Dance For Joy
Dance and Fitness Classes by Francesca Fortunato, inspiring people of all ages, sizes ,genders, and abilities to love movement and their bodies!
Ballet, Belly Dance,Ballroom, Strength and Stretch ; Jazz dance. Francesca Bongiorno Fortunato has been a dancer, athlete and performer since starting gymnastics at age ten. At the age of 14, she began teaching dance to young children at the Anderson Sisters School of Dance, in San Francisco, as part of her work scholarship. Francesca loved teaching, from the very first class, and has always taugh
18/05/2021
22/11/2020
Dance For Joy Online classes going for 2 months now. Ballet, Jazz; Belly Dance, Fitness, Tai Chi, and Basic Social Ballroom available, for all ages, sizes, genders and abilities. Message this page for info!
22/11/2020
13/10/2020
"It's low pressure, pleasant, and makes me get off my butt." - T.N. Ballet Basics student.
If you want to have low pressure fun, and get off your butt, message this page to enroll. (Note: Student in this picture is from Dance For Joy in-person Ballet class, pre-covid. This is not T.N.)
Coming in November: weekday afternoon Zoom dance classes exclusively for dancers over 60!
24/09/2020
Dance For Joy Online schedule for week of 9/27/20:
Tues. 9/29 6PM Ballet Basics
Thurs.10/1 Jazz Dancercise
Belly Dance Fitness resumes the following Monday at 6PM (off on 9/28 for Yom Kippur)
For enrollment information, contact [email protected]
18/09/2020
Class Schedule for week of 9/20/20
Tues. 9/22 6PM Ballet Basics
Wed. 9/23 6PM Belly Dance Fitness
Thurs. 9/24 6PM Jazz Dancercise
Classes for adults of all ages; children 10+ welcome.
Private Message this page for enrollment. First class free trial.
First Dance For Joy online Jazz class in the books. Funky fun. "Blame It On The Boogie!"
Belly Dance Fitness Class starts Wed. 9/23 @ 6PM. Adults of all ages & children 10+ are welcome. Private message to join.
First online Dance For Joy Ballet class is done! Yay for our dancers!
11/09/2020
Dance For Joy Online classes begin the week of September 13th 2020
Tues. Sept.15th 6:00 PM Ballet Basics
Wed. Sept. 16th 12: Noon Ballet Basics
Thurs. Sept. 17th 6:00 PM Jazz Dancercise
The first week's classes are free trial; after that, just $10 per class, with discount if paying for 4 or more in advance.
Contact to enroll: Francesca Fortunato [email protected]
or send message to this page.
There will be online Dance For Joy classes starting in September! Message this page if you want to know details!
Stay tuned. Dance For Joy online is coming soon!
07/11/2019
Great News: Ballet class at Saint Peter's Senior center resume Monday Dec, 2nd. 2:00-3:00 PM in the downstairs Studio Room. PM for more info about this senior-safe; super-fun class!
02/12/2018
Ballet at Saint Peter's Senior Center is switching from Fridays to Wednesdays, starting in December. Wednesday Ballet will be from 2:00-3:00 PM, beginning Wednesday December 5th. If you're 60 or older, with ID, you can be one of these beautiful ballet dancers!
Corsi Senior Center has added Ballet For Balance to the class schedule. Mondays at 11:00 AM. Challenging. Fun. Safe. Go, Spanish Harlem dancers!
23/11/2017
2017 Dance Showcase at St. Peter's Senior Center. Jazz class dance to "New York, New York."
11/07/2017
More Ballet and Jazz moments from the St. Peter's Senior Center June Recital. Yay!
24/06/2017
St. Peter's Senior Center dancers do their Jazz number in today's recital. Yay Jazz Babes!
22/04/2017
Teaching Salsa at the Ga***rd Senior Center in East Harlem. New students having fun!
Advanced Dance/Company Class at St. Peter's begins on May 5th. A multidisciplinary (Ballet/Jazz/Modern) class for my most adept senior students, bringing new challenges and performance opportunities!
Saint Peter's Senior Center Ballroom class resumes on Monday, April 4th at 3 PM. We will be dancing Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango. Interested students will be welcome to perform in the dance concert at St. Peter's on Friday, May 6th at 1 PM!
Three (count 'em, THREE) groups of Dance For Joy students will perform this week. Tuesday Belly Dance, Tuesday Ballroom and Thursday Ballet will all do pieces at the Lenox Hill Cultural Festival on Thursday, July 30th, at 3:00 PM. So proud of all my dancers for being ready, willing and able to perform with only two weeks notice and two rehearsals. Stay tuned for cool pictures!
Our Story
Francesca Bongiorno Fortunato has been a dancer, athlete and performer since starting gymnastics at age ten. At the age of 14, she began teaching dance to young children at the Anderson Sisters School of Dance, in San Francisco, as part of her work scholarship. Francesca loved teaching, from the very first class, and has always taught dance and acting, in addition to her own performing career. Now in her fifties, Francesca takes special pleasure in teaching ballet,Jazz,Ballroom, Fitness, Tai Chi and Belly Dance classes at senior centers, where she has the opportunity to demonstrate that dance is truly for everyone; not just the young. (That said, Francesca also has a great deal of experience teaching dance to children, most recently in Manhattan and Brooklyn after school programs, and the Washington Heights YM/YWHA.)
Her training includes decades of ballet study with world class dancers in New York City and San Francisco, along with substantial training in jazz, contemporary, Middle Eastern ("belly dance") and Tai Chi Chuan. She has also received certification in dance-based fitness training from the National Dance Exercise Instructors Training Association and as a Senior Fitness Trainer from the International Sports Science Association (ISSA.)
As a performing dancer, she has worked with the Neubert Ballet Company, Susan Rethorst Dance Company and Trina Moore Than Dance Company, in New York City, as well as San Francisco's Boulevard Dance Theater. She has also appeared as a belly dancer in various variety shows.
For the last five years, Francesca has also been studying ballroom dance and is a bronze level competitor, specializing in International Standard style (pro-am), and American Smooth style (amateur.) In Standard,she has won one First Place championship and two Second Place championship awards. In American Smooth, which she dances as a same-sex am-am competitor (with her wife, Lynn) the couple have won many first, second and third place awards in single dances.
Francesca’s big dream is to someday have her very own studio, where she can teach all of her dance and fitness styles, to people of all ages, sizes, and abilities, under one roof. Meanwhile, she is glad to make Dance For Joy a “virtual studio” as her itinerant dance teaching practice continues.