Cassidy Delilah Rivas
Dance 1, Dance 2, Honors Dance
Director: UCHS Dance Company & UC Drillettes Dance Team Coach
Ms. Rivas is a dance artist and educator born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has her MA in K-12 Dance Education at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University. In May 2021, Ms. Rivas graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance from Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts, where she was a recipient of the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Memorial Scholarship. Ms. Rivas completed her full-time students teaching at Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School under the mentorship of Cleo Mack. She also teaches at Washington Rock Dance in Warren, NJ, working with a variety of ages and dance styles.
Throughout her time at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts, Cassidy worked and collaborated with various artists including Earl Mosley, Rennie Harris, Stefanie Batten Bland, BennyRoyce Royon, Kim Elliott, Shannon Gillen, Alexandra Beller, Christal Brown, and Shay Bland. In 2021, Ms. Rivas was selected to represent the Dance Department at the Mason Gross Martin Luther King Jr Celebration. In addition, Ms. Rivas Senior Solo, Saturation, was chosen to represent Mason Gross at the American College Dance Association National Dance Film Presentation. During her studies at Mason Gross, Ms. Rivas interned at Ballet Hispanico. In addition to training with Rennie Harris’ Illadelph and at the Earl Mosley Institutes of the Arts (EMIA).
Harumi Elders
Dance 1 & Dance 2
Assistant Director For UCHS Dance Company
Ms. Elders, a Sandy Spring, Maryland native, graduated Cum Laude from the Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Dance Performance, Choreography, and Pedagogy under the guidance of Yasuko Tokunaga and Kathy Young. Her professional journey began with the City Ballet of Boston, where she performed as a soloist in the acclaimed Urban Nutcracker. Following her graduation, she moved to NYC, where she worked with various companies and choreographers, including Nimbus Dance Works, Korhan Basaran, Gotham Dance Theatre, Dance Iquail, and Christopher Ralph.
Ms. Elders also took a brief hiatus from New York to perform two seasons in the award-winning Christmas show at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. As an educator, she has taught Dance to Learn in various New Jersey public schools and offered diverse techniques in dance studios across the East Coast. She served as an adjunct dance teacher in the High Tech High School's performing arts department and most recently served as the Director at The School of Nimbus. Ms. Elders is dedicated to fostering a safe and nurturing environment where students can discover their artistic voice and expression through dance.
Cristen Pennello
UC District Performing Arts Supervisor
&
NJHS Dance Fest Director
Mrs. Pennello began her training at age two, at local dance studios in NY and NJ. Mrs. Pennello went onto perform in regional and national competitions throughout the tri-state area, as well as performing in the half time shows of the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida and Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. She has also done print work for various costume catalogs. Mrs. Pennello received a B.F.A. in Dance from Montclair State University and her M.A. degree in Dance Education from New York University. She has performed with various professional dance companies, such as NYC Hip Hop Company From the Ground Up, and is a founding company member of moe-tion dance theater, established in 2007, and continues to perform professionally in NYC and NJ. Mrs. Pennello spent a summer studying, creating, and performing in Montescuidao and Castiglioncello, Italy. She was a guest choreographer and has also taught as an Adjunct for a number of years at Middlesex County College. She has performed lecture demonstrations for Rutgers University: Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Mrs. Pennello was the Head Dance Instructor at Mercer County Performing Arts High School from 2006-2009, and pioneered the dance program at Union City High School in 2009. Mrs. Pennello was the Co-Director with her colleague and long-time friend Mrs. Amanda Papa, of their dance company, Solo Danza from 2013-2018. While at Union City High School, Mrs. Pennello pioneered and developed the dance program. She established the UCHS Dance Company in 2009, coached for the Drillettes Dance Team, and choreographed the following musicals here at the high school: The Wiz, Pippin, West Side Story, Urinetown, In the Heights, and Xanadu. Mrs. Pennello is now the District Performing Arts Supervisor for Union City Board of Education.
Mrs. Pennello founded the New Jersey High School Dance Fest in the spring of 2013, and runs this annual festival every year at Union City High School. With the help of many important Dance Professionals, including fellow colleague Erin Pride, it was made possible and has continued annually ever since. For her efforts, Mrs. Pennello was presented with the very first "Jete Award" by members of Dance New Jersey in June of 2013 for 'Taking a Leap of Faith' and creating this festival for New Jersey's High School dance students. The festival was also featured in and included a presentation by ArtsEdNow, as well as in a webinar with The NJ School Board Association in 2021. Mrs. Pennello is a member of Dance NJ and NDEO, is an active advocate for Dance Education, and truly believes in having Dance for Every Child as a crucial component to NJ's education system.