One of the biggest differences that you’ll see when your children are enrolled in dance classes at Fancy Feet Dance Studio is the quality of instructors that we have. The director of our studio puts effort into the training that each instructor receives so that the same approach and formatting are the same. Below is a list of the instructors that your child will be working with, and a little about their background. We know that you’ll be happy with each of these individuals and your experience at Fancy Feet.
Angela D’Angelo started with Fancy Feet Dance Studio at the age of four. When Angela was thirteen years old she became part of Fancy Feet’s Competition Team. She studied with various choreographers and has competed in many competitions.
Throughout the years Angela has celebrated the opportunities Fancy Feet Dance Studio has brought to her, including her three performances in Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, Hershey Park, various nursing homes in the Bronx, Norwegian Cruise Line and many more. Angela loves being part of the Fancy Feet Family and cannot imagine her life without it!
Alyssa Di Maggio was born and raised in the Bronx, NY and has been a part of the Fancy Feet family for over twenty five years.
Starting from when she was a toddler, Alyssa always had a passion for dance. When she was nine she became a member of the Fancy Feet Dance Company. While on the competition team she won numerous awards and had opportunities to travel with her team performing in places like Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Hershey Park and Norwegian Cruises. Alyssa credits her passion and love of dance to her teachers at Fancy Feet as they always inspired her to become not only the best dancer, but the best person, she could be. When given the opportunity to minor in dance at Iona College she leaped at the opportunity knowing it would allow her expand her knowledge of the art form and further deepen her passion.
In 2012 Alyssa was honored by the Bronx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children with the teacher of the year award.
Alyssa strives to inspire each one of her students the way she was and still is inspired at Fancy Feet. “I couldn’t imagine my life without Fancy Feet, and I want to make sure the children I teach feel the same way. They amaze me with their progress and I love to see them having fun.”
Denica Durr, a native of northeast Ohio began dancing at the age of 8. She is a classical trained dancer and has studied at CLEVELAND CITY DANCE, THE CLEVELAND SCHOOL OF BALLET and spent two summers working with PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE. Upon being accepted to THE AILEY SCHOOL, she has recieved a certificate of dance in their two year program and spent an additional year on scholarship where she had the pleasure of working with various choreographers throughout the company. Denica has appeared on “THE DREW CAREY SHOW” has performed at CITY CENTER and helped launch a modern dance company “GRITTY CHERRIES” where she was showcased at THE JOYCE SOHO THEATRE. Denica is extremely proud to be a teacher of the FANCY FEET DANCE COMPANY and equally blessed to be a part of the FANCY FEET family, where she can share her love and passion for the art of dance.
Amanda Durst was born and raised in Erie, PA where she began dancing at the age of three. She trained in all styles of dance and was also a member of the Long’s Performing Arts Team LLC and traveled to Disney World twice to perform. Amanda also spent a year on faculty with Long’s School of the Dance, training under Long’s co-founder Marge Long.
In 2009, Amanda graduated from the Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Musical Theatre. While attending BoCo she had the privilege of studying with and attending master classes with many world renowned performing artists. During her time in Boston, Amanda developed a dance program for a Watertown cheer leading academy, Full Out Cheer. Her Junior and Senior teams became National Champions and were invited to compete in Hawaii by the World Spirit Federation.
After graduating, Amanda moved to NYC! She has performed regionally and toured nationally with multiple productions and companies such as; The Downtown Cabaret Theatre, Trumpet in the Land, Once Upon A Time Inc., American Family Theatre Co., and The Secret Theatre. Amanda is also an Acting and Drama teacher that has worked with South Asian Youth Action, American Dance and Drama, and CloverPrep Academy to bring the performing arts to students across the Queens borough.
Amanda is proud to be a member of the Fancy Feet faculty and family.
