“Thank you so much for all your insight over the past year. Your program significantly enhanced the quality of education that I was able to present to my students in a challenging time and had a huge influence on my own personal practice. I look forward to seeing you again in the future.”
—Laura Halm, Department Head, Baltimore School for the Arts
“Functional Awareness® Anatomy in Action encourages a shift in thinking and dancing while providing a mirror in which we can examine who we are as creative human beings and, more importantly, who we may become.”
—Ken Skrzesz, Executive Director of the Maryland State Arts Council
“Thank you so much for the wonderful, clear, and empowering presentation! My pedagogy has improved immensely because of my understanding and application of your Functional Awareness Principles. They are so clear, on point, and allow for the beauty of individual creativity in its dissemination pedagogically.
“I have also witnessed an exponential growth in the technique, performance, and understanding of the ballet training in my own students thanks to the reflective practice that is so deeply embedded in the Functional Awareness. I feel so honored to have access to the brilliance of the Functional Awareness Principles and to hear them explained by you and Allegra with such humanity, integrity, and honoring of every individual’s structural, cultural, and aesthetic differences.”
—Catherine Horta Hayden, Former president of CORPS de Ballet International, Chairperson Towson University Dance Department
“My medical training at Harvard system, and I have since worked at Indiana University and the Medical School at Dartmouth (Geisel School of Medicine.As a physician and medical educator for more than 25 years, and as a lifelong athlete and later dancer, I have found answers through FA® to the questions that I didn’t even know how to ask.
“Allegra and Nancy are skilled educators, clear and concise. They create an environment in which there is a feeling of unparalleled trust and “safety” in a group setting. Their approach is one of gentle and balanced wisdom. Their insight is remarkable.
“Functional Awareness® distills knowledge as close to its essence as possible. The effect of “Tripod Foot in combination with Poise of the Head” on the alignment of the body is analogous to what Einstein’s Theory of Relativity did for Physics and Cosmology. It brings about changes in understanding that are PROFOUND and change how we see things going forward.”
—Jeoff Brennick M
“The image you shared with us of the tripod of balance of the foot has been so useful to me. I have been teaching it now with almost every group of students I have taught since that time. It is such a useful tool for them to find the balance at their feet. By distributing the weight in balance at the feet, their whole alignment improves. Additionally, the whole idea of developing awareness of what I am doing outside the dance class…this provides a quiet noticing that I can then apply in the dance class, and this has been really meaningful to me.”
—Bill Evans, performer, choreographer, teacher, lecturer & Founder of Evans Somatic Dance Institute
“The Romitas have years of experience as teachers; thus the clarity of this book… With beautiful illustrations and photographs, reflective questions, suggestions for applications to dance and to everyday life, and with an emphasis on mindful practices, the book is lucid and accessible.”
—Karen Kohn Bradley, President of the Laban Center for Movement Studies Professor Emeritus of University of Maryland
“I had my audition a couple of weeks ago, and the good news is, I was the only candidate awarded a trial period with the orchestra! The position is concertmaster of the Utah Symphony. The work I did with you absolutely saved me. Between the semifinal and final rounds my shoulder was starting to act up, and somehow, I was able to calmly take 20 minutes and assess things and realized my right back heel was losing contact…. I thought about that through the whole 40-minute final round, and it worked! I can’t thank you enough for all the help.”
—Madeline Adkins, Concert Master: Utah Symphony, former Associate Concert Master Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
“I wanted to tell you that we did the FA® Theraband activity for tendu today in my dance class. It worked like a charm. All the dancers said they could feel the musculature they needed to support themselves and they felt more turned out. The best part of all was that they felt strong and as a result, more confident. The power and balance they took into the center floor was amazing. It was one of our best classes this year.
“Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom and learning with us. I will certainly be back for more.”
—Maria Royals, Director of Dance at the Carver Center for the Performing Arts
“Dancers: this is a very practical and helpful resource. The topics are user friendly and experiential. The authors lay out how the explorations relate to your training and practice, explaining why it matters. You don’t have to hunt for the applicability of the material; it’s built right in…Alignment is only useful if it is dynamic and you can transfer those skills from axial to locomotor movement. The book isn’t geared toward ballet, but towards dancers and applicable to many genres of dance.”
—Melissa Beck, Professor of Dance University of Michigan
“Functional Awareness: Anatomy in Action for Dancers offers a blend of anatomical information with an underlying theme of moving with ease in both dance and daily activities. A delightful, engaging resource for dancers and dance educators, this book invites the reader into each chapter with a story, and presents pertinent information that is practical and immediately applicable.”
—Rebecca Nettl-Fiol, Professor of Dance, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
“As a dance instructor, I cannot wait for their books to be released, so I can make this required reading for my students while referencing it for my own practice. Bravo!”
—Linda Denise Fisher Harrell, Artistic Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago former principal dancer Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
“These workshops are so vital to what we all do! Nancy and Allegra are a great team…my students got so much out of just one, short workshop! Make the time to attend, you’ll be so happy you did!”
—Lynda P Fitzgerald, Coordinator of Performing Arts, Director AACC Dance Company