Faculty

Lorraine Spiegler

Artistic Director, Studio Education, School & Conservatory

Ms. Spiegler has 25 years of experience in the dance field as an educator, director, and choreographer and holds a B.A. in Dance cum laude (1979) as well two Masters, in Dance and Arts Management (1991) from American University. She began her studies at the Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Mary Day and later returned (1990) as a full-time faculty member, co-founder of The Washington Ballet’s DanceDC Program, as well as the first Director of Education and Outreach from 1999-2001. Ms. Spiegler has been the Director and Choreographer of the “Music That Moves” family series with the National Symphony Orchestra at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1999 and 2003. She returns to the U.S. from Rio de Janeiro after completing numerous Brazilian-American projects. Among them, serving as a Cultural Specialist for the Consulate in Rio, choreographer-in-residence for Richard Cragun’s Ballet DeAnima, co-creating the Goucher College international study abroad course “History and Practice of Brazilian Dance,” and functioning as a dance education advisor for Centro de Movimento Deborah Colker. From 2005-2007 Ms. Spiegler worked with Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro creating and implementing a new bi-lingual “Dance and Language Project” based on her methodology, Dancing Toward Literacy.
 
Ms. Spiegler has many years of experience in teacher training and curriculum development in technique and creative studio-based programs as well as in outreach education in technique and integrated curriculum work. She has developed her own methodology "Dancing Toward Literacy". From that perspective she has created numerous programs, e.g. one that bridges African American culture and leaders with the Greek myth of Hercules, others such as “Dancing with Words” for the Washington Ballet that bridge classic children's stories and themes with famous Ballets. She has created year-long programs that center academic knowledge around a dance unit, such as Caribbean Dance/Caribbean Study for the Maryland State Arts Council; and the Dance and Language Project for Escola American do Rio de Janeiro geared towards ESL students and "The Shapes of Dance and Geometry" for public school elementary school students in Montgomery County. Ms. Spiegler works extensively with multi-cultural texts and ideas in creating and developing her programs.

Email: lorraine@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5204

Ivy Chow

Strathmore Center Manager, & Conservatory Program Manager

Ivy was born and raised in the Washington DC area.  She attended the Graduate Program at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre where she studied under Roberto Munoz, Dana Arey, Marianna Tcherkassky, Marjorie Grundvig, and Dennis Marshall.  While with PBT, she danced in Terrence Orr’s, The Nutcracker,  Sleeping Beauty, and she understudied in Dracula and Madame Butterfly.  Ivy received her degree from the Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music in Ballet Performance, where she studied under Violette Verdy, Michael Vernon, Jaques Cesbron, and Guoping Wang. While at Indiana University, she was featured in Isadora Duncan’s Many Faces of Love staged by Lori Belilove and performed in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker and Endless Night.  Other highlights include Swan Lake, staged by Cynthia Gergory; Melancholic from Four Temperaments, staged by Sandra Jennings; Walpurgisnacht, staged by Deborah Wingert; and Allegro Brilliante, staged by Russell Kaiser. Ivy was on the Pre-College Ballet faculty in Indiana University teaching classes for ages 3-18 and college ballet elective of undergraduate and graduate students.  She also attended summer programs at American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Chicago, International Summer Dance at Point Park University, Washington Ballet, Complexions in New York City, CityDance Ensemble, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco.  Ivy was invited to speak in the 2011 InterCollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association Conference at Princeton University in January, 2011.  She is very excited to be on the CityDance staff and to have the chance to share her love of dance.

