About Hubbard Hall Projects
Join Our Team!
Hubbard Hall is looking for a creative Receptionist to work 15 hrs/wk. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, greeting visitors, taking phone orders, and other miscellaneous clerical work. The person filling this position should enjoy working with the public, be cheerlul, friendly, helpful, able to think creatively to solve problems and work independently, be competent with Microsoft Office programs and be willing to learn in-house computer applications.
General working hours will be from 1pm to 4pm on weekdays with an occasional swapping of Monday afternoons for Saturday mornings based upon programmatic needs.
Interested candidates should send a resume and letter of interest to Benjie White, Executive Director, Hubbard Hall, 25 East Main St., Cambridge, NY 12816 or email materials to benjie@hubbardhall.org.
Our Staff
Executive Director, Benjie White
Benjie White, Executive Director. Tel. 518-677-2495 ext. 313
Theatre Company Artistic Director, John Hadden
John Hadden, Artistic Director. Tel. 518-677-2495 ext. 314
Opera Theater Artistic Director, Alexina Jones
Alix Jones, Artistic Director
Marketing Director, Debra Foster
Deb Foster, Marketing Director. Tel. 518-677-2495 ext. 317
Program Director, Gina Mammone Deibel
Gina Mammone Deibel, Program Director. Tel. 518-677-2495 ext. 304
Building Manager, Trish Kozal
Trish Kozal, Building Manager. Tel. 518-677-2495 ext. 312
Bookkeeper, Anne Dambrowski
Anne Dambrowski, Bookkeeper. Tel. 518-677-2495 ext. 303
Village Store Manager, Roberta Bosak
Roberta Bosak, Village Store Manager. Tel. 518-677-2495 ext. 311
Our Instructors
Jon Barber (Photography)
Babacar Biaye (Play the Djembe!) has been drumming since the age of 15 with the group Africa Djembe Junior, on Goree Island where he lives—a 20-minute ferry ride from Senegal’s capital city of Dakar. Africa Djembe Junior has performed for numerous tourists, visitors, and diplomats—including President Clinton and President George W. Bush. Additionally they have taught many Djembe workshops to individuals and groups from around the world. In his group, Babacar is the bass player, called the doungdoung. In 2009 Africa Djembe Junior recorded with Cape Verde artist, Mario Lucio, on his album Kreol. In July 2010 the group accompanied Italian saxophone players Pietro Tonolo, Roberto Rossi, Giampaolo Casati, Giancarlo Bianchetti, Llich Fenzi, on an Italian Jazz festival tour. Babacar also paints traditional West African paintings. He uses acrylic paint on cotton canvas, with vibrant colors and patchwork. The themes mostly speak of the division and suffering in Africa and the call for freedom. Babacar speaks English, French, and Wolof.
Aleda Bliss (Children's Theater) began studying theatre at the New England Youth Theatre where she appeared in over 20 productions, including Susy in Wait Until Dark, the title role in Mary Stuart, and Phebe in As You Like It, as well as directing and stage managing several productions. In 2010 she toured her two-woman Twelfth Night to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and first joined Hubbard Hall as Irma in their recent production of The Madwoman of Chaillot. In the fall she will continue her studies at the Birmingham School of Acting (UK).
Emma Bliss (Children's Theater) discovered her love for acting at the age of 8, when she began taking classes at The New England Youth Theater in Brattleboro Vt. Since that fateful decision she has played many roles, including Imogen in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, Deputy Governor Danforth in Arthur Miller’s the Crucible, Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Rizzo in the musical Grease. She is very much looking forward to the chance to come to Hubbard Hall, meet new people and take on fresh challenges.
Zaidee Bliss (Yoga) Considering her early interest in ballet and figure skating, it is not surprising that Zaidee Bliss found her way to yoga as an adult. That first class was so reminiscent of her ballet years that it felt like coming home. Her natural inclination, skill and experience as a teacher led her along the path to becoming a yoga instructor. Zaidee is certified as a Kripalu yoga teacher and has since completed the 200-hour Anusara teacher training as well as a certification as a Yoga Ed teacher. Her classes are designed to suit the needs and levels of her students. She pays special attention to correct alignment in order to more safely enhance her student’s practice.
