meet our operating staff
"Dance to Unite opens the minds and hearts of our youth for a better future."
Galit Adani, Founder and Executive Director
Galit Adani is a social entrepreneur with a personal mission to make the world a better place by being committed to continuous personal growth. She was born and raised in Israel to a family of Yemenite, Iraqi and Russain descent. At 20 years old Galit completed her 2 years mandatory military service at an air traffic control base. Galit was a flight attendant with El Al airlines for a short time before she came to the U.S to attend NYC’s Queens College where she graduated with honors and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre-Communications and Psychology. Galit was passionate about dance since a young age yet started her professional dance training as a young adult, when she arrived to the U.S
During her college years she began to volunteer as a dance teacher for NYC’s inner city youth with the non-profit organization Groove With Me, a weekly volunteer commitment, full school year-round, that she kept for 11 consecutive years (1998-2009). During that time she had a successful career in the field of dance as a performer, choreographer and a dance teacher for children and adults. She also had an extensive experience in the field of education as a Youth Director (grades 6–12) and a Hebrew school teacher (grades 3–12) at The Conservative Synagogue Religious School located in Westport-Connecticut (1999–2009).
Inspired by the concept of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) in Judaism and after over a decade of working with youth, Galit founded the non-profit organization Dance to Unite; a school program that integrates dance and guided conversations about values with the mission to teach and celebrate cultural diversity (in October 2009). For the first 4 years of Dance to Unite’s foundation Galit was a non-paid full-time volunteer director. She created the Dance to Unite class structure, wrote and implemented The 13 Steps to Unity Curriculum and designed and developed the teacher training in the Dance to Unite Teaching Method, which is focused on social emotional learning (SEL) and weaved into a unique dance instruction for children.
Galit describes herself as a lifelong student of spiritual knowledge, she advocates for the need for equality and unity among all living beings, and so she lives a vegan, health focused lifestyle with the emphasis on being compassionate towards animals. Galit believes in education and peacebuilding as means to create positive changes on a personal level, in the community and worldwide.
She is also a Certified Life Coach and a NonProfit Consultant.
Contact Galit: galit@dancetounite.org
"Dance to Unite is investing in the celebration of unity and a future of peace.”
Kate Engelhart, Administrator and Coordinator
Kate Engelhart was born and raised in Hunterdon County, New Jersey where she developed a love of dance from a young age. While training in classical ballet and contemporary dance at the Mill Ballet School in Lambertville, NJ, she had opportunities to dance professionally with the Roxey Ballet Company as well as participate in community outreach and diversity programs. Kate cultivated a deep appreciation for diversity through seeing dancers from around the world come together to share their art.
Kate moved to New York City to pursue a degree in Nursing and is forever grateful to have found Dance to Unite along the way in the spring of 2018. She has joined Dance to Unite’s internship programs and progressed from an assistant teacher to co-lead teacher to joining the staff of Dance to Unite as a teaching artist, trainer in the Dance to Unite Teaching Method and as the organization’s coordinator and administrator.
Kate continues her work with Dance to Unite while working full time as a Registered Nurse on an Acute Inpatient Transplant unit in Manhattan. She has achieved her Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse certification and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Nursing Education. Kate hopes to combine her passions for community, education, culture, and health for the betterment and investment of youth.
Contact Kate: kate@dancetounite.org
“Dance to Unite brings the diverse beauty of the world together in NYC schools through dance, helping students learn and embrace important life values that will empower them to be the best global citizens they can be!”
MelimeL, Project manager, Brand & design
Melissa "MelimeL" Lauradin is a creative artist and mompreneur. She is CEO and Lead Graphic Designer of MelimeL Digital Art Design. Her published works as a writer and poet include Beneath the Deep Surface which was released as a 2nd edition for print and e-book in July 2022. Aside from designing and writing, MelimeL enjoys travel, photography, performing, and is an aspiring DJ. She hosted an Annual Women Empowerment Event during Women’s History Month for ten years from 2013-2022 and is currently developing a documentary film about the event. In 2015 and 2019 respectively, MelimeL launched The sisSTAR Loop, a platform for women-owned business and professionals and The Empowerment Network, a digital magazine, with its 11th issue currently in production. Through her creative works she hopes to empower others to excel in their personal and professional lives.
