Dance Educators on the Move

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and raised in Miami, FL. Migrated to the states in 1997, where I took my first dance class at the age of 11. I acquired my dance experience from Peaches School of Dance, taking styles like Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. I received my BFA from New World School of the Arts in 2009. There I learned new styles such as: Caribbean, West African, Tap, Flamenco, and different styles of codified Modern dance techniques in Limon, Graham, and Horton. Quickly after, I moved to New York to live the dream of being in a dance company and travel the world. I ended up co-owning my own company called Latin Fusion and Xpression dancers, which allowed me to travel around the world. I have now been teaching dance for 17 years in settings like studios, gyms, private schools, catholic schools, and residencies in public schools. In May of 2020, I obtained my Master in Dance Education from Hunter College and was hired by the NYCDOE in the middle of the pandemic. Extremely excited for the opportunity and new journey ahead! I teach at a middle school in South Ozone Park, where I started my own dance program. Aside from that I teach an after school program called JazzCo at a high school.

Art can be expressed in many shapes and forms, dance being my favorite one. My philosophy is to give tools for my students to express their emotions kinesthetically. We can accomplish this through culturally responsive lessons, project based learning performance tasks, and student choice assignments, students can explore their emotions, likes and dislikes, and be exposed to different outcomes.

Through dance, student’s social awareness, self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills will be enhanced. As a result, my students will have a tremendous understanding of themselves and others, and how to get around the world through the education provided in my classroom.

Althea Holmes started her dance training at the age of thirteen at The Dance Spot Inc., in Brooklyn, New York. As a company member and teacher's assistant, Althea was able to explore different genres of dance and experience numerous performance opportunities. During her studies at Leon M. Goldstein High School, Althea was an active member in the school's activities, performing in and choreographing for school productions.

In 2008, Althea received her Bachelor's degree in Dance Education, from Hunter College. During her studies at Hunter, she performed and choreographed in annual dance concerts, toured with the Hunter College Dance Company and took part in numerous teacher trainings. Althea has earned a Professional New York State teaching certificate in Dance Education. She also holds a Master's degree in Special Education from Brooklyn College.

Althea is currently a full-time dance teacher at Philippa Schuyler Middle School for the Gifted & Talented in Brooklyn, NY. As well, is the owner and director of On Your Toes Dance Studio with future plans to expand throughout Brooklyn and beyond.