Treasure Anne Kosits has been part of Fancy Feet Dance Studio for over twenty years. Treasure began dancing at the age of two with her very first class being creative movement taught by Miss Susan herself. Treasure gradually accelerated to taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, pointe, and gymnastics and many more. At the age of ten, as Treasure’s love for dance grew, she auditioned and became part of the Fancy Feet Dance Company. To this day, Treasure still remains part of the Elite Senior Company here at Fancy Feet.
Through the years, Treasure traveled with Fancy Feet to numerous competitions, winning countless awards for herself and her team. She has performed with Fancy Feet in Hershey Park, as well as Walt Disney World three times, on Norwegian Cruise Line – The Spirit, and of course in recitals for over two decades. Besides her award winning dance record, Treasure has been teaching at Fancy Feet for over eight years. With the inspiration of Miss Susan and Miss Karen, Treasure is pleased to be able to share her love of dance with her students, just as she has been taught.
In 2007, Treasure had the honor of being nominated “Dance Teacher of the Year” by the Bronx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, for her teaching excellence. Treasure finds it rewarding and heart warming to see the smile on a child’s face and the sparkle in their eye when they grasp a step or routine.
Treasure is truly blessed to be part of the Fancy Feet Dance Studio’s past, present and future!
Danielle Lugo has been a part of the Fancy Feet Family for over 25 years, with background skills in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-hop, and Gymnastics.
At the age of seven, she auditioned and become a part of the Fancy Feet Dance Company. Throughout the past 20 years, she has traveled Nationwide and won countless awards with the Fancy Feet Dance Company. Danielle had the opportunity to perform in Hershey Park, Walt Disney World in ’98, ’06 and ’08, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Lincoln Center.
She has also had the privilege of dancing and working with Hip-Hop Superstar Sean “P-Diddy” Combs, Pop-Star Christina Aguilera, Pop Group Danity Kane and Choreographer to the Stars and MTV’s Making the Band, Laurie Ann Gibson. Her dance skills did not stop there, Danielle then went on to be a finalist for the NBA”s Knicks City Dancers, Boston Celtics Dancers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils Dancers.
In 2010 she was recognized not only for her hard work, dedication and passion for dance, but for her love of teaching children in the Bronx Community. The Bronx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children awarded Danielle with the Teacher of The Year award after 10 years of teaching at Fancy Feet Dance Studio.
She loves to share her skills and passion for dance with children of all ages and hopes to continue more amazing accomplishments in the future.
Tamika has been dancing since the age of 9. She immersed herself in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Gymnastics where she quickly progressed. Tamika auditioned for Fancy Feet Dance Company and from the minute she was in Company she began winning Gold and Platinum awards.
She has performed at WALT DISNEY WORLD, HERSHEY PARK and on NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE and has worked with amazing choreographers. Tamika believes that the foundations in dance are very important. She feels that the discipline that dance provides are life lessons that can be used in many areas of your life.
Tamika is happy to be part of the Fancy Feet Family and hopes to inspire young dancers.
Corey Wright was born in Baltimore Maryland and grew up mainly training in gymnastics. Starting dance at the age of 16 he knew the only way to catch up was to train with the best so he moved to New York right after high school. He’s completed the professional semester at Broadway Dance Center and now has just finished his 2nd season with the contemporary dance company Victory Dance Project. With his gymnastics background he loves to infuse athletic movement in his dancing.
Orit Hirsch – Professional Tap dancer and dance teacher from Israel, studied in 2 of the biggest Tap schools in Israel under the guidance of Mandy Kol, Sharon Lavi and Zvia Brumer at Ra’anana Dance Center, and Yuval Beck at Yuval Beck Tap Studio.
Orit was a member of TEMPO group and performed in the show Time2Tap (24 dancers and live musicians at the Giv’atayim Theatre in Israel, Artistic Director: Yuval Beck) and participated in international tap festivals studying with teachers from the USA and Europe. She worked with big theaters in Israel (‘Cameri’ Theatre and ‘Habima’ Theatre) as a Tap coach for the productions of ‘Funny Girl’, ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Singing In The Rain’.
