Administration
Armanii Saahd-Tann
Artistic Director
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Armanii Saahd-Tann is the owner and artistic director of Rahway Dance Theatre (NJ Certified M/WBE), and former student of the late Mrs. Jay Skeete-Lee. Ms. Lee founded RDT in 1996 as a school for students of diverse backgrounds, namely for African-American students who wished to pursue dance beyond just recreational classes. She was successful at creating a safe space for dancers to train at a high level, while also gaining life benefits such as discipline, structure, and health consciousness. Ms. Lee has raised generations of alumni who have gone on to pursue professional careers in dance as performers, company directors, arts administrators, and educators. Armanii was fortunate to train with Ms. Lee for over 10 years, to then accept her mentorship post-grad as the then “someday” future torch holder of the school’s legacy. She has since assumed ownership in 2020 and led the school to a new location during the pandemic.
Armanii holds a Bachelor’s of Arts & Sciences from Rutgers University: Anthropology & Dance. She is a former K-12 Special Education teacher, an advocate for children’s education, mental health, and physical fitness. She has been successful at using her own training, performance experience, and service in public education to sharpen her skills as a dance educator. Armanii seeks to provide the highest level of training and support to underserved students. Some of her proudest accomplishments include helping guide her students to gain access to higher learning opportunities in the arts. Rahway Dance Theatre students have earned acceptances to performing arts high schools (UCVTS, MCVTS, Arts High), scholarships to summer intensive programs (Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet Hispanico, Alvin Ailey, Joffrey Ballet, Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts), and acceptances to college BFA programs (Rutgers University, University of the Arts, AMDA). Armanii equally takes pride in encouraging the dancer who is too shy to speak in front of the classroom to eventually become class president. Or, to inspire the dancer who is insecure academically to find empowerment in their strengths. Whether a student’s dance training leads to a career in the arts or not, the skills gained from studying the arts are skills necessary to create a life.
Kristine Leslie
Administration and Communications Director
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Ms. Kristine is a Union County native who has a strong professional background in Arts and Culture, and Education. She received an A.S. in Liberal Science – Deaf Studies from Union County College and later earned a B.A. in Sociology/English-Writing from Kean University, where she spearheaded the creation of Afro-Latinx Dance Project and directed WOMANITY Union, a franchise location of her Bachata and Heels training under Maria Ramos (Harlem, NY).
While attending Kean University in 2018, Ms. Kristine was introduced to Carolyn Dorfman Dance as a NJ SummerDance scholarship student and joined the Marketing team as Communications and Development Associate in 2022. Before joining Carolyn Dorfman Dance, Ms. Kristine worked as a teacher, particularly with Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing children and adults with special needs and diverse-abilities in Hillside Public School District, not-for-profit community organizations, and private institutions. She completed internships with Nimbus Dance as Marketing Coordinator and ARTS By The People as an apprentice Grant Writer. Her experience further led her to work as Community Building Associate at The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking and ADA Coordinator for each workplace thereafter.
Ms. Kristine has always had a passion for fine and performing arts, and has been involved in various forms of dance, theater, and music since childhood. As an adult, and overall, her assorted yet comprehensive experiences have given her a unique perspective and skillset that she brings to her work in the non-profit arts and advocacy sector and beyond, including Administration and Communications Director and Pre-Dance III Teacher at Rahway Dance Theatre. Some of her professional affiliations are Resume Consultant for Youth Employment Service (YES), Patron Services Committee of Dance New Jersey, New Jersey Arts and Culture Administrators of Color, and Grant Panelist for the Arts Institute of Middlesex County.
Additionally, Ms. Kristine offers personalized guidance and mindful support to managers, teachers, and leaders of small arts, culture, and advocacy organizations as a Rest Coach and Management Consultant through her consultancy, Consult with Kristine. She is a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher certified in Yin and Mindfulness. Other certifications include Notary Public, Yoga Flow Sequencing for Kids, Professional Life Coaching, First Degree Reiki, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, Digital Advertising, Mailchimp, and NJ SBE/MWBE. She will also be certified in Mental Health First Aid for Youth and Adults November 2023.
Teachers
Jean'ette Bailey
Pre-School Teacher & Early Childhood Dance Teacher
Ms. Jean'ette has been a daycare professional for nearly 15 years. She grew up in Rahway, NJ and began her career by babysitting the neighborhood kids throughout high school while also dancing at RDT. She used that experience to work with infants and toddlers in daycare centers and as a teacher for pre-school dance. Ms. Jean'ette LOVES kids and now teaches the Pre-Dance I class.