Contact Mel: melissa@dancetounite.org
"Dance to Unite shows us that dance can be utilized for embracing diversity and connection."
Sofia McClarnon, Social Media Manager (Instagram)
Sofia is an alumna of Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and a Concentration in Classical Ballet. She is a certified Pure Barre Teacher in NYC and has been performing, teaching, and studying dance on a professional level for many years. In college, she studied with and performed pieces by a multitude of well known choreographers including Katie Langan, Adam Barruch, Chase Brock, Trebien Pollard, and Fredrick Earl Mosley. Sofia is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Dancer Movement Corp: reimagining dance for people with disabilities. Sofia currently teaches around the NYC area bringing the joy of dance to both children and adults.
"Dance has always been an important part of my life, but I am even happier knowing that Dance to Unite provides an opportunity for me to use my love of dance to give back to the community."
GEENA KIM, Social Media Manager (TIKTOK)
Geena is a junior at Columbia University studying biology and dance. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, she found a rich appreciation for diversity and community building when she moved to the US in 8th grade to attend school in Connecticut. Since moving to New York, volunteering with Dance to Unite has been one of the most meaningful experiences for her. She is grateful to have found a community of people who are driven by the same passion to foster a tight-knit community grounded in positive values. She joined the Dance to Unite team last year as an intern and has since progressed to a member of the staff as a TikTok manager while continuing teaching as a co-lead teacher in CPC PS 2. She is thrilled to be giving back to the dance community by teaching the future generation not only the steps but to see the big picture, appreciate cultural diversity, and communicate with one another through the universal language.
Contact Geena: geena@dancetounite.org
“I quickly fell in love with Dance to Unite because we shared a common goal. That is to use dance as a tool for connection. Movement can be a shared language that brings people together - regardless of their background. This is the driving force of Dance to Unite. I’m so honored to be part of the cause.”
CARA trinidad, Social Media Assisstant
Cara began dancing at 4 years old, receiving predominantly classical ballet training at Academy One Music and Dance Center in Manila, Philippines. By age 11, she was granted a full scholarship. This opened up the path to train and compete in both local and international settings. Some notable experiences being the Asian Grand Prix in 2012, and the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive in New York in 2015. Cara is also a recent Bachelor of Music in Dance graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman. In her senior year, she had already started teaching at her home studio, Academy One. She moved to New York upon graduation and has since been teaching dance at various schools. She specializes in ballet classes for adult beginners and children from 2-10 years old. Dance has been Cara’s lifelong companion. She hopes to give back to the art form by spreading the joy of movement to her students. This means creating a safe space for each child to discover what dance can mean to them.
“Dance to Unite is the celebration of cultural diversity.”
CHANDRA STONE, social media Assistant
Chandra Stone has always loved to dance since a young age. She was in a hip-hop dance group in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, where they supported and danced for major block parties. From there, she was introduced to praise dance. Chandra has been dancing for over 15 years and it is a gift.
Chandra has also been an Assistant Teacher for 1st graders as she loves working with children. Her two major passions combined, she learned about Dance to Unite while searching online. Chandra sees this as an amazing experience that she falls more in love with every second with Dance to Unite!
Contact Chandra: chandra@dancetounite.org
“Dancing truly brings lots of unity and I’m very glad to be part of a team that brings the same joy and love through Dance to Unite!”
Jenny Cheng, Content Coordinator
Jenny Cheng is currently a student attending New York University. She grew her an interest in dance from watching YouTube channels like “1 Million Dance Studio” and other dance choreographers like Matt Steffanina. She eventually tried dance class for the first time in her senior year of high school where she had the chance to perform and absolutely loved it! Jenny interned for 1 year with Dance to Unite before joining the staff to gather photo and video content of the Dance to Unite classes.