Orit has been teaching in Israel for the past 5 years and currently living and teaching in NYC (trained in Tap, Ballet and Contemporary Lyrical).
Joseph Akin, originally from Florida, has been working in NY for 6 years. He has danced for Moving current Dance Collective, kaleidoscope Dance Theatre, Dance Cat-alyst, and is currently performing with Abundance company. Before coming to NYC he toured nationally with multiple dance conventions, gaining affluence in the technical aspects of theatre and dance. In 2015 he began working with A Class Act NY where he choreographed both Urinetown the musical and Monty Python’s Spamalot, as well as being selected to direct Les Miserables.
Kal Leski first started dancing in Colorado Springs at their local studio when they were 12. One tap class turned into years of training and a life long passion and at 18 they moved to NYC to study dance at Marymount Manhattan College with a concentration in teaching techniques. Since graduating in 2016, Kal has been teaching a variety of styles in the tristate area, choreographing and performing in NYC. They have worked with Jessica Hendrix, Al Blackstone, Bill T. Jones, Elena Comendador, Catherine Cabeen, MADBOOTS’ Austin Diaz and Jonathan Campbell, Sidra Bell, Alberto del Saz, Suzanne McHugh and BABEL’s Sarah Panayiotou to name a few. They are so excited to be teaching contemporary, musical theater, jazz and hiphop at Fancy Feet this year!
Candace Jarvis, originally from Ontario, is a professional dancer now based in New York City. She graduated as a Certificate Student from The Ailey School in 2015, and since has gone on to perform works by several well-known choreographers in venues all across the US.
Candace performed in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations Cast of 50 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center and took part in Robert Battle’s New Directions Choreographers Lab at The Ailey School. Additionally, she performed as a featured guest artist in Exit Like An Animal for KEIGWIN + COMPANY’s 2015 Joyce Season.
Candace has a range of experience with company work, being a former member of Awaken Dance Theater—directed by Rebekka Nodhturft and currently entering her third season with Nai Ni Chen Dance Company. Furthermore, Candace has performed work under the direction of choreographers such as Amy Hall, Tracy Inman, Carlos Dos Santos, Norbert De La Cruz III, and Emily Greenwell.
While growing her performance resume, Candace continues to train in New York City and spread her knowledge and love of the arts by instructing weekly dance classes at area studios and workshops.
Molly McGee was raised in New Jersey where she began dancing at the age of four. Growing up she studied, jazz, hip-hop, ballet, tap, contemporary, and pointe at a competitive level. At seventeen she moved to New York City where she attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. At AMDA, Molly studied dance, acting, and singing and graduated with a degree in Dance Theatre. After graduating, Molly traveled and performed in AATMA Performing Arts, a Bollywood based dance company that put on the show “Mystic India: The World Tour.” She has also performed in a ballet version of the Indian Film, “Devdas” and has been casted in multiple concept music videos. Molly is now a proud of Fancy Feet where she gets to share her love for dancing and performing!
Melissa has been dancing at Fancy Feet since the age of 3. At the age of 8 she joined The Company and danced with them until the age of 17. She danced with the Fancy Feet Dance Company at Disney World, Lincoln Center, Hershey Park, Norwegian Cruise Line and countless competitions. She has been teaching at Fancy Feet ever since. Melissa also taught dance for the Department of Education for 6 years and worked with renowned companies like Ballet Hispanico, Dreamyard, and Dancing Classrooms. Melissa is super proud to be sharing her passion of dance with so many talented dancers and working closely with the Company team as they prepare for competition.
