Dance Staff

Nancy Long, Artistic Director/Owner Utica Dance, Inc. Established 2014. 

For over forty years Nancy Long has been active in the dance world as a performer, educator, choreographer, presenter, producer, and activist. Her personal mission for dance in the Mohawk Valley is to enrich people’s lives through dance and to inspire people to make dance a meaningful part of their lives. As a longtime member of the NYS DanceForce, a program of the New York State Council on the Arts, Nancy has brought professional dance companies to the region. The residencies included classes for community members who might not otherwise be exposed to dance, and partnered with Hamilton College to present public performances. Since 2019, Nancy has expanded her promotion of dance to include collaborations with the Caroga Arts Collective in Fulton County, NY. 

Nancy's career began when she attended CalArts before joining Donald McKayle's Inner City Repertory Ensemble in Los Angeles, CA. In 1974 she became a member of the NYC-based Joyce Trisler Danscompany, performing around the U.S. and Europe. Nancy appeared as a guest with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Jose Limon Dance Companies at City Center and the Washington Opera Company at the Kennedy Center. From 1982 to 2014 Nancy Professor of Dance and Program Coodinator of Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute's Dance Program. When Munson eliminated the Dance Program from it's curriculum, Nancy established Utica Dance, Inc to continue offering dance education and opportunities for the community, especially in the Oneida Square Arts District. Throughout the past 40 years, Nancy has created numerous original contemporary dances for her program as well as presenting annual story ballets. Her full-length choreographic creations include "Across the Doorsill," a collaboration with musicians Glen Velez and Mirabai Rothrock about the life of Sufi poet, Rumi. In 2015, 2016 and 2023 Utica Dance presented it's Nutcracker with the accompaniment of the Hamilton College Orchestra. She is proud of the continuing success of her students in the field of dance.

Kathy Ryan, Jazz/Tap Teacher

Sharon Warncke, Tap Teacher

Lindsey LaFountain, Modern Dance Teacher