She brings to her teaching an illustrious background which includes a career as a principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, a stint as Ballet Mistress for the Joffrey, fifteen years as a teacher at the legendary David Howard Dance Center, and guest teaching posts for major companies all over the world. 

Her barre is both a thorough warm-up and an aesthetic experience, with very specific port de bras and movements of the head. In the center, she builds from a long and lovely adagio to an exhilarating grande allegro with lots of waltzing, turning and beating in between. She plans her classes with great care and refers to her notes to make sure she covers everything she had in mind. If you become a regular, you'll benefit from the methodical progression she designs each week. 

Diana talks to all dancers as though they were getting ready to go on stage that night, as in "The audience wants to see your face!" or "In today's market, that just doesn't cut it!" There is something electric about the atmosphere that this creates. However, she also has an unerring eye for detail and gives clear, technical corrections.

The standards Diana has for her accompanists are very high. You will see each of these gifted musicians profiled in this column in the coming months. For now, suffice it to say that you will be inspired and supported musically during every class you take with Diana. 

If you're staying in midtown, getting down to 890 is admittedly a bit of a schlep. But it's well worth it, not only because of Diana's superb classes but because of the facility itself. The studios are spacious, and they are mercifully free of the support columns that make most New York studios into obstacle courses. The sprung floors all have Marley surfaces, the ceilings are high, and the dressing rooms and bathrooms are large and clean. 

In the interest of making sure you don't miss the invaluable opportunity to study with Diana, I'm going to tell you how to make the trip to 890. Let's say you're on the Upper West Side somewhere in the vicinity of STEPS, Lincoln Center and the Broadway Dance Center. Leave yourself about 45 minutes for the commute. Take the Seventh Avenue IRT subway. The 1 and 9 is the local and the 2 and 3 is the express. If you begin at a local stop, you can change for the express at 96th Street or at 72 Street. Get off at 42nd Street, Times Square. Follow the signs for the N and R line. Take the N and R downtown to 23rd Street. Walk East to Broadway and then South to 18th Street where you'll see 890 Broadway.

Incidentally, you'll be in Gramercy Park, a charming neighborhood with good shopping and excellent restaurants. I'll review some of these attractions soon.

A final note: When ABT is on hiatus, many of the company members come to Diana's open classes. Don't be intimidated! This is your chance to go across the floor with the dance world's finest, and to pick up something from the way they move.