Staff

Erin Lally (BFA, MA) is the Executive Director of the Harkness Dance Center and Director of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at 92NY. With more than two decades of experience in dance education, Erin is a passionate leader and educator dedicated to fostering creativity and community through movement. At 92NY, she oversees the strategy, operations, resources, and organizational direction of the institution’s integrated dance programs, including Harkness Dance Center performances, the School of Dance, and DEL initiatives. Erin also played a pivotal role in launching a strategic plan for dance at 92NY, including curating a prestigious exhibition and performances celebrating the center’s 150th anniversary.

As Director of DEL, Erin has grown the program into a leading national professional development initiative for dance educators. She spearheads collaborations with New York City Public Schools and renowned dance organizations, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Merce Cunningham Trust, to develop specialized curricula and courses. Erin has also created remote dance-learning curricula and secured substantial funding for educational projects, including a dance literacy curriculum launched in 2024.

Erin’s previous roles include serving as Education Director at RIOULT Dance NY, where she oversaw educational outreach, and as a founding Dance Specialist at Bronx Charter School for the Arts. She holds a BFA in Modern Dance Performance from the University of the Arts and an MA in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Erin is the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Leadership Award from the New York State Dance Education Association and a graduate of the NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership. She remains an active teacher, mentor, and practitioner, leading weekly Family Dance and Choreo Lab classes in 92NY’s School of Dance while facilitating professional development for dance educators through DEL.

Alison Manning is the Artistic Director of the Harkness Dance Center at 92NY, where she leads the Center’s artistic vision, shaping its role as a home for dance performance, education, artist development, and community engagement. In this role, she curates and stewards artistic programming, cultivates relationships with dance artists and companies, and continues to support the artistic vision and mission of the School of Dance at Harkness Dance Center.

Alison previously served as Director of the School of Dance at Harkness Dance Center. Hired in 2021 to rebuild the School following the pandemic, she led a period of significant recovery and growth, strengthening programming, faculty infrastructure, student engagement, DEL integration and community building. Over four years, she helped grow the School of Dance beyond its pre-pandemic state, reestablishing it as a vibrant holistic center for dance education at 92NY.

Prior to joining 92NY, Alison served as the Executive Director and Co-Producer of The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard. From 2008–2020 she supported national and international dance artists through residencies, performances, classes and community programs. She was founding Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer of DanceTheYard, The Yard’s year-round professional dance company, alongside Jesse Keller Jason. Their work has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow, MASS MoCA, The Yard, The Dance Complex, Ohio University, Triskelion Arts, and other venues.

Alison is a working professional dancer dancing with David Parker’s The Bang Group and in work by actress Amy Brenneman currently, and formerly with numerous artists and companies. She is a passionate Horton teacher, tap and rhythm dancer, and advocate. She has taught at The Yard, NYU Steinhardt, Wesleyan University, Peridance Capezio Center, and Steps on Broadway, and continues to perform with The Bang Group. She is the former President of the Marymount Manhattan College Dance Advisory Board and a former member of the adjunct faculty. Alison graduated magna cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Modern Dance and a minor in Art History.

Chelsea Spraker joined The 92nd Street Y, New York in 2016 where she now serves as the Director of Administration for the Harkness Dance Center. Chelsea supports all aspects of dance at 92NY and works to provide programmatic solutions and operational support for the School of Dance, Dance Education Laboratory, Performance and Artists in Residence programs. Chelsea is an experienced leader and creative professional who is an advocate for dance education and is committed to making the arts accessible to everyone.

Prior to joining 92NY, Chelsea served as an arts administrator for various organizations including Gibney Dance Center, The Feldenkrais Institute of New York and The New York State Summer School of the Arts. As a performing and teaching artist, she worked with the Student Company at Mark Morris Dance Center and performed with the Mariah Maloney Dance Company among other New York City based artists. Chelsea graduated Summa Cum Laude from The College at Brockport, State University of New York with a BFA in Dance and Minor in Business Administration.

