Meet Our Faculty

 

Mariann Paul

Mariann Paul
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Mariann Paul received her early training with Helena Baron, and Paul Sutherland and Brunilda Ruiz of the Joffrey Ballet. As a principal dancer with the Baron Ballet Company she has performed at the PNC Bank Arts Center and in New Jersey and regional dance festivals throughout the Northeast. She has won numerous awards for choreography at competitions, and has been an adjudicator for the Star Systems National Talent Competition. Always open to new ideas and innovations in dance, she has attended the Vaganova Seminar at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society, Jazz Dance World Congress, David Howard Ballet Workshop, Broadway Dance Center Teacher's Workshop, Rhee Gold's DanceLife Teacher Conference, the Dance Teacher Summit, IDEA Conference and the Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo.

Macy Alday

Macy Alday
DANCE EDUCATOR
Macy Alday, an alumni from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, is a New York City based dancer, choreographer and teacher. She began her early training as a competitive dancer at Greensboro Dance Theatre where she trained in numerous styles. During high school, she attended Weaver Academy, a performing arts school, concentrating on choreography, ballet and modern dance. While training at UNCSA, Macy performed works from renowned artists such as Igal Perry, Shen Wei, Trisha Brown, Ashley Lindsey, Kira Blazek-Ziaii, Mariana Oliveira and José Límon. Macy broadened her knowledge of the human body by earning her certification from the Pilates Mat Teacher Training Program. She has a passion for movement that branches out to many other aspects in her life. This is Miss Macy’s first season at the studio.

June Chin

June Chin
DANCE EDUCATOR
June Chin started ballet at age 3 and trained with Helena Baron in New Jersey beginning at the age of 6. She studied at the School of American Ballet for 2 years before going on to train with Madame Gabrielle Darvash, who was named as one of the ten great teachers of the 20th century. Miss June won first place in the New Jersey Teen Arts Festival two years in a row and has performed as a principal dancer with The Staten Island Ballet, The Ilya Gaft Ballet Theatre and the Whitney Ballet in Upstate New York. She was a principal guest artist with the Atlanta Ballet and Sawnee Dance Theatre. In 1998 she choreographed the "Mulan Parade" for Disney Land and Disney World. Miss June was Assistant Artistic Director of the Peninsula School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles for 13 years, restaging many of the classic ballets as well as teaching and coaching dancers to compete at the Youth America Grand Prix and the Beijing International Ballet Competition. Most recently she received the Bolshoi Teaching Certificate for grades 1-8. This is Miss June's 12th season at the studio.

Kalene Deziel

Kalene Deziel
DANCE EDUCATOR
Kalene Marulis began her dance training at Mariann's School of Dance at the age of two. As a member of the Terpsichore Dance Company, Kalene competed regionally and nationally, winning many awards including Top Teen Senior Soloist and Junior/Senior Group Grand Champions at the National Starbound Competition. She is a graduate from The University of the Arts with a BFA in Dance, under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. At the university, Kalene performed works by Jesse Zaritt, Netta Yerushalmy, Sidra Bell, Katie Swords Thurman, Douglas Becker, Sharon Eyal and Ronen Koresh, among others. Kalene has worked with choreographers and dancers in workshop environments with Doug Varone and Dancers, Shen Wei Dance Arts and Keigwin + Company. Kalene has traveled to France and Belgium where she performed with a select touring ensemble associated with UArts. In 2015, she became a certified instructor for Pure Barre at Pure Barre Philadelphia, Pure Barre South Jersey and Pure Barre Main Line. This is Miss Kalene's 8th season at her home studio.

Stephanie Domnitz
DANCE EDUCATOR
Stephanie Domnitz began dancing at the age of 5 in Lincoln Park, New Jersey and quickly found her passion for telling a story through movement. Raised as a competition dancer and training under Heather Soccio, she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary. During this time Stephanie competed and won regional and national titles for her solos and group pieces as well scholarships to several different dance intensives. She was also invited to dance in the halftime show for the Orange Bowl where she performed alongside Kool & The Gang. She has attended conventions and workshops throughout the east coast as well as taken classes with several talented artists at Broadway Dance Center. Miss Stephanie has a love and a passion for working with young children and helping them reach their fullest potential. Miss Stephanie is entering her third year at the studio and is excited to continue to watch her students grow as artists! 

Alina Dronova

Alina Dronova
DANCE EDUCATOR

Alina Dronova was born in the Ukraine and began her ballet training at Kharkov Choreographic School at the age of five. In 1996 she enrolled at the School of American Ballet on full scholarship. She perfected her technique with such notable teachers as Antonina Tumkovsky, Helen Dudin, Andrey Kramarevsky, Suki Schorer, Kay Mazzo and Susan Pilarre. In the fall of 2000 Miss Alina was invited to join the New York City Ballet as an apprentice and became a member of the company in 2001. During her 17 years as a member of NYCB, Miss Alina appeared in numerous works by founding choreographer George Balanchine. She has performed over 70 ballets of the company’s repertoire, including Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, Serenade and Symphony in C. She was a featured soloist in many full length productions, including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. She has also originated a notable role in “Russian Seasons “by Alexei Ratmansky. Ms. Dronova left the stage in July 2017 to concentrate on teaching. She is the proud new mom of a daughter, Beatrice. This is Miss Alina's 6th season at the studio.

