The County Prep Dance program was founded in 2001 by Director and Instructor Heather Warfel Sandler, a Jersey City-based artist. Understanding that not all students have access to professional dance training before entering high school, Warfel Sandler has developed the program to focus on the creative process and art making so students of all skill levels have the opportunity to express themselves through art and dance.

“We are here to provide opportunities for young people who want to dive into a focused and creative dance program,” said Heather Warfel Sandler. “Shifts are happening in arts education toward the values on which our program was founded: that cultural diversity and inclusion elevates the dance classroom.”

Warfel Sandler is the Chair of the local arts advocacy organization, the Jersey City Arts Council. Her own art practice is interdisciplinary and she brings that perspective into the classroom to allow students to define their own aesthetics and creative pathways. Most recently, Warfel Sandler spent four months on sabbatical where she began work on The Responsive Teaching Practice, which focuses on her teaching method that allows the next generation of dancers to create their own learning paths. During this time, she presented her work to the National Dance Education Organization, and was invited to the NDEO’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Workgroup.

“Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Heather Warfel Sandler used this opportunity to identify new teaching practices to help her students succeed and grow as artists even while practicing the arts from home,” said Superintendent Amy Lin-Rodriguez. “Her experience, skills and commitment to growing the next generation of artists through hands-on learning is a true asset to our district.”

County Prep Dance provides opportunities for students to work with professional guest teachers through the CHiRP residency program, and creates a network for students to continue to collaborate and perform after graduating. Students and alumni have been featured in Jersey City’s Summer in the City Dance for the Ages program, directed by Ms.Warfel Sandler, and produced by Mayor Fulop, City Council, and JC Cultural Affairs, in 2018 and 2019. On May 15, 2021, alumni Gianna Diaz and Tamir Rios performed a duet choreographed by Ms. Warfel Sandler in Outside the Lines, a NJ based site-specific professional production held at Centenary College. Additional student and alumni work will be featured as part of the Teen Screen Festival on June 10.

About The County Prep Dance Program: The County Prep Dance Program supports advanced students with an opportunity to join the 407 Dance Company, where select dancers perform work by guest choreographers. County Prep also hosts the ChIRP dance residency, which provides partnership with professional dance artists who teach and mentor students while developing their professional work in the school’s black box theater. County Prep dancers have been recognized by the NJ Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, the NJ State Teen Arts Festival, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the National Honors Society for Dance Arts. Alumni have gone on to study at renowned institutions such as NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Mason Gross at Rutgers, and have performed with Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, the Latin Ballet of VA, and beyond. Website: https://www.countyprepdanc