Sylvia Bloom (Eenie Meenie Music) first observed performance as a two-year old, which was booty-shaking during her parents' folk-dancing group. Many years later she went on to receive a B.M. in voice from Oberlin Conservatory, and an M.A. in Counseling specializing in Expressive Arts Therapy. Her performing experience ranges from the sublime—recent member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus, former cast member in the San Francisco production of Phantom of the Opera, soloist with the Erie Philharmonic (PA) and Springfield Symphony (MO)—to the sublimely ridiculous—singing “Carmen” at a Burger King in West Virginia and shrieking as the voice of the evil Tooth Fairy in a really bad major motion picture. Her combined love of the arts and of learning about the development of the human mind led her to the Music Together program, which she's taught for the past 3 years. She's the proud mom of four-year-old Eli, and is excited to bring the world of Music Together® to the community!
Natalie Bruno (Baby Sign Language) has been a freelance American sign language (ASL) interpreter for over 10 years with a specialty in educational interpreting. She is a member of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, holding a national certification with an advanced rating.
Lisa Carrino (African-Inspired Dance)
Scott Carrino (Tai Ji) has studied Taoism and Tai Ji as a method of centering and as a metaphor for life for the past 31 years. Teaching Yang Style solo, two-
person, sabre and sword forms since 1986, he has cultivated an integrated understanding of chi (vital energy) and the mysteries and power of the Tao. He is a teaching member of the Living Tao Foundation for the past fifteen years, and published their newsletter for 10 years. Scott is a founding member of Pompanuck Farm.
Richard Cherry (Foil) is a pupil of Herb Cohen who fenced on three US Olympic teams. Richard has been teaching sword-fencing in the local area since 1999.
David Cuite (Jazz Band Ensemble) studied music at Manhattanville College and performed in various jazz ensembles in NYC from 1990-2005. On upright bass he studied with Ben Allison of the Jazz Composers Collective and Mary Ann McSweeney. He has performed at the Knitting Factory and many clubs around Manhattan and Brooklyn. For five years he was the bassist-in-residence for jazz ensemble classes at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Dave is now back in his hometown of Cambridge where he leads a jazz ensemble called the Barnstormers and plays in many other genres ranging from bluegrass to Bach and original songwriting.
Otha Day (HealthRHYTHMS) is a Drum Circle Facilitator who leads fun and lively Rhythm Events from the deep belief that rhythm has the power to build communities, promote well-being, and bring incredible joy. Otha leads drum and rhythm events for corporate functions, conferences, schools-libraries, hospital-health groups, religious and private events. Some of his many clients have included the US Naval Air Systems Command Leadership Development Program in Washington, D.C., the multi-national SABIC Innovative Plastics, Burr and Burton Academy, and Williams College. More info at www.drumtothebeat.com.
Gina Mammone Deibel (Creative Movement & Dances of India) studied classical Indian dance (Odissi style) and various folk traditions for 10 years with guru Ranjanaa Devi and performed with Nataraj Performing Arts based in Hadley, MA. Her background in dance also includes jazz, modern, tap, ballet, flamenco, Middle Eastern, lindy-hop, and yoga. She is a member of daCi (Dance and the Child International), holds degrees in Childhood Education and Television/Film Studies from Boston University, has taught in the US and the UK, and has performed throughout the Northeast.
Alan Epstein (Bluegrass Jamming, Mandolin) has played mandolin and sung in bluegrass bands in Colorado, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Aside from private teaching, he’s taught workshops and at camps in Michigan and at Bluegrass Week at Augusta (WV). Alan excels at helping students master fundamentals and giving them the confidence to enjoy a broad range of musical experiences. Listen to Alan's holiday CD at: http://www.cdbaby.com/abepstein
Jacquie West Farbman (Gyrokinesis)
Phelan Gallagher (Jazz Ensemble) graduated this spring from Hunter College with a Master of Arts in Music Education. He has been an enrichment instructor at Hunter College Elementary School for the past two years, where he taught instrumental jazz to fourth and fifth graders. As a musician, he has performed in the Loyola University and Hunter College Jazz Bands as lead alto saxophonist alongside artists such as Bob Mintzer and Dafnis Prieto. He has also toured Europe and Brazil as a sideman in several projects and performs regularly in Maine and New York. He is currently living, teaching, and playing music in Cambridge.