In 2015 Dava graduated Salutatorian of the Dance Department and won the “Desire Keras Dancer from the Heart” award. While in high school, Dava was apart of the Peridance Youth Ensemble where she was given opportunities to work with distinguished choreographers such as: Manuel Vignoulle, The Limon company, Sidra Bell, Stefanie lBatten Bland, Igal Perry, etc. Following high school, Dava graduated Magna Cum Laude from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance in 2019. At SUNY Purchase she performed works by Rena Butler, Hannah Gardner, and Sidra Bell. Additionally, Dava has performed works abroad. In 2017, she worked with Maxine Doyle in Berlin, Germany, performing “Bric Brac a Baby” at Dock 11. Summer of 2018 and 2019, she was accepted into Springboard Danse Montreal and performed works by VIM VIGOR, MAZE dance company, Johannes Weiland, and Vanessa Goodman. Her last semester in college Dava was invited to perform works by Stacyee Pearl Dance Project in Pittsburgh. Today Dava is an apprentice with the New York City based dance company
VIM VIGOR. She has a passion for all styles of dance and loves sharing her passion with her students.
Alex Schmidt’s pursuit of dance began from an early age in Tampa, FL. She spent her high school years attending Next Generation Ballet’s trainee program under the direction of Peter Stark and Ivonne Lemus. During her senior year of high school, Alex moved to San Francisco where she graduated from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program in 2017. Alex currently lives in New York City where she is co-founder and performing artist in TWO IN SEVEN BILLION, and a dance artist in Michiyaya Dance. Alex graduated from University of Florida in May of 2020, with degrees in Criminology, Psychology and Sociology. Alex has taught kids through an after school dance program in New Jersey, and taught professionals through various other platforms with her collaborator Jessica.
Christine’s love for dance began from a young age in Tampa, Florida. She started dancing at the age of three and grew up training in every style. In high school, she attended Next Generation Ballet’s trainee program under the direction of Peter Stark and Ivonne Lemus. After graduating from high school, Christine moved on to attend the University of Florida where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. Throughout her experience here, Christine assisted professional choreographers in summer dance intensive SWAMP Dance Fest alongside Trent D. Williams, Jr, Keith Thompson, and Mark Haim. She also had the opportunity to perform in MOD Dance Ensemble, where she traveled weekly to attend workshops and perform at other colleges. During her time at the University of Florida, she spent her summers performing as well as teaching dance and fitness. After graduating, Christine moved to New York City to further pursue her dreams of working as a professional dancer. She recently became an ACE certified personal trainer to connect her love for dance with her equal love for health and fitness. Christine cannot wait to share her passion for dance with everyone at Fancy Feet!
Sierra Bell is from the Bronx and isn’t a stranger to Fancy Feet. She has been a part of the Fancy Feet Family since she was four years old. At a young age, she had a strong passion for dance. She accelerated in classes like ballet, tap and jazz. At the age of twelve, she auditioned to become apart of the Fancy Feet Dance Company. Since then, she has attended many competitions and workshops. As Sierra got older, she took on the responsibility of being a teacher’s assistant. Sierra is now a teacher here at Fancy Feet and is ready to be a role model and share her passion for dance with all the kids here at Fancy Feet.
Sidnie Thomas has attended Fancy Feet Dance Studio since she was 4 years old. She also attends The Denzel Washington School of the Arts and majors in dance. She trains in all forms of dance, but especially enjoys contemporary and jazz. In 2014 Sidnie joined the Fancy Feet Dance Studio Company Team and has competed in many dance competitions in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Some of the competitions include Sheer Talent, Jump Dance, and Nuvo. Sidnie has competed in the Sheer Talent Nationals twice. Sidnie performed as a soloist at NAACP ACTSO competition and won a bronze medal. She has also attended many intensive programs, summer 2017 and 2019 she attended The Harlem School of the Arts summer dance intensive. Summer 2018 she attended Dance Theater of Harlem’s summer dance intensive as well. Sidnie has been assisting since she was 12 and teaching at Fancy Feet since she was 15. She loves to teach and is excited to grown and learn at Fancy Feet!
