As a teacher, Suzana seeks to connect with all types of clients. “Like setting a caged bird free, my goal is to shatter the prisons that we create for ourselves,” Stankovic said. Her clients come from all walks of life . They range from a dancer who wants to expand her style, a restaurant hostess or server who is looking for a different way to exercise or someone who has always wanted to try to learn ballet but thinks it’s beyond her abilities. With a little nurturing and some hard work on, Stankovic will show you that ” yes, you can do this.” “With time ,we acquire fears, defenses and social masks,” Stankovic said. “In both my teaching and my work as a performer and choreographer,I want to get back to the purity that we were all born with.” Holding a degree in English and secondary education from Hunter College, Stankovic taught English in East Harlem and the South Bronx while she was getting herself established in the world of professional dance. In what little free time that Stankovic has, this dancer extraordinare loves to visit some of her favorite restaurants and cafes in Astoria and Long Island City. “I know that I am going to leave a couple of places out, but, off the top of my head, let’s go with Café Henri, Bare Burger, Marta’s Country Bakery, Brooklyn Bagel, Artichoke Pizza and, of course, Flo Lounge.” As a professional teacher and choreographer, Stankovic ppreciates how TV shows like “So You Think You Can Dance? “ have brought the art of dance to the national stage. In the past, Stanovic has danced competitively as a participant in “ Dance-Sport.” This strenuous competition is not a reality show, but it could easily be one. Dancers have to be in top physical shape to participate. This no limits competition iincluding athletic, death defying lifts. Stankovic has performed in avant garde works at the Joyce Theater, Kupferburg Performing Arts Center and the Cornelia street café as well as at “Le Festival de Martigues” in the south of France. Twenty-four hours are not enough to accommodate Stankovic’s work load. She is ready to launch her new non-profit dancetheater company, Wild Beauty Dance Theater, whose mission is to create and present daring works that transcend genre and style as they speak to our shared humanity. Another project that is ready to roll is Passion Asylum. This venture encompasses a curated showcase of original works by artists who are working in dance, theater and performance art. The setting will be a studio in Long island city. The works will be small and intimate in scale, but big on artistic vision and bravery. Last but certainly not least, Stankovic will soon be debuting her new dance-theater creation “In My Bones,” which is inspired by the realism and existential drama of the paintings by Frida Kahlo, Edward Hopper, Renee Magritte and Edvard Munch. This adventurous and sure to be controversial work will explore what life would be like without the constant distraction of our mobile devices, computers and television. A master classical ballet teacher and ballet fitness instructor, Stankovic’s adult classes are the only ones of their kind in Astoria and LIC. Her disciplines include beginner and advanced beginner ballet, advanced intermediate as well as adult beginner pointe and final stretch and meditation. She is also a faculty member at the Peridance Capezio Center in Manhattan. “I am passionate about sharing my love for dance and life,” Stankovic said. “I love to see dancers in my class grow and move with confidence and a sense of freedom. My goal is to serve my students, treating each one as a unique and whole human being in mind, body and spirit. There is vast potential inside each of us. Anything is possible with vision, commitment and love.” For more information, visit www.IAmSuzana.com. Photo by Stephen Delas Hevas
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