Ludmila Morkovina

Ballet Mistress - CityDance Center at Strathmore

Ludmila Morkovina was born in Leningrad in 1935. Morkovina graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in 1953 and became a member of the Maly Theater of Opera and Ballet. In that same year, she was named laureate of the International Youth Festival of Students in Bucharest. During her 20 years of performing, Madame Morkovina danced numerous leading and soloist roles from classical and modern ballets, including "Swan Lake," "Firebird," "Paquita," and "Le Corsaire." She has taught at the Vaganova Ballet Academy, the Ballet Nacional de Panama, and the Ballet Sopianae in Pecs, Hungary. From 1970 to 1980, she coached and rehearsed company members of the Maly Theater. During 1989 and 1990, Morkovina taught at the Conservatory of Istanbul, Turkey. Ludmila Morkovina joined the faculty at the Academy in 1990 where she taught until joining the CityDance faculty in 2011.

Nancy Newell

On-site Manager – CityDance at DC Dance Collective

Nancy Newell has been teaching dance for more than 40 years and has a background in theater from Northwestern University. She has taught internationally as well as throughout the United States. During her career, she has choreographed more than 30 musicals. In 1998 Ms. Newell was curator of the Smithsonian series, The Women of Tap with special guest Ann Miller. In 1999 she coordinated the Smithsonian series, The Legends of Tap with Rusty Frank, Fred Kelly, and special guest Baakari Wilder. She co-sponsored the 1999 DC MetroTap Festival and has sponsored the Washington, D.C. area TAP FEST program for the past nine years. In 2002 Ms. Newell performed and taught master classes in the Czech Republic where she represented DC in the The Prague, DC, Philadelphia Tap Festival. In 2003 she returned to Prague to help celebrate National Tap Dance Day with tap dancers from around the world. In 2004 Ms. Newell traveled to Bergerac, France to teach workshops at Ecole de Danse Desha/Simone Moulin and then to Kyiv, Ukraine to teach master classes at Volodomyr Shpudeiko's Jazz Tap Dance Studio. Ms. Newell is a driving force in the D.C. metropolitan dance community. She recently spearheaded the Metro-DC Tribute to Gregory Hines. In June of 1999, she opened DC Dance Collective as a center for creativity and collaboration.

Jasmine Artis

Born and raised in Hampton, VA, Jasmine Artis is the Artistic Director of an amazing group of talented children, Mighty Shock, D.C. She is also a member of Culture Shock, D.C., Contradiction Dance, and KickRocks Crew. Through her dancing, Jasmine has had the opportunity to perform and teach all over the United States and in Canada, China, and Switzerland. Jasmine has also performed with Cirque du Soleil at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Jasmine enjoys singing, dancing, acting, modeling, and anything else that involves creativity and expression. She has a passion and gift for working with youth and teaches dance at various studios and schools throughout the DC Metro Area. Jasmine graduated from University of Maryland with a BS in Kinesiology Science. She has currently has put her post graduate studies on hold to pursue dancing as a career, but plans to acquire her PhD in Biomechanics sometime in the future. Until then, she is enjoying her current career and will continue to strive towards future goals without fear or inhibitions.

Megan Baker

A native of Tennessee, Megan began her dance training at age six with Van Metre School of Dance, under the direction of Amy Moore Morton. As a senior member of Van Metre's resident company, Appalachian Ballet Company, she had the opportunity to work with artists such as Helen Star, Allen Hineline and Cary Martin. Upon graduating high school, Megan decided to continue her dance education at Radford University, where she received her B.A. in Dance. While at Radford University she studied under Frano and Dagmar Jelinsic, Peggy Hunt, danah bella, Margaret Devaney and Inessa Plekhanova. Megan was a member of the Radford University Ballet Theatre all four years of college, performing on campus as well as for other festivals such as ACDF (American College Dance Festival). After graduating college, Megan returned home and taught Ballet and Creative Movement at her home studio, Van Metre School of Dance. In addition to teaching, she danced as a soloist for Appalachian Ballet Company, as well as performed as a guest artist with Momentum Dance Lab. Megan now works with both the In-Studio and Outreach Programs through CityDance. She has performed with CityDance2 and is also a member of the community based company, Ari-Den Dance. She is delighted about sharing her love for the art of movement with her students and colleagues in the DC area.

