May 14, 2010
by Barbara Cardone
Elena Tatschl, a resident of Chappaqua, was thrilled when she arrived at Rutgers University last fall as a freshman to discover that they had a ballroom dance team. She immediately joined and since then has competed in a few college ballroom competitions. But Tuesday, May 18, she will face her biggest challenge yet, and all of New Castle can help her with it.
Rutgers’ Ballroom Dance team was selected to represent the East Coast in the semifinal of “Dancing with the Stars” National Collegiate Competition against Utah Valley University. Stay tuned next Tuesday night, May 18, to ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” watch Elena dance and help her to victory by voting for Rutgers!
Dancing almost from the time she could walk
Elena started dancing at the age of four, spending many years at Northern Westchester Center for Arts in Bedford Hills as a member of the Isadora Duncan Youth Ensemble. After NWCA closed, Elena travelled to New York City during her sophomore and junior years at Byram Hills High School to study dance as a scholarship student at the Ailey School. Staying closer to home during her senior year, Elena performed in various Byram Hills High School productions while beginning to study Ballroom dance with Martin and Desiré Smith at Smith’s Dancing School in Hawthorne, NY. The highlight of her high school performing career was landing the leading role of Peggy Sawyer in “42nd Street.”
Barbara Cardone is Elena Tatschl’s grandmother who would like to thank everyone who votes for her granddaughter.
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