Dance major Trinity Leite makes choreographic debut in New York City

Students in Salve Regina’s dance program will travel to New York City twice in the coming weeks to perform two choreographed works by Trinity Leite – “Cat and Mouse” and “Artemis” – both of which have been selected as featured performance pieces at festivals in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

“I feel incredibly honored and grateful that my work has been invited,” said Leite, a double major in dance and finance. “These performances will be my choreographic debut in New York, which is a dream I never thought I would achieve.”

Leite created “Cat and Mouse” to embody the performance environment, energy and atmosphere exuded by live jazz musicians. It will be presented at Jazz Choreography Enterprises’ Jazz Dance Project at KnJ Theater in the Peridance Center.

“Artemis” was inspired by the memory of Leite’s former dance teacher and mentor Erin Brady, founder and owner of the Cheshire Performing Arts Academy in Connecticut, who lost her battle with ALS at age 32. The piece will be performed at WAXworks at Muriel Schulman Theater in Brooklyn.

“The choreographic process is incredibly vulnerable, as you are sharing the most innate, genuine and authentic parts of yourself with the world,” said Leite, whose goal is to create work that evokes what she believes is the most profound human emotion – joy. “The opportunity to present my work at these festivals is a monumental step in my dance career and I am grateful that my Salve community is a part of this experience. I feel extremely blessed to share these experiences with my fellow Salve students performing my work.”

Nine dance majors will perform at the two separate events. Performing “Cat and Mouse” at JCE will be Livia Armstrong, Ashley Blake, Morgan Dubay, Julia Paulo, Mackenzie Robichaud and Jala Settles. Performing “Artemis” at WAXworks will be Armstrong, Blake, Paulo, Settles, Aleah Begg, Samantha Belekewicz and Julia Chiola. In addition, Leite thanked Taylor Steeves, who she said was an important part of the choreographic process.

“It became apparent last year that Trinity’s gifts as a choreographer are beyond her years,” said Lindsay Guarino, program coordinator and chair of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance.

Guarino mentored Leite on both pieces while teaching the courses Choreography and Dance Composition and suggested that Leite consider submitting her work to festivals. “This is a tremendous accomplishment for Trinity, whose works will be showcased alongside professional choreographers in the field,” Guarino said.

Guarino is also thrilled that Leite is carving out an identity as a jazz artist, which is unique to Salve Regina’s dance program. “It gives me hope that this upcoming generation of dance artists will carry the jazz form forward by honoring its roots and origins while innovating through a rooted contemporary lens,” she said.

Leite said that without Guarino’s guidance and expertise, she wouldn’t have had the courage to apply for the festivals. “She encourages her students to dig deeper and expand their knowledge in both research and embodiment,” Leite said.