Our Staff
Our staff are drawn to Southbury Dance Conservatory from around the world. They bring with them an impressive range of experience, skills and qualifications, and they share a passion for education and inquiry that helps make the school unique.
The staff work very closely together and there is a spirit of cooperation and friendship in order to attend to the needs of the place and welfare of the students.
We have organised our school in a way that it is run by a management committee, currently consisting of the following two residential members: Alonso Guzmán, and Dardo Galletto.
Below is the list of our residential staff, alphabetically, followed by our non-residential teaching and support staff.
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Alonso Guzmán
CEO and Open Dance and Movement Instructor
Alonso Guzmán, born and raised in Puerto Rico, enjoyed his first decade of life practicing Jivamukti Yoga and competing in Mix Martial Arts. In his early teens he won 1st place in 2007 US Open… But then his mother asked him- “What are you doing with this trophy? It’s gonna get dusty.” Immediately he realized that there is much more to life than awards, ceremonies, competitions, and all the rest of it. He threw the trophy away, stopped competing, and took a passionate turn into studying Classical, Modern, and Contemporary Dance.
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Turning 17, Alonso accepted a 3-years full scholarship that helped him immigrate into the United States and study in The Ailey School, NY. He also accepted full scholarship to study in the Contemporary Program at Jacob’s Pillow, MA. It took Alonso a decade to understand that dancing is more than acting in the best theaters of the world, entertaining fancy people, and looking pretty for the camera. He felt that he abolished his own cultural roots by distracting himself with the hustles of dance life. He came back to his senses by neglecting jobs he stopped believing in and instead put his efforts in reclaiming his connection with family and friends. Today, his energy focuses entirely on inspiring individuals to become present in their bodies and their physical connection and understanding of others.
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Dardo Galletto
Director and Open Dance and Movement Instructor
Dardo Galletto is from Córdoba, Argentina, where he began acting at the age of 12. Initially studying dance to supplement his acting, he gradually recognized it as his true passion and began to train intensively. Dardo graduated from a 3-year program at Teatro General San Martín in Buenos Aires, studying ballet, modern jazz, and composition.
Later he studied at the Teatro Colón and coached with leading ballet masters of Argentina including Haichi Acamine, Enrique Lommi, and Olga Ferri. After graduation, Dardo was invited to join the world-renowned “Ballet Argentino”, directed by Julio Bocca, and toured with the company for one year.
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Later, he immigrated to New York City two months after 9/11, and a month before the financial collapse of the nation of Argentina.
Dardo Galletto introduced the first, authentically Argentinian, Tango classes in New York City. He quickly became one of the most upcoming Contemporary and Tango dancers of his generation. He produced a dozen sold-out performances and choreographed for various dance companies in the US. By 2010 Galletto founded Dardo Galletto Studios in Times Square to continue his choreographic works and teachings. With his business standing, he helped the first generations of Argentine Tango Dancers immigrate and find work in New York City.
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Lucía Jackson
Open Dance and Movement Instructor
Lucia Jackson began her dance training in Madrid, Spain. She attended the Professional Dance Conservatory of Madrid, where she learned ballet and flamenco. At the age of 18 she returned to her birthplace New York, after being accepted into The Ailey School where she completed a Certificate in Dance and Scholarship Program.
Lucia has had the opportunity to perform Memoria at City Center and Revelations Cast of 50 at Lincoln Center with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. In 2015 she danced with Dardo Galletto Dance at the prestigious Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival.
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Dannys González
Open Dance and Movement Instructor
Dannys Gonzalez, a native of Cuba, trained and graduated from the Cuban National Ballet School in Havana, and began his professional career in the Cuban National Ballet directed by the famed ballerina, Alicia Alonso. In 2009, Dannys became a soloist in the Ballet de Cuba Company. His classical repertoire includes major roles in Swan Lake, Coppelia, Don Quixote, La Bayadére, La Sylphide, La Fille Mal Gardée, Paquita and The Nutcracker. Dannys has toured internationally with “Ballet Revolucion” as well as with other dance companies. After moving to New York City, Dannys joined the Alvin Ailey School and thereafter performed with various ballet and contemporary companies throughout the United States. Dannys is an exuberant, passionate, and committed teaching artist and choreographer who celebrates each student’s individuality, artistry, and creativity. Dannys is on the ballet faculty of the well-known School at Steps on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He also maintains an active dance teaching career for both adults and children at several studios in Connecticut and Westchester.
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Sarita Apel
Open Dance and Movement Instructor
She studied at various known ballet schools throughout Germany and at the early age of 15 she started her bachelor studies at Codarts, University for the Arts in Rotterdam, Netherlands. She graduated with a Bachelor of Dance in 2011, having worked with many influential European choreographers such as Itzik Galili, Ederson Xavier, Pedro Gomez and Loic Perela. Upon graduation she received several scholarships from the Prins Bernhard Stichting, the Genootschap Noorthey as well as the Ailey School itself to continue her studies as a scholarship student at the world renowned Ailey School in NYC.
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