March 25, 2003 – An angry Territorial Judge Ive Swan called Southland Gaming and V.I. government attorneys into his courtroom after seeing what he called "scurrilous and damnable lies" in the news media about the settlement of their legal dispute over video lottery operations.
Swan told them he would issue an order preventing either party in the case from filing documents under seal. Administrators familiar with the case said that order could be put into effect by Wednesday morning.
Arturo Watlington, the attorney representing Southland, said Swan ordered both him and Stridiron to appear in court Monday afternoon, demanding to know who was responsible for statements given to reporters over the weekend. Stories appearing in the Source and the V.I. Daily News said Swan had presided over the settlement negotiations.
Swan called Watlington, Attorney General Iver Stridiron and four assistant attorneys general into court Monday and ordered them to testify under oath that Swan had neither presided over the settlement nor given his approval to the final agreement.
Stridiron told the judge that press reports attributed to him concerning the statements were inaccurate. Stridiron said later that he felt Swan was concerned that those reports "were indicating that he somehow officiated over the settlement agreement and he personally approved the settlement, and he emphatically said he had not, and we agreed."
In statements differing from those he had made earlier to reporters, Stridiron said the settlement was put together last Thursday and Friday, with an "agreement in principal" coming Thursday night. Swan's only involvement during that time, Stridiron said, came in a telephone call placed to him on Friday telling him that an agreement had been reached.
"We called him on St. John Friday and told him the matter was settled and that we would be filing a motion to dismiss," Stridiron said. "He said he wanted us to submit it in writing."
Watlington said the judge also was angry about statements to the press, attributed to both sides, that the settlement had been sealed by the court. "This document was not a court document. That's why the judge got so angry," Watlington said.
On Sunday, when asked about the terms of the settlement, Stridiron replied that he could not discuss it under penalty of law. "I cannot speak about that because the agreement has been sealed by the court, and if I were to divulge that, it would violate the settlement agreement," he said then.
According to former Territorial Court Judge Soraya Diase, a document gets sealed by the court only after a request is made "verbally or in writing by lawyers to the judge." She said: "The judge would review the reasons and decide. Once a document is sealed, it cannot be unsealed without the authority of the court."
To open a document under seal of the court without permission could result in charges of contempt of court, Diase said. Lawyers will sometimes submit a sealed document to the court without a judge's order, "but that doesn't mean it's sealed," she said.
A Territorial Court clerk familiar with the Southland vs. V.I. government case who spoke on condition of not being named said attorneys for both sides had submitted sealed documents. According to a report in Tuesday's Daily News, the sealed documents would probably be returned to the respective parties once Swan signed a new order prohibiting their submission.
Stridiron said the government submitted its documents in anticipation of an order from the court which never came. "The other matter was whether the judge agreed to accept them under seal, and he didn't," the attorney general said.
A bench trial in the case was set to begin Monday with Swan presiding. But at a pretrial hearing last Thursday, Swan demanded that depositions be submitted by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, his legal counsel Paul Gimenez, and his confidential assistant Horace Brooks, stating what they knew about the agreement that allowed Southland to install video lottery terminals in the territory. The settlement talks got under way before any action was taken regarding such depositions.
Developers and regulators of casino gaming on St Croix and numerous citizen groups have objected to the introduction of the gaming machines in the St. Thomas-St. John district, saying they represent a form of unregulated gambling which presents unfair competition to casino gambling, which is legal only on St. Croix. Opponents of video lottery terminals have staged several public protests of the 24th Legislature's action in its final session, last Dec. 23, overriding an earlier veto by Turnbull of a bill legalizing VLT''s in the St. Thomas-St. John district.
Southland Gaming, which was contracted by the V.I. Lottery in 1998 to install VLT's in the territory once they became legal, sued the government to halt efforts at preventing it from doing so. The Attorney General's Office countersued challenging the validity of the contract.
A bill before the 25th Legislature would repeal the law legalizing VLT's. On Tuesday, one of its sponsors, Sen. Raymond "Usie" Richards, pointed to the events in Territorial Court as proof that the time for lawmakers to act on repeal has come.
"Given the pronounced settlement of the 'court case' between Southland Gaming and the government of the Virgin Islands, it becomes evidently clear that the ball is now in the court of the legislative branch of government," Richards, a St. Croix senator, said in a letter written Tuesday to Senate President David Jones.
Richards called on Jones to place the repeal bill on the agenda of the next Senate session.

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – An angry Territorial Judge Ive Swan called Southland Gaming and V.I. government attorneys into his courtroom after seeing what he called "scurrilous and damnable lies" in the news media about the settlement of their legal dispute over video lottery operations.
Swan told them he would issue an order preventing either party in the case from filing documents under seal. Administrators familiar with the case said that order could be put into effect by Wednesday morning.
Arturo Watlington, the attorney representing Southland, said Swan ordered both him and Stridiron to appear in court Monday afternoon, demanding to know who was responsible for statements given to reporters over the weekend. Stories appearing in the Source and the V.I. Daily News said Swan had presided over the settlement negotiations.
Swan called Watlington, Attorney General Iver Stridiron and four assistant attorneys general into court Monday and ordered them to testify under oath that Swan had neither presided over the settlement nor given his approval to the final agreement.
Stridiron told the judge that press reports attributed to him concerning the statements were inaccurate. Stridiron said later that he felt Swan was concerned that those reports "were indicating that he somehow officiated over the settlement agreement and he personally approved the settlement, and he emphatically said he had not, and we agreed."
In statements differing from those he had made earlier to reporters, Stridiron said the settlement was put together last Thursday and Friday, with an "agreement in principal" coming Thursday night. Swan's only involvement during that time, Stridiron said, came in a telephone call placed to him on Friday telling him that an agreement had been reached.
"We called him on St. John Friday and told him the matter was settled and that we would be filing a motion to dismiss," Stridiron said. "He said he wanted us to submit it in writing."
