Dance Faculty and Staff

Debra J. Fernandez
Professor of Dance and Chair of the Dance Department moved from New York City to Saratoga Springs in 1991 to join the Skidmore faculty. She received her B.A. from the University of South Florida where she studied with Haydee Gutierrez, Royes Fernandez and Chase Robinson. She teaches Ballet III, Performance Elements, Jazz, and Choreography I and II. She also teaches Ballet Contemporary Workshop and Jazz Workshop in which new and original choreography is developed on students. Debra's choreography, which spans dance, theater, and opera, has been seen in numerous New York venues, including the 2000 Obie award winning space, Five Myles as well as MassMoca and the Tang Museum. She has worked with the Williamstown Theater Festival for seven years as a movement instructor, coach, and choreographer. She is a panelist for The New York State Council for the Arts and is on the board of directors of the National Museum of Dance. She is long time yoga practitioner and leads workshops throughout the capital region.

Mary DiSanto-Rose
Associate Professor joined the Skidmore faculty in 1981. She earned her M.Ed. and Ed.D. in dance from Temple University. She serves on the Board of the NYS Council on the Arts Dance Panel, NYS Dance Force, NYS Dance Education Association, Capital/Saratoga Dance Alliance, and Partners in Dance. She has been a guest lecturer at the National Museum of Dance, The Egg Theater in Albany, and Skidmore Summer Seminars. She performed with the Sybil Dance Company of Philadelphia and with Albany area dance companies. She has collaborated with visual artists and composers to create integrated performance pieces for art galleries. She currently performs as a guest artist with the Isadora Duncan International Institute Dancers of NYC and toured with them in Greece. In June 2005 she participated in the First Symposium to Reinstate the Delphic Games: Festival of Delphic Arts in Delphi, Greece. She has re-staged classic modern dance works by Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, Sophie Maslow, Pearl Primus, Donald McKayle, and Isadora Duncan. Professor DiSanto-Rose currently teaches Improvisation, Modern Technique, Modern Reconstruction Workshop, Dance for the Child, Senior Dance Capstone, as well as, a First-Year Scribner Seminar-Human Dilemmas.

Denise Warner Limoli
Associate Professor-joined the Skidmore faculty in 1992. She was a featured dancer with American Ballet Theatre, dancing the full range of ABT's classical and contemporary repertoire. For ten years she performed at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and toured to major cities throughout the USA and abroad; she was a regular company teacher and assistant to the ballet masters. Prior to coming to Skidmore, she was ballet faculty at the University of Cincinnati, College/Conservatory of Music and at the North Carolina School of the Arts. For over thirty years, she has been Senior Ballet Master and Artistic Advisor of the Nutmeg Ballet. She teaches regularly for the ABT Summer Intensive Program and the American Ballet Intensives (ABI). Professor Limoli specializes in the classical repertoire and teaches all levels of Ballet Technique, Ballet Workshop, Pointe, Men's Technique/Pas de Deux, Character Dance, and Ballet Pedagogy.

Rubén Graciani
Associate Professor of Dance - graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts where he majored in Modern Dance. After receiving his high school degree, Mr. Graciani was awarded a scholarship to attend the Juilliard School in New York City where he also studied on scholarship with several major New York dance companies including the Martha Graham Company and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Rubén completed his studies at the State University of New York – Purchase College, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. While attending Purchase, he was invited to perform in three International Festivals of Dance staged in Taiwan and China. He joined the Kevin Wynn Collection, a New York based Modern Dance Company while still a student at Purchase.After graduation, Rubén was invited to join the Mark Morris Dance Group. His five-year affiliation with the company resulted in national and international tours. Additionally, he has been a member of bopi’s black sheep / dances by kraig patterson since its inception. Rubén received his M.F.A. from the University of Maryland – College Park where he presented nine works of choreography for the Maryland Dance Ensemble. In September of 2005 he joined the faculty at Ohio University as an Assistant Professor. In addition to his work at Ohio University, Rubén has been a member of the Joe Goode Performance Group for two seasons as well as a Guest Artist with the Brian Brooks Moving Company and sbb – thegroup, a Paris based Modern Dance Company.

