Juliet Celeste Fernandez-Malit
A versatile dance teacher who brings over 40 years of dance experience to us, she has choreographed extensively and performed in folk dance and international festivals, and ballet, modern dance, musical, and jazz productions. She began her training in the Philippines under professionals including Remedios V. Piñon, Alice Reyes, Norman Walker, Corazon Inigo, Rene Hofilena, Eric Cruz, and Nez Jardin. In 2003, she was nominated for the Raleigh Medal of Arts for her achievements in the performing arts.
In 1996, Ms. Malit joined Cary Ballet Conservatory (CBC) where she still teaches and choreographs for all productions of the Conservatory. She is proud that CBC received the 2017 Outstanding School at the American Dance Competition and the 2017 Outstanding School award at the Youth American Grand Prix. She choreographs for the Cary Ballet Company, 3D Jazz Company, and productions of the Cary Ballet Conservatory performances. She has also been the choreographer of the Philippine Dance Company of North Carolina and has work with other prominent artist in their own fields.
At the Bergen Dancenter in New Jersey, she worked as the Children’s Ballet Mistress. She worked alongside respected dancers and choreographers across northern New Jersey including Joan Wolf, Mark Jelks, Mary Carpenter, Joanne Koob Brown, Helena Baron, and Shella Hellman.
In addition to teaching dance, she taught Physical Education at St. Joseph’s School in Bogota, New Jersey, Saint Joseph School in Oradell, New Jersey, and St. Mary Magdalene Catholic School in Apex, North Carolina. In these schools, she also produced, choreographed, and directed performances including Peter and the Wolf, Oliver, The Nutcracker, Aladdin, All that Jazz, School House Rock, The Wiz, and Over the Rainbow. In her latest production, Godspell, she choreographed and co-directed all the dances and movements for the musical theatre production class at St. Mary Magdalene, which was performed at the Haley Theater. From 1996 to 1999, she also served as a Dance Specialist in schools across the Wake County Public School System.
When she retired as a Physical Educator, she started teaching Chair Ballet classes, which are exercises classes at independent living and assisted living facilities, for the residence and for those diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia.
Ms. Malit graduated from University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelors of Science in Education (BSE) in Physical Education, was a member of the UST Salinggawi Dance Company, and graduated with a Masters in Dance Composition from the University of the Philippines Diliman. She was with the pioneering group in 1978 that founded IPAG, and subsequently, acted as IPAG’s co-founder and first choreographer. She continues to serve as the Resident Choreographer and joined the 2006 Hawaiian Islands and U.S. mainland road tours for the celebration of the Philippine Centennial in the U.S. with Tales from Mindanao. In May 2017, she led a contemporary dance workshop in Iligan, Philippines, created a signature choreography to represent IPAG internationally, and was interviewed for a documentary film on IPAG that will be presented in the Philippines in 2017.