Eliza Harwood-Watson - Director

 Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Natalia Alarcón is a dancer, choreographer and dance educator. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago where she obtained a BA in Dance Performance. During her time at Columbia, Natalia had the privilege of performing works by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Parijat Desai Dance Company, as well as participating in workshops and master classes taught by Gallim Dance, Zoe Juniper and Delfos Danza contemporánea among others. She also collaborated with several Chicago based dance companies, including Project Bound Dance, Salty Lark Dance, The Dance COLEctive and Khecari.

As a former founding member of The Coincidentals, a choreographic collective based in Chicago that served as an additional platform to support emerging local artists, Natalia also had the opportunity to produce her own work. In her latest work, Politics of (in)accessibility, Alarcón examines the issue of accessibility in contemporary concert dance and the role capitalism plays in the distribution of power and resources. She is now back in Orlando, FL where she began her training in ballet under the direction of Eliza Harwood-Watson and where she recently performed Trash: Our Waste Syndrome choreographed by Katrina Anne Soricelli.

Natalia's commitment to education and community engagement is a fundamental aspect of her development as an artist and choreographer. As a dance educator, her interests remain focused on the individuality of each student’s experience, progress and empowerment. She believes dance should be available to all levels and histories and hopes to inspire her students to have a curiosity for movement, as well as self-exploration so that they can achieve their own individual artistry. In addition to leading numerous community outreach programs, Natalia has been teaching dance for over eight years to students of all levels and ages. She is the Owner/Program Director at the Baldwin Oaks Academy After-School Dance Program and is excited to be teaching at Harwood-Watson Dance Studios where her passion of becoming a professional dancer started. 

 Ely was born on the island of Puerto Rico.  She began her dance studies at the Ballet of San Juan with Lourdes Ortega and Roberto Rodriguez, learning the fundamentals and technique of classical ballet.   

In 1989 she relocated with her family to Orlando, Florida where she continued her ballet studies with instructor, Lesley Brasseux (Choreographer, and Artistic Director of Valencia Community College), expanding her knowledge in other dance styles such as classical jazz and modern dance.  

In 1992 she enrolled in the Valencia C.C. dance program, also under the direction of Lesley Brasseux, and had the opportunity to participate in seasonal performances in conjunction with Rollins Community College and School of Performing Arts during a five year term.  During that time, she had the privilege to obtain lessons with other instructors that were significantly involved in the seasonal dance programs of Valencia C.C. and Rollins C.C., for instance, W. Robert Sherry, Rollins Dance Director; Suzanne Salapa, Valencia C.C. Dance Director, and Russell Sultzbach, Dance Director of School of Performing Arts.  As part of the dance ensemble, she made her appearance on "Dance Extravaganza", "Woodhue", "Synapse", "The Four Seasons", "Bach", and "Midsummer Night's Dream", just to name a few.

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As passionate of an individual in the dance world, Ely took a "dance detour" in 2002 and embarked in the world of flamenco.  It is clear that her appreciation for classical ballet has been a big part of her life, nevertheless, her strong and vivid Spanish roots have captured her heart and soul even more, finding herself in a much mature, intense and deeper dance world, where she is able to express and convey her most sincere emotions to an audience, adding a touch of contemporary movements while still respecting and maintaining the authenticity and traditional aspect of the flamenco art.

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Ely started her journey in flamenco by first understanding and learning the classical movements of Spanish dance from instructor Gloria Negrón.  Later in 2005, Ely shifted and refocused her dance style and joined classes with instructor Carmen Linares "La Chiqui", learning different rhythms and dance variations within flamenco. 

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As a flamenco dancer, Ely still pursuits her dance education and technique to maintain form, and whenever possible, she attends workshops from renown flamenco artists to learn other styles and movements.  She believes that regardless of how much experience a dancer possesses, or how many years a dancer has been performing, it is essential to continue the education to perfect every single move and technique; as she addresses even to herself - "there is always more room for growth and improvement".

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Ely remains very much devoted to her dance career and dedicates her time to new projects and ideas, hoping to see her efforts come to fruition in the very near future.

Dion is a certified Pilates/Barre and Fitness Instructor, professional dancer, fire/LED performer, and dance teacher/choreographer both regionally and nationally. With over 30+ years experience, she has worked with multiple professional ballet companies, as well as regional groups throughout Central Florida. 

Dion choreographs professionally within Theaters, Dance Studios, High/Middle Schools and Colleges in Central Florida; as well as teaching Dance and Fitness Classes. She has, and continues to collaborate with numerous photographers, dance stores and brands nationally. Dion performs as principal dancer "Lady Cimorene"/additional choreographer for the original Victorian/Steampunk/Horror Troupe "Phantasmagoria Orlando".

(FB/IG @balletbug)

Kim Matovina was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida where she began her dance training at the age of three. She was a competitive dancer in Northeast Florida for eight years before being accepted into Jacksonville University. It was there she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance and worked with many guest artists including but not limited to Pilobolus, American Ballet Theatre, Kiara Ely, David Parsons, Jennifer Muller and The Muller Company, and Take Ueyama.

She gained performance experience in local area venues such as WhiteOak Plantation, as well as studying abroad on the island of Curacao. After graduating, she moved to Orlando to work with Linda Elchak and Nad Dance Collective, where she found her love of improvisation. She has performed in the area with several local companies and choreographers over the last 7 years. Aside from performing, she has over ten years of experience teaching in both competitive and master class settings, was the modern director at The School of Performing Arts and Ballet South, and is the Graham modern teacher at Harwood-Watson Dance Studios.

Kim owns Red Right Return Dance Company, a small local contemporary company founded by Elise Frost, that performs throughout the area. She uses her past personal training background to structure dance fitness classes at Studio K adult dance studio, and has been at Universal Studios for 7 years dancing in entertainment and special events, as well as providing training in her leadership role as a dance captain.

Her work includes touches of classical modern, mixed with a contemporary feel, and topped off with a gestural and human quality. It is her belief that dance can heal all things if you just remember to leave it all on the floor, after all that’s what it’s there for.