Mary Harney
Visiting-Artist-in-Residence - joined the Skidmore faculty in 2000. She earned a B.F.A. from the S.U.N.Y College at Purchase Conservatory of Dance. While there she performed with the Purchase Dance Repertory Company and the Martha Graham Dance Company. She has devoted her career to teaching, choreographing, and working in the capacity of rehearsal director for regional ballet companies. She has been a member of the dance faculty at Union College and has taught in the Modern Dance program for the New York State Summer School of the Arts. She has taught extensively at independent dance schools in the New York City Metropolitan area as well as the Capital District and has promoted dance in public schools through conducting master classes and workshops. Her choreography has been presented at several Capital District venues, most recently, at The Egg as part of the gubernatorial inauguration festivities for Eliot Spitzer. An active member of the dance community, Mary serves on the Board of Directors of the Capital Region Dance Alliance. Since joining the faculty at Skidmore, she has created over a dozen new works. She teaches all levels of Modern-Contemporary Dance, Modern Workshop, Choreography and Sr. Dance Capstone.

Lori Dawson
Dance Theater Technical Director, Lighting Designer & Manager of the Dance Center joined the Skidmore faculty in 1998.  She earned her MFA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  She freelanced as a lighting designer in NYC for ten years and had the pleasure of designing for such noted choreographers as Vicky Schick, Shelly Lee and Gus Solomons Jr.  She served as Lighting Director of the Red Parrot Cabaret designing for a wide array of musical performers including Cab Calloway and Tito Puente. While serving as the resident Lighting Designer for Dance Theatre Workshop (DTW), she designed the lighting for three Obie award winning shows: Janie Geiser’s Stories from Here, Dan Hurlin’s A Cool Million, and Paul Zaloom’s House of Horrors. Locally, Lori has designed for the Saratoga City Ballet, Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company and HMT. Lori designs the dance concerts for the Dance Department, manages the operations of the Dance Center utilizing a student crew, and teaches Dance Production. 

Peter Kobor
Assistant to the Technical Director, Stage Manager

Meghan Del Prete
Lecturer in Dance

Sarah DiPasquale
Lecturer in Dance

Julie Gedalecia
Lecturer in Dance

Debra Pigliavento
Lecturer in Dance

Toni Smith
Lecturer in Dance


Musicians

Carl Landa
Musical Director of Dance – joined the Skidmore faculty as a Department Assistant in 2000. He has a B.A. (Music) from Bennington College. He is a pianist, percussionist and composer. He has created scores for dance as well as his own ensemble and manages his own recording studio. Carl has worked as a Dance Musician at five of the major dance schools in NYC – the Martha Graham School, the Merce Cunningham Studio, the Jose Limon Institute, the Juilliard School and Purchase College. He accompanies and composes for the Modern-Contemporary Dance Technique, Tap, Jazz, Improvisation, and Choreography classes.

Patricia Hadfield
Accompanist in Music and Dance – joined the Skidmore faculty as a Department Assistant in 1990. She has a B.M. from the Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam. She accompanies Modern-Contemporary Dance Technique and Ballet Technique classes as well as recitals, master classes, and the Skidmore Chorus for the Music Department. Formerly, Patte was the accompanist for the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society. She also has appeared as a soloist with the Oratorio Society.

Carol Ann Elze-Sussdorff
Carol Ann Elze-Sussdorff returns to Skidmore after serving as music instructor at St. Mary'/.St. Alphonsus School in Glens Falls, where she founded a comprehensive choral and music instruction program for elementary to middle school students. Carol Ann has served as Music Director and Conductor of the Glens Falls Symphony Children's Chorus since 2009, and has been the accompanist for Adirondack Voices since 1999. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the Crane School of Music where she performed both solo and chamber works.

As a pianist, Carol Ann performed at the Sagamore Hotel from 1985-1993. She has accompanied classes for Northeast Ballet, where she played master classes for Sean Lavery and Kyra Nichols of NYCB, and former NYCB principal dancer, and Founding Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet, Edward Villella .While at Skidmore, she has enjoyed playing master classes for baritone Nathan Gunn, and Kirsten Simone of the Royal Danish Ballet.

She is the organist and choir director of the United Methodist Church of Queensbury, and maintains an active accompanying schedule collaborating with area standout students for recitals, auditions, and NYSSMA performances.