Harding.
As a Draper and Costume Technician, Jeanette has been honored to Drape at American Players Theater on their production of “All My Sons”; staff Cutter/Draper for “Rent: Off-Broadway” at New World Stages; a continuing relationship with Ballet Hispanico for their company and school productions; and Interim Draper at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Her latest project is as Cutter for Lynne Baccus assisting with costume builds for the lead actress in “Pretty Woman” on Broadway and the National Tour of “Hello Dolly.”
She is currently a Draper and Assistant Costume Shop Manager at Montclair State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance where she is in charge of costumes for Dance and Musical Theater.
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Alicia Weihl Guerin ’01
Alicia Weihl received her early dance training from Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and the American Academy of Ballet. She graduated summa cum laude with a BFA from Marymount Manhattan College in Dance Performance and Choreography and a minor in Arts Management and has been a member of the Dance Department Advisory Board since graduating in 2001. Alicia danced professionally for a variety of American and European ballet and modern dance companies including with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet and the New York Grand Opera. She was the dance captain and a solo vocalist in the Paris-based musical, Le Sel et le Miel, and was featured in stage, film, television, and fashion shows while living in London.
Combining her experience as a professional dancer with her passion for movement and form, Alicia has devoted the past decade to her work with Physique 57, the leader in barre-based fitness. Her mission is to create and deliver invigorating classes that instill a sense of strength, beauty, confidence, and overall wellness. She has designed and led multiple Physique 57 workout videos and has presented fitness segments internationally on TV and online. Behind the scenes Alicia is the Executive Director of Global Talent and Training, ensuring the highest level product with creatively and effectively choreographed classes, strategic class programming, and the most comprehensive instructor training program in the field.
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Christina Ilisije ’07
Christina graduated summa cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College with a B.F.A. in dance in 2007. She is proudly still a passionate professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher in her own company, Living Dance. Through Living Dance (www.living-dance.com) she helps women and dancers achieve their happiest and healthiest body and weight through dancing in one-on-one dance/fitness privates, group workshops, and public speaking. She created the dance cardio class, Enliven, and hosts classes and workshops at Athleta, where she is currently an ambassador. In addition to her dance training, she is a N.A.S.M. certified personal trainer and weight loss specialist. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Christina pursued her first dream; she performed and taught worldwide with Parsons Dance and Buglisi Dance Theatre for over ten years. She considers the Marymount Dance Department her first NYC home and is honored to have a place on its board and help its continual growth.
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Mondo Morales ’12
Mondo Morales, a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, has spent his post collegiate years shaping and shifting the costume design field. His background in both dance and styling is apparent in his work; His costumes move effortlessly with their wearer and embody New York City’s style, merging urban fashion with contemporary dance-wear. He has costumed for artists such as The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Marymount Manhattan College, The Steps Ensemble, Jennifer Archibald, The Fosse Foundation, Hope Boykin, Earl Mosley, Sonya Tayeh, Pascal Rioult and Jeremy McQueen, among others. Mondo acted as The Alvin Ailey School’s Costume Coordinator/Wardrobe Supervisor from 2012-2015 and is currently on faculty at Marymount Manhattan College as their Costume Coordinator. In addition, Mondo works as a photo stylist and art director, collaborating with dance artists such as Sidra Bell, Jeremy McQueen, and Christian Von Howard, and photographers such as Jaqi Medlock, Jubal Battisti and Matthew Murphy. In 2016, Mondo had a solo exhibit, “Skinetic Moments”, presented at G Lounge Chelsea and ALOFT Hotel Harlem, showcasing a series of images exploring color and paint as dancers’ apparel. In Feb of 2018, Mondo released his first collection ONYX which was featured in a short film Directed by Angelo Soriano and Choreographer Angelica Stiskin. In April of 2018 Mondo was selected to show at Fashion Week Brooklyn and was awarded a City Citation by the Brooklyn Borough President.
When not behind his sketchpad or sewing machine, Mondo also works as a freelance Make-Up Artist for dancers, performance artists, and bridal parties. Mondo is also currently in collaboration with the legendary photographer Thomas Evans on “Femme the Man;” a photo series that challenges gender identity stereotypes.
Ex-Officio Board
Dance Advisory Board Liaison
Haley Krall received her bachelor’s degree from Marymount Manhattan College in May of 2018, majoring in Dance with a concentration in Dance and Digital Media. Before beginning her job as the Dance Department Administrator at Marymount Manhattan College in 2019, Haley worked for Apple, Inc. as a technical specialist, where she became fascinated with intertwining the world of art and dance with the world of technology. She holds an ex-officio seat with the MMC Dance Advisory Board, serving as a Board Liaison.
Chair, Dance Department
Katie Langan is the Chair of Dance at Marymount Manhattan College. She teaches advanced levels of Ballet and Pointe, is a frequent choreographer for the Department’s fall concert series, and is the Artistic Director of the Dance Department’s semi-annual performance series. Under Ms. Langan’s tenure, this performance series continues to feature new and restaged works by some of the dance community’s most noted choreographers and has become a major dance event for the College and beyond.
In addition to her work at Marymount, Ms. Langan taught company class for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for over three years and taught for several years advanced levels for the Ailey School summer program. She has also taught for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA), Dance Space, NYU Tisch, and Ballet Maestro along with Master Classes for the Connecticut Performing Arts Center and others. She was a recent guest teacher for Ballet Hispanico’s 2nd Company. Lectures for Broadway Dance Center’s Teacher Conference have included; How to Teach a Good Barre, Why Go to College, How to Teach Fondus, and To the Pointe.
Ms. Langan has also written several articles for Dancer Magazine including the cover stories, From Studio, To College, To Stage: The Importance of Modern Dance Training, in March 2008 and The Spectrum of Contemporary Ballet? Giving Your Students a Leg Up, in August of the same year. She has been interviewed for articles written in Dance Teacher Magazine, Dance Magazine, Dance Studio Life, Dance 212, and Backstage, and was the subject of the feature article in the September 2017 issue of Dance Teachermagazine: Katie Langan: A Day in the Life.
With over thirty ballets created, her 1995 ballet, Akhmatova, was asked to be a part of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts video archive in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division. Most recently her choreography, Under the Surface, was performed at The Joyce Theater to represent Marymount Manhattan College at NYCDA’s Destiny Rising Gala. Ms. Langan served as a judge for DRA’s Dancin’ Downtown at The Joyce, served on the Princess Grace Foundation USA 2010 Dance and Choreography Panel and was a Board Member of Parsons Dance from 2009-2011. By invitation, she has also served as a participant in “feedback” showings for The Joyce Theater’s Creative Residency Program. Creative Residency Artists include Wally Cardona, Andrea Miller and Brian Brooks. She is certified in The ABT National Training Curriculum© through Level 5.
Ms. Langan received her dance training at the North Carolina School of the Arts, American Ballet Theatre and the School of American Ballet. Ms. Langan performed with numerous companies including the Boston Repertory Company, New York City Opera, William Carter Dance Ensemble, the Zurich Ballet, Chamber Ballet USA, New Jersey Ballet and Twyla Tharp Dance. She had the opportunity to work directly with Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, Anthony Tudor, Billy Forsythe, Rudi van Dan Zieg, Gelsey Kirkland, Eleanor D’Antuono and Brian McDonald to name a few.
After retiring from performance, Ms. Langan studied art and design at MMC and received her B.A., summa cum laude, in 1990 when she graduated as class valedictorian. She received the Teaching Excellence Award in 2014 and the Raymunde McKaye Award in 2017 for establishing a national/international reputation in Dance at MMC.
