Success Stories Archives - NDI New Mexico

Chelsea Aguiar

Chelsea Aguiar is the first to say she was a born performer. “My family has video of me belting out Whitney Houston songs when I was three years old,” she said with a laugh. By age five she was taking dance lessons. She attended her first NDI New Mexico performance by...

Jerry Moyle

When third-grader Jerry Moyle showed up one day at his Albuquerque elementary school gymnasium, he was expecting a game of dodgeball. Instead, Moyle encountered an enthusiastic NDI New Mexico dance instructor and a musician seated at a piano. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is...

Elisha Wray

Keepin’ it in the Family! Santa Fe resident Elisha Wray has a notable position within the NDI New Mexico family: In the early 1990s she was one of the very first NDI New Mexico participants, dancing with co-founder Catherine Oppenheimer as a third grader at...

Patrick Martinez

2021Patrick Martinez, 37, began his NDI New Mexico experience like so many other children: participating as an elementary school student in the in-school program. “I enjoyed it from the very beginning,” Martinez said. “Even as a little kid I loved dancing. I saw it as...

Jesse Martinez

Jesse Martinez was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM and joined the NDI New Mexico family in 1999 through the in-school program. From there, he joined the SWAT and Celebration teams where he had opportunities to perform for countless audiences. Jesse began training in...

Edwin Felter

If you live near Santa Fe, or even in the Southwest, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced the multi-faced talents of 23-year-old Edwin Felter. He sings, in a gorgeous voice. He dances with fluidity and grace: jazz, tap and, perhaps most importantly, traditional...