Alexis Grabowski (Visual Art)
John Hadden (TCHH artistic director, Monday Night Shakespeare)
Reilly Hadden (Children's Theater): Theater: Wharton Salon: Summer. Connecticut Repertory Theater: A Cry of Players, The Hot L Baltimore, US Drag, Julius Caesar. BTF: Peter Pan, Christmas Carol, Arabian Nights. Participated in Shakes and Co's Fall Festival and performed with Infamous Genius Theater Company and Cojones Company in Great Barrington. Film: "Idiot Kings" (simpfilms.com) New York: How I Won the Campbell Prize written by Ben Lewis, Full directed by Lee Sunday-Evans, and Mexico by Gertrude Stein, directed by Christina Roussos. Graduated with a BFA in Acting from UConn. Currently a starving artist in Bushwick, NY. Reilly has taught Riotous Youth at Shakespeare & Co and Hartford Children’s Theater.
Jill Hahn (String Program, Woodwind & String Ensemble)
Natasha Judson, MEd, RYT (Yoga) started teaching yoga in the Berkshires in 1999. She has studied with many teachers, including with the Iyengar yoga and Buddhist meditation communities. Currently a student and teacher of Anusara yoga, Ms Judson studies several times a year with John Friend, founder of Anusara yoga.
Carolyn Kibbe (Oil Painting) was born in Oneonta (Fly Creek) NY and moved back to New York five years ago. She has degrees from UC Berkeley, RI College, and Boston University. She taught painting for several years in a small gallery in East Providence RI. A former teacher, reporter, editor and editorial cartoonist, she now paints professionally full time. Carolyn is a member of the Beekman Artists’ Coop in Saratoga Springs,Valley Artisans Market in Cambridge, the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC) in Glens Falls, the Saratoga Arts Council (SAC), the North Country Arts Council (NCAC), and Fine Arts America. Her work is represented by VAM and the Ginofor Gallery in Cambridge, and Beekman Artists’ Studios in Saratoga Springs. She also has three cartoons in the current brochure for the National Park Service (Western Division). Her commissioned portraits and other paintings are in private collections in this country and in Ireland.
Heidi Knecht-Seegers (Hip Hop and Jazz) has taught, choreographed, and performed for many years in NYC as well as in the Capital/Saratoga region. She was a guest choreographer and dancer for Margaret Wagner and Dancers, and has also performed with Ellen Sinopoli, Laura Gates Carlson, John Passifiume, Moving Images, Jamie Stiller, and the Non-Canonical Ensemble. She has been on the faculty at Russell Sage and has guest taught at Union College, Skidmore College, Berkshire Ballet, and at Ballet Regent School.
Darcy May (Irish Step) is a 1985 graduate of the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. She studied Irish Dance as a child at Fay and O’Connell School of Irish Dance in Pearl River, NY, and danced with Wild Irish Acres of Saratoga Springs. Darcy has taught at Hubbard Hall since 2004. She also illustrates children’s books.
Bliss McIntosh (Arts of Ireland, Basketmaking, Instrumental Tune Jam) has a BA in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University and has been a musician/ craftsperson/ dancer/ gardener/ cook for her whole life, passing on her knowledge along the way to anyone who will come along for the ride.
Tess Meyer (Movement for Riders & Dance Vanguard Curator) graduated from Bennington College in 2008 with a B.A. in dance and visual art. Over the past five years she has danced with a variety of dancers and choreographers, and recently spent nine months living in New York City where she studied Klein/Mahler Technique and the Alexander Technique. Tess began her training in classical dressage and natural horsemanship at five years old, and continues to specify and hone both her teaching and training practice through exploring bodywork in conjunction with riding. Tess currently trains horses and people, makes sculptures, and curates the Dance Vanguard Series at Hubbard Hall.
Gabi Moore (Visual Art)
Beth Oakley (Pre-Ballet & Ballet) grew up in New Jersey, where she trained as a dancer at the New Jersey School of Ballet from age 7 to age 16. After leaving the New Jersey Ballet Company, Beth studied the Merce Cunningham method of modern dance for a summer at Montclair State University. Since then she has expanded her dance horizons to include Tap, Jazz, Contras, Swing, and Afro-Carribean. Beth graduated from Bennington College in 2008. She now works as an assistant teacher at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, and is pursuing a Masters in Waldorf education. She happily lives in Shushan with her cats, chickens, and husband.
Jeanne Reig (Pre-Ballet & Ballet -- on sabbatical) enjoyed various forms of dance from a very early age and her earliest dancing memories are of a Highland class when she was about 3 years old. At the age of five, Jeanne began her study of Classical Ballet, which evolved into Modern Ballet as she grew up and needed more room for self-expression. In college, Jeanne was intrigued by child development classes and enjoyed being exposed to many different teaching philosophies. She also discovered Pilates during these years, and found the alignment and structural work to be a perfect balance to many aspects of dance. The result of the combination of the two was a new perspective on dance and health, both mental and physical. After graduating, Jeanne went on to teach preschool, kindergarten and older children in various settings. "It is the experience of those years that allow me to teach in a way that extends the benefits beyond the class itself. The study of ballet builds the foundation for a greater level of coordination and grace, as well as the foundation for academic learning."
Bonnie Ross (Arts of Ireland, Journey Into Music) is a homeschooled student musician who will be starting college in the Fall and pursuing a degree in Music. Bonnie sings and plays the cello, violin & piano, and likes to mess around with the viola, African bow harp and anything “stringed.” She holds the principal cellist position in the Green Mountain Youth Orchestra, takes private cello lessons & plays cello in her Church’s contemporary Christian band. In 2010, Bonnie directed and co-taught “Sound Waves: Totally off the Scale,” an intro-to-music course at the Greenwich Free Library.
Carol Serrotta (Puppet Club) has been attending, volunteering, teaching, exhibiting, and serving Hubbard Hall's mission to make art and community happen for many years. Carol claims she does it for "fun" but it has been her understanding of how the "fun" of making art does build community that has helped shape Hubbard Hall's mission and resultant programming. Carol is a retired art teacher and although her art exudes the "fun" that motivates her, it also impresses one with the level of skill and talent it incorporates. The intergenerational Puppet Club that Carol and her daughter, Lisa Carrino, turns our visual arts studio into a bee hive of puppet makers ranging from elementary students to retirees, cutting, gluing, painting, tying, and chuckling with delight at the life that springs from their creations.
Vicki Webberley (American Belly Dance) Vicki Webberley has been on the staff at Hubbard Hall since 2006 teaching Belly Dance for fitness & fun. Vicki has taught & performed both as a soloist in Greece, Italy, Australia, Japan, & New York and as a company member of the Anahid Sofian Middle Eastern Dance and The Saz Dance Theatre. She is an ACE certified Personal Trainer and holds an AS degree in Exercise Science. As an International flight attendant for American Airlines, Vicki has the opportunity to practice with and learn from World Class Orientale Dancers in Belgium, France, Argentina, & Switzerland, as well as New York City. She regularly brings back new moves, concepts, and applications to her students at Hubbard Hall. Belly Dance no longer belongs solely to the Middle East. Women all over the world have claimed this dance as a way to express their emotions and celebrate the many aspects of womanhood. This dance form continues to evolve and develop yet maintains authenticity by remaining true to the more than 25 rhythms that inspire its movements. Many women find Belly Dance healthful, fun, & empowering! It's but one of the many & diverse art forms that Hubbard Hall brings to the community.
