Donna Goffredo & Dancers (DG&D) will present a choreographer’s showcase entitled Hoboken Dance-Take 1, at the Monroe Street Movement Space on Saturday, March 25 at 8 p.m. Founded in 1998, DG&D is a local contemporary dance company comprised of seven professional female dancers, including the company’s artistic director, Donna Goffredo. Tall and slim with warm brown eyes and perfect posture, Goffredo has the unmistakable presence of a dancer. Growing up in a small town near Scranton, Pa., Goffredo began dancing when she was 4 years old. Like most little girls, her mother enrolled her in an extracurricular ballet class. Unlike most little girls, she never quit. Goffredo received a B.A. in dance from University of Maryland and an M.F.A from University of North Carolina. Six years ago, Goffredo moved to Hoboken, where she has supported herself as a dance teacher. Her first job was at Muscota New School, a public elementary school in Washington Heights, New York. “My main focus for the children is to become young choreographers,” said Goffredo last week. “I don’t want them to copy me. I want them to find their own movement and feel empowered to create dance.” Working with the children obviously inspired Goffredo. On Saturday night, the company will perform a piece entitled “Recess!” Goffredo describes “Recess!” as an athletic, hip-hop inspired dance set to the music of Duke Ellington. Last fall, Goffredo was hired to teach dance and develop an arts program at the Hoboken Charter School. “Working at the Charter School has made me feel much more a part of the community,” said Goffredo, who also teaches dance at the YMCA. Saturday night will be DG&D’s first self-produced concert. In addition to “Recess!” the troupe will perform “Nina,” a solo study of blues set to the music of Nina Simone, and “Crosspulse,” a dynamic group piece set to the music of Keith Terry. “I’m very inspired by jazz music,” said Goffredo. “I try and match the energy that I get from the music. When most people think of jazz dance, they think of MTV. I try to not use codified techniques or steps. I try and find and the organic-ness of the music.” In addition to Goffredo, the company’s members include Melissa Bryan Mohan, Carrie Shereen Sturts, Dawn Douglas, Melissa Miller, Rachel Shugarman and Jennifer Tarazzi-Scully. “I look for dancers who are technically strong and who are not afraid to take risks, and who have a sensitivity to jazz,” said Goffredo. “They need to be able to hear the music. And all my dancers are very different shapes and sizes. We don’t all look alike, like a ballet company.” Sipping her Volvic Springs bottled water, Goffredo seemed excited about her newfound role in community. “I see so many opportunities in Hoboken for people of all ages to experience dance as dancers, choreographers, teachers or audience members – I am trying to take advantage of those opportunities,” said Goffredo. “This concert is one way to bring people out to begin to build a dance audience here in Hoboken.” The concert is one night only, and admission is $10. For more information, call 420-6571 or email Dgoffredo@aol.com.
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