Gina White led a smaller-than-usual group in tap warm-ups in her studio, Mandala Yoga & Arts, in Hillsdale, New York, Tuesday, Nov. 15. The group lesson started when Mary Givens asked for tap lessons and quickly grew into a regular affair.
HILLSDALE — Across Route 22 and just south from the old Roeliff-Jansen Central School campus in Hillsdale is an unassuming brown building with a sign out front bearing the name “Roe-Jan Plaza.” Two poles sticking out of the ground in the east shoulder proudly proclaim “hair salon,” and “yoga,” ushering drivers in for a shave and a sun salutation.
The yoga studio, Mandala Yoga & Arts, is run by Hillsdale resident Gina White, a dancer and actor who has worked since the late ‘90s with dance companies, touring shows, professional cheerleaders and in film and television.
At her studio in Hillsdale, she shares her professional experience with dancers of all disciplines and skill levels.
“I’ve been teaching since I was 15,” White said. “It’s something I’ve always done. I love getting people excited about things, especially dance.”
On Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., the yoga studio transforms into a rag-time playground. A small group of “adult beginner” tap dancers gather every week to practice slaps, flaps, brushes, hops and jumps.
White’s teaching style is encouraging and energetic. When a first-timer (a reporter who lacked the proper footwear) struggled to grasp the slap-leap-slap-leap pattern at the Tuesday, Nov. 12, lesson, White looked at him in the mirror and cheered his efforts, even though she and her regular students had moved on to the next maneuver.
White grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, and knew she was going to be an actor and dancer from a young age.
“When it came time to start talking to the counselor about college plans I already knew I wasn’t going to be doing any of that,” White said. “Right after high school I went to New York City.”
In 1997, after White graduated, she moved to the city and started auditioning. After a short time, and missing the audition the first time, White and her sister, Lindsey, landed spots on “Rugrats: A Live Adventure.” The tour took the 18-year-old across the United States, to the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico and Ireland.
White took advantage of touring at such a young age to experience nightlife and culture across the country in unexpected places. “Morgantown, West Virginia — dropped in the middle of nowhere — I did not expect that there was going to be streets and streets of people lighting couches on fire because their football team won,” White said. “Morgantown is hot. It’s a lot of fun there.”
When the “Rugrats” show ended in 2000, White went back home to spend time with her family in Bristol before moving to Boston to study theater and dance at the University of Massachusetts. She danced with the Boston Blazers cheerleaders for a few years before transferring to South Connecticut State University to be closer to home while her dad battled illness.
“Boston in the 2000s was a great place to be,” White said. “I loved it.”
After graduating, White decided it was time to join Hollywood as a screen actor. She joined SAG-AFTRA and started working, securing background acting and stand-in work on shows like “The Deuce,” starring James Franco, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and “Saturday Night Live (SNL).”
“SNL is like a relationship with a bad boyfriend,” White said. “I get a call on Monday like ‘Hey, whatcha doing this weekend? I maybe wanna see you,’ and I, of course, say I’m available, and then I wait until Thursday to get a call like ‘hey I need you to come tomorrow, can you be here?’ and I’d rush to the city as fast as I could.”
In 2022 and 2023, White worked on every episode for season 48 of SNL, but the SAG-AFTRA strike killed that momentum and she’s only returned to the studios a handful of times since the strike was lifted on Nov. 19, 2023.
It was the strike that led White to open Mandala, her second yoga studio since moving upstate before the pandemic.
“It’s never been about the business for me,” White said. She operates the studio as an open space for creativity, seeking to share her love of dance and yoga with as many people as will come. “My lessons are $20 if you can afford it.”
She’s also open to sharing the space with other groups and teachers that need a good studio. White said she’s gotten lots of requests from locals to start a line-dancing class, but she needs a qualified teacher to run it.
White teaches acrobatics, tap and jazz to beginner children in addition to the adult beginner tap dance lessons. Her schedule is flexible, she said, so students in search of a teacher need only reach out to set up lessons. Teachers in need of space are also encouraged to reach out if they’d like to lead a group class at the studio.
White can be reached by email at mandalayogaandarts@gmail.com.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.
