Artistic and Executive Director
Ms. Klinger, along with Rosie O'Donnell, founded RTKids in 2003 and served as its first Artistic Director. She has worked, along with her talented staff, in developing and implementing the innovative musical theater programs that RTKids brings to New York City public school children. Under her leadership the program has grown from 40 students to over 1700 per year and has found a permanent home with the opening in 2009 of Maravel Arts Center on West 45th Street.
Before founding RTKids, Ms. Klinger was Artistic Associate for Jacques d'Amboise at his National Dance Institute. During her fifteen-year tenure there, she developed dance curriculums for special needs students, including blind and visually impaired students, and physically challenged and wheel-chair bound students. In addition to her work at RTKids, Ms. Klinger serves as Artistic Consultant for Richmond Ballet's outreach program, "Minds in Motion." Her work in Richmond included structuring the program to suit the community, identifying and training key personnel, advising on growth, and working with the schools to develop academically themed performances. She also founded, and still serves as advisor for the outreach program for the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet, "Reach Out And Dance" (ROAD). Ms. Klinger has been on the faculty of many New York City dance studios and has been a guest teacher at schools around the world. Prior to her work in education, Ms. Klinger was a ballet dancer with the Eglevsky Ballet. She also worked in film and theater, and was a member of Actor's Equity and Screen Actors Guild. She has a BA in dance from University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
