Classes + Programs

Lesley Adjetey Klufio , a native of Ghana, began dancing hip-hop at the age of 11. Adjetey studied under his uncle, a winner of the World Dance Championship, until age 18, when he decided to branch out and add Ghanaian traditional dance to his repertoire.

With his new goals in mind, Adjetey became a principal dancer for Ghana’s National Dance Company, the Ghana Dance Ensemble, in record time. He was awarded Best Dancer, 2007-2008, for his work in hip-hop and traditional dance. Adjetey danced with the Ghana Dance Ensemble for over nine years, working with some of Ghana’s most elite dance pioneers and professionals including:  F. Nii Yartey (Director, Noyam Dance Institute); Professor Ofosu Adinku (School of Performing Arts, Legon); David Amoo (Director of National Theater Dance Company of Ghana); and Choreographer Bright Terry Ofosu.

Adjetey has also worked with international choreographers like Sheron Wray University of Irvine, California), Brain Jeffery (University of Alaska), Ammadu Sulamana (Dance company of Senegal), Chuck Davis (Director Dance Africa), and H Patton( Director, Inspired Africa, UK). Adjetey has worked as an assistant choreographer to the All African cup of nations in Ghana, also as (2008) ,Co-Director of the Creative Team for Ecowas Games Opening Ceremony (GADEC)  (2012) and Art Consultant/Choreographer for the World Vision Organization (NGO) (2011). He has been toSouth Africa, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Botswana and Guinea, to learn and participate in some of their dance festivals.

After relocating to the United States in 2012, Adjetey has become a sought after performer and teacher. The New York Times mentioned him as “both spectacular and subtle” for his performances with Dance Africa, (NYC , Texas and Carlifonia). Adejety is currently an Adjunct faculty at the Ann Arundel community college and a choreographer for the Soul In Motion Dance and drummers company. Adjetey owns a dance company located in the DMV area (Rythmswithin). Adejetey also teaches in the DC public schools as well as multiple studious and two dance schools with City Dance Conservatory and the Madeira dance company.

Adjetey has taught many master classes across the country at schools like the University of North Texas, The Brokport University In New York, Ann Arundel community College and has toured with multiple dance companies.  Adejety has also performed at some of the prominent theaters in the states like; The Kennedy Center, The Appolo theater, The Bam In New York. In 2012 The New York Times mention Adjetey klufio as being spectacular

Born in Washington DC, Alice began her dance training with Jane Bittner and trained extensively with several other renown teachers including Dawei Zhang, Suzanne Farrell, Patricia McBride, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Violette Verdy, and Truman Finney. She attended Indiana University's prestigious School of Music where she received her Bachelor of Science in Ballet and French. Alice began her professional career as an apprentice with Ballet Austin. She went on to dance with Kim Robards Dance in Denver, with whom she later joined as a guest artist at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Alice danced for eight seasons with Washington DC’s CityDanceEnsemble, performing, touring, and teaching internationally throughout the Middle East, Eastern Europe, South America, Russia, and Eurasia. She then served as Rehearsal Director for Christopher K. Morgan and Artists from 2012-2013. Alice is an ABT® Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Currently, Alice teaches ballet at CityDance and she is an Adjunct Professor of Ballet at American University. She is also an E-RYT500 through Yoga Alliance and teaches yoga and pilates mat throughout the DC area.

About Nino
Originally from Baltimore, Nino started dancing in 2003. Labeled as a street dancer but not limited to, he trained in various styles of Hip-Hop. In 2006 he began his Dance career and had his first official battle at the Sky Lounge. By becoming a part of such a diverse dance community, this ignited his passion for dance and competition. In 2008 he began training in Krump and Break dancing. In 2010 he was inducted into DVC, formally known as The Deadly Venoms Crew. In 2011 he competed in numerous All-Styles and Top Rock battles and was also the featured dancer in a music video. In 2013 he was a showcase street performer in the production “Working America” and later that year went on to perform on his biggest stage yet, WDSF World games 2013 Kaohsiung (World Dance Sport Federation). He was a part of the US lead HipHop team. Most recently he performed for an audience made up of many of his peers along with onlookers that love the art for its raw form at the JoJo Diggs event Diggs Deeper. He is now a HipHop and Break dance instructor/ choreographer and leading the Allstyles division of his crew DVC known as “Venom Soul”. Looking for the next person young or old that wants to learn… or the next dancer that wants to battle…

Kyoko Ruch is a dancer/choreographer/dance educator in the DC area.  She is currently dancing with Company E and has performed with many other companies including Richmond Ballet, Helen Simoneau Danse, Company Danzante, Robert J. Priore and Gin Dance Company. Kyoko trained at the Classical Ballet Theatre in Virginia under the direction of Cynthia Donovan.  She pioneered in the Virginia Commonwealth University/Richmond Ballet trainee joint program and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography with a concentration in performance. She has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, and has toured to Yekaterinburg, Russia and Havana, Cuba with Company E on a mission of cultural diplomacy.  Kyoko began her choreographic endeavors upon graduation from VCU while still pursuing her performing career. She is happy to be a part of the CityDance team.  

Therese Gahl received the crux of her dance training from the Washington School of Ballet under the tutelage of Mary Day. When she was a young student, one of her many influential instructors in the program included Lorraine Spiegler. In 2007, she became a member of Ballet West II in Salt Lake City. She graduated with cum laude honors from George Mason University, where she received a Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology. In 2011 she started working at CityDance and has had many roles in the institution and has since expanded to teaching classes in ballet, pointe, modern and jazz. She has recently worked with a number of the Conservatory students in presenting her choreographic work at Sidney Harman Hall and the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC. In 2017, she completed her diploma certification for Dance ICON Smart USA Method, International Consortium for Advancement in Choreography, founded by Vladimir Angelov. This fall she will be setting her own choreographic works at such institutions including Towson University and Georgetown University. In addition, she is a performing artist with Shu Chen Cuff’s Gin Dance Company and Stephanie Droycott’s Motion X Dance. She is looking forward to another great year as part of CityDance School & Conservatory.