Watlington said the judge also was angry about statements to the press, attributed to both sides, that the settlement had been sealed by the court. "This document was not a court document. That's why the judge got so angry," Watlington said.
On Sunday, when asked about the terms of the settlement, Stridiron replied that he could not discuss it under penalty of law. "I cannot speak about that because the agreement has been sealed by the court, and if I were to divulge that, it would violate the settlement agreement," he said then.
According to former Territorial Court Judge Soraya Diase, a document gets sealed by the court only after a request is made "verbally or in writing by lawyers to the judge." She said: "The judge would review the reasons and decide. Once a document is sealed, it cannot be unsealed without the authority of the court."
To open a document under seal of the court without permission could result in charges of contempt of court, Diase said. Lawyers will sometimes submit a sealed document to the court without a judge's order, "but that doesn't mean it's sealed," she said.
A Territorial Court clerk familiar with the Southland vs. V.I. government case who spoke on condition of not being named said attorneys for both sides had submitted sealed documents. According to a report in Tuesday's Daily News, the sealed documents would probably be returned to the respective parties once Swan signed a new order prohibiting their submission.
Stridiron said the government submitted its documents in anticipation of an order from the court which never came. "The other matter was whether the judge agreed to accept them under seal, and he didn't," the attorney general said.
A bench trial in the case was set to begin Monday with Swan presiding. But at a pretrial hearing last Thursday, Swan demanded that depositions be submitted by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, his legal counsel Paul Gimenez, and his confidential assistant Horace Brooks, stating what they knew about the agreement that allowed Southland to install video lottery terminals in the territory. The settlement talks got under way before any action was taken regarding such depositions.
Developers and regulators of casino gaming on St Croix and numerous citizen groups have objected to the introduction of the gaming machines in the St. Thomas-St. John district, saying they represent a form of unregulated gambling which presents unfair competition to casino gambling, which is legal only on St. Croix. Opponents of video lottery terminals have staged several public protests of the 24th Legislature's action in its final session, last Dec. 23, overriding an earlier veto by Turnbull of a bill legalizing VLT''s in the St. Thomas-St. John district.
Southland Gaming, which was contracted by the V.I. Lottery in 1998 to install VLT's in the territory once they became legal, sued the government to halt efforts at preventing it from doing so. The Attorney General's Office countersued challenging the validity of the contract.
A bill before the 25th Legislature would repeal the law legalizing VLT's. On Tuesday, one of its sponsors, Sen. Raymond "Usie" Richards, pointed to the events in Territorial Court as proof that the time for lawmakers to act on repeal has come.
"Given the pronounced settlement of the 'court case' between Southland Gaming and the government of the Virgin Islands, it becomes evidently clear that the ball is now in the court of the legislative branch of government," Richards, a St. Croix senator, said in a letter written Tuesday to Senate President David Jones.
Richards called on Jones to place the repeal bill on the agenda of the next Senate session.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – An angry Territorial Judge Ive Swan called Southland Gaming and V.I. government attorneys into his courtroom after seeing what he called "scurrilous and damnable lies" in the news media about the settlement of their legal dispute over video lottery operations.
Swan told them he would issue an order preventing either party in the case from filing documents under seal. Administrators familiar with the case said that order could be put into effect by Wednesday morning.
Arturo Watlington, the attorney representing Southland, said Swan ordered both him and Stridiron to appear in court Monday afternoon, demanding to know who was responsible for statements given to reporters over the weekend. Stories appearing in the Source and the V.I. Daily News said Swan had presided over the settlement negotiations.
Swan called Watlington, Attorney General Iver Stridiron and four assistant attorneys general into court Monday and ordered them to testify under oath that Swan had neither presided over the settlement nor given his approval to the final agreement.
Stridiron told the judge that press reports attributed to him concerning the statements were inaccurate. Stridiron said later that he felt Swan was concerned that those reports "were indicating that he somehow officiated over the settlement agreement and he personally approved the settlement, and he emphatically said he had not, and we agreed."
In statements differing from those he had made earlier to reporters, Stridiron said the settlement was put together last Thursday and Friday, with an "agreement in principal" coming Thursday night. Swan's only involvement during that time, Stridiron said, came in a telephone call placed to him on Friday telling him that an agreement had been reached.
"We called him on St. John Friday and told him the matter was settled and that we would be filing a motion to dismiss," Stridiron said. "He said he wanted us to submit it in writing."
Watlington said the judge also was angry about statements to the press, attributed to both sides, that the settlement had been sealed by the court. "This document was not a court document. That's why the judge got so angry," Watlington said.
On Sunday, when asked about the terms of the settlement, Stridiron replied that he could not discuss it under penalty of law. "I cannot speak about that because the agreement has been sealed by the court, and if I were to divulge that, it would violate the settlement agreement," he said then.
According to former Territorial Court Judge Soraya Diase, a document gets sealed by the court only after a request is made "verbally or in writing by lawyers to the judge." She said: "The judge would review the reasons and decide. Once a document is sealed, it cannot be unsealed without the authority of the court."
To open a document under seal of the court without permission could result in charges of contempt of court, Diase said. Lawyers will sometimes submit a sealed document to the court without a judge's order, "but that doesn't mean it's sealed," she said.
A Territorial Court clerk familiar with the Southland vs. V.I. government case who spoke on condition of not being named said attorneys for both sides had submitted sealed documents. According to a report in Tuesday's Daily News, the sealed documents would probably be returned to the respective parties once Swan signed a new order prohibiting their submission.
Stridiron said the government submitted its documents in anticipation of an order from the court which never came. "The other matter was whether the judge agreed to accept them under seal, and he didn't," the attorney general said.