 

Erika Gilmore

Erika Gilmore
DANCE EDUCATOR
Erika Gilmore is a commercial and contemporary dancer in New York City. Her passion for dance started at a young age in her hometown of Tampa, Fl. She started her professional career dancing her way through Busch Gardens and Adventure Island theme parks, and throughout The Tampa and St. Petersburg main stages. Erika made her way to New York City to be a part of the Steps on Broadway Conservatory, under the direction of Mindy Jackson. She had the chance to learn from leading industry professionals Al Blackstone, Khori Petinaud, Dana Moore, Nick Palmquist and many more. Her love of teaching and choreographing began at the age of 15 and has been a main focus of hers ever since. She made her New York City choreographic debut in Whitewave’s Dumbo dance festival as part of their official selection in 2021. She has also created concept videos that have been chosen to premiere at various film festivals throughout New York. Erika is a certified Barre teacher and loves sharing her passion for ballet-based fitness in an accessible way for the greater public. She also travels the country with Starbound National Talent Competition sharing her love of dance with the next generation throughout the season. Erika strives to instill confidence and authenticity in her dancers while building on fundamental technical work, setting them up for the professional world.This is Miss Erika's 5th season at the studio.

Liv Ice

Liv Ice
DANCE EDUCATOR 
Liv Ice grew up training under Maryen Lorraine Miller and Abby Lee Miller from the TV show Dance Moms. She quickly began competing and traveling the country with the national award-winning Abby Lee Dance Company, eventually becoming a faculty member and choreographer. While she loves all styles of dance, her passion for Musical Theatre, Jazz and Tap grew after obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre at James Madison University. She performed at the Disney World Theatre in Orlando’s theme park, was a featured dancer in the 2013 Jazz Dance World Congress (placing in the top five) and was handpicked by Broadway’s own Ben Vereen to be the featured dancer in his Broadway Theatre Project production, Journey to the Footlights. She has worked at many regional theaters on the East coast. Liv’s choreography of the musical Parade at the Forbes Center for Performing Arts was recognized by the Kennedy Center in Washington DC at their 2018 KCACTF Awards. Miss Liv is excited to join the team at MSD this season!
 

Isabella Verma

Kathlyn Ianos  
ADMINISTRATION

Kathlyn Ianos is a graduate of William Paterson University with a major in Psychology. She has interned at Mighty Minds and Muscles Clinic in Tribeca, New York as well as Care One in New Milford to observe the therapists at work. Currently she is going to school for Occupational Therapy. Kat is excited to join MSD as an administrative assistant and is ready to help our students and families by providing exceptional customer service.

Caitlyn Kirby

Caitlyn Kirby
DANCE EDUCATOR 
Caitlyn Kirby is a New York City based dancer, teacher and choreographer. She began her dance training at the age of 5 at Kim’s Danceland in Springfield, Massachusetts. Caitlyn studied multiple disciplines such as Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Afro, and Hip Hop under the direction of Kim Norrington and the influence of Frank Hatchett. As an adult she moved to New York City and trained at some of the city's top studios, Broadway Dance Center and Brickhouse NYC. Caitlyn has been in numerous music videos and is currently dancing back-up on tour with 80’s icon Lisa Lisa. This is Miss Caitlyn's 3rd season at the studio!
 

Kelly Kline

Kelly Kline 
DANCE EDUCATOR
Kelly Kline, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a New York City based dancer, teacher and choreographer. Her training began at Just Off Broadway Dance Studio where she was a member of their national award winning competition team. She holds a BFA in Dance from Shenandoah University, where she was awarded the Terpsichore Award and the Elizabeth Weil Bergmann Choreography Award for her excellence in both performance and choreography. Kelly has performed works by artists including Mike Esperanza, Tiffanie Carson, Christopher K. Morgan and Stephanie Martinez, to name a few. She is an Acrobatic Arts certified teacher and a Balanced Body certified Pilates instructor. She has been teaching and choreographing for dance studios all over the country for over 10 years and loves sharing her passion and creativity with her students! This is Miss Kelly's 3rd season at the studio!

Amelia Lowe

Amelia Lowe
DANCE EDUCATOR
Amelia Lowe is most famously known for her time on So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 as a member of their top 20. In addition to this she made it into the top 12, allowing her the opportunity to perform across the country with the So You Think You Can Dance tour. Since her time on the show, Amelia has appeared as a principal dancer in episodes of Boardwalk Empire and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She has been featured in multiple nationwide commercials for Wendy's, Target, the New York Stock Exchange, General Electric and American Express. Miss Amelia was a featured dancer at the premiere for The Great Gatsby. She has performed for emerging choreographer Lindsay Nelko at the Capezio Ace Awards and Warren Carlysle at the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards. She is currently living in New York and dancing for fellow So You Think You Can Dance alum Ellenore Scott in Ellenore's up and coming company, ELSCO. This is Miss Amelia's 5th season at Mariann's School of Dance.

Elise Mitchell

Elise Mitchell 
ADMINISTRATION
Elise Mitchell studied at Temple University with a major in Media Studies and Production. She then went on to intern at Fever / Clearlake Recording Studios and later worked for Gramophone Media, a music publicity company. In addition to doing freelance work as an audio editor, she is the Administrative Assistant at Mariann’s School of Dance and is always happy to assist our dance families.

Amanda Polidorio

Amanda Polidorio
DANCE EDUCATOR
Amanda Polidorio is originally from Brazil where received her ballet training based in the Cuban and the Vaganova methodology. She has more than six years of experience teaching ballet for all levels, from very young children through adults. In Brazil, she studied under Fran Cabrera and had the experience of professional courses such as the Vaganova teacher's course under Mrs. Maikon Golini from the Bolshoi Ballet School. She continues to advocate for making dance an accessible art form for everyone. This is Miss Amanda’s first season at the studio.

Meagan Salma

Meagan Salma
DANCE EDUCATOR
Meagan Salma began her dance training right here at Mariann's School Of Dance. She has performed in New Jersey Ballet's "Nutcracker", at Disney's MGM Studios and Magic Kingdom, and received a scholarship to study with Frank Hatchett at the Broadway Dance Center. In May 2009 she showcased on the B.E.T. network performing with the Hip Hop group Physha P, and has danced on tour with the group in venues throughout the metropolitan area. She has performed in Boston, Washington D.C., Ohio, San Francisco, Jersey City, and New York City. Other performances include the "Reach Out Charity Foundation" at various benefits for AIDS and Drug Awareness and Prevention forums, the WPIX Channel 11 Entertainment Stage-NYC 2nd Avenue Street Fair Festival, and the ICF Reachout Festival. Miss Meagan graduated from Montclair State University with a BA in Dance Education and has received her Standard Certificate to teach dance in public schools, grades K-12. In completing her program, Miss Meagan also received the MSU Dance Education Award for her achievements throughout her college career and student teaching experience. Most recently, she started the dance program at Mary Help of Christians Academy for middle school and high school students. Miss Meagan is the proud mother of Brandon and Mia and begins her 19th season at her home studio.

Lacee Schuck

Lacee Schuck 
DANCE EDUCATOR
Lacee Schuck began dancing at the age of two and came to Mariann's School of Dance at the age of 12 to continue her dance education. While at Mariann’s, she competed both regionally and nationally with the Terpsichore Dance Company for six years. Lacee expanded her knowledge in dance and theater through her attendance at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey. While there, she was involved in eight performances, three dance concerts, and four mainstage productions. In 2017, Lacee was the first student from Bergen County Academies to be inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. She was a member of the Seton Hall University dance team for four years and was the head coach last season. In May of 2023, Lacee graduated from Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University with an M.S.Degree in Occupational Therapy. This is Miss Lacee's 4th season at her home studio!   

Nicole Timpanaro
Nicole Timpanaro
DANCE EDUCATOR
Nicole Timpanaro began dancing at the age of 3 at Studio Workshop in Lyndhurst NJ. She studied ballet, tap, jazz and musical theatre under the instruction of several former Broadway performers such as Claudia Shell (CATS, Merlin) and Jim Raposa (CATS). Miss Nicole continued her training as part of the dance department at Montclair State University where she also performed in works by choreographers such as David Parsons and Karen Gayle. She graduated from the program with a BA in Dance Education and a New Jersey K-12 teaching certification in Dance. She performed professionally for a year on the Bud Light MetLife dance team, appearing at pro football games and other events sponsored by the company. Miss Nicole specializes in teaching jazz and tap and enjoys teaching musical theatre and contemporary as well. As a dance educator, Miss Nicole has taught all over northern New Jersey for the last 10 years, and her true passion is to teach and make a difference in young dancers’ lives. This is Miss Nicole's 4th season at the studio.
Isabella Verma

Isabella Verma  
DANCE EDUCATOR

Isabella Verma began her dance education at the age of 4 at Mariann’s School of Dance. As a member of our New Millennium and Terpsichore Dance Companies, Isabella performed at nursing homes, malls, and charity events as well as competing at regional and national competitions. She has attended the Peridance Summer Intensive, Rockette Mini Summer Intensive, and the Joffrey Ballet School Contemporary and Jazz Summer Intensive. She has attended the Disney Dancin’ workshop and performed at Disney Springs in Florida with the Paramus High School Spartanettes Dance Company. In 2020, Isabella was announced as an Honorable Mention for the NHSDA in the National Dance Education Organization and was also a recipient of the NJGAAE Student Award for Artistic Excellence and Leadership. In 2021 she was announced as a State Level Winner and awarded for Artistic Merit for her student choreography. Isabella is currently attending Montclair State University studying for her B.A. in Studio Teaching and Business. This is Miss Izzy’s second season teaching at her home studio!