RISE Vineyard Performing Arts Is More Than a Dance Studio

The studio that opened Nov. 15 in the Woodland Shopping Center on State Road, Vineyard Haven broke new ground for the Vineyard.

RISE Vineyard Performing Arts is a first, said Jil Matrisciano, co-founder and director with Sandra Stone, “in the sense that Island kids can now get the kind of professional dance experience and education they’d get off Island in an urban environment.”

Dance has been a significant part of Vineyard culture for many years, Ms. Matrisciano said, “and with full respect to other dance professionals and teachers — they’ve been incredibly resourceful, and done the best they could with limited resources.” For example, these teachers have used borrowed spaces such as converted theatres, churches, and school gymnasiums that were not strictly about dance.

What’s different about RISE Vineyard Performing Arts studio is that it is strictly about dance and body movement including, Ms. Matrisciano noted, Sherri Sidoti’s FLY — Fitness Life Yoga — program.

“When somebody walks in here, there’s no doubt it’s a dance studio,” Ms. Matrisciano said. “Not just the mirrors on the wall and the dance bar which certainly define the space, but the whole physicality of it. It’s in the air, the smell of dance, the feel of dance. You know there were dancers in here before you, and there will be dancers coming in after you.”

The physicality speaks to the whole experience, the level of professionalism students respond to as soon as they walk through the door. That sense of professionalism is infused into every aspect of the dance program, including dress code and student conduct ethics.

The health benefits, Ms. Matrisciano believes, are tenfold. “It’s a great way for kids to express themselves,” she said, “which is why a lot of parents put them into this arena. But the long-term benefits are so much more, as far as building self-confidence, learning to work in groups, learning to take instruction, and even tuning in to the difference between fine and gross motor skills.”

There are other benefits, too, Ms. Matrisciano said, “like building core strength. Even at 10 years old, a child can be developing poor posture habits that will lead to lower back pain as an adult. Through dance, kids learn how to take care of their bodies, to challenge themselves by challenging their own stamina — like you do with yoga.”

They also learn to take risks, and that it’s okay to fail sometimes, Ms. Matrisciano added.

With many years’ experience as a professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher — she was on Dean College’s dance department faculty from 2003 to 2006 — Ms. Matrisciano says she was more than comfortable with the level of expertise she could bring to the table.

But by extending her portfolio in recent years to include Pilates, it’s perfect timing to collaborate (with Ms. Stone) in opening RISE.

“Pilates has made me more intuitive as a teacher,” she said. “I took it up a few years ago, to supplement my dance career. I knew it would be a great accessory to dance. But I had no idea how informative it would be in the diagnosis of movement, in being able to apply the kinesthetic of the body to the anatomy of proper joint function, for example.”

Ms. Matrisciano says her partner at the studio, Ms. Stone, brings the same kind of balance as a teacher. “We’ve both got the professional, contemporary dance background. We’ve both taught at college level. And now Sandra is getting certified in Gyrotonics, which is similar to Pilates in that it’s about core strength.”

Gyrotonics is an exercise system — integrating dance, yoga, gymnastics, and tai chi movements — developed by Juliu Horvath, a ballet dancer who came to the United States seeking asylum from Romania in the 1960s.

“Sandra and I are both really excited,” Ms. Matrisciano said, “about the yoga aspect of the studio too.” She feels they’ve found a kindred spirit in Sherri Sedoti, because “she’s really got a strong vision, and the kind of commitment and dedication we have.” That’s important to the overall vision for RISE, which Ms. Matrisciano says is partly about providing strong female role models for the students.

Not to exclude boys, she was quick to note, as needing those same kinds of role models.

“We do have quite a few boy students, young and old,” she said, and one of the studio’s junior teachers is Evan Hall. Another Island teen, Kristy Watts, is also a junior teacher. Professional staff includes Daryl Owens and Stephanie Hecht.

RISE teaches all genres of dance — modern, tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, acrobatics, creative movement, tumble tots — for ages 2 to 92. (Tumble Tots class being, of course, for the lower spectrum of that age range.) The school’s dance program is designed around a somewhat long-term commitment from students, based on a fall to spring year that coincides with the school year.

“We culminate the year with a big performance,” Ms. Matrisciano said. The performance Destination Martha’s Vineyard will be themed around things that make the Vineyard famous: “The performance dates are so late in June it made sense to appeal to the tourism element of the Island.”

An opening matinee is set for 2 p.m. June 29, followed by an evening performance at 7:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Performing Arts Center.

Given the high volume of seasonal visitors, Ms. Matrisciano says they’ve created a separate summer program.

“We’ll expand to offer some other dance forms, like African dance, that people might be interested in taking sort of as a survey class, as opposed to a more serious study or long-term commitment.”

That means RISE students can continue their studies over the summer, if they choose, taking intensives that might run for a week or two, but other Islanders or visitors to the Island can also sign up. Because the whole philosophy of RISE is community-based, Ms. Matrisciano emphasized they want the program to be as inclusive as possible.

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