Ayaka Kamei Cento, originally from Ehime, Japan, is the Interim Director of the School of Dance at 92NY’s Harkness Dance Center, where she has been a faculty member since 2021. She is committed to making the School of Dance a welcoming home where students, families, faculty, staff, and artists can experience joy, nurture creativity, and build a strong community through dance.

A New York–based dancer, educator, choreographer, and producer, Ayaka has taught and presented work throughout the United States and Japan in higher education, conservatories, public schools, and community organizations. Her teaching credits include 92NY, SUNY Purchase, Gibney Dance, Chen Dance Center, and Joffrey Ballet School.

As a performer, Ayaka has appeared on Broadway and on national and international tours of Phantom of the Opera. She has also performed with The Metropolitan Opera, Twyla Tharp Dance, MorDance, and New York Theatre Ballet. Her screen credits include a Nikon commercial, Amazon Prime’s Étoile, and The Show Must Go On on Apple TV+.

Ayaka is a graduate of Northern Ballet School in England and graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Purchase. She is a facilitator with Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) and has presented workshops and lectures at conferences and institutions, including the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and the New York State Dance Education Association (NYSDEA), as well as other regional, national, and international events.

She is also the Artistic Director of Art Couriers International, an outreach-focused performing arts organization, and co-founder of Dance Education Cafe, which fosters collaboration and dialogue among dance educators in Japan.

Photo by: Becca Vision

Rachael Lieblein-Jurbala (she/her) joined The 92nd Street Y, New York in 2022, where she serves as Program Manager for the Harkness Dance Center and Dance Education Laboratory (DEL). Prior to joining 92NY, Rachael was Program Manager for the Spencer Educational Foundation, where she managed five educational grant programs dedicated to funding opportunities for students in the risk management and insurance fields. From 2019 to 2020, Rachael taught dance and led community programming for young people at the Center for Family Life Beacon Community Program at PS1 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and served as Teaching Artist for the Lifelines Interdisciplinary Arts Program at M.S. 136 and M.S. 821. As a dancer and choreographer, Rachael’s work investigates humanistic and sociological questions and aims to provoke conversation, in hopes that she, the performer, and the viewer may all find deeper self-awareness and subsequent potential for radical empathy. Her work has been presented at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the WestFest Dance Festival, WAXworks, Uptown Rising, and the Tank Theater. Rachael is co-producer and curator of the WestFest Dance Festival, an annual festival presenting the works of emerging and established movement artists in New York City. She is currently education chair and board member of the Sasamani Foundation – an organization dedicated to increasing access to education and employment opportunities for women and girls in Tanzania. Rachael holds a bachelor’s degree in Dance and Sociology with a certificate in Community Action and Public Policy from Connecticut College.

www.rachael-lieblein-jurbala.com

Daria Fitzgerald (M.A., Dance Education, New York University, Professional Dance Teacher Certification, New York State) is the Associate Director of Early Childhood Dance at Harkness Dance Center, 92NY. In this role, Daria leads Harkness Dance Center’s initiative to grow early childhood dance programs across the organization and beyond, teaches early childhood dance classes in 92NY’s Nursery School, Parenting Center, and Harkness Dance Center, and writes curriculum, leads professional development workshops, and coaches through the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL). Daria was recognized as one of the first DEL Lab school recipients for her teaching in the Nursery School.

Daria served as assistant director of Kids Do Dance at The Yard and an associate director of the Arnhold NYU Steinhardt/Global Visiting Scholar Summer Workshop. She has taught children’s dance classes in New York City public schools, the Penn Family Early Childhood Center, the JCC, and various other community and arts organizations. Daria published curriculum through the New York City Department of Education and was the lead curriculum designer of The Yard’s Making It program.

Daria has presented professional development workshops through the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), Dancing Classrooms, and The Lawrence Arts Center. She served on NDEO’s board of directors and development committee. While in graduate school, Daria founded the Steinhardt Dance Education Association, received the Steinhardt Music and Performing Arts Professions award, and twice received the New York State Dance Education Association graduate student award.

