Meet Our Senior Teaching Artists!
Eva Carrozza (she/her)
Eva studied and taught Argentine Tango, Lindy Hop, and Ballroom dancing before joining Dancing Classrooms in 2004.
Felix Pitre (he/him)
Felix has been a Dancing Classrooms Teaching Artist since 2009 and specializes in Lindy Hop and Swing dance.
Silvia Guerrero (she/her)
Silvia, a Brazilian native, has been teaching with Dancing Classrooms since 2005 and was trained by Pierre Dulaine.
Akemi Kinukawa (she/her)
Akemi has been a Dancing Classrooms Teaching Artist since 2011 and is a Lindy Hop choreographer and instructor.
Our Staff
Nancy Kleaver (she/her)
Nancy has worked for over two decades to make arts learning equitable for all children and has a track record of leading organizations through times of growth and change.
Eve Wolff (she/her)
Eve has spent over 20 years in the NYC performing arts and arts education sectors and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable.
Diana Pettersen (she/her)
A former Dancing Classrooms teaching artist, Diana is a dancer, educator of NYC youth, and founder of Sans Limites Dance company.
Yvonne Winborne (she/her)
Yvonne is a passionate educator, dancer, choreographer, teaching artist, and mental health advocate.
Ivelisse Garcia (she/her/ella)
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.
Mary McCatty (she/her)
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.
Annamaria Diamant (she/her)
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.
Victoria Malvagno (she/her)
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.
Lu Mejia (she/her)
Lu Mejia (she/her) is a bilingual, professional dancer, content editor, writer and photographer from Bogotá, Colombia based in New York City, who is looking to make an impact and direct change through arts, culture and community spaces.
Ieshia Henry (she/her)
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!
Teaching Artists
Alima Traore
Annika Hileman
Anri Nakano Green
Aviva Bumgardner
Barbara Barr
Beata Terrasi
Carmen Mendoza
Carolyn Cryer
Catherine Correa
Coco (Christina) Smith
Cynthia Reitman
Dwayne Beach
Enrico Mayuga
Erin Bomboy
Frank Aparis
Ginger Tidwell-Walker
Isabelle Goodman
Jacob Licona
Jasmine Oton
Jennifer Murmylo
Juanita Winston
Julieta Valero
Konnor Davis
Laura Carella
Lauren Belcher
Lisa Leonard
Lucia Flexer-Marshall
Marlon Mills
Michael Blevins
Michelle Tulloch
Nadia Khayralla
Nia Robertson
Ray Davis
Rachael Davidson
Sam Woo
Xin Tan
Yesenia Paula
Mary Suk
Yloy Ybarra
Yolette Yellow Duke
Buddy Teaching Artists
Diego Ajuz
Lou Brockman
Linda Camardo
Shelby Joy Cole
Manuel Rojas
Norman Shipman
Board of Trustees
Patrice Tanaka, Chair
Founder & Chief Joy Officer, Joyful Planet LLC
Harry Chung, Treasurer
Realtor, Douglas Elliman Real Estate and Non-Profit Volunteer
Biana Arbit, Secretary
Director, Data Analytics, Global Markets Technology at Credit Suisse
Ron Aizen
Counsel at Paul Weiss
Yang Chen
Executive Director, Asian American Bar Association of New York
John J. Entwistle
Retired Military, Corporate Executive and Real Estate Entrepreneur
Maggie Gubala
Business Owner
Rheanna Gaskin
Senior Project Manager, Vice Media Group
Regina Hardatt
Assistant Lower School Director for Inclusive Teaching and Learning at the Pingry School
Sheila A. Hoerle
Artist and Philanthropist
Vrinda Mishra
Head of Trade Marketing, Wella
Lorraine Peoples
Retired Chief Audit Executive
Dr. Jephtha Tausig
Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Non-Profit Volunteer
Honorary
Pierre Dulaine
Founder of American Ballroom Theater and Dancing Classrooms, Board Member Emeritus
Yvonne Marceau
Co-founder of American Ballroom Theater and Dancing Classrooms, Board Member Emeritus
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Accessibility(IDEA) Working Group
Diego Ajuz
Nancy Kleaver
Enrico Mayuga
Marlon Mills
Patrice Tanaka
Eve Wolff
Marielle Young