Celebrated dance teachers Alyssa and Marita Kleissler were honored last week as the Cordova Iceworm Festival’s Citizens of the Year.
The sisters, who grew up in New Jersey, have long been active in the arts in Cordova – serving on the board of Cordova Arts and Pageants, and teaching in the Cordova School District and at Prince William Sound College.
They duo has guided and enhanced the education of hundreds of students of all ages in speech, Spanish and furthering their education goals, said Gabrielle Brown, who presented the honors to the Kleisslers.
“Together these sisters have taught me and now generations of Cordovans the importance of movement, wellness, self-expression, giving back and shakin’ it on the dance floor,” Brown said. “Their passion for helping students reach their goals and continue learning is pure.”
She noted that the Kleisslers regularly flex their schedules to accommodate their dance students, and they aim to make wellness accessible for everyone by providing free yoga classes and even raising scholarship funds.
Darcy Saiget, who helped present the award, added that “their skill and collaboration are at their finest when they put on one of their elaborate dance or theater performances.”
Criteria for the Citizen of the Year award include having a significant beneficial impact on Cordova, demonstrating an outstanding commitment to Cordova, and long-term record of service to the community.
Alyssa Kleissler began dancing as a 3-year-old in her hometown studio in Union, N.J. She completed the Dance Teachers of America summer intensives in New York City and began teaching at a dance studio as a 16-year-old. Although she did not major in dance at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in Jersey, she continued to take classes in ballet and modern dance.
When she moved to Cordova and found there was no dance business, she opened her own, then called Cordova Danceworks. These days she teaches all styles of dance to people of all ages out of her home studio, Current Rhythms.
Marita Kleissler holds a bachelor’s degree in dance and theater and a master’s degree in dance education. She began her career teaching creative dance in Upper Montclair, N.J. at the Dance Place.
She earned the master’s degree at Columbia University in New York City. Later she developed a dance and yoga program at the Rectory School in Pomfret, Connecticut, and produced dance concerts in collaboration with school teachers and students, based on their curriculum ideas.
Since 2011 she has lived in Cordova, where she now teachers dance with her sister every day.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the Kleissler sisters’ last name, and misattributed a quote by Darcy Saiget.
