DANCE

AJ's dance journey began late in high school after realizing how much he loved dance rehearsals during his time in community theater, and being profoundly moved by watching the talented dancers perform at his high school. Having always been interested in acrobatics and cirque-style performances as well, he was interested in finding where the beauty of dance and the almost alien power of acrobatics met. He took a trial class at a local dance studio, and after his first time doing a leap across the floor he knew he'd found what he wanted to do! AJ then proceeded to get a job at a local fast food joint working 20 hours a week to pay for his few dance classes each week, and hasn't stopped dancing and loving it since.

AJ went to college to study dance and earned a BFA in Dance from Montclair State University. It was during his college years that AJ also became interested in human anatomy and healthcare. Due to his lack of foundational training, and trying to keep up with advanced choreography, AJ ended up with many overuse injuries from the heavy workload all dancers face plus his own poor body mechanics at the time. Taking a year off of college to go study massage therapy and repair his body, he took his studies in anatomy and physiology and relentlessly applied them to the movements he was studying in the dance studio. Overtime, this led him to an exquisite understanding of how to organize the human body in such a way that the highly demanding movement vocabulary required for professional dancers and acrobats became as natural as walking or breathing.

AJ has deeply experienced how dancing has changed his life, as it helped him find self-confidence, self-love, and revelry in the free self-expression through the movement that only dance offers (as well as a deep sense of discipline and perseverance). He has been so inspired by how dancing changed his life that he has been committed to sharing and teaching this amazing art form to students young and old all over the country since 2010. His studies in dance combined with his extensive knowledge of human anatomy and physiology (as well as his natural love of communicating with children) have given AJ a unique niche in the dance community as an education specialist who excels in acrobatic technique, injury prevention, mindfulness in motion, and fun!

*AJ currently serves as regular faculty at Fusion Dance Centre in Roselle Park, NJ - Center of Dance Arts in Morganville, NJ - Waves of Motion Dance Center in Spotswood, NJ*