ID: A Black woman with medium dark skin tone, wearing a black Rahway Dance Theatre t-shirt smiling.
Alonzo Hall
Middle School Dance Teacher
Alonzo Hall began his dance training at a young age in his home city’s local dance studio in Plainfield, NJ. He later received his BFA in dance performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. While there he was a member of their pre-professional dance company where he performed works of Benwoit Swan Pouffer of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet company, and Randy James of Ten Hairy legs dance company. Hall has also performed in works by Ronald K. Brown of Evidence Dance, Savion Glover, George Fasion and toured as a guest dancer alongside the NJ Symphony Orchestra. Hall has performed in musical productions of Plays in the Park’s “Aida”, and NJYT’s “Oklahoma. As a dance educator Hall has trained many young dancers at all levels in ballet, modern, jazz and tap. He is honored and delighted to be a member of the faculty with Rahway Dance Theatre.
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Tonju Anik
Community Outreach Specialist & Dance Teacher
Tonju Anik is a Plainfield, New Jersey native. Starting her technical training at 15 years old with M.A. Taylor became proficient in Jazz and Musical Theatre. Tonju also participated in the Plainfield High School’s Honors Chorus program singing with Stefanie Minatee’s Grammy award winning Jubilation Choir. After graduating high school, she continued her education at Raritan Valley Community College where she received her A.F. A in Dance further training in Ballet, Contact Improvisation, Eurythmics, Modern, and Dance Production. During her years training for a professional dance career Tonju Anik interned for Freespace Dance, Dance New Jersey and 10 Hairy Legs.
After graduation Tonju Anik went on to dance professionally for companies, freelance and choreograph throughout the state of NJ. Her professional Credits include: TMAJ Dance Company, Co-producing, dancing and co-choreographing 90's in the 2000's concept video by XC:XVIII, Co-choreographing XC:XVIII Musikfest Performance, BeYoutiful Bodies Co-Choreographer, and most recently owner of Tonju Anik Choreography and Body Talk. Choreographing through Body Talk for music artist Juicy Jas SOBs Hip Hop and R&B Artist Showcase and Katrina Black’s SOBs performance.
Ms. Tonju has taught at Rahway Dance Theatre since 2019 and cannot wait to see the continued growth of the company. If not at RDT you can find Ms. Tonju creating dances and catering to her fur baby Stinker.
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Katrina Isaac
Elementary School Dance Teacher
Born and raised in New York, Ms. Katrina started her dance training at the Dance Theatre of Harlem when she was 9 years old. Her ballet teacher, Ms. Iris Cloud, asked her to assist with the younger students every Saturday morning. She didn’t know how that experience would pave the way for her future career as a dance educator. Ms. Katrina continued to dance throughout high school and college where she received her B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College. She later received her M.A. in Dance Education from New York University and currently teaches dance at an elementary school in the Bronx. She resides in Rahway with her husband, son, and daughter who started dancing at RDT when she was 4. Ms. Katrina enjoys sharing her love of dance with all of the students at RDT and can’t contain her smile when they shine bright in class and onstage!
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Sandi Rivera
Teaching Artist
Sandi Rivera is a Puerto-Rican dancer and choreographer based in the NY/NJ. Ms. Sandi received her BFA in Modern, BA in Teaching Arts, and Minor in Business in 2020 from Marymount Manhattan College where she performed work by Nancy Lushington, Anthony Morgeriato, 10 Hairy Legs, and more. Starting in 2019, she worked with ImmaBeast/ImmaBreathe, a commercial hip-hop and contemporary company in Los Angeles, California under the direction of Janelle Ginestra, MaryAnn Chavez, and Monika Felice Smith and continues to freelance in NY. Her teaching and choreography career began in 2016, interning at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Step’s Pre-Professional Showcase Program, and teaching contemporary, ballet, dance conditioning, and commercial styles within the tri-state area, and beyond. She continues to choreograph both regionally and nationally recognized contemporary, contemporary ballet, and commercial works for pre-professional dancers, companies, and studios across the country. In the 2023/2024 season, she is currently teaching hip-hop, ballet, and/or contemporary with Rahway Dance Theatre, Moderne Academie of Fine Arts, and Evolution Dance Center.
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