Board of Directors;
Maria Calegari, President and Co-Founder
Maria Calegari was a world renowned principal ballerina with the New York City Ballet from 1974-1994, working extensively with directors and choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins appearing in over 40 soloist roles throughout her career. Since 1997 she has been a repetituer for the George Balanchine Trust and the Robbins Rights Trust staging their ballets to companies world wide.
She has travelled extensively with her husband Bart Cook to Russia and Tibilisi, Georgia to stage the ballets of Balanchine and Robbins and have contributed to cultural symposiums at the Diaghilev Festival in Perm, Russia on their ballets contributions to the arts.
As long time students of the Ageless Wisdom teachings and their integral connectivity to the arts, Ms. Calegari and Mr. Cook contributed to a presentation at the UN by the Aquarian Age Community, an NGO with the United Nations for World Invocation Day.
How Can Culture and the Arts as a Spiritual Practice Contribute to the healing of International Relations.
Ms. Calegari appeared numerous times on public television in Live from Lincoln Center as Titania in George Balanchine's A Midsummer's Night's Dream and as Calliope the muse of sacred writing in Balanchine's Apollo, Dance in America, and more recently in American Masters, a documentary on the life of Jerome Robbins,
Films and reviews of Ms. Calegari's dancing may be viewed at the Dance Collection of the Library for Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, NY.
Ms. Calegari has been a dance educator since 1997 teaching students of all ages, pre-professionals and adults.
In 2013 Ms. Calegari received the Izzie, the Isadora Duncan Award for outstanding achievment in the re-staging of George Balanchine's Scotch Symphony for San Francisco Ballet in 2012.
In 2011 she received the Jerome Robbins Award for her accomplishments and contributions to dance.
In 2007 her staging of George Balanchine's "Diamonds" in the Royal Ballet's presentation of "Jewels" won a Lawrence Olivier Award. She is listed in Who's Who of America Women and Who's Who in the World since 1985.
Ms. Calegari has written several articles for publication in The Beacon, Lucis Trust, NY www.lucistrust.org on the arts and culture from a holistic perspective.
Ms. Calegari is an avid watercolor artist and has exhibited her work at local juried shows and is in private collections. She lives with her husband Bart Cook in Putnam County, NY and is on the Advisory Board of Arts on the Lake, Kent Lakes, NY. www.artsonthelake.org
Bart Cook, Vice-President and Co-Founder
Bart Cook is a highly regarded dance professional, not only as a former principal dancer and ballet master of the New York City Ballet (1971-1993) but also as a repetituer for the George Balanchine Trust and the Robbins Rights Trust since 1988. He travels and teaches world wide to such companies as San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, Royal Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet among others.
He has done pioneering work staging ballets with his wife Maria Calegari in Russia and Tibilisi, Georgia. Their production of Balanchines's Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #2 ( Ballet Imperial) won Russia's Golden Mask Award in 2004.
Mr. Cook has also appeared often on public television in Dance in America-The Four Temperaments, Live from Lincoln Center, and American Masters-Jerome Robbins.
His choreography has been presented by the New York City Ballet Education Department, School of American Ballet, New York City Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, The Richmond Center for Dance, and can be viewed at the the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts. He has been featured in a documentary newly released by the Checkerboard Foundation, Bart Cook-Choreographer. www.checkerboardfoundation.org
Mr. Cook was an Associate Professor of Dance at SUNY-Purchase, NY, 1998-1999 and the Director of Dance at the Richmond Center for Dance, 1997-1998. He is on the board of directors of Arts on the Lake in Kent Lakes, NY since 2008.
In 2011 he received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Dance from his alma-mater, the University of Utah.
He is a long time student of the Ageless Wisdom teachings and Esoteric Astrology and lives with his wife Maria Calegari in Putnam County.
Marika Molnar, Vice-President
Marika Molnar is a graduate of Columbia University where she obtained her graduate certificate in physical therapy. She also holds a masters degree in dance education from New York University, a certificate in nutrition from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and holds a masters in acupuncture from Tristate College of Acupuncture.
In 1980 Ms. Molnar was the first physical therapist to be hired on-site by a professional ballet company and has worked with the New York City Ballet since this time. She also serves as director of physical therapy services to the School of American Ballet, New York.
She is the founder and owner of Westside Dance Physical Therapy, a private practise that specialises in the care of dancers. http://westsidedancept.com
Ms. Molnar is a long time member of the International Association of Medicine and Science-IADMS- and served as Vice-President from 1997-1999, President from 1999-2001 and Chair of the Education committee from 2001-2003.
She has lectured nationally and internationally for over 28 years and has published in peer reviewed publications and also book publications related to rehabilitation of dance injury and prevention.
Amy Gagnon, Secretary
Amy Gagnon began her studies of dance at an early age in Binghamton, NY and went on to attend Purchase College, SUNY, Purchase NY where she received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Ballet Concentration in 1993. While at Purchase College she trained under former soloist with the New York City Ballet, Bettijane Sills and performed leading roles in such George Balanchine ballets as The Nutcracker, The Four Temperaments, Serenade and Who Cares? She then went on to perform with the Albany Berkshire Ballet in upstate New York. She was a teacher as well as director of admissions and office manager for Ballet Academy East, NY from 1995-2000, and an administrative assistant for Purchase College from 2000-2002.
In 2009 she developed her own teaching style using creative movement, yoga, Laban Movement as well as traditional classical ballet techniques and led classes and programs for Easter Seals, Valhalla NY, Brass City Ballet, CT and for Caleco Ballet Studio, North Salem NY.
Ms. Gagnon has taken the teacher certification course at American Ballet Theater's JKO School.
She lives in Putnam County with her husband Marc Gagnon and their 2 beautiful children.
William Attride, Founding Board Member
Bill Attride has lived and worked in New York City as a professional astrologer for over 30 years. He is well known for his integration of the spiritual and psychological dimensions of astrology. He has been a long time student of Theosophy and Jungian psychology. His clients come from diverse worlds nationally and internationally of Wall Street, theater and the arts, business and government.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Political Science and a Master's degree in Economics and Philosophy.
Mr. Attride has been featured in such diverse publications as New Woman Magazine, the Sunday Business section of the NY Times. He has been interviewed on radio contributing to the Pacifica project on "The DNA of Carl Jung".
His love of the arts and philanthropy have contributed to his work alongside his wife Isabel Summers for her company called Turtle Island, featuring the artwork of Native Americans.
He serves as Treasurer on the board of Putnam Camp, NY which was established in 1876 by the founder of American modern psychology, Dr. William James. The camp continues today to serve as a meeting place for nature enthusiasts and for vigorous intellectual discourse.
Currently Mr. Attride is working on a book which will be based upon the lessons of life as illustrated by the ancient wisdom of astrology.
His blog on astrological aspects throughout the year can be accessed on Facebook as well as his monthly live radio show..