ELENA M. RUSNAK MALS’93

ELENA M. RUSNAK MALS’93, 68, dance chair at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Performing Arts and founder of the Dance Department at Naugatuck Valley Community College, died Aug. 9, 2014. She graduated from the University of Connecticut and received a master’s degree in English before receiving an MALS from Wesleyan. A performer, teacher, and choreographer, she was a pioneer for dance education in Connecticut. One of her main achievements was the award to NVCC for the Formal Pathways to Dance Certification K-12 by the State Board of Education. She founded and directed the Terpsichorean Dance Ensemble, created at NVCC and most recently, in retirement, acted as the artistic director of the newly formed ATTAK dance company. Among those who survive are her husband, Joseph N. Rusnak, two children, a grandson, a sister, and two brothers.