A bench trial in the case was set to begin Monday with Swan presiding. But at a pretrial hearing last Thursday, Swan demanded that depositions be submitted by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, his legal counsel Paul Gimenez, and his confidential assistant Horace Brooks, stating what they knew about the agreement that allowed Southland to install video lottery terminals in the territory. The settlement talks got under way before any action was taken regarding such depositions.
Developers and regulators of casino gaming on St Croix and numerous citizen groups have objected to the introduction of the gaming machines in the St. Thomas-St. John district, saying they represent a form of unregulated gambling which presents unfair competition to casino gambling, which is legal only on St. Croix. Opponents of video lottery terminals have staged several public protests of the 24th Legislature's action in its final session, last Dec. 23, overriding an earlier veto by Turnbull of a bill legalizing VLT''s in the St. Thomas-St. John district.
Southland Gaming, which was contracted by the V.I. Lottery in 1998 to install VLT's in the territory once they became legal, sued the government to halt efforts at preventing it from doing so. The Attorney General's Office countersued challenging the validity of the contract.
A bill before the 25th Legislature would repeal the law legalizing VLT's. On Tuesday, one of its sponsors, Sen. Raymond "Usie" Richards, pointed to the events in Territorial Court as proof that the time for lawmakers to act on repeal has come.
"Given the pronounced settlement of the 'court case' between Southland Gaming and the government of the Virgin Islands, it becomes evidently clear that the ball is now in the court of the legislative branch of government," Richards, a St. Croix senator, said in a letter written Tuesday to Senate President David Jones.
Richards called on Jones to place the repeal bill on the agenda of the next Senate session.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – V.I. National Park Superintendent John King will be heading to a new assignment as superintendent at Big Bend National Park in Texas on May 18.
King, 53, who has been on St. John for nearly two and a half years, said he didn't apply for the Texas position, but neither did he turn it down when the National Park Service offered it to him.
He said he worked at Big Bend National Park as a division chief from 1979 to 1982. "It's one of my all-time favorites," he said.
The park occupies more than 800,000 acres of desert and mountains along the Rio Grande on the border of West Texas with Mexico. It takes its name from the river — which makes a sharp turn where the park lies.
King said during an interview shortly after his arrival on St. John in 2000 that he did not know how long he would remain on the island, but he expected it would be for "some years."
The fact that he is leaving after two and a half does not surprise Joe Kessler, president of the Friends of the V.I. National Park. Kessler said that King was so "beat up and abused" by some members of the community on some issues that his departure is understandable.
"Superintendents come in, get chewed up and spit out, and go off to someplace calmer," Kessler said.
King said no one has been named to succeed him as V.I. National Park superintendent. The job will be advertised, he said, and an interim superintendent will be appointed to serve until the National Park Service picks a permanent replacement.
Always diplomatic, King said that he has enjoyed his time in the territory. "It's really been fun, but there's been some headaches along the way," he said.
He worked diligently to bring the park in line with other national parks across the country in terms of management. Kessler credits him with a high degree of success: "It's stopped being such a backwater and banana republic park," he said, crediting King for the change.
King presided over some difficult times for park-community relations, including the reluctance of St. John taxi drivers and associations to pay an annual fee for a commercial services permit required of companies operating in the park.
After nearly a year of foot dragging and complaints on the part of the taxi industry, U.S. District Judge Thomas K. Moore ruled last September that the park had the right to require permits of the taxi drivers. While grumbles are still heard, the drivers have permits today.
Kessler credited King with opening dialogue with the community on various issues and expressed hope that his successor will have as much willingness to deal with such sticky issues.
Indeed, King said he sees his efforts at letting people have their say on park issues has been a highlight of his time spent on St. John. "I tried to make sure we don't manage the park in a vacuum," he said.
He also is credited with improving morale among park staff.
St. John Administrator Julien Harley said that he and King have had a good relationship. "I could tell him whatever was on my mind," Harley said.
Now, Harley said, he's worried that with King's imminent departure, negotiations might stall on exchanging land owned by the V.I. government for federal land on St. John to be used as the site for a school.
Harley also said that the park and the Administrator's Office developed a working relationship, thanks to King. He said that King would forward items such as federal job openings to Harley's office for posting.
"He's going to be missed," Harley said.

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – International name recognition isn't something St. Croix's Alexander E. Simon has yet attained at the age of 22, but it's on his list of attainables for five years down the road.
Simon is a member of the Koresh Dance Company and one of its eight dancers who will perform Saturday night at the Reichhold Center for the Arts. He joined the Philadelphia-based company in a little over three years ago at the invitation of founder, artistic director and choreographer Ronen Koresh.
Koresh says he seeks to recruit to his dance company people who "have honesty and truth in their work," truth that "is expressed in very unique style. Not huge statements that are overblown, but just the simple truth." (See "Koresh Dance draws on wide-ranging roots".)
What Simon finds most appealing as a dancer about the Koresh company "is the family bond we share. We have created a family environment that most major companies don't have. Most companies dwell on competition among themselves; but with us, we admire everyone's ability for what they bring to the table."
His own areas of expertise are ballet, jazz and hip-hop.
Simon is the son of Martha Santiago and Rufus Simon. A native Crucian, he graduated from Central High School in 1998. "All of my family except my mom and brother still live on St. Croix," he says. "My brother and mother live in Puerto Rico."
As a teenager, he was lured by the bright lights of show biz before being swept off his feet, so to speak, by dance. "I was in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at Island Center for the Performing Arts in 1993," he recalls, "and also 'Guys and Dolls' in 1994."
He got his first formal dance training in '94, when he joined St. Croix's Pointe Dance Academy, under the direction of Heidi Wright and Sonja Dickerson. He studied with them for two years, but it was the first day that made the biggest difference in his life.
"As a young boy, I was involved in baseball and had a love for tennis," Simon relates — in other words, he led a normal young-male life. And yet, "I knew that I wanted to be a professional dancer ever since I stepped into class. I was so fascinated with every intricate step of the art form that it became a part of me that first day."
