Youth in Focus

By Richard A. Ross

Still dancing after all these years

	TRR photo by Richard A. Ross Kristen Borstelmann, left, and Maria Seniw, center, perform with Triad Dance Ensemble choreographer Karen MacIntyre in “Tale of the Grass People” at Sullivan County Community College on August 7. (Click for larger image)

YULAN, NY — “I was two and a half when I started dancing with Karen MacIntyre in a little studio at the four corners in Yulan, and I’ve been dancing ever since,” said Kristen Borstelmann, now in her third season as a member of the Triad Dance Ensemble. She and Maria Seniw of Glen Spey go back a long way when it comes to dancing.

Seniw started when she was eight. “I wanted to be a ballerina like many other little girls,” Seniw said. “But it wasn’t until years later when I started dancing with Triad last year that I really fell in love with it.” Both girls spent their childhood years studying with MacIntyre. Now that they are both in college, they anxiously look forward to each summer when they can work with her again.

Dancing together in several pieces of the show, “Moving Right Along,” performed at Sullivan County Community College on August 7, both young women gave expressive performances that were evocative and moving. Years of rigorous study were manifest in the dancers’ artistic and compelling movements.

Borstelmann and Seniw graduated from Eldred Central School a year apart. Currently, Borstelmann is a junior at Adelphi University in Long Island, where she majors in acting and minors in dance, studying with Frank Augustyn and Regina Larkin. “I just love to perform and have an audience whether it’s dancing, singing or acting. I plan to do it until the day I die,” she said.

	TRR photo by Richard A. Ross Kristen Borstelmann, left, and Maria Seniw have been dancing since they were little girls. (Click for larger image)

Seniw is entering her sophomore year at George Mason University in Washington D.C., where she majors in government and international politics and minors in dance. As she sees it, “Dance is an escape that keeps my whole life balanced.” Like Borstelmann, Seniw sees dance continuing to be integral part of her life, but not necessarily the center of her existence.

Despite their differing perspectives on how they see dance in their futures, both are currently active. “I dance all year long at school,” said Borstelmann. Seniw does so as well.

The rigors of dancing don’t allow for much of a layoff. “After I get home from school, I have a month off before we get ready for Triad. If I don’t stretch and run and stay active, by the time rehearsals start for Triad, I’m beat,” said Borstelmann.

Both admire MacIntyre’s longevity as a dancer, a function of her relentless work ethic and training. “Karen is always pushing herself to be better and to go further,” said Borstelmann. Working with choreographers can be difficult, but both girls have found their experience with MacIntyre to be rewarding and fun. “Karen’s choreography is telling a story and we’re a part of that,” said Seniw.

After their show, both seemed suffused with energy—not the least bit exhausted. “It’s those endorphins,” said Borstelmann. “When I get through with rehearsal, I want to run or go swimming. I don’t want to stop.”

This week’s youths in focus are a dynamic dance duo.