Lauren Borchard

Lauren Borchard, RYT, began practicing yoga in 2006 and has been teaching yoga since 2007.  She completed her Yoga Alliance certification at Tranquil Space in Washington, DC and teaches a vinyasa-based class that focuses on integrating breath and movement to enhance a student’s understanding and experience of each moment.  She continues to develop her practice and her teaching at Tranquil Space and Willow Street Yoga Center.  Lauren has also taught dance for various area studios and outreach programs; currently, she teaches yoga, intro to dance, and modern.  She has performed with several local choreographers and companies, currently with the Glade Dance Collective.  By day, Lauren is a historian with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

Taurus Broadhurst

Bio coming soon.

Bethany Conklin CityDance Center at DC Dance Collective

Bethany grew up in San Diego where she trained in jazz, tap, ballet, and Broadway jazz. She began choreographing musicals at the age of 16. Bethany attended Temple University in Philadelphia where she studied English but never gave up her passion for dance. After college, Bethany moved to the DC area and founded the dance program at Capitol City Public Charter School. She has been teaching creative movement, jazz, and Hip Hop classes at studios in the region for eight years. Bethany has danced with Expansion Dance Project, Washington Talent Agency, and is currently performing with Afta Shock. She is excited to be in her second season with CityDance as a jazz and Hip Hop teacher.

Rachel DiLeo

Rachel grew up in Pine Bush, NY where she began her dance training at the Mitchell Performing Arts Center, under the direction of Sharon Mitchell.  She received her Associates of Arts degree in Dance from Dean College and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  While at Dean College, Rachel performed with She-Figured Dance, a modern company under the direction of Jil Matriciano, based out Martha’s Vineyard.  She was also a part of the college’s ballet and jazz company and graduated Phi Theta Kappa honor society.  While at school at UNCG, Rachel was a member of Cyrus Arts Productions under the direction of Duane Cyrus (former member of both Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham Dance Companies.)  She was also a member and captain of the collegiate dance team, the Spartan G’s and has opened for recording artists such as Mya, Jagged Edge, and Fabolous. Rachel continued her study of the movement of the human body and became a Certified Massage Therapist and practices Deep Tissue and Swedish Massage. She specializes in providing theraputic bodywork to dancers and has worked with principal dancers of the Moscow Ballet. Rachel continues to nurture her love for the arts and dance through her teaching in both Outreach settings in DC as well as at CityDance Center.

Constance Dinapoli

Asanga Domask CityDance Center at DC Dance Collective

Asanga Domask grew up in Sri Lanka, where she devoted most of her childhood to the art of traditional Kandyan and Low Country dance under prominent dance masters, including Nandana Balasuriya, Kulasiri Budawaththa Chitrasena and Vajira, and Gyana Magammana. Ms. Domask completed her Gandharva exams in Kandyan and Low Country dance conducted by the Sri Lankan Education Department. She has performed in countless national performances and has won solo and group awards in national competitions in Sri Lanka. In July 1993, she performed her Arangethram, known as Kala Eli Mangalya in Kandian dance, which is a high achievement in the field of dance. Ms. Domask received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Mary Baldwin College and soon thereafter began working at the World Wildlife Fund. Ms. Domask left WWF to pursue her passion for dance and completed her Master of Arts in Dance from the American University in 2006 with a thesis focused on Sri Lankan classical dance preservation. Over the years, Ms. Domask has been a teacher, performer, dancer, and a choreographer. Ms. Domask has taught creative movement, early childhood dance, modern and Sri Lankan dance at various studio programs. She has also worked with many renowned choreographers including Vladimir Angelov, Peter Dimuro and Elizabeth Johnson, and has choreographed and performed in many events in the greater DC area, including Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, AU dance concerts, Sri Lankan Embassy events, Joy of Motion Choreographic Showcase, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Capital Fringe Festival, American College Dance Festival, and the American Performing Arts Presenters Conference in NYC.

Sarah Ewing

Sarah Ewing was born in Melbourne, Australia. She trained at the New
Zealand School of Dance, Marie-Walton Mahon Dance Academy and Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Sarah has participated in work experience programs with Chunky Move, Australia, and Malaika Kusumi Ballet Theatre, Germany.  She has participated in summer programs with LA Contemporary Dance Company, Janice Garrett & Dancers, Kunst-Stoff and ODC Dance. Sarah moved to the United States in 2006 to pursue her career in dance.  She performed for two seasons with both Washington
Reflections Dance Company and El Teatro de Danza Contemporañea de El Salvador, DC. Most recently she has performed as a guest with the CityDance Ensemble. Sarah has taught at the Dance Institute of
Washington, and currently teaches at CityDance, both the Strathmore and DC Dance Collective Studios. She is currently studying her BA of Art History, and has been selected to choreograph in the 2011 Eureka Dance Festival.

Dina Fadeyeva

Ms. Fadeyeva was born in Almaty, Kazahstan. She trained at the acclaimed Almay State Ballet Academy studied under Galina Gorskaya. After graduating in 1986 she became a member of the Almaty State Theater of Ballet and Opera. In 1989, she went to Moscow, Russia to study at the GITIS Choreographic Institute where she studied under Marina Semynova; she graduated in 1994. From 1990-1996, Ms. Fadeyeva taught at the Moscow Institute of Contemporary Dance as well being a guest artist with many companies in Moscow. In 1996, Ms. Fadeyeva went back to Almaty State Ballet Academy to continue her career in teaching, as well as to teach at the Almaty Institute of Contemporary Dance. In 1997 she founded the School of Flamenco Dance. After participated in International Festival of Traditional Dance of Flamenco in Almaty in 2000 her school won the Grand Prix. In addition, many of Ms. Fadeyeva’s students won prizes in International Ballet Competitions in Moscow, Budapest, Lausanne, and Varna. From 2000–2005, Ms. Fadeyeva participated in many World Cup Championships as a choreographer for the National Synchronous Swim Team. In 2005, she choreographed her own production for Almaty State Theater of Ballet and Opera “Triumph of Athena” with music by Mahler. That same year, Ms. Fadeyeva accepted a teaching position with Ballet Royale in Maryland and came to the United States. From 2006-2009 she had the opportunity to choreograph many productions such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, “Stars & Stripes”, “The Nutcracker”, “Carmen”, and “Frankenstein”.

Elizabeth Gahl

Elizabeth Gahl is a graduate of Georgetown University with a BA in Psychology with minors in Theology and Pre-Medicine. As a scholarship student with the Washington School of Ballet, she frequently danced with the Washington Ballet Company in soloist and corps de ballet roles and performed principal roles in school productions. Awards and recognitions include the Lisa Gardiner Scholarship Award from the Washington School of Ballet, the Grand Pris Award at the Philadelphia Regional Competition of Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in 2002, and WUSA-TV's Amazing Kids in 2001. In March 2009, she won Best Choreographer at the YAGP Regional Competition in Torrington, CT. Liz's choreography has been performed at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater and Millenium Stage, the YAGP Competition, the Concert Hall at Strathmore, and the Peabody Institute's Spring Showcase at Friedberg Hall. Liz created a collaborative piece for 15 American dancers from CityDance Center and 15 Palestinian dancers ages 9-14 performed during the Palestine Youth Cultural Tour of the US in June 2011. She has danced with CityDance Ensemble and continues to work at the CityDance Conservatory at Strathmore as a teacher and choreographer.

Therese Gahl

Therese Gahl received her ballet training from the Washington School of Ballet and while she was a scholarship student in the Pre-professional program, she performed in various productions with the Washington Ballet Company. Before attending college at George Mason University, she spent one year working as a member of Ballet West II in Salt Lake City. There, she performed in many ballets, including Prokovksy’s Three Musketeers, Balanchine’s Serenade and Stars and Stripes. She is currently undergraduate student at George Mason University, pursuing a Bachelor of the Arts in psychology. She began teaching Ballet and Creative Movement at CityDance in September 2008. In addition, she teaches Creative Movement at Maryland Youth Ballet and Jazz, Modern and Ballet at Virginia Ballet Theater.

