DANSATIONS - Key Persons
Angela Disorbo began her dance training at the age of 5. She has taken a wide variety of master classes from famous choreographers and dance companies such as Jon Lehrer, Andrij Deneka, Joe Celej, Dorrance Dance, Rioult Dance, Koresh Dance Company, Jen Apter, and many more. Angela has been teaching dance for over 12 years. During that time her group dances and soloist have won numerous awards and high scores. Angela continues her dance training, recently she attended Toronto Dance Teacher Expo where she participated in a variety of master classes and seminars. She currently holds certification from The British Association of Teachers of Dancing, Acrobatic Arts & Street Dance Education: The Comix Method. Angela has a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, Biological Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Outside of dance, Angela works as a Registered Nurse and is currently working towards her Doctorate in Nursing Practice to become a Family Nurse Practitioner at the University at Buffalo. She loves being able to share her passion and love for dance with others and help others find their own passion for dance. Angela enjoys being a dance teacher because it gives children a way to express themselves. Angela is very excited to be on faculty at Dansations and is excited about the upcoming season!
Brodie Haladay studied dance at Fitzsimmons Dance Factory in Rochester NY. During her study at Fitzsimmons she took classes with Mia Michaels, Suzi Taylor and dancers from Fosse. She began teaching with them her senior year in 2002. Brodie continued with her dance career and attended SUNY Brockport as a Dance major and Arts for Children major. During her time at Brockport she studied Modern, Irish, African dance. She participated in performances with SANKOFA and took classes with Garth Fagan. In 2006 she auditioned for Walt Disney World in Florida and accepted a position in their college program as a Character Performer. There is a chance she might personally know some of your favorite Disney pals! She has continued to teach after college, and joined Dansations in 2014. She loves dance and is very passionate about teaching. She is looking forward to another great year with your kids and the studio.
Christine O'Brien began dancing at the age of 4 at a local dance studio. At the age of 8 she was selected to compete in groups and solo competitions at a local and national level in tap, jazz, lyrical and ballet. In addition, she had the opportunity to perform at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida with her dance studio. Miss Christine has continued to grow in her knowledge of dance through various college courses & Neglia Ballet. Recently she participated in Toronto Dance Teacher Expo where she took a variety of Master Classes and Seminars. Christine studied with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing and earned certification in teaching methods for beginner level tap skills & Tap Drills and Skills. Christine had studied from Tap greats such as Jason Samuel, Anthony Morigerato and Nicole Billow. Outside of the studio, Christine has recently obtained her Bachelors of Science in Accounting as well as an MBA. She currently works as a staff auditor for a local firm.
Emily Codick was born and raised in Buffalo, NY and has been dancing for over 30 years. A college graduate from the University at Buffalo, Emily majored in both dance and communications. She has performed for the mayors inaugural ball, Curtain Up!, and Neglia Conservatory of Ballet's production of Romeo and Juliet to name a few. She is an experienced dance teacher, and her dedication over the last 20 years has earned her and her students awards and recognition regionally and nationally. Recently, her outstanding work as a choreographer was recognized at Turn it UP National Competition in Ocean City 2018, and at Starpower National Talent Competition in Ocena City in 2020. In addition to her years of experience, Emily has completed a Dance Teacher Training Workshop at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC, where she studied with Master dance instructors from all over the world. Outside of the dance studio, Emily works for the Town of Tonawanda, and is a loving wife and mother of two.
Haley Bajer started her dance training at the age of 3. When she was 15 she came to Dansations and became a member of the competition team. Haley has competed at various local and even national competitions in a variety of styles such as tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical and contemporary. During her dance career she has completed many conventions and workshops and has worked with artists like Jen Apter, Joe Celeji, Megz Alfonso, SKooJ and more! During her time at Dansations not only has she competed but she also participated in the assistant teacher program where she trained to be a dance teacher. Hailey has been a substitute dance teacher at Dansations for a few years, and has taught some of the 6 week sessions that Dansations offers. Haley has great experience with kids of all ages and really enjoys dancing and bonding with the kids.
Outside of the studio Haley currently attends Buffalo State College where she has taken many dance classes including: ballet techniques, dance appreciation, and globalization of dance.
Haley absolutely loves her Dansations family and she can't wait to see what this upcoming season brings!
Jennifer Trybuskiewicz began her dance training at age 4. When she was 12, she joined Dansations and became a member of their competition team. She has preformed at numerous local competitions in many styles including tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, and contemporary. Throughout her training, she has worked with artists including Jen Apter and Joe Celej. She has also attended workshops at Disney and preformed at Disney Springs. During this time, Jen also participated in the class assistant program at the studio. She loved doing this for the next 6 years, before finally becoming a teacher herself. She has a lot of experience working with dancers of all ages and in a variety of styles. She has recently begun teaching and choreographing for the competitive program at Dansations, her soloist have received a variety of high scores and special judges awards. Additionally, she has completed teacher training at the famous Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Jen has been teaching at Dansations for the past 6 years and is looking forward to her 7th season!
Outside the studio, Jen has obtained her Bachelor's of Science from Canisius College. She studied as a triple major in Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship. In her free time, Jen loves spending time with her 1 year old kitten names Louis. She can't wait for another great year with her Dansations family.
Katie Heintz is originally from Rochester, NY and has extensive training in ballet, jazz, modern, acro, tap, and contemporary. She lived in Los Angeles, CA as a scholarship student at the Edge Performing Arts Center before graduating summa cum laude from SUNY Buffalo with a BFA in dance performance. She has spent many years dancing professionally with Zodiaque Dance Company, Configuration Dance Theatre and Met Dance Company of Houston, TX, where she performed at many events and venues including Jacob's Pillow, APAP and Texas Contemporary Dance. She has worked with numerous choreographers and has performed works by Joe Celej, Caleb Mitchell, Pattie Obey, Larry Keigwin, Kiki Lucas, Peter Chu and Kate Skarpetowska. She has been teaching dance to all ages for over 15 years in studios in Rochester, Buffalo, Houston, Baltimore, and Washington DC.
Kelly Root began her dance training at the age of 5. She has training in many styles of dance, including jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, acro, hip hop, and more. Kelly has been dancing on the Dansations competition team since the age of 8. Kelly has competed at many regional and national competitions while earning many high score and special judge's awards. She has performed on National Dance teams at national level competitions which has allowed her to work with professional choreographers. Between dance conventions and master classes, Kelly has worked with many choreographers including Joe Celej, Jennifer Golonka, Jen Apter, Bailey Kirwan, Nikki Gyfto, Michael Deeb Weaver, Cesar Salinas, and many more. Throughout her time at Dansations, she has performed at Disney Springs in Orlando, FL. Recently, Kelly has attended an audition for Walt Disney World and she made it to the final round of the audition. During her time at Dansations, Kelly has been a teacher assistant at Dansations for many years and is excited to start teaching. She is currently attending the University at Buffalo with a double major in Dance and Communications. Kelly is excited for an exciting year at Dansations!
Lindsey Parini has been dancing for 16 years. She was very passionate about dance and earned a spot on the competition team. She danced at the competitive level for 7 years. Lindsey has performed at numerous regional competitions, In 2021 she performed at Starpower National talent competition in Ocean City, Maryland, where her team was selected for the battle of the stars and was a high scoring finalist. Lindsey has worked as an assistant teacher at Dansations and is looking forward to starting her first season as a teacher at Dansations. Outside of dance, she is attending Buffalo State College as apart of the honors program where she is pursuing a degree in Biology and Chemistry. Lindsey loves working with young people and aspires to be a science teacher as well as a dance teacher!
Miss Liza's passion for dance has lead her to a passion for teaching. Liza began her dance training at the young age of 2. She is well studied in jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, modern, acro and hip hop. Over the years Liza has trained in New York City, Toronto, Chicago, and Orlando. She has taken classes with many industry icons including: The Martha Graham Company, Gus Giordano, Joe Lanteri, and Frank Hatchet to name a few! In 2022, Liza completed a Dance Teacher Training Workshop at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC, where she studied with master dance instructors from all over the world. To this day, Liza continues her education in the field of dance. Recently, she attended the Toronto Dance Teacher Expo. where she participated in Dance Classes and seminars. She holds several training certifications including: i.d.a. ballet syllabus, musical theater and jazz certification from the British Association Teachers of Dancing, and Acrobatic Arts acro syllabus to name. Liza graduated with a BA in Theatre and Dance from The University at Buffalo. During her time at UB, she focused her studies on dance education. Liza has been teaching dance for over 20 years. Her choreography has won several awards at both the regional and national level. Several of her students have gone on to become professional dancer. Her favorite thing is running into former students and hearing all about their lives after Dansations. She believes strongly that dance should be FUN, and every child should feel like a STAR.
Mackenzie Snekser began dancing at the age of 4. She joined the Dansations competition team at age 13. She has mastered all genres and styles of dance, with her favorite being contemporary. Makenzie has always been very passionate about dance. During her time as a competitive dancer, she has attended many dance competitions at the regional and national level as well as many dance conventions & master classes. Mackenzie recently won a $1,000 scholarship from the Starpower National Talent Competition in Ocean City, Maryland. She was the only soloist chosen for the prestigious scholarship out of over 150 dancers. Over the years, She has trained under the artists such as Jen Apter, Joe Celej, Bailey Kirwan, Gianna Newborg, Megz Alfonso and many others. She has performed for Dancers Give Back, the Buffalo Bisons and the Harlem Globetrotters.
Mackenzie currently attends school at Suny Erie Community College for a degree in Marketing. She is looking forward to starting a new dance season as a teacher at Dansations!
Mercedes Smith is originally from Buffalo, NY. She started her dance training at the age of 3 years old and continued her training throughout her schooling as a competition dancer. After graduating high school, she earned her B.F.A. in Dance from the State University of New York at Fredonia, with a duel B.S. in Exercise Science and a minor in Dance Studio Administration. Throughout her time as a student, she has worked with artists such as Ruth Andrien and the Paul Taylor 2 Company, Jon Lehrer, as well as Rebecca Guile-Wind. She has attended the East-Central Regional American College Dance Association all 4 consecutive years while attending Fredonia, including a Gala performance in 2016. Mercedes has also had the opportunity of training with the Dance Masters Of America at the University at Buffalo for the Teacher Training School program each summer, working with artists such as Lynne Kurdziel Formato, Rich Ashworth, Tracy Navarro, Barb Denny & Larraine Susa. Recently Mercedes has completed a Dance Teacher Training Workshop at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC, where she studied with Master dance instructors from all over the world. Mercedes is excited to be a part of the faculty at Dansations and looks forward to an awesome season!
Molly McLaughlin began her dance training at three years old at Dansations. She was on the competition team for ten years and has performed at a variety of regional and national competitions including at Walt Disney World. She has trained and performed in every style available. Molly has taken class from a variety of master teachers and companies, including Joe Celej, Maud Arnold, and Cesar Salinas. Currently, she is studying at the University at Buffalo in the Honors College. She is a double major in Theater & Dance and Environmental Science. Molly is super excited to meet and dance with your kiddos!
At the age of 4 years old, Sharon Ralston began dance instruction in ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatics at Geraldine C Hoffman's School of Dance. Soon it became apparent that ballet was her ultimate passion. During her early teens, she became class demonstrator for all ballet and pointe classes and then an assistant teacher. Shortly there after Sharon went on to become a full instructor. In order to improve in her chosen field, she studied Ballet at The University of Buffalo, Department of Dance, and also with Arthur Mitchell of The Dance Theatre of Harlem and Finis Jung, a master teacher. Later, Sharon completed teacher training with David Howard, world-renowned for mentoring such famous dancers as Mikail Baryshnikov and Natalia Markