Penni Greenly

Artistic Director – Jazz, Tap, Child Ballet, Pre-Combo,  Dance Movement
Artistic Director – The Dancer’s Edge Company

Penni Greenly is the Artistic Director of Southern Dance Theatre.  She and her mentor, E. Joan Miller, of the Palm Beach Ballet Center co-founded the 28 year old establishment.  Ms. Greenly attributes her passion for dance to Genia Howard, her first dance teacher, who introduced her to a world that would become her destiny and life.

Ms. Greenly began training at the Palm Beach Ballet under the tutelage of Joan Miller who greatly inspired her to teach and choreograph.  While studying ballet, jazz, and modern Ms. Greenly was instructed by Joan Miller, Benedict Chamby, Joyce Straub, and Brenda Gooden.  Later, she privately trained with Debbi Dee in tap and took class with Jim Franklin to further her jazz training.

Ms. Greenly was a dancer with The Palm Beach Ballet Company and a featured jazz soloist in “Praise the Dance,” choreographed by Tuttle and Skinner from Dance Alive.

Ms. Greenly’s quest was always to become a teacher and choreographer of excellence.  She is noted for her innovative, award-winning choreography which has been seen in The Macy’s Day Parade, Miami Dolphin Half Time shows, WXEL Special, Commercials, and international dance competitions in Japan. It was her belief that dance could and should be taught to everyone.

In 1979 Ms. Greenly was Dance Director of The Conservatory of Arts for Handicapped Citizens which was founded by her mother, Yolanda Greenly, and based at Palm Beach Community College.  She currently directs The Special Arts Ensemble, a division of The Dancer’s Alchemy, at Southern Dance Theatre.

From 1979-1982, Ms. Greenly co-directed the national champion dance team, Atlantic High School Eagle-Ettes.  In addition, she taught a pilot dance program for high-risk students which aimed to improve reading scores with great success.  She hosted the first free after-school dance program for ESOL students in the 1980s as well as developed and taught a ballet class as cross-training for agility, coordination, and timing for the football team at Atlantic High School.

Ms. Greenly was hired to direct and implement the first 4-year dance program in the Palm Beach County School System in 1985.  Using a curriculum she wrote for ballet, tap, and jazz, the program grew to over 300 students in 3 years and created a need for 2 teachers.

Ms. Greenly founded The Dancer’s Alchemy, a not for profit organization established to raise funds for performing arts programs and to raise awareness of the impact the arts have on people and our youth, in 1996. A Love Affair is an annual benefit in its 11th season directed by Ms. Greenly and funded in part by The Dancer’s Alchemy.

Ms. Greenly worked with Plumosa Elementary School in developing “Do Your Best and Dance the Rest” as a reward for ESE students who improved their grades in 1999.

While dancing in shows is what enticed Ms. Greenly, her success has been a result of a purpose driven life, strategically planned out by God to bring the world of dance everywhere she goes.

Julie Bravata

Ballet Director

Julie Bravata is from Honolulu, Hawaii where she received her early dance training from Barbara Theusen. She continued her studies on full scholarship at the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, IL and in New York City at the School of American Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre Scholarship Program, and with Madame Darvash. At 15, Julie became a member of ABT’s Ballet Repertory Company. At 18, she was invited to join American Ballet Theatre under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov.

During her six years there she was privileged to work with some of the world’s leading choreographers, such as, Kenneth MacMillan, Antony Tudor, Roland Petit, Jerome Robbins, and Twyla Tharp. While with American Ballet Theatre, Julie appeared in several Dance in America and Live from Lincoln Center television special presentations. She then went on to dance as a soloist with Ballet du Nord in France and with The Feld Ballet in New York City. Since retiring from her performing career in 1988, Julie has taught all levels of ballet from creative movement through professional classes in New York, Oregon, and South Florida. Julie joined the dance faculty of Southern Dance Theatre in 1994 and in January 2000 she became the director of the ballet department.

In 2002, Julie received a certificate of recognition from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts for inspiring young dancers and for her commitment to the arts. In 2009, Julie became an Artist-in-Residence at Bak Middle School of the Arts in Palm Beach and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University.

Julie is on the faculty of the American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive in Austin, TX and is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Anne Polajenko

Instructor – Ballet

French born ballerina, Anne Polajenko, enjoyed a long professional career with major European ballet companies, during which time she performed every classical ballet and had works created especially for her. She worked with such diverse choreographers as George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Nicholas Beriosoff and Serge Golovine. The culmination of her career came when George Balanchine became Artistic Advisor to the Geneva Grand Theatre Ballet and for the next four years she had the privilege of dancing 14 of his ballets, most notably such master works as “Symphony in C”, “Serenade”, “4 Temperaments”, “Agon” and “Concerto Barocco”. At the same time, she became company Regisseur and, under Balanchine’s expert tutelage, she learned the intricacies of company management. Retired from the stage in 1973, Anne devoted herself to teaching and coaching future generations of dancers. Her teaching credits include Point Park College (Pittsburgh, PA), Houston Ballet (Principal Teacher and Ballet Mistress), Ballet Florida, Harid Conservatory and Miami City Ballet where she was appointed Children’s Ballet Mistress in charge of restaging Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker.”

From 1976-88 she was the Artistic Director of Houston Dance Center, a school and company she helped found and whose students joined such companies as San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Cleveland Ballet and Joffrey II.

Anne has been a guest teacher or choreographer for schools and companies throughout the Southeastern United States, as well as for Dance Masters of America. She has been honored by the City of Houston and the State of Texas for her commitment on behalf of the arts, and recognized by the National Foundation for the Arts as a Teacher of a Presidential Scholar.

Tracy Mozingo

Instructor – Ballet

Tracy Mozingo is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Explore Dance Theater. He hopes to bring a wealth of knowledge and a vision that continually sets the standard for the dance world. The company’s broad repertory of dancers, musicians, and artists with extraordinary range and skill, will be the heart beat of Explore Dance Theater.

Mr. Mozingo graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts and trained at Pacific North West Ballet and Houston Ballet before joining Houston Ballet, where he performed a diverse repertoire. He then joined Ballet Florida where he danced for seventeen years. He loved the innovative new work, wide range of choreographers, and the extraordinary group of dancers that he has performed with. He has particularly enjoyed performing principal works by; Vicente Nebrada, Peter Martins, Mauricio Wainrot, Danny Ezralow, Mark Godden, William Soleau, Norbert Vesak, Lar Lubovitch, Val Caniparoli, Alvin Ailey, Twyla Tharp, Kenneth McMillan, Glen Tetley, Thierry Mandalain, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Sir Frederick Ashton, and Ben Stevensons.

Mr. Mozingo is also a teacher, choreographer and ballet master. He was one of the first choreographers and dancers in the founding production of Step Ahead. He is a faculty member of Palm Beach Ballet Center, Southern Dance Theatre, and The Dance Academy of Stuart.

Mr. Mozingo’s choreographic credits include; With a Twist, More Distant Then Blue, Push and Go, Shambala, What I Am To You, Tango To Evora, and Thick as Thieves. He has created numerous new works for his students, and instilled how important classical ballet, modern, jazz and contemporary movement as well as other art forms is to their dance training.

It has been important to Mr. Mozingo to try using his talent to raise awareness for many festivals and Private Foundations. Tracy has been involved with raising awareness with charities such as: “South Florida Dance for Life” (2004), Gilda’s Club–”Dancing from the Heart” (2000-2003), Alzheimer’s Association–”A Love Affair”(2001-2009).

Jean Louisa Steele

Tap Director, Instructor-Pre-Combo & Boys Classes

Jean Louisa or “MisWesa” as she is known by hundreds of dancers across the Southeast…eats, sleeps and breathes dancing and music.  She has over 30 years of dance instruction experience. She began her early dance training at Age 4 in Charleston, South Carolina. Her early teachers were Cecelia Vaughn, Trudy Oltmann and Joan Simmons.  In 1979, her mother, an accomplished dancer herself, opened DANCE UNLIMITED STUDIOS.  Jean Louisa was her mother’s assistant and began traveling to various studios, seminars, workshops and conventions to study with professional instructors and choreographers from all over the United States. She has studied with Luigi, Gus Giordano, Joe Malone, Joe Tremaine, Frank Hatchett, and Mia Michaels.  She considers her training with Tap Dance legends Al Gilbert and Henri LeTang her most rewarding experiences of her career. She began teaching her own classes at age 18 and was the founder and coach of the “JAZZ UNLIMITED DANCE COMPANY”. This talented group delighted thousands in audiences all over the state and won local, state, regional and national awards.  Graduates of her classes have gone on to dance and receive dance degrees from OCU, ECU, The College of Charleston, Winthrop, Clemson, USC, U of U and UNLV.

Professionally, she has danced in the mini-series “QUEEN”.  She served as the choreographer for the Showtime Movie “THEY WATCH” and she served as the dance consultant on the remake of the classic “THE YEARLING”.  All of which were filmed on location near her hometown.  She served as the choreographer for the MISS SOUTH CAROLINA USA PAGEANT FOR 3 years and THE MISS NORTH CAROLINA USA PAGEANT FOR 2 years.  She has choreographed and danced in numerous local and regional theater productions.

In 2001 “MisWesa” obtained her certification from the SC ARTS COMMISSION to teach, direct and choreograph in any state supported fine arts program.  She has worked with dozens of schools as a “DANCE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE”.  From 2001 to 2004 she taught for the “PROJECT ARTISTIC” Fine Arts Grant program as well as the other fine arts programs such as the “SC CREATIVE TEACHING INSTITUTE” and the “PICCOLO PROJECT” in conjunction with “SPOLETO” the “Festival of Two Worlds”.

Before moving to South Florida in 2005, she taught in excess of 15 classes a week for DANCE EXPRESS CHARLESTON which is a mobile dance program that reaches over 200 students in classes at 22 facilities in the Charleston area.  Since moving to Florida “MisWesa” has taught for BRAVO! ACADEMY FOR PERFORMING ARTS, SUMMIT MONTESSORI SCHOOL, UNITY SCHOOL, PALM BEACH BALLET CENTER and will begin her 4th year on the distinguished faculty of SOUTHERN DANCE THEATRE as the Head of the Tap Department.

Heather Orloski

Instructor-Pre-Combo, Ballet Basic

Heather began her dance training at the age of six at Southern Dance Theatre. She was a soloist and a member of the Dancer’s Edge Company for eight years. She has training in jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, hip-hop, and lyrical. Heather has performed with the Miami City Ballet in The Nutcracker, in the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show, as well as numerous Miami Dolphins Halftime shows. She has been assisting in the Pre-Combo department since 1998. Heather attends Florida Atlantic University on an Academic Scholarship with a major in Elementary Education. In 2007-08, she was Director of the Southern Strut Dance Team; in 2009, she directed the Starlets PeeWee Team. Heather is very excited to be teaching at Southern Dance Theatre!

Stacy Marzullo

Director-Dancer’s Edge Company, Instructor-Basics, Jazz, Hip hop, Ballet

Stacy has been dancing since the age of seven, training in ballet, tap and jazz. While in high school, she danced on scholarship at Joe Tremaine’s in Hollywood, CA, and also received a Fine Arts recognition from Eastern Washington University. Other jazz artists she has studied with are Doug Caldwell, Gus Giordano and Luigi. Some of her professional career credits include performing with The Greg Thompson Follies aboard the M/S Song of America, with Dennis Levinson Productions at Harrah’s in Atlantic City and a Tribute to Broadway in Miami Beach. Her TV credits include a national commercial for RCCL and as a featured performer for the Miss. WA. USA Pageant. Along the way she has been blessed with the opportunity to meet many star performers such as Ben Vereen, Sammy Davis Jr., Rita Moreno, Suzanne Summers and Linda Carter. Stacy is currently the Dance Team Director for St. Marks Catholic School and the Dance Enrichment Instructor for American Heritage in Delray Beach.

Lori Morales

Director-Dancer’s Edge Company, Instructor-Jazz, Tap, Hip hop

Lori was one of the first 75 students to attend Southern Dance Theatre!  While training, she was a member and soloist with the Dancer’s Edge Company.

After graduation, Lori lived her dream of being a professional dancer.  She has done numerous convention shows, filmed training videos, performed in Disney’s “Kids of the Kingdom” and “Beauty and the Beast” (3 years).  She has also worked for Universal Studios, local dinner theatre and Hardrives Productions in Orlando.
As a member of the production company, Lori was asked to be the featured dancer in “Island Breeze” at the Hilton Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.  She also served as dance captain for the six month engagement.

Lori’s work in Las Vegas included the “Jubilee” show at Bally’s for two years and performances in “Midnight Fantasy” (as dance captain) under a 2 year contract with Anita Mann Productions for the Luxor Hotel.  In addition to dancing, Lori designed and created costumes for the show, as well as for the performers of Australia’s “Thunder from Down Under.”

Lori has built upon the lessons learned at Southern Dance Theatre, one of which is giving back to the community.  She has donated her time and talent in support of charitable annual fundraising shows such as “The Headdress Ball” in Orlando and “The Golden Rainbow Show” in Las Vegas.  She is very grateful for her training and the support of her mentor, Penni Greenly.

In 2005, Lori returned to Southern Dance as a Dance Instructor and as Assistant Director of the Dancer’s Edge Company.

We are proud of her vast accomplishments in dance!

 

Cheryl Cimilluca

Office Manager

Cheryl began her association with Southern Dance Theatre in September 1983, when she brought her daughter, Lori, to “Opening Day” classes. Her 20+ years with Southern Dance, first as a parent and then employee, give her a unique perspective for her position as office manager.

Cheryl founded and served as President of a scholarship program that helped with financing for deserving students.

As a parent of a professional dancer, Cheryl enjoys sharing “what to do?” information with students and parents who also wish to pursue a career in dance.

Don Farina

Instructor – Hip Hop

Don Farina is a self taught hip hop dancer who brings a very  unique style to classes not seen in over commercialized venues.  Don’s work has earned him first place recognition in three regional talent competitions and two national events.  He can be seen in Sean Kingston’s “Fire Burning,” one of the several music videos he has danced in.

Being very passionate about dance, Don continues to study hip hop, striving to bring his skills to the next level.  Because he takes great pride in teaching
those who wish to learn his art, he is on a constant quest to bring new and
fresh moves to his students.  Inspiring young minds to have confidence in their own authentic movement and believe in themselves to create, no matter what their challenge, is key to his approach as an instructor.

Don is currently teaches at The Palm Beach Ballet Center and Benjamin High School.  He is very excited to be on staff at Southern Dance Theatre, where through his skills he can contribute a unique style and technique to the school’s Hip Hop Department.

 

Sandra Goodnough

Instructor-Graham/ Limone Modern & Core Conditioning

Sandra Goodnough received her formal dance training in South Florida under the direction of Betty d’Avray.  She has danced professionally with several ballet and modern dance companies including Freddick Bratcher & Company, Momentum Dance Company, Corpus Christi Ballet Theatre and Contemporary Dance Theatre.  Goodnough founded, was Artistic Director, and Resident Choreographer for Contemporary Dance Company of Boca Raton; a non-profit dance company that offered professional dancers and advanced students a venue to perform and serve the community through artistic outreach.  She also owned The Dance Conservatory; a school dedicated to quality instruction and education.  Goodnough is trained in many forms of dance, specializing in all levels of classical and contemporary ballet and modern dance. 

 

 

Elizabeth Gonzalez

Instructor-Ballet

Elizabeth Gonzalez received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University in 1988. After graduating she continued her dance training at Southern Dance Theatre and Palm Beach Ballet Center. She has been on the faculty at both of these schools. Ms. Gonzalez has been in dance education in Palm Beach County since 1990 and was on faculty at Atlantic High School. She has earned choreography awards for pieces set on the Atlantic High School dance team and the Dancer’s Edge company of Southern Dance Theatre. She is listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in 2002. Since 2005 Ms. Gonzalez is the Director of the Boynton Beach High School dance academy. She is currently on staff teaching ballet at Southern Dance Theatre.