He might not have followed his instincts, thought, had it not been for the influence of a peer at Pointe. "As a boy, I felt very intimidated" about dance, he says — "what my friends would think and how my family would react to me dancing. I was actually motivated by another male dancer, Edmond Giles, who studied at the same academy … I never knew men had the ability to move gracefully yet so athletically."
Once he committed to his development and discipline as a dancer, doors began to open. In 1995, he studied with Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, and the following the summer he received a full scholarship to study with the Joffrey Ballet School, "where I had the opportunity to work with some of New York's finest teachers."
"At both institutions we had to train extensively in ballet and jazz," he notes.
Three seasons ago, he was invited to join Koresh Dance Company by Roni Koresh himself. "He was a professor at the [Philadelphia] University of the Arts, where I studied for two years," Simon explains. "I danced in his ensemble several times, and I guess everyone enjoyed my professionalism as a dancer and the quality of my movement."
Simon says his mentors and role models include his mother, who "has been the reason for me accomplishing my dreams and success as a young male dancer. Her motivation gives me hope to see into the new." He also credits "my dance teachers back home," saying that Wright, Dickerson and Lisa Acosta at Pointe Academy "made me a stronger individual, not just in dance, but outside the art form as well. I am now more in control of my choices and destination."
But most of all, Simon adds, "my biggest mentor has been Roni Koresh. He has transformed me into the person I am today. He is a father figure, a brother at times, and a close friend."
As a dance professional, Simon has also performed in and choreographed such musicals as "Evita" and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." He says he prefers straight dance to shows, though. "I feel more comfortable dancing in pure dance works than having to sing, dance and act in a Broadway musical," he says. "Preparing for a show is more about being focused on what you're doing. There's no real trick to it — 'just do it.'"
For the last four years, he also has been teaching dance professionally. He currently conducts classes at three dance centers in the Philadelphia area. Meantime, "I've had the opportunity to showcase choreography in Washington, D.C., at the 2002 Golden Scissors Awards, and at the 76ers prime time game at the First Union Center in Philadelphia."
Simon is reluctant to project "what or where I'll be" five years from now. But he offers these possible scenarios: "I imagine myself still dancing, perhaps opening a dance academy in Hawaii, choreographing internationally, and having my name recognized upon mention."
Those wishing to travel to St. Thomas from St. Croix for Saturday's performance at the Reichhold Center can take advantage of land and air packages put together by the Reichhold, Seaborne Airlines and a variety of participating hotels. See "Packages available to see Koresh at Reichhold".)

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – International name recognition isn't something St. Croix's Alexander E. Simon has yet attained at the age of 22, but it's on his list of attainables for five years down the road.
Simon is a member of the Koresh Dance Company and one of its eight dancers who will perform Saturday night at the Reichhold Center for the Arts. He joined the Philadelphia-based company in a little over three years ago at the invitation of founder, artistic director and choreographer Ronen Koresh.
Koresh says he seeks to recruit to his dance company people who "have honesty and truth in their work," truth that "is expressed in very unique style. Not huge statements that are overblown, but just the simple truth." (See "Koresh Dance draws on wide-ranging roots".)
What Simon finds most appealing as a dancer about the Koresh company "is the family bond we share. We have created a family environment that most major companies don't have. Most companies dwell on competition among themselves; but with us, we admire everyone's ability for what they bring to the table."
His own areas of expertise are ballet, jazz and hip-hop.
Simon is the son of Martha Santiago and Rufus Simon. A native Crucian, he graduated from Central High School in 1998. "All of my family except my mom and brother still live on St. Croix," he says. "My brother and mother live in Puerto Rico."
As a teenager, he was lured by the bright lights of show biz before being swept off his feet, so to speak, by dance. "I was in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at Island Center for the Performing Arts in 1993," he recalls, "and also 'Guys and Dolls' in 1994."
He got his first formal dance training in '94, when he joined St. Croix's Pointe Dance Academy, under the direction of Heidi Wright and Sonja Dickerson. He studied with them for two years, but it was the first day that made the biggest difference in his life.
"As a young boy, I was involved in baseball and had a love for tennis," Simon relates — in other words, he led a normal young-male life. And yet, "I knew that I wanted to be a professional dancer ever since I stepped into class. I was so fascinated with every intricate step of the art form that it became a part of me that first day."
He might not have followed his instincts, thought, had it not been for the influence of a peer at Pointe. "As a boy, I felt very intimidated" about dance, he says — "what my friends would think and how my family would react to me dancing. I was actually motivated by another male dancer, Edmond Giles, who studied at the same academy … I never knew men had the ability to move gracefully yet so athletically."
Once he committed to his development and discipline as a dancer, doors began to open. In 1995, he studied with Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, and the following the summer he received a full scholarship to study with the Joffrey Ballet School, "where I had the opportunity to work with some of New York's finest teachers."
"At both institutions we had to train extensively in ballet and jazz," he notes.
Three seasons ago, he was invited to join Koresh Dance Company by Roni Koresh himself. "He was a professor at the [Philadelphia] University of the Arts, where I studied for two years," Simon explains. "I danced in his ensemble several times, and I guess everyone enjoyed my professionalism as a dancer and the quality of my movement."
Simon says his mentors and role models include his mother, who "has been the reason for me accomplishing my dreams and success as a young male dancer. Her motivation gives me hope to see into the new." He also credits "my dance teachers back home," saying that Wright, Dickerson and Lisa Acosta at Pointe Academy "made me a stronger individual, not just in dance, but outside the art form as well. I am now more in control of my choices and destination."
But most of all, Simon adds, "my biggest mentor has been Roni Koresh. He has transformed me into the person I am today. He is a father figure, a brother at times, and a close friend."
