A former professional ballet dancer will direct the AACC Dance Company starting this fall.
Adjunct dance professor Margaret Russell replaced Adjetey Klufio as the dance coordinator and director.
“I feel … honored to have a bigger role at the college,” said Russell, who said she hopes to grow the Dance Company. “I’m excited to work with the dancers a little more closely and to learn all the ins and outs of the department.”
Russell worked as a professional ballet dancer for 10 years before coming to AACC to earn her associate degree. AACC hired her in 2019.
“[You] can’t match” professional experience when it comes to teaching dance, Russell said.
“You really start to understand what makes a healthy classroom and what works, what doesn’t work,” Russell said. “I think it’s important for teachers to continue to learn.”
Victoria Ofori, a third-year dance student, said Russell is “open-minded” and “honest.”
“I just love working with her,” Ofori said. “I just love organized people, and people who get straight to the point and have a plan set in stone. … Because in dance, you always have to be organized.”
Kiera Richardson, a second-year dance student, called Russell’s teaching style “strict but also encouraging” and said she is “an amazing person to learn from.”