Jason Ignacio

Jason Garcia Ignacio was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. In 2001, Jason moved to the United States upon receiving a scholarship with Ballet Hispanico of NY, the School of Alvin Ailey and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance while performing principal roles with works by Martha Graham with the Graham II and travelling around the US. In 2007 Jason joined CityDance Ensemble where he starred as Mowgli in Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Books” and performed principal roles domestic and abroad. His success with CityDance Ensemble earned him the 2009 Mayor’s Arts Award for “Outstanding Emerging Artist”, and the 2009 Metro DC Dance Award for “Outstanding Individual Performance.” In 2008 Washingtonian Magazine named Jason Garcia Ignacio as one of Washington DC’s “Top 20 Showstoppers” and the Embassy of The Philippines awarded him the “PEARL Cultural Heritage Award” for his excellence in the field of performing arts. Jason is also the recipient of the “Heritage Award” from 2009 DAKILA Awards presented by the Philippine American Foundation for Charities, Inc. and the “Most Outstanding Award in Performing Arts” presented by the Migrant Heritage Commission. His works have been presented at the Helen Hayes Gallery of The National Theatre, Dance Place, INTERSECTIONS A New America Arts Festival, The DC Commission on The Arts and Humanities’ Dance DC Festival, and Dance Bethesda Dance Concert. In 2009 he won the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts Local Dance Commissioning Project for his choreography “The Mountain.” His teaching credits include Ballet Hispanico of NY, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Maryland Youth Ballet, American Community School (Abu Dhabi), CityDance Ensemble’s Professional Summer Intensive (2009 & 2010), Towson University, Sarreyet Modern Dance Company in Ramallah, Choreography Institute in Kazakhstan and Shenandoah University. He works as a faculty member of CityDance Conservatory since 2008 and occasionally teaches company classes for CityDance Ensemble. 

Kate Jordan

Kate Jordan is a performer, choreographer and teacher who finds the ability to passionately have these three loves an essential blessing. She currently dances for Karen Reedy Dance and DancEvert. Since moving to DC in 2007, Kate has also worked closely with CityDance2 and BosmaDance as well as performed in projects with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and Deviated Theatre. Her choreography has been in repertory of CityDance2, Perpetual Motion/Modern Dance Oklahoma, presented internationally at the Dance Forms Productions 47th International Choreographers' Showcase in Guatemala, featured four consecutive times at the Philadelphia Dance Collective showcase at The Painted Bride, as Flash Mob for 2010 Dance Metro/DC Dance is the Answer Week, at the Norristown Dance Festival and the Eureka Dance Festival. Kate also holds an M.F.A. in Dance from the State University of New York at Brockport and is the Co-Director/Founder of the Eureka Dance Festival. She is delighted to be in her fourth year as a teacher at CityDance Center at Strathmore. www.katejordan.net

Anatoli Kucheruk

Anatoli Kucheruk was born in the Ukraine and studied dance throughout Eastern Europe.  He was educated at the Ballet Academy in Kiev, Ukraine and the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia.  He graduated with a Ballet Soloist Diploma and soon began touring in places such as Australia, Holland, New Zealand, Germany, Turkey, Israel, England, India, Austria, South Korea, France, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States.  In 1986, Anatoli was invited for a special appearance with The Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet.  He worked with dancers from the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the Kirov Theater in St. Petersburg, including, Asaf Messerer, Marina Kondratieva, Shamil Yagudin, Boris Akimov, Mikhail Lavrovsky, Sonia Arova, Natalia Bessmertnova, Yuriy Vladimirov, Nadejda Pavlova, Nina Semizorova, Oleg Vinogadov, and Miro Popovich. Anatoli has performed and worked with the Los Angeles Ballet, Ballet West, the Russian Ballet Institute, Murray Ballet Center, La Jolla Festival Dance Center, the State of Alabama Ballet, the Ventura Ballet of California, Birmingham Southern College Spring Dance Concert, and the Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, D.C.  Among many awards and recognitions received, Anatoli was given the honor of being the first Soviet dancer to perform Balachine’s Allegro Brillante in America.