Daria visited Uganda three times to collaborate with and learn from teachers there. She curates an Instagram page where she shares her favorite books to use in children’s dance classes @booksfordancing.

Jennie Palomo, Program Manager, School of Dance, joined 92NY in 2019. Originally from Southern California, Jennie moved to New York City in 2015 to attend The Juilliard School, where she earned her BFA in Dance in 2019. While at Juilliard, she participated in the Gluck Community Service Fellowship, performing at healthcare facilities throughout New York City and developing a lasting commitment to serving the community through dance. After graduating, Jennie joined the Harkness Dance Center at 92NY as a part-time staff member while continuing to work as a freelance dance artist. She later transitioned to a full-time role as the Dance Center Coordinator, followed by Assistant Program Manager, and now serves as Program Manager for the School of Dance. Jennie is passionate about creating meaningful experiences for students, artists, and faculty, and helping make dance accessible to all!

Aimee Graham joined 92NY in 2023 and serves as the Operations Manager for the Harkness Dance Center, where she leads operational strategy, supports administration, and cross-departmental initiatives. She oversees systems and processes that strengthen the Center’s day-to-day operations while advancing long-term organizational goals through data-informed decision-making, strategic planning, and continuous process improvement.

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Aimee graduated summa cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Modern Dance and a BA in Business concentrating in Advertising and Promotion. During her time at Marymount, she had the opportunity to work closely with and perform works by Paul Taylor, Caleb Teicher, Netta Yerushalmy, Nancy Lushington, Sekou McMiller, and Megan Williams.

Combining her experience as both an artist and an operations leader, Aimee is passionate about building efficient systems, translating data into actionable strategy, and creating the organizational infrastructure that enables exceptional artistic programming and educational experiences. Her work spans operations, space and resource management, business analysis, and organizational planning, helping position the Harkness Dance Center for continued innovation and growth.

Kayla Spalding joined 92NY in August 2025, where she serves as the Dance Center Assistant for the Harkness Dance Center. A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, she holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a BA in History from Elon University. Before joining the Harkness team, she most recently worked in administration for Broadway Dance Center Children & Teens and as a Teaching Artist with Notes in Motion.

As a dancer and artist, Kayla continues to create and perform works that explore narrative, sensation, and the breadth of human experience. Her practice investigates how movement becomes a vessel for reflection, a means of understanding both self and society. Her work A Shadow of Repudiation premiered at the 2024 Move to Change Dance Festival, extending her inquiry into embodiment and perception. She is currently continuing to develop new projects that probe the boundaries of selfhood and illuminate the subtle threads that bind our shared identities.

www.kaylarspalding.com

Louise Brownsberger (she/her) is a get-it-done production professional who prioritizes the humanity of her colleagues while protecting artistic integrity. Highly collaborative and creative projects are where she thrives and that has been true throughout her career. Her first behind-the-scenes job was when she was 14 and had the opportunity to assistant stage manage for the Children’s Theatre where she had grown up performing. While attending Connecticut College she learned as much as she possibly could, achieving degrees in classical vocal performance and economics, minoring in philosophy, and dancing over 20 hours a week all while continuing to work as a theater technician or arts administrator. When she first moved to NYC, she initially found her niche in opera stage management, however she quickly pivoted to dance and performance art having been encouraged by a production apprenticeship at New York Live Arts. That opportunity fostered collaborative relationships with ground breaking artists that have since led her all over the world.

During the pandemic she was fortunate enough to find work with the world-renowned Limón Dance Company. Starting there as a Company and Assistant Business Manager, she ended her 4-year tenure as the Production & Touring Manager, managing every non-artistic aspect of this tour-de-force troupe of artists. Louise joined the Harkness Dance Center team in 2023 as a Production Consultant managing the extraordinary performances included in the 92NY’s 150th Anniversary Season. She has since served as the Production Manager for all dance performances and major Harkness Dance Center events here at The 92nd Street Y, NY. She is proud to work at such a storied institution, with such extraordinary colleagues.