Meet Our Staff

Eve Wolff (she/her)

Executive Director

Eve has spent over 20 years in the NYC performing arts and arts education sectors, working in fundraising, programs, and administration and serving on the Board of Directors of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable.

Email Eve!

Ellen Claycomb (she/her)

Development Director

As the Director of Development at Dancing Classrooms, Ellen Claycomb’s passion for the arts blends with her extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising.

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Mary McCatty (she/her)

Program Director

A lifelong dancer, Mary has spent her career teaching, choreographing and performing all over the world, and first joined Dancing Classrooms as a Teaching Artist in 2005.

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Yvonne Winborne (she/her)

Education Director

Yvonne is a passionate educator, dancer, choreographer, teaching artist, and mental health advocate.

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Eva Carrozza (she/her)

Manager of DC Network & Institute, Senior Teaching Artist

Eva studied and taught Argentine Tango, Lindy Hop, and Ballroom dancing before joining Dancing Classrooms in 2004.

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Ivelisse Garcia (she/her/ella)

Senior Manager, Finance & Operations

With a long career as a dancer, fitness instructor and dance educator, Ivelisse joined Dancing Classrooms in 2008 as a Teaching Artist before becoming a full time staff member.

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Cassie Morales (she/her)

Senior Grants Manager

Cassie is a proud New Jersey native who brings her passion for dance, writing, and community impact to her role at Dancing Classrooms.

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Annamaria Diamant (she/her)

Program Manager

Annamaria is an experienced dancer and educator with over 10 years of experience working in dance studios, NYC public schools, after-school programs and early childhood movement classes.

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Victoria Malvagno (she/her)

Program Manager

A veteran of Dancing Classrooms for over 20 years, Victoria has supported students’ dance journeys as a Teaching Artist, Senior Educational Liaison, and Program Manager.

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Fara Faidzan (she/her/they/them)

Program Associate

Fara Faidzan (She/Her/They/Them) was born in Malaysia and moved to New York to pursue a degree in acting. With over a decade of experience in acting and drumming, and a strong passion for community engagement, she is now exploring the field of arts administration.

Email Fara!

Ieshia Henry (she/her)

Operations Coordinator

Ieshia gaduated from CUNY Hunter College with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Fun fact about me is that I did tap, jazz, and ballet from 4 years old through high school!

Email Ieshia!

Meet Our Senior Teaching Artists!

Akemi Kinukawa (she/her)

Akemi has been a Dancing Classrooms Teaching Artist since 2011 and is a Lindy Hop choreographer and instructor.

Aviva Bumgardner (she/her)

Aviva Bumgardner is a Brooklyn-born creative who started her first residency with Dancing Classrooms in 2009 and trained in the Dulaine Method with Pierre Dulaine himself!

Carmen Mendoza (she/her)

Carmen has been a Teaching Artist with Dancing Classrooms since 2014. She’s well-versed in many dance styles with an emphasis on the Latin dances.

Enrico Mayuga (he/him)

Enrico Mayuga has been with Dancing Classrooms since 2007. The extensive training he received from Pierre and Yvonne went beyond mere steps; he learned about the boundless possibilities that arise when one establishes a connection with a child.

Felix Pitre (he/him)

Felix has been a Dancing Classrooms Teaching Artist since 2009 and specializes in Lindy Hop and Swing dance.

Joy Grad (she/her)

Joy Grad has been teaching for Dancing Classrooms since 2013. Along with her classical training she has studied Belly dance, Japanese dance, Hip Hop dance, and many social dances.

Silvia Guerrero (she/her)

Silvia, a Brazilian native, has been teaching with Dancing Classrooms since 2005 and was trained by Pierre Dulaine.

Teaching Artists

Alexandra Kulmaviita

Beata Terrasi

Caitlin Parrish

Carolyn Cryer

Clara Samuels

Emma DeCaprio

Erica Itzkowitz

Fiona Smith

Gabrielle Kogut

Grace Cotter

Haley Haupt

Ilene Echavarria

Irene Koloseus

Isabelle Goodman

Jacob Licona

Jennifer Murmylo

Julieta Valero

Joe DeGennaro

Kate Budney

Lauren Belcher

Lisa Leonard

Manuel Rojas

Marina Vianello

Marlon Mills

Nadia Khayralla

Prisca Abosse

Ray Davis

Roberta Kastelic

Salomé Egas Charland

Vimal Pradeep Panneer Selvam

Xin Tan

Buddy Teaching Artists

Diego Ajuz

Dwayne Beach

Linda Camardo

Rachael Davidson

Kelly King

Cynthia Reitman

Board of Directors

Dr. Jephtha Tausig, Chair
Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Non-Profit Volunteer

Patrice Tanaka, Vice Chair
Founder & Chief Joy Officer, Joyful Planet LLC

Adeola Adele
Attorney and Social Impact Advocate

Ron Aizen
Counsel at Paul Weiss

Biana Arbit
Head of Client Analytics Technology, RBC Capital Markets

Yang Chen
Executive Director, Asian American Bar Association of New York

Emma Goodman
Director, Third Sector

Yash Gupta, Treasurer
Partner, Morgan Stanley Secondaries

 

Regina Hardatt, Secretary
Assistant Lower School Director for Inclusive Teaching and
Learning at the Pingry School

Carla Matero
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Honor Bound LLC

Adam Plotkin
Counsel, Hearst

Jeff M. Poulin
Managing Director, Creative Generation

Mary Prevosti Shelton
Sr. Program Manager, Publishing Editorial Operations, WebMD

Directors Emeriti

Pierre Dulaine
Founder of American Ballroom Theater and Dancing Classrooms

Otto Cappel
Co-founder of American Ballroom Theater and Dancing Classrooms

Yvonne Marceau
Co-founder of American Ballroom Theater and Dancing Classrooms

Sheila A. Hoerle

John J. Entwistle (In Memoriam)