 |
|
MICHAEL MINERY
is a tap dancer and choreographer of extraordinary talent, with an extensive performance resumé and teaching credits throughout North America. Mike is on the banner of major dance organizations, leads the popular SLIDE tap convention, teaches at Broadway Dance Center in NYC, and is the director of Tapaholics. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
AL BLACKSTONE
successfully combines classical dance training with an inventive approach to choreography, which is reflected in his featured roles on television and cable, stage productions in NYC and Atlantic City, and company roles that have taken him as far as Korea! Al just finished a long run in the Broadway cast of Wicked, and has been choreographing extensively. He is in great demand as a teacher and choreographer throughout the region, and currently serves on the staff of The New Dance Group Arts Center in New York. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
THANG DAO
embodies a unique combination of artistic talent and visionary movement that makes him one of the most dynamic and critically-acclaimed choreographers in the U.S. His extensive works have been commissioned by world class dance companies, including Ballet Austin and Ballet X, in Philadelphia. He is a consummate professional, having worked with renowned institutions such as Alvin Ailey, The Boston Ballet and the Boston Conservatory, and is the founder and director of the Thang Dao Dance Company, which hosts the Contemporary Dance Festival in New York City and performs his prolific works, including the newest, “Quiet Imprint.” His workshops and weekly classes at our studio help propel students to a new height in their training. Mr. Dao also holds the rare distinction of having received two consecutive Princess Grace Awards for the outstanding choreography and staging of his original pieces. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
SARA PYUN
enhances our students’ education with acclaimed choreography in jazz and lyrical genres, as well as a performance style that encompasses strength and grace in its creative message. As a former Olympian in rhythmic gymnastics, Sara continues to design artistic dance productions in our studio as well as across the U.S. and in her native South Korea. Miss Sara has continued to direct complete stage productions and musicals in Korea, all while inspiring our intermediate and advanced dancers. Her originality and dedication to her students make her an exceptional master teacher and choreographer. Since 1997 Sara, along with our other master teachers, has been the author of what is widely recognized as the signature style of the Dance Stop Dancers. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
JULIE SHULMAN FRIEDRICH
who began her training in Los Angeles, has traveled the world in her professional dance career with the American Repertory Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and other prominent companies and choreographers in Switzerland, Italy and the U.S. Julie currently teaches at the Orange County High School for the Performing Arts, has been commissioned to create a new work for Ballet Quad Cities in Illinois.
Julie is honored to be a member of the newly formed Body Traffic directed by Lillian Bitkoff and Tina Finkelman Berkett. Body Traffic has had the honor of working with such choreographers as Guy Weitzman, who hails from Israel, and more recently Alex Ketley, the director of the Foundry in San Francisco. Body Traffic will be performing this summer at the Ford Theatre in Los Angeles as well as touring to San Francisco. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
ROSEMARY SABOVICK-BLEICH
blends her mastery of ballet with over 15 years of teaching experience. She serves on the faculty of the NJ School of Ballet and with the NJ Dance Theatre Ensemble, and was the Principal Ballerina of the New Jersey Ballet Company until her retirement from the stage in 2002. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
AMELIA BONILLA
brings a new dimension to our faculty as a graduate with Scholastic Distinction from The Juilliard School. She is currently working with The Trisha Brown Dance Company, and has enjoyed performing at The Met, Joyce Theater and other venues in New York and Montreal. Her teaching experience stems from a variety of community service and dance outreach projects around the U.S. and in Peru. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
HOPE OSBORN-KRICK
provides an essential facet of our studio’s performing arts curriculum. Hope, who has garnered a long list of impressive teaching and performance credentials, including operatic, solo and choral works all over the world, offers specialized vocal classes, as well as individual training. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
NICOLE SILEO-BUNTEN
was personally trained by Miss Gina, and as a result, encourages her ballet, tap and jazz students to strengthen their fundamental skills and maximize the performance quality they exhibit in the classroom and on the stage. Her attention to detail is a hallmark of her unique teaching ability. She spearheads the Tap program at Dance Stop, and is a very important factor as we aim to provide well-rounded dancers. With consistent practice of tap, her students achieve a clear understanding of musicality, the complexities of rhythms, and the layers and textures within the music that can be revealed through percussive sounds. Miss Nicole also is proud of her performance and collaboration with Mike Minery (see above), which has definitely brought a bright new approach to the art! |
| |
|
|
 |
|
MELISSA BRAINE
presents one of the most valuable assets offered by our faculty. Because she built her dance expertise under Miss Gina’s guidance for many years, and is naturally gifted in working with the youngest dancers, she is among the first to instill a love for dance and a desire to enjoy the class experience fully. We cannot put a price on the value of Miss Melissa's specialty with these young dancers, especially when she establishes and reinforces the essential fundamentals in all genres. Miss Melissa ensures a bonding trust that helps her dancers take their first step towards the fun and freedom of dancing. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
BACK TO TOP |
| |
|
|
 |
|
JEN CARDINO
is unmatched in her enthusiasm and energy for teaching and encouraging her dancers! With the dance education she received directly from Miss Gina, this graduate of Montclair State University thoroughly commits to creating a positive classroom and stage experience, and also supports her students on a one-to-one basis. Miss Jen is an extremely popular teacher with both younger and older students because of her positive energy and sincerity. She's a perfect leader for our Dance Team! Miss Jen believes the complete package in a dancer includes good body position, strong expressiveness, and a big smile! |
| |
|
|
 |
|
BIANCA SIRIDAY