Kaitlin Madzelan

Kaitlin Madzelan is a native of the Washington DC metro region where she received her dance training at the Washington School of Ballet under Mary Day.  She graduated with Honors from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN with a BFA in Dance Performance and also trained overseas with the National Taiwan University of the Arts in Taipei, Taiwan and in St. Petersburg, Russia.  She has taught at a number of schools including Ballet Theatre of Maryland, the Studio of Ballet Arts and the Jeraldine School of the Dance in Dayton, OH.  Kaitlin has also danced professionally with Dancin' Unlimited Jazz Company in Fairfax, VA and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's second company in Dayton, OH and has danced CityDance's Early Arts Education Company.

Christopher K. Morgan

Christopher K. Morgan is a choreographer, performer, and arts facilitator who divides his time between New York and Washington, DC. His work stems from a belief in the urgency of art in an increasingly isolating, commercial, and digital world. Said to be "charming and poignant" by The New York Times, he has been presented in Germany, Lithuania, Ireland, Poland, Hong Kong, and throughout the U.S. In addition to his work for CityDance Ensemble, Christopher creates work through New York based pick up dance company Muse, which he founded in 2005. Christopher is also the Director of the Dance Omi International Dance Collective, an annual three week collaborative residency for professional dancer/ choreographers. Teaching credits include Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Shawbrook (Ireland), Iwanson Schule (Munich), Stephens College, Western Kentucky University, and lectures for the Alliance of Artist Communities, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, New York City Ballet’s Education Department, and Dance Theater Workshop.  He recently served on an NEA funding panel. Performing credits include David Gordon, Fabulous Beast Dance Theater (Ireland/UK), Malashock Dance & Co., Verb Ballets, Selfish Shellfish (Germany), as a soloist with the Washington National, Houston Grand, San Diego and New York City Operas, and continued work as a Guest Artist for the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.

Rob Priore

Robert J. Priore is currently dancing with DC-based modern company City Dance Ensemble, where he has the honor of dancing works by Gregory Dolbashian, Paul Taylor, Kate Weare, Alex Neroal, Christopher K Morgan and Paul Gordon Emerson. Previous to dancing at City Dance Ensemble, Robert spent a year dancing in Dayton, Ohio with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2 under the direction of Shonna Hickman-Matlock. While dancing for the second company Robert danced works by Crystal Michelle Perkins, Rodney Brown, William B. McClellan Jr., Marlayna Locklear and Shonna Hickman-Matlock. He has also been commissioned to set two full-length original works for Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's 2010-2011 season. Robert received a BFA in jazz dance from Point Park University in 2009. During college he really began to explore his choreographic mind, having set seven different pieces on the Conservatory Dance Company. One of Robert's works was chosen to represent Point Park University at the American College Dance Festival. Since college, Robert has continued to pursue his choreography and is quickly being recognized as a new rising talent in the dance world.

Helen Rea

Helen Rea was first influenced by her mother, who performed with Hanya Holm and Martha Graham. Ms. Rea performed for eight years with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and co-directed Duets, etc., a modern dance repertory company that performed a diverse body of work including dances by local choreographers Liz Lerman, Sally Nash, and Cathy Paine, as well as non-local dancers Marta Renzi, Hannah Kahn, Victoria Marks, and Kei Takei. Duets, etc. performed extensively in junior and senior high schools under the auspices of Young Audiences of Washington, D.C. In her 25 years as a dance educator, Ms. Rea has developed her own unique style of teaching that incorporates her interest in body therapies and movement education as well as her broad background in modern dance. She was greatly influenced by the Bartenieff Fundamentals and her training as a certified teacher of The Alexander Technique. These gave her new insight into what is really important about teaching students to dance with less strain and greater fluidity. She began studying Craniosacral Therapy in the early 1980s and discovered more ways of gaining greater ease and comfort. In 2001, Ms. Rea completed an additional two-year program and is currently an RCST, Registered Craniosacral Therapist. She maintains a private practice in Silver Spring, Maryland and at The Center for Natural Cures in Bethesda, Maryland.

