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Administrative Staff | Music Faculty (A - F) | Music Faculty (G - K) | Music Faculty (L - Z) | Drama & Visual Arts Faculty

Adrienne Armstrong (Ballet) Ms. Armstrong began her illustrious dance career at Garden State Ballet in Newark. She continued her training at Dance Theater of Harlem, Joffrey Ballet School and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. She has performed with several professional dance companies including Ailey II and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (under the tutelage of Alvin Ailey), Garden State Ballet, Louis Johnson Dance Theater, Newark Dance Theatre, Forces of Nature, the Seventh Principal, Nommo Dance Company, Capital Ballet, Gallman Dance Theatre, a Production of the Chocolate Nutcracker (soloist) produced by Lavern Reed, Taylor Dance Company, and Joan Peters Dance Company. In 2002, Adrienne was a one of eight dancers chosen to perform the Dunham Technique for a documentary sponsored by the Library of Congress. She continues to teach and choreograph while being employed by Newark Public Schools as a Dance Teacher.

Ronnie D. Carney (Jazz Dance) Ronnie Carney is a native of Newark, NJ and an alumnus of Arts High School. He began his dance training with Gallman's Newark Dance Theatre School while studying theatre at Arts High School. He continued his dance training at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA where he received a BFA in Dance. During a short performing career, cut short an injury, he worked with choreographers Milton Myers, Ashley Roland, Mark Press, Michael Gary, and Wayne St. David. Since then, he has become a passionate Dance Educator working to promote dance wherever he can. Ronnie received his Master's Degree in Dance Education form New York University's Sternhart School of Education. In September 2003, an article he wrote on an aesthetic/historical approach to teaching composition appeared in the journal of Dance Education. Since then, he has been invited to present at national conferences on Dance Education. He is currently on staff teaching modern dance for the Joffery Ballet School, The Mill Ballet School, and programs attached to the American Ballet Theatre's Educational outreach programs. In 2002, he presented his first commissioned work as a part of New Jersey Performing Art Center's Underground Artists Series. In 2003, he received a fellowship to set a work on Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy. He choreographed a work for Roxey Ballet that will be presented at the Joyce Soho. He just completed a work for Usaama, a New Jersey based youth company. Ronnie was hired as a full-time staff member at Arts High School in 1998.

Titilayo R. Derricotte (Pre-Ballet) Miss Derricotte began dancing at an early age where she was sponsored by the late Senator Wynona M. Lipman. She has primarily trained and performed with Alfred Gallman (Newark's Dance Theatre), Karen Love (Usaama/Umoja Dance Company) and Kim Richardson & Ronnie D. Carney (Arts High School). Titilayo also has performed with Chukatu Dance Company under Kamu Mimy, Lebagatae African Dance Festival in Chicago, Illinois, Brick Studios in New York, Columbia University, NJPAC's Dance Jam, Montclair State University, Essex County College, and Aaron Davis Hall in New York.

Leslie Lucy (Hip-Hop) Miss Lucy received her training from Premier Dance Theater, NJ and Broadway Dance Center in NYC. She began her professional dance career performing in numerous music videos, touring Europe with Jodeci and dancing "back-up" for several Hip-Hop and R&B artists. She has performed as a "back-up" dancer on: Soul Train, The Party Machine, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, and BET. She has also danced on MTV's "The Grind" for three years. Leslie also includes movie credits to her resume. She has appeared in films such as "The Money Train", "Drop Squad", and "Substitute 2". Miss Lucy is currently a dance mentor for an all girls adolescent program called "Best Friends" and is presently teaching for Maria Priadka School of Dance and Newark School of the Arts.

Nikkia Tyrie Neal (Modern Dance) Miss Neal received her BFA in Theatre Arts from Howard University where she had the pleasure to develop working relationships with Walter Nicks, Otis Sallid, Keith Lee and Ronald K. Brown among others. Her performance opportunities included working with Deeply Rooted Productions; "Move" (Chicago, Il.) choreographed by Gary Abbott and Kevin Jeff and "Church of Nations" (NYC), and "The Making of a Perfect Mate" (NYC) choreographed by Bruce Heath. She has also been blessed to work with Tahitia Nesmith in Passions Dance Project and Keith Anthony Lewis (E-Moves, "America: Zombie Dance"). Currently Nikkia continues to dance with Umoja Dance Company, is an active member of Agape Family Worship Center's Dance Ministry and is a full time teacher of dance in the Newark Public Schools.

Nadiyah Smith-McCoy (Pre-Tap & Tap) Miss Smith-McCoy is an alumnus of Newark School of the Arts where she trained through out her youth. While earning her BA in Theater Arts at Hampton University she continued her professional dance career with "Terpsichoreans", Hampton University, Pyramid Dance Company of New Jersey, and was the former Dance Director to Uhuru Dance Ensemble of Norfolk, Virginia. Nadiyah has had also the pleasure to work for such organizations as NJPAC (New Jersey Performing Arts Center) as a Site Coordinator for the Arts Education Department. She currently works in the New York Public School System as a Dancing Artist teaching several different dance disciplines: Creative Movement, Tap, Hip-Hop, and African, and continues to teach at Morristown Beard School's Summer Program and at Newark School of the Arts where she has remained for the last two years.

Kim Richardson, Dance Director, seniority dance teacher at Arts High teaching ballet and modern, trained at various schools in New York: Katherine Dunham School, Donald McKayle School, School of American Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, La Guardia High School of Performing Arts, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and Juilliard School of Music (BFA in Dance). She became a professional at age 16 working with Tally Beatty Dance Company, then later Bella Lewitzky Dance Company. After graduating from Juilliard, she worked in Italy teaching the faculty the rudiments of alignment, where later she worked for prominent Italian television, choreographing and dancing. Upon returning to USA, she became the Dance Director to NSA leaving after 5 years to create the Dance program at Arts HS, where she fostered an alliance with American Ballet Theatre and the Public School System. She wrote the Assessment for the State of NJ and the Curriculum for the City of Newark and is pleased to return to her home school, Newark School of the Arts.

Mama Yaa (African Dance) Mama Yaa has been teaching and performing for over 30 years. She has traveled to Africa, Haiti, and throughout the United States teaching and studying dance, music, and song. She has taught for Alvin Ailey, Connecticut Ballet, New Jersey Arts Center (N.J.P.A.C), Bates College, Wesleyan University, Essex County College, and numerous elementary and high schools throughout the New York/New Jersey tri-state area. In addition to her teaching accolades she has also performed for people of all ages and cultures. Her company has performed at Worlfest '97, Syracuse University, Montclair Public Library Wesleyan University, Drew University, Pace University, Ramapo college, Bloomfield College, Ethfest '00 and Montclair State University just to name a few. She has also done movement workshops, master classes, and teacher training. Mama Yaa is versed in various dance styles in addition to African such as jazz, modern, Caribbean, and traditional waltzes (often used for debutante cotillions). She has also appeared in and choreographed numerous plays in the tri-state area. Currently, she has been a dance teacher for the past 5 years for the Newark Public School and is located at Vailsberg Middle School.

La Rhonda Ragland (Hip Hop) (awaiting bio)

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