READING, MA:  On Monday April 24, 2006 the membership committee of the Massachusetts Employer Support of the Guard and the Reserve, Col (Ret) Joseph W. Mercuri met with Ms. Gina A. Passaro, owner and director of Dancepiration, 273 Salem Street in Reading, Massachusetts.

  After a short briefing about the Massachusetts Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and the importance of our partnership with Employers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the members of the Massachusetts National Guard and Reserve Armed Forces, Ms. Passaro signed the 4 Star “Employers Statement of Support”.

  Dancepiration was opened in August 2005 by Gina A. Passaro with the assistance of another dance instructor Patricemarie Colarossi. The business teaches Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop to young enthusiastic dancers for recitals that generally occur in June. Since their opening Ms. Passaro and Ms. Colarossi have doubled their student quotas. Many of their students come from surrounding communities and have competed and have won Gold and Silver Awards in Tap and Ballet Statewide Competitions. One such young lady, Giana Edgett explained, “This has been very exciting for me, Ms. Passaro and Ms. Colarossi have made this an enjoyable experience”.

  Dancepiration mission is simple; educate our students in the art of dance. Gina A. Passaro holds a Masters Degree in Education from Cambridge College, a Bachelor of Arts with a minor in Dance from Salem State College and she teaches in the Chelsea Public School System. Gina has experience in Special Education for students with learning disabilities. This requires patience and special skill sets to give them the confidence they need to dance. She is one of the very few Dance Company’s to offer this program to students with learning disabilities.
Patricemarie Collarossi has many accomplishments and has danced at the Boston Ballet, the Granite State Ballet and has won several awards in competition. She is a certified dance teacher who makes dancing fun and enjoyable.

  Ms. Passaro also employs her Dad, Master Sergeant (MSG) Philip Passaro as the company’s chief financial officer. MSG Passaro is currently an active member of the Massachusetts National Guard for over 36 years! He works throughout the state supervising building and electrical installations in Guard Armories and State Buildings; this includes compliance with written contracts and personnel.
Ms. Passaro states, “I am proud to sign this Statement of Support for the Employers Support the Guard and Reserves (ESGR), I feel honored that I may support our men and women of the military and the hard work of this volunteer organization. My Dad and Mom have always been for my brother and I, and I know that it must have been difficult for him to be away from the family on several occasions while serving in the military for our safety and our freedoms.”

  Ms. Passaro acknowledged the tremendous effort of this all volunteer organization, whose efforts are to promote the Department of Defense Policies for the members of our Armed Forces. She also indicated that this is a terrific partnership and looks forward to a long term commitment of support.

  The nation's Reserve components (referring to the total of all National Guard members and Reserve forces from all branches of the military) comprise approximately 46 percent of our total available military manpower. The current National Defense Strategy indicates that the National Guard and Reserve will be full partners in the fully integrated Total Force.

  Our Reserve forces will spend more time away from the workplace defending the nation, supporting a demanding operations tempo and training to maintain their mission readiness.

  In this environment, civilian employers play a critical role in the defense of the nation by complying with existing employment laws protecting the rights of workers who serve in the Guard and Reserve components.

  ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. It is the lead DoD organization for this mission under DoD Directive 1250.1. Today ESGR operates through a network of hundreds of volunteers throughout the nation and Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Europe.

  It is Companys like Dancepiration of Reading, Massachusetts and employers like the Passaro Family who are forever conscious of their beginnings that make this Department of Defense Program, a successful program and what it is today!

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