Orit Sherman

Orit Sherman has devoted herself to dancing for 30 years and teaching for the past 14 years. As a native of Israel she began her dance training at a young age at Swhizer Dance Center, it is here that she had the opportunity to study with artists such as Amir Kolben, Nimrod Frid, and Rina Gluk. After earning her Bachelor’s of Dance Education (B.Ed.) at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Orit began her career teaching dance and movement. She has continued her work for the past fourteen years both here in the USA and abroad in her native homeland of Israel. Since her arrival to the US, she has worked for CityDance Center in Bethesda, and has designed educational curriculum for children with dance as the core around literacy, science and language. Orit is the founder and artistic director of Ari-den Dance Company who made its Washington DC evening premier at the CHAW Theater in July 2010. Works have also been showcased at Dance Project DC 2009, Eureka Dance Festival 2009&2010, Anatomy of a work o Art Takoma Park, The Dinner Party, New Releases Showcase at Dance Place and Dance New Amstertdam’s e.da.co in NYC. Orit is also and the co-founder of the Eureka Dance Festival held in Washington, DC. Orit believes that the creation of dance is a process of self-expression that she uses to convey a genuine and down to earth message. Orit credits her inspiration to the people closest to her especially her daughters and husband. To learn more you are welcome to visit her website: http://www.ariden-dance.com/

Patina Strother

Patina started her dance career at the tender age of four in the city of Philadelphia, where she is originally from. She has performed with the St. Thomas Dance Exchange Program, Empowerment Through the Arts, and the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco). She now resides in Maryland where she received her B.A. in Dance from the University of Maryland, College Park, along with a Dorothy Madden Scholarship for choreography. Patina is currently a co-founder and dancer of Liaison Movement Ink., and she dances with several companies including: Soul In Motion, Malcolm-X Dancers & Drummers, Taurus Broadhurst Dance Company, and she is a former member of Coyaba Dance Theater and Lesole’s Dance Projects. While dancing with these companies, Patina is teaching at The Arc (Washington School for Girls), Joy of Motion, Princess Mhoon Dance Institute, and local schools, dance companies, and churches in the DMV. Through all of these experiences, she is grateful to be one of the Afro-Modern teachers here at CityDance.

Chitra Subramanian

Chitra Subramanian grew up in Pittsburgh and has been dancing since she was 7 years old. She was formally trained in Bharathanatyam, a South Indian dance style, for over 12 years.  Ms. Subramanian attended Allegheny College and completed her Masters in Arts in Arts Management at American University.  Ms. Subramanian started delving into hip hop and other dance styles while in college, and choreographed for student-led productions.  She started her dance teaching career in Pittsburgh where she taught youth and adult Hip Hop classes, and coordinated and produced a large dance showcase, "I-Mission," featuring local artists.  Since moving to DC in 2002, Ms. Subramanian has immersed herself in DC's hip hop culture and arts, and has continued teaching at many studios/programs including DC Dance Collective, Facilitating Leadership in Youth, Sitar Center for the Arts, M.O.M.I.E, and CityDance Center.  She produced a youth-led theater project, "Us by Us," and has also choreographed for musicals and theater productions while in graduate school.  She has performed with DCypher and is currently dancing with Culture Shock Dance Troop Washington, DC.  Ms. Subramanian has a deep passion for teaching young people, performing, and most importantly learning and training in all hip hop dance styles.  Currently, she is the Deputy Director at M.O.M.I.E, Inc, a DC-based nonprofit education organization.