Mackenzie Shimon began competing in dance competitions across Southern California at the age of six, in jazz and tap. In her teens, she trained with Emmy-nominated and American Choreography Award-nominatee Monie Adamson, known for her work with Warner Bros. programming Family Matters, Step by Step, and MAD TV. She worked with Tim Stevenson, known for his choreography of music videos and tours for Jennifer Lopez, Destiny’s Child, and Mandy Moore. While in high school, Shimon was asked to choreograph for her high school’s award-winning musicals and her former elementary school’s musicals, both of which both produced Broadway and Hollywood performers. Mackenzie was selected to serve as dance captain and main choreographer for her high school varsity dance team alongside Gigi Torres, who is now one of the industry’s leading hip hop teachers and choreographers. In college, Mackenzie began training and choreographing in contemporary and hip hop. After graduating from James Madison University with a Minor in Dance, Mackenzie began training solely in hip hop in Washington, DC. Since 2010, Mackenzie has performed at The Kennedy Center, The White House, The Verizon Center, and in concerts in NYC, NJ, and PA. Mackenzie has always felt passionate about dance and hopes to help her students of all ages and styles grow, both technically and in their love for dance.

Colleen Kerwin began her ballet training in her home state of Maryland. She attended local studios until she entered The Baltimore School for the Arts. She also participated in the Kennedy Center Master Class Series, taking master classes with esteemed teachers from visiting ballet companies. After high school Colleen attended Indiana University's Jacobs School of a Music where she received a Bachelor of Science in Ballet with an Outside Field in Arts Management. During her time at IU she studied with acclaimed dancer and teacher Violette Verdy and other various faculty members and guest teachers. She also was chosen to teach for the Pre-College department where she taught ballet for four years. After graduating college, Colleen joined the Sacramento Ballet and danced there for three seasons. In Fall 2016 she had the honor of being asked to perform with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet at The Kennedy Center. She has had the opportunity to perform and be featured in George Balanchine's Donizetti's Variations, The Four Temperaments, Concerto Barocco, Western Symphony, Who Cares? and Stars and Stripes, as well as, Martha Graham's Appalachian Spring and Paul Taylor's Company B, and Cloven Kingdom. Colleen moved back to the DMV in 2017 where she worked at The Kennedy Center assisting the Dance Programming Department. She then joined CityDance POP! in January 2018 where she is the studio’s administrative assistant.   

Kelly Fisher, originally from Boston, is a dancer, choreographer and dance educator. She graduated from Brigham Young University Idaho with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Dance with a pedagogy emphasis. After graduating, Kelly taught at Brigham Young University Idaho in the dance department. Last year Kelly co-founded a dance company in Rexburg Idaho geared towards young artists wanting to perform, create and continue improving. Kelly has performed and toured with BYU-Idaho’s Dance Alliance company to Western Canada, Panama, Costa Rica and the western states in the US. Kelly is trained in Modern, Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet and Contemporary. Kelly is excited to be a part of the CityDancePOP faculty this year.

Molly Kate Dalton, originally from Oxford, Mississippi, is a recent graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. There, she was an Artistic Merit Scholar and received her BFA in Dance Performance from the Meadows School of the Arts. She is also holds minors in Arts Management from Meadows School of the Arts and Applied Physiology and Enterprise from the Simmons School of Human Development and Education. While at SMU, Molly Kate had the opportunity to perform student works and master works by choreographers such as Brandi Coleman, Adam Hougland, Delfos Danza Contemoporánea and Robert Dekkers, Moncell Durden and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She has also trained under a wide variety of highly trained and recognized faculty and staff. While at SMU, Molly Kate had the privilege to choreograph for the student choreography show, Brown Bag Dance Series, presenting her own work. Molly Kate has also trained with New Ballet Ensemble and School, in Memphis, TN. After graduating from New Ballet in 2013, she has served as a mentor for the current students of New Ballet through the SAMI organization and assisted as a rehearsal director and guest performer. In the summer of 2016, Molly Kate joined  Zion Dance Project in Dallas, Texas, which was directed by Vincent and Abigail Hardy. Molly Kate has a passion for serving others with her art and dedicating her time to the younger generation through Dance Education. She is currently living in Washington, DC pursuing a professional career in dance performance and dance teaching. 

Born in raised in the heart of Washington D.C., Thom was immersed in hip-hop culture from birth. At a young age, he acquired a keen sense of musicality and rhythm by attending various hip-hop and Go-go clubs within the community. He trained with Culture Shock DC throughout his high school career before going off to University of the Arts to study dance. There, at UArts, Thom was able to absorb the foundations of multiple dance styles including: Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, and all styles under the umbrella of hip-hop. He graduated in May of 2017 and since then, has appeared as a contestant on Nigel Lythgoe and Brian Friedman's "Every Single Step", performed with English songstress, FKA Twigs, and has received public endorsement by the hip-hop superstar, Missy Elliott. "One in a Million" Choreography by Thom

Megan Lawrence is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania with a degree in Business Administration and Dance, with concentrations in Choreography and Performance. Her performance credits include jazz, modern and tap works by Donald McKayle, Jeffrey Peterson, Shelley Oliver and various student choreographers. Megan began teaching ballet, hip-hop and tap to young students at the Mid-Maryland Performing Arts Center in Frederick, Maryland while she was in high school. Throughout college, she continued teaching and performing with the Muhlenberg Jazztap Ensemble, a touring group directed by Shelley Oliver.