There's a little gem of a dance school right here in Katonah that a lot of people still don't know about: Northern Westchester School of Dance located at 260 Katonah Avenue, right behind Wells Fargo Bank in the Katonah Shopping Center.
Run by Lynda Griffin, and her business partner, Kathi-Jo Hubner, the school opened in the fall of 2011 and has been thriving ever since. Lynda is a NYS elementary teacher and the owner of The Club House Nursery School in Shrub Oak. She has 25 years of theater experience, performing in shows such as West Side Story, Oklahoma, Annie, Anything Goes, Pippin and Godspell. Lynda also was the children's choir director in Chappaqua for 10 years. Kathi is a Broadway veteran who toured with shows such as My Fair Lady, Cabaret and Follies and is a former co-chair of Wagner College's dance department, known nationally for its musical theatre program. Her students have gone on to dance on Broadway in shows such as Footloose, Hairspray, 42nd Street, A Chorus Line, Fosse and Chicago. Together, these two women combined their talents and brought professional dance training to Katonah. NWSOD faculty members boast professional backgrounds that include teaching positions at Joffrey Ballet School, Alvin Alley, New York City Ballet, Broadway Steps and Broadway credits.
Classes offered range from toddler dance classes (ballet, tap, tumbling, jazz) to formal dance training for teens (ballet, pre-pointe, pointe, modern, lyrical, tap, street jazz, theatre jazz and hip hop). Fitness classes (Zumba and Yoga) are also offered for adults. Workshops are held throughout the year and cover genres such as circus performance, aerial performance and are taught by nationally accredited professional trainers and choreographers. The school offers two summer camps, Circus Camp and Summer Dance Intensive Camp. Performing and community service opportunities are also available through the school's non-profit student run dance group, Rhapsody Dance Company.
Check out the NWSOD web site and Facebook page for further information.
To contact Lynda Griffin about registration, call (914) 522-6310.