Greg Gilman

Instructor-Hip Hop

When it comes to musical talent, Jamaican native Amador Gregory Gilman has it encoded into his DNA.  Born in St. Andrew, Jamaica small country just two hours south of Florida, it is of no surprise that a diverse musical culture quickly enveloped him and became a cornerstone of his early life.  He learned an appreciation for many genres, and he’s written and sung for Hip-Hop, R n B, Rock and even Gospel. As a sideline appreciation, Gregory was avid at learning not only most of the Jamaican “street dances” but quickly realized he was good at learning the American street dances as well.

In 2002 Gregory moved to the US in search of better job opportunities and to pursue a career in music.  His first stop was West Palm Beach, Fl where Greg met his first professional choreographers, Philip Kendrick, Sean Greenand Chris Grant who all inspired him to further embrace the artistry of hip-hop style of dance. In 2005 Greg moved to Pennsylvania because of a job opportunity.  Even though he did not have the chance to meet any professionals, he continued to practice what he had been taught.  However Gregory found out fairly quickly that Pennsylvanian “street dancers” are not as “forgiving” as Florida’s and soon found himself in the center of attention and many “battles,”  It was then that he decided that he was not to give up on his newly found craft.

Gregory returned to Florida after two years and in 2007 met Larry Albright, and through the years, the two became best friends and Larry would alter Greg’s path forever.  Larry later decided that Greg had a “Good demeanor for teaching, especially kids.”  Larry’s first task was to train Greg enough to be a reliable substitute.  Greg learned quickly and within the first year of training subbed for several prominent Hip-Hop Dance Instructors, including Larry Albright, Philip Kendrick, Brittany Anuez and William Butts just to name a few.  His resume “grew at a rapid pace” for someone who started training late 2009–2010 school semester he had taught at schools from Broward County to Coral Springs and all over Palm Beach County before the semester was over and had even picked up a few classes of his own.  By the following year Greg’s classes jumped to a solid number for someone who only had a year’s worth of experience.

Gregory not only continues to learn new things and to practice with Master Class Instructor Larry Albright but has also been a co-founder with 3 other Master Class Instructors to form a group known as “The Shop.”  He has lent his talent to the media, for example the music video “I Think I like It” by Enrique Iglesias.  Also continuing his hip-hop endeavors, Greg learned to DJ, thus now covering 2of the 4 elements of Hip-Hop; MC, DJ, Style and. With his dancehall (up-tempo Jamaican music often referred to as Reggae) and his aptitude for everything music Greg’s style will continue to evolve and his classes will only get better.

Tosha Robinson

Instructor-Jazz, Modern, Tap

Tosha Robinson began her dance journey at age five with training in ballet, jazz, and tap.  She has danced under the direction of Penni Greenly and Elizabeth Gonzalez at Atlantic High School, while competing nationally with Atlantic High School’s Eagle-ettes & Company.

Tosha received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Palm Beach  Atlantic University in 2005. This was where she received much of her modern training, under the guidance of Demetrius Klein.  Ms. Robinson teaches liturgical dance at Shewbread School of Worship Dance in Pembroke Pines, Fl and is currently an Artist in Residence at Boynton Beach Community High School, a performing arts dance academy, teaching modern, tap, and jazz.

Christine O’Shea

Instructor-Ballet

Christine O’Shea received her formal dance training in Raleigh, North Carolina, from Betty Kovac, before receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Upon her arrival to Palm Beach County in 1984, Mrs. O’Shea joined Ballet Florida
becoming a Principal Teacher and Director of Education and Outreach.

Through her outreach work Christine established many educational partnerships in the community as well as having established the nationally recognized programs.

In addition to her long stay with Ballet Florida Christine has been a part of the faculty for Bak Middle School of the Arts as well as a guest teacher
throughout the Southeast.  She is recognized in the education community as a Master Arts Integrator having consulted in numerous district and private schools collaborating with and training teachers in using dance to teach classroom curriculum.

Currently Mrs. O’Shea is a teacher of the gifted at Imagine Schools Chancellor Campus and an Adjunct Faculty member at the Harid Conservatory.  Christine, a resident of Palm Beach  County since 1984, is married with two teenage children.