Diana Tokaji

Diana Tokaji received her first teaching certification in 1984 from the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco under Swami Nischalananda.  She continued her studies at the Iyengar Institute with masters Judith Lasater, Arthur Kilmurray, and Donna Farhi, and later in the Anusara tradition with John Friend.  In 1996, Ms. Tokaji completed certification as a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy practitioner and in 1998 received her Pilates Mat certification.  She began the yoga programs at Joy of Motion and Gallaudet University and established the Pilates program with Roberta Stiehm at Willow Street Yoga Center where she taught yoga fulltime for five years.  She taught seniors for Montgomery County Department of Recreation and currently specializes in one-on-one sessions for individuals with a range of special needs.  A dancer and published writer, Ms. Tokaji is the mother of two boys and a lifetime student of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.

Sergei Vladimirov

Born in Russia, Sergei Vladimirov studied at the Bolshoi Ballet School under the tutelage of O. Ilina and M. Martirosian. Upon graduation in 1983, Sergei began work with the Novosibirsk Theater of Opera and Ballet with artistic director, V. Budaring, who described Sergei as “a talented dancer, soft, flexible, and extremely well coordinated.” In 1988, Sergei received an award at the Moscow International Ballet Competition. Sergei was a member of Moscow Ballet and a principal guest artist with such companies as Washington Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Baltimore Opera Company, Central City Opera, Trainwreck dance Company, Kimberly Macon Dance Company, Howard County Ballet, and Manassas Ballet Company. His experience allowed him to gain lead roles in Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Peer Gynt, Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, Cinderella, Spartacus, and Peter Pan. Sergei has worked as a teacher at Howard County Ballet, The Maryland Baller Theater Academy, Carol County Ballet, Kinetics Dance Theatre, Spotlight, and C&C.

Vikki Weinberger

Vikki Weinberger has had a passion for rhythm and dance since she learned how to walk.  She finds joy inspiring others about dance, and has been teaching since the age of 13.  Vikki currently teaches Hip Hop, Tap, Jazz, and Broadway Jazz throughout the DC Metro area.  She’s been on faculty at the CityDance Center at Strathmore since its inception in 2006.  Vikki’s choreographed for many companies including CityDance Ensemble and CityDance Select, DCypher Dance Hip Hop company, Metropolitan Youth Tap Ensemble (MYTE), Dancemakers Inc. platinum winning competitive team, Young at Heart, and coached the Greater Washington Maccabi Dance Team(2010).  While attending American University (2000-’04), she choreographed many works, was V.P., and helped to establish the still thriving dance organization AU In Motion.  She currently is Director of Joy of Motion Dance Center’s youth Tap Company Soles of Steel, since 2006.  Vikki’s performed and showcased choreography at many area venues including The Kennedy Center, The White House, Carter Baron, Dance Place, Lincoln Theater, The Metro DC Dance Awards, the National Mall, Midtown Nightclub, and on NBC 4 and ABC 7.  Some show credits include her Broadway debut at Lincoln Center in Broadway's Greatest Showstoppers with Marvin Hamlisch and the NY Philharmonic, dancing at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Strathmore Hall with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Pops Goes Vegas, being a featured dancer and tap soloist at the Horatio Alger Awards hosted by Ed McMahon, appearing in Mason/Rhynes Productions Black Expressions: Hip Hop Festival and competing in Culture Shock DC’s East Coast Dance Competition with DCypher Dance, and tapping with Tappening at The Atlas Performing Arts Center in Against the Grain and in Philadelphia PA as part of the Philly TAP Challenge “On Fire!”.  Vikki tapped with Heidi Schultz’s Tappening from 2000-2008, and currently dances with hip hop company DCypher Dance since 2006, with MetroTAP Tap Company since 2008, and regularly through D.A.R.E. America, performing at numerous schools throughout the area educating kids about substance abuse and the positive effects of dance and arts in the community.  Vikki believes that you always gotta follow where the beat leads you!

Alice Wylie

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