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Darlene Ceglia began dancing at the age of three at the Betty Rogers School under the tutelage of Miss Betty and Miss Joyce Ferranto. By age eight she joined her cousin , teacher/choreographer Sam Fiorello’s Debonaire Dance Studio where she trained for the next thirteen years.
A gifted dancer and theatrical performer, Darlene left Buffalo at twenty-one to train and work in New York. Things happened quickly as she landed a union job with Lee Theodore’s American Dance Machine, a company dedicated to the preservation of the American musical. She then moved on to become a member of Balletap USA under the direction of Maurice Hines and Mercedes Ellington, granddaughter of the great Duke Ellington. Her role with this innovative company afforded her the opportunity to work and perform with guest artists and choreographers Judith Jamison, Carmen de Lavallade, Gregory Hines and Louis Johnson, to name a few.
In addition to her company work, Darlene performed regularly in theater and network television specials appearing with such stars as Aretha Franklin and Princess Grace of Monaco. Some career highlights include: appearing on Broadway at the Beacon Theater with Bob Hope, Ertha Kitt, Peggy Lee and the cast of “Dreamgirls”; “Kiss Me Kate” starring Robert Goulet, in which she appeared as a featured dancer and dance captain; and performing the dual roles as dance captain and featured dancer in Maurice Hines Nightclub Revue in the US and Europe.
Having worked closely with some of the true legends of dance, in combination with the solid foundation of training she received in Buffalo, makes what has become the “Ceglia Style” a favorite everywhere lovers of dance have seen her work. Since opening Darlene Ceglia’s Dance Project© in 1992, her talent has not only afforded her students first class training and wonderful performance opportunities, but she has lovingly imparted to them her passion for all aspects of the art of dance.
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