As a dance professional, Simon has also performed in and choreographed such musicals as "Evita" and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." He says he prefers straight dance to shows, though. "I feel more comfortable dancing in pure dance works than having to sing, dance and act in a Broadway musical," he says. "Preparing for a show is more about being focused on what you're doing. There's no real trick to it — 'just do it.'"
For the last four years, he also has been teaching dance professionally. He currently conducts classes at three dance centers in the Philadelphia area. Meantime, "I've had the opportunity to showcase choreography in Washington, D.C., at the 2002 Golden Scissors Awards, and at the 76ers prime time game at the First Union Center in Philadelphia."
Simon is reluctant to project "what or where I'll be" five years from now. But he offers these possible scenarios: "I imagine myself still dancing, perhaps opening a dance academy in Hawaii, choreographing internationally, and having my name recognized upon mention."
Those wishing to travel to St. Thomas from St. Croix for Saturday's performance at the Reichhold Center can take advantage of land and air packages put together by the Reichhold, Seaborne Airlines and a variety of participating hotels. See "Packages available to see Koresh at Reichhold".)

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – International name recognition isn't something St. Croix's Alexander E. Simon has yet attained at the age of 22, but it's on his list of attainables for five years down the road.
Simon is a member of the Koresh Dance Company and one of its eight dancers who will perform Saturday night at the Reichhold Center for the Arts. He joined the Philadelphia-based company in a little over three years ago at the invitation of founder, artistic director and choreographer Ronen Koresh.
Koresh says he seeks to recruit to his dance company people who "have honesty and truth in their work," truth that "is expressed in very unique style. Not huge statements that are overblown, but just the simple truth." (See "Koresh Dance draws on wide-ranging roots".)
What Simon finds most appealing as a dancer about the Koresh company "is the family bond we share. We have created a family environment that most major companies don't have. Most companies dwell on competition among themselves; but with us, we admire everyone's ability for what they bring to the table."
His own areas of expertise are ballet, jazz and hip-hop.
Simon is the son of Martha Santiago and Rufus Simon. A native Crucian, he graduated from Central High School in 1998. "All of my family except my mom and brother still live on St. Croix," he says. "My brother and mother live in Puerto Rico."
As a teenager, he was lured by the bright lights of show biz before being swept off his feet, so to speak, by dance. "I was in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at Island Center for the Performing Arts in 1993," he recalls, "and also 'Guys and Dolls' in 1994."
He got his first formal dance training in '94, when he joined St. Croix's Pointe Dance Academy, under the direction of Heidi Wright and Sonja Dickerson. He studied with them for two years, but it was the first day that made the biggest difference in his life.
"As a young boy, I was involved in baseball and had a love for tennis," Simon relates — in other words, he led a normal young-male life. And yet, "I knew that I wanted to be a professional dancer ever since I stepped into class. I was so fascinated with every intricate step of the art form that it became a part of me that first day."
He might not have followed his instincts, thought, had it not been for the influence of a peer at Pointe. "As a boy, I felt very intimidated" about dance, he says — "what my friends would think and how my family would react to me dancing. I was actually motivated by another male dancer, Edmond Giles, who studied at the same academy … I never knew men had the ability to move gracefully yet so athletically."
Once he committed to his development and discipline as a dancer, doors began to open. In 1995, he studied with Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, and the following the summer he received a full scholarship to study with the Joffrey Ballet School, "where I had the opportunity to work with some of New York's finest teachers."
"At both institutions we had to train extensively in ballet and jazz," he notes.
Three seasons ago, he was invited to join Koresh Dance Company by Roni Koresh himself. "He was a professor at the [Philadelphia] University of the Arts, where I studied for two years," Simon explains. "I danced in his ensemble several times, and I guess everyone enjoyed my professionalism as a dancer and the quality of my movement."
Simon says his mentors and role models include his mother, who "has been the reason for me accomplishing my dreams and success as a young male dancer. Her motivation gives me hope to see into the new." He also credits "my dance teachers back home," saying that Wright, Dickerson and Lisa Acosta at Pointe Academy "made me a stronger individual, not just in dance, but outside the art form as well. I am now more in control of my choices and destination."
But most of all, Simon adds, "my biggest mentor has been Roni Koresh. He has transformed me into the person I am today. He is a father figure, a brother at times, and a close friend."
As a dance professional, Simon has also performed in and choreographed such musicals as "Evita" and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." He says he prefers straight dance to shows, though. "I feel more comfortable dancing in pure dance works than having to sing, dance and act in a Broadway musical," he says. "Preparing for a show is more about being focused on what you're doing. There's no real trick to it — 'just do it.'"
For the last four years, he also has been teaching dance professionally. He currently conducts classes at three dance centers in the Philadelphia area. Meantime, "I've had the opportunity to showcase choreography in Washington, D.C., at the 2002 Golden Scissors Awards, and at the 76ers prime time game at the First Union Center in Philadelphia."
Simon is reluctant to project "what or where I'll be" five years from now. But he offers these possible scenarios: "I imagine myself still dancing, perhaps opening a dance academy in Hawaii, choreographing internationally, and having my name recognized upon mention."
Those wishing to travel to St. Thomas from St. Croix for Saturday's performance at the Reichhold Center can take advantage of land and air packages put together by the Reichhold, Seaborne Airlines and a variety of participating hotels. See "Packages available to see Koresh at Reichhold".)

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – The Koresh Dance Company is coming to St. Thomas this weekend from Philadelphia, but its roots reach much farther away and are entwined much closer to home.
Founder and artistic director Ronen Koresh and his brother, Alon, the company's executive director, were born and raised in Israel, and their family is from Yemen.
And one of the company's eight dancers on this tour is Alexander E. Simon, who was born and raised on St. Croix.
Koresh Dance will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Reichhold Center for the Arts as the theater's final off-island presentation of the 2002-03 subscription season. On Friday at 5 p.m., Simon will conduct a master class for dance students, also at the Reichhold. (For an interview with Simon, see "Dance is a calling for St. Croix's Alex Simon".)
The company, founded by "Roni" Koresh in 1991, incorporates jazz, modern, ballet and ethnic dance in its contemporary repertoire. Koresh has choreographed most of the pieces. "I enjoy creating new works!" he says. His philosophy is that "dance should combine reality with fantasy and inspire audiences to think. Dance should motivate audiences to listen to their emotions and make steps to connect to what those emotions truly are."
Dance — and all of art — "is meant to direct people in their own lives," he says. "I hope it inspires people to do great things through their actions."
As to whether dance can, or should, make political statements, Koresh answers: "Artists reflect their time. We do not judge; we represent the scenarios, so that audiences can judge and be swayed to be honest in life and its complexity."
He describes the six works to be danced on Saturday:
"Ancient Future" — "a journey through the evolution of dance from the ritual to the contemporary concert dance."
"Urban Crisis" — "a mirrored reflection of our inner-city neighborhoods and their wars."
"Sequel" — "a never-ending struggle in our journey in life to continue."
"Underwater Study No. 5" — "defying gravity."
"Grith" — "overcoming your own fears and internal battles."
"Backtracks" — "representing all reasons why I love to dance!"
Collectively, the pieces comprise a full-length work called "Past, Present and Future."
Koresh Dance Company has been hailed in its hometown — always a good sign — by The Philadelphia Weekly for its "technical knockouts" and "dance that engulfs like a brush fire."
And the online Philadelphia citypaper.net in a review speculated that Roni Koresh "must work his dancers hard. They show it when they're arrayed on stage even before the first count of the dance falls: the long, lean musculature, something taut and light in the posture. They show it in the precision with which they execute the demanding ballet moves woven into often feverishly fast-paced dance. The pique turns really prick the floor. The tour jets have height and flash to them. The 6 o'clocks (dancer on one leg lifts other leg to the back then straight up, like the hands of the clock when it's 6) are really 6 o'clocks, not good-enough 10-after-6's."
While the stars of the company "have a certain ignition factor on stage," the reviewer wrote, "there's not a weak link in the 13-member troupe."
The writer referred to Koresh's choreography as drawing heavily on "speeded-up ballet … with everything thrown in from jazz, hip-hop, maybe a little belly dancing, to the angular, ritualistic movement of Martha Graham."
A wide world of dance
The first exposure to dance that Koresh had was Yemenite folk dancing. "My family is Yemen," he says. "Everyone dances in my culture. It was part of our society as a family, as a people as a culture."
What motivated him to start studying traditional dance as a teen-ager was "a dare by a friend" who challenged him: "What, are you afraid they'll think you're bad?" He enrolled in jazz classes, and "I did great … and I feel it defined me as a person at the age of 15. I then began to take ballet and modern dance."
His modern dance training was in the Martha Graham Technique, and at the age of 16 he was invited to be in the Martha Graham Bat-Sheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv. "I joined so I could dance more," he said. "To dance as much as possible was all I cared for at that time in my life."
On reflection, he says, "I feel as if joining the company gave me more focus and made me feel special to be part of such a committed group of people. This, in turn, made me feel committed to being great."
Fortunately, he recalls, "my parents loved the idea of me getting into the arts. My father pushed me to continue and stay dedicated to my commitment to dance."
He arrived in New York at the age of 21 to study with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and was soon asked to join Philadelphia's jazz dance company Waves. He continued to train and perform throughout the 1980s but also began focusing on choreography and teaching. In 1986 he joined the faculty of the Philadelphia University of the Arts, and he continues to teach there, as well as at the Koresh Dance Center.
In considering new members for his own company, he says, "I bring in people who have honesty and truth in their work," truth that "is expressed in very unique style. Not huge statements that are overblown, but just the simple truth."
As to why he ended up putting his own roots down in Philadelphia, Koresh, now 41 and a U.S. citizen, cites both emotional and practical considerations: "Philadelphia is a city which I love. I need a place where I feel comfortable to create work, and this city offers that." But also, "I am able to afford my own space, my own school, and to afford creating my own work without that many financial struggles as if I were to be in New York City."
This will be Koresh's first visit to the Caribbean, but he says that as a choreographer "I'm sure I've been influenced" by the region "due to the fact that I am influenced by many different cultures and customs. I am like a sponge; I absorb different influences through food, clothes, people and music, along with the societies I have experienced."
Attendance information
Tickets to Saturday night's show at the Reichhold Center for the Arts are $35 in the covered section and $25 and $15 in the open-air seating. They are being sold in advance at the Reichhold box office, both Modern Music shops, Parrot Fish Music and Crystal and Gifts Galore on St. Thomas; and at Connections on St. John. They also may be purchased with a charge card by calling the box office, 693-1559, or online at the Reichhold Center. Web site.
For the master class on Friday, Koresh says, Simon will "show what technique we use to train and what the style of our company has come to be." Students will get exposure to sections of pieces that will be performed on Saturday with an orientation to Koresh's choreographic style. The class is open to both experienced dance students and beginners, and to adults as well as young people, and there's no limit on class size and no charge. All those wishing to take part need to do is call the Reichhold box office at 693-1559 by 4 p.m. Wednesday to register.
Those wishing to travel to St. Thomas from St. Croix can take advantage of packages put together by the Reichhold, Seaborne Airlines and several participating St. Thomas hotels. See "Pack ages available to see Koresh at Reichhold".)

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – The Koresh Dance Company is coming to St. Thomas this weekend from Philadelphia, but its roots reach much farther away and are entwined much closer to home.
Founder and artistic director Ronen Koresh and his brother, Alon, the company's executive director, were born and raised in Israel, and their family is from Yemen.
And one of the company's eight dancers on this tour is Alexander E. Simon, who was born and raised on St. Croix.
Koresh Dance will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Reichhold Center for the Arts as the theater's final off-island presentation of the 2002-03 subscription season. On Friday at 5 p.m., Simon will conduct a master class for dance students, also at the Reichhold. (For an interview with Simon, see "Dance is a calling for St. Croix's Alex Simon".)
The company, founded by "Roni" Koresh in 1991, incorporates jazz, modern, ballet and ethnic dance in its contemporary repertoire. Koresh has choreographed most of the pieces. "I enjoy creating new works!" he says. His philosophy is that "dance should combine reality with fantasy and inspire audiences to think. Dance should motivate audiences to listen to their emotions and make steps to connect to what those emotions truly are."
Dance — and all of art — "is meant to direct people in their own lives," he says. "I hope it inspires people to do great things through their actions."
As to whether dance can, or should, make political statements, Koresh answers: "Artists reflect their time. We do not judge; we represent the scenarios, so that audiences can judge and be swayed to be honest in life and its complexity."
He describes the six works to be danced on Saturday:
"Ancient Future" — "a journey through the evolution of dance from the ritual to the contemporary concert dance."
"Urban Crisis" — "a mirrored reflection of our inner-city neighborhoods and their wars."
"Sequel" — "a never-ending struggle in our journey in life to continue."
"Underwater Study No. 5" — "defying gravity."
"Grith" — "overcoming your own fears and internal battles."
"Backtracks" — "representing all reasons why I love to dance!"
Collectively, the pieces comprise a full-length work called "Past, Present and Future."
Koresh Dance Company has been hailed in its hometown — always a good sign — by The Philadelphia Weekly for its "technical knockouts" and "dance that engulfs like a brush fire."
And the online Philadelphia citypaper.net in a review speculated that Roni Koresh "must work his dancers hard. They show it when they're arrayed on stage even before the first count of the dance falls: the long, lean musculature, something taut and light in the posture. They show it in the precision with which they execute the demanding ballet moves woven into often feverishly fast-paced dance. The pique turns really prick the floor. The tour jets have height and flash to them. The 6 o'clocks (dancer on one leg lifts other leg to the back then straight up, like the hands of the clock when it's 6) are really 6 o'clocks, not good-enough 10-after-6's."
While the stars of the company "have a certain ignition factor on stage," the reviewer wrote, "there's not a weak link in the 13-member troupe."
The writer referred to Koresh's choreography as drawing heavily on "speeded-up ballet … with everything thrown in from jazz, hip-hop, maybe a little belly dancing, to the angular, ritualistic movement of Martha Graham."
A wide world of dance
The first exposure to dance that Koresh had was Yemenite folk dancing. "My family is Yemen," he says. "Everyone dances in my culture. It was part of our society as a family, as a people as a culture."
What motivated him to start studying traditional dance as a teen-ager was "a dare by a friend" who challenged him: "What, are you afraid they'll think you're bad?" He enrolled in jazz classes, and "I did great … and I feel it defined me as a person at the age of 15. I then began to take ballet and modern dance."
His modern dance training was in the Martha Graham Technique, and at the age of 16 he was invited to be in the Martha Graham Bat-Sheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv. "I joined so I could dance more," he said. "To dance as much as possible was all I cared for at that time in my life."
On reflection, he says, "I feel as if joining the company gave me more focus and made me feel special to be part of such a committed group of people. This, in turn, made me feel committed to being great."
Fortunately, he recalls, "my parents loved the idea of me getting into the arts. My father pushed me to continue and stay dedicated to my commitment to dance."
He arrived in New York at the age of 21 to study with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and was soon asked to join Philadelphia's jazz dance company Waves. He continued to train and perform throughout the 1980s but also began focusing on choreography and teaching. In 1986 he joined the faculty of the Philadelphia University of the Arts, and he continues to teach there, as well as at the Koresh Dance Center.
In considering new members for his own company, he says, "I bring in people who have honesty and truth in their work," truth that "is expressed in very unique style. Not huge statements that are overblown, but just the simple truth."
As to why he ended up putting his own roots down in Philadelphia, Koresh, now 41 and a U.S. citizen, cites both emotional and practical considerations: "Philadelphia is a city which I love. I need a place where I feel comfortable to create work, and this city offers that." But also, "I am able to afford my own space, my own school, and to afford creating my own work without that many financial struggles as if I were to be in New York City."
This will be Koresh's first visit to the Caribbean, but he says that as a choreographer "I'm sure I've been influenced" by the region "due to the fact that I am influenced by many different cultures and customs. I am like a sponge; I absorb different influences through food, clothes, people and music, along with the societies I have experienced."
Attendance information
Tickets to Saturday night's show at the Reichhold Center for the Arts are $35 in the covered section and $25 and $15 in the open-air seating. They are being sold in advance at the Reichhold box office, both Modern Music shops, Parrot Fish Music and Crystal and Gifts Galore on St. Thomas; and at Connections on St. John. They also may be purchased with a charge card by calling the box office, 693-1559, or online at the Reichhold Center. Web site.
For the master class on Friday, Koresh says, Simon will "show what technique we use to train and what the style of our company has come to be." Students will get exposure to sections of pieces that will be performed on Saturday with an orientation to Koresh's choreographic style. The class is open to both experienced dance students and beginners, and to adults as well as young people, and there's no limit on class size and no charge. All those wishing to take part need to do is call the Reichhold box office at 693-1559 by 4 p.m. Wednesday to register.
Those wishing to travel to St. Thomas from St. Croix can take advantage of packages put together by the Reichhold, Seaborne Airlines and several participating St. Thomas hotels. See "Packag es available to see Koresh at Reichhold".)

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – The Koresh Dance Company is coming to St. Thomas this weekend from Philadelphia, but its roots reach much farther away and are entwined much closer to home.
Founder and artistic director Ronen Koresh and his brother, Alon, the company's executive director, were born and raised in Israel, and their family is from Yemen.
And one of the company's eight dancers on this tour is Alexander E. Simon, who was born and raised on St. Croix.
Koresh Dance will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Reichhold Center for the Arts as the theater's final off-island presentation of the 2002-03 subscription season. On Friday at 5 p.m., Simon will conduct a master class for dance students, also at the Reichhold. (For an interview with Simon, see "Dance is a calling for St. Croix's Alex Simon".)
The company, founded by "Roni" Koresh in 1991, incorporates jazz, modern, ballet and ethnic dance in its contemporary repertoire. Koresh has choreographed most of the pieces. "I enjoy creating new works!" he says. His philosophy is that "dance should combine reality with fantasy and inspire audiences to think. Dance should motivate audiences to listen to their emotions and make steps to connect to what those emotions truly are."
Dance — and all of art — "is meant to direct people in their own lives," he says. "I hope it inspires people to do great things through their actions."
As to whether dance can, or should, make political statements, Koresh answers: "Artists reflect their time. We do not judge; we represent the scenarios, so that audiences can judge and be swayed to be honest in life and its complexity."
He describes the six works to be danced on Saturday:
"Ancient Future" — "a journey through the evolution of dance from the ritual to the contemporary concert dance."
"Urban Crisis" — "a mirrored reflection of our inner-city neighborhoods and their wars."
"Sequel" — "a never-ending struggle in our journey in life to continue."
"Underwater Study No. 5" — "defying gravity."
"Grith" — "overcoming your own fears and internal battles."
"Backtracks" — "representing all reasons why I love to dance!"
Collectively, the pieces comprise a full-length work called "Past, Present and Future."
Koresh Dance Company has been hailed in its hometown — always a good sign — by The Philadelphia Weekly for its "technical knockouts" and "dance that engulfs like a brush fire."
And the online Philadelphia citypaper.net in a review speculated that Roni Koresh "must work his dancers hard. They show it when they're arrayed on stage even before the first count of the dance falls: the long, lean musculature, something taut and light in the posture. They show it in the precision with which they execute the demanding ballet moves woven into often feverishly fast-paced dance. The pique turns really prick the floor. The tour jets have height and flash to them. The 6 o'clocks (dancer on one leg lifts other leg to the back then straight up, like the hands of the clock when it's 6) are really 6 o'clocks, not good-enough 10-after-6's."
While the stars of the company "have a certain ignition factor on stage," the reviewer wrote, "there's not a weak link in the 13-member troupe."
The writer referred to Koresh's choreography as drawing heavily on "speeded-up ballet … with everything thrown in from jazz, hip-hop, maybe a little belly dancing, to the angular, ritualistic movement of Martha Graham."
A wide world of dance
The first exposure to dance that Koresh had was Yemenite folk dancing. "My family is Yemen," he says. "Everyone dances in my culture. It was part of our society as a family, as a people as a culture."
What motivated him to start studying traditional dance as a teen-ager was "a dare by a friend" who challenged him: "What, are you afraid they'll think you're bad?" He enrolled in jazz classes, and "I did great … and I feel it defined me as a person at the age of 15. I then began to take ballet and modern dance."
His modern dance training was in the Martha Graham Technique, and at the age of 16 he was invited to be in the Martha Graham Bat-Sheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv. "I joined so I could dance more," he said. "To dance as much as possible was all I cared for at that time in my life."
On reflection, he says, "I feel as if joining the company gave me more focus and made me feel special to be part of such a committed group of people. This, in turn, made me feel committed to being great."
Fortunately, he recalls, "my parents loved the idea of me getting into the arts. My father pushed me to continue and stay dedicated to my commitment to dance."
He arrived in New York at the age of 21 to study with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and was soon asked to join Philadelphia's jazz dance company Waves. He continued to train and perform throughout the 1980s but also began focusing on choreography and teaching. In 1986 he joined the faculty of the Philadelphia University of the Arts, and he continues to teach there, as well as at the Koresh Dance Center.
In considering new members for his own company, he says, "I bring in people who have honesty and truth in their work," truth that "is expressed in very unique style. Not huge statements that are overblown, but just the simple truth."
As to why he ended up putting his own roots down in Philadelphia, Koresh, now 41 and a U.S. citizen, cites both emotional and practical considerations: "Philadelphia is a city which I love. I need a place where I feel comfortable to create work, and this city offers that." But also, "I am able to afford my own space, my own school, and to afford creating my own work without that many financial struggles as if I were to be in New York City."
This will be Koresh's first visit to the Caribbean, but he says that as a choreographer "I'm sure I've been influenced" by the region "due to the fact that I am influenced by many different cultures and customs. I am like a sponge; I absorb different influences through food, clothes, people and music, along with the societies I have experienced."
Attendance information
Tickets to Saturday night's show at the Reichhold Center for the Arts are $35 in the covered section and $25 and $15 in the open-air seating. They are being sold in advance at the Reichhold box office, both Modern Music shops, Parrot Fish Music and Crystal and Gifts Galore on St. Thomas; and at Connections on St. John. They also may be purchased with a charge card by calling the box office, 693-1559, or online at the Reichhold Center. Web site.
For the master class on Friday, Koresh says, Simon will "show what technique we use to train and what the style of our company has come to be." Students will get exposure to sections of pieces that will be performed on Saturday with an orientation to Koresh's choreographic style. The class is open to both experienced dance students and beginners, and to adults as well as young people, and there's no limit on class size and no charge. All those wishing to take part need to do is call the Reichhold box office at 693-1559 by 4 p.m. Wednesday to register.
Those wishing to travel to St. Thomas from St. Croix can take advantage of packages put together by the Reichhold, Seaborne Airlines and several participating St. Thomas hotels. See "Packages available to see Koresh at Reichhold".)

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.