Island Moving Company, Newport’s contemporary ballet company, announced on Monday the upcoming retirement of locally beloved ballerina Christine Sandofi. Sandorfi retires after 11 years dancing with the company, an extraordinary achievement considering the physical rigor ballerinas endure through their work. Her final performances will be held at Rosecliff Mansion on two nights only Friday, March 2, 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 3, 7:00 pm. The Saturday performance will include a catered intermission with an open bar by Russell Morin Caterers.
Sandorfi is well known in the Newport County community for contributions on and off the stage. In recent years she has directed the company’s in-school educational programming Math into Movement and Literature into Movement. When asked about Sandorfi’s leadership of the programs a Newport Public School 3rd grade teacher replied, “It gives the students a chance to see what hard work and practice can do. It can be applied as an example for any subject – You did this, now you can…” Under Sandorfi’ s leadership Island Moving Company’s education programs have reached over 25,000 Newport County children.
Sandorfi’s has served on the faculty of the Newport Academy of Ballet and made considerable contributions to future generations of professional dancers from Aquidneck Island. Her ability to nurture talent has inspired local dancers to put on their high-quality ballet flats and advance into professional careers by attending collegiate dance programs at The University of Hartford, Fordham University, and Wheaton to name a few. Dr. Kayleigh Melroy, Clinic Director & Physical Therapist at Performance Physical Therapy and Island Moving Company board member said of her contributions in a prepared statement, “Christine is one of the most caring and compassionate people I know. She understands the importance of and cares about the physical and mental health of each dancer. I was invited to the studio to speak on dance injury and prevention and talk with her students on multiple occasions. Christine is a role model to dance teachers.”
Reflecting on Sandorfi’s career, Island Moving Company Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen remarked in a prepared statment, “Christine’s artistry and the experience she brings to her work will be impossible to replace. I look for dancers who have more than talent. They need to have something to say to become true artists. Christine has always carried an incredible level of authenticity in her artistic voice. It shows in her work, and it shows in her mentorship of young dancers.”
Sandorfi and her husband will move to Honolulu, Hawaii this spring.
Tickets to Sandorfi’s retirement performances March 2-4 at Rosecliff Mansion are available online at www.islandmovingco.org, starting at $45.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen for 36 years, Island Moving Company has produced and presented dances by a diverse group of choreographers, working with musicians, poets, and visual artists. IMC is known for its creative use of unusual venues, creating site-specific work at Rosecliff Mansion, Belcourt Castle, the Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry, the Great Friends Meeting Hall, Fort Adams, and other notable sites across Newport County.
IMC also works extensively in area schools interacting with students K-12 in curriculum-based movement residencies throughout R.I. and Massachusetts impacting over 5,000 children annually. Additionally, IMC operates the Newport Academy of Ballet which provides students from Rhode Island with pre-professional afterschool dance training