excels as a performer with her captivating stage presence, and has recently found new popularity as a young instructor. Her ability to offer personal attention and exciting dance moves makes her one of our most requested teachers! Miss Bianca is now pursuing her B.F.A. at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. As a graduate of Miss Gina's program, Bianca developed a distinctive performance style that she passes on to her students and the Dance Team, and she always makes her classes fun and exciting! |
| |
|
|
 |
|
AMANDA CILENTO
relies on her 17 years of training in jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical and acrobatics to inspire her young students. Her years as a competitive gymnast led her to a noteworthy career with the Rutgers University Dance Team, and she has become a popular acrobatics, jazz and hip hop instructor at our studio. You may catch a glimpse of Amanda on the sidelines as a professional dancer for the New Jersey Nets! |
| |
|
|
 |
|
AMANDA BELFIORE
The common qualities among our instructors include a passion for dance and an unflappable dedication for teaching young children...Add a huge smile and boundless enthusiasm and you have Miss Amanda! She has an excellent teaching record, stresses good early technique, and has valuable experience with young students. Her first year with us was a big hit, and her dancers enjoyed their class so much that they would take a good vibe home with them! We appreciate how Miss Amanda uses her own creativity to engage a child's imagination, making her a natural fit for the program Miss Gina has designed. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
OLIVIA ALVAREZ
continues our school’s emphasis on strong technical foundation and artistic development. Olivia graduated cum laude from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA with a B.A. in dance and psychology in 2010. After successful performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Joyce Theater, and the American College Dance Festival, Olivia’s choreography, “Signal Detected. Connection Error.” debuted at the 2010 Contemporary Dance Festival at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in December, 2010. Olivia recently joined the DoubleTake Dance Company in NYC, is a NJ Governor’s School of the Arts Scholar, and enjoyed spending several months studying and performing in Arezzo, Italy. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
ANTHONY RUSSO
Anthony's career began at 15, when he was offered an Equity contract in "Anything Goes," staged in St. Louis. Soon after, he was hired for the 6th national tour of Tap Dogs and continued with the show in Johannesburg-South Africa, adding the International Festival Danse Encore in Canada, and an NFL half time show (49ers VS Redskins) in 2003. Other performance and choreography credits include the Off-Brodway production of "At the Diner",” seven Off-Broadway productions of "Break The Floor," and "Iron Beats" China Tour and Tampa Bay - Busch Gardens. He has donated his talents through performance to many fund raising events including "Dance For It" for Breast Cancer, "Sidanse" for AIDS, and "Ghar Sita Mutu" for a community center in Nepal. Anthony was recently a part of the creation process for Cirque Du Soleil's vaudeville project, "Banana Shpeel", and continued with the show as a featured tap dancer in Chicago, New York, and Toronto. This show also made an appearance on "America's Got Talent" in 2009. As Co-founder and Director of the in-studio workshop, "Tap The Map," Anthony continues to spread his knowledge and passion on to the next generation. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
CARTIER WILLIAMS
Cartier is a hoofer, choreographer, filmmaker, and performer hailing from Washington, D.C. He began his tap dancing career at the age of four, learning his first tap steps from his grandmother, Audrey Williams. By six years of age, Cartier was already one of the Apollo Theater’s youngest Apollo Legends! Later that year, Cartier attended the Kennedy Center Honors, and soon after danced with tap legends Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde and Dianne Walker in the international tour of Footnotes. He considers it a blessing to have shared the stage with The Nicholas Brothers, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover and to have performed for two U.S. Presidents. Cartier has also appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, and an AFI Awards Tribute to Tom Hanks. In addition to numerous other award-winning stage and film productions, Cartier also released his first instructional DVD in 2010 entitled, Cartier Williams’ Hoofing with the Basics. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
MICHAEL VINCENT CUOMO
Michael has accumulated an impressive list of credentials, especially in his involvement with the Reachout charity, volunteering his time dancing and raising awareness about breast cancer and AIDS. The Reachout program also performs at DARE graduations throughout New Jersey. Michael’s dance experience includes a Broadway Dance Center showcase in NYC, and choreographing a piece for Z100’s Jingle Ball concert in 2000. He has danced with ‘NSync, and has choreographed for popular artists Christina Aguilera and Pink. More recently, Michael broadened his horizons by working as tour manager for WKTU’s Tina Ann’s “In My Dreams” tour. His performance credits include high profile events for Bill Gates, Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey. In addition to these experiences, Michael has choreographed for both the Knicks City Dancers and the Nets Dancers. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
ALEX SUSANTO
Alex began dancing under the guidance of his teacher, Eric Samson, and has been trained in various foundational styles of hip hop, including b-boying, popping, locking, vogue, and house. He also can perform in industry styles and freestyle. He is a core member of Beat Club Crew and has performed at Jared Grime’s “Run the Night” at B.B. King’s, “The One Show” Award Ceremony at Terminal 5, and other various events and venues. Alex has also made an appearance dancing with Tenin in a music video for her song, “HSKT.” In addition to these accomplishments, Alex continues to give back to the community through various charity shows for lupus, cancer, and cultural functions. When it comes to teaching his craft, Alex works not only to teach dance moves, but to create a fun, positive, and safe environment for his students to enjoy. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
TERESA GATTO
Is a home grown product of Dance Stop and proof of its success in training its young students. Teresa is currently working towards her degree at Mason Gross School of the Arts/Rutgers University, and is honing her skills in performance and in the administrative end of arts management. Teresa is an accomplished soloist who promotes a strong work ethic and attention to detail when she teaches Dance Stop dancers. |
| |
|
BACK TO TOP |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
| Our Fall Season runs from September through June, culminating in a Gala Performance at the New Jersey State Theater, in New Brunswick. We also hold a Summer Session, as well as the Young Artists Dance Intensive. Registration is accepted throughout the year, and can be completed in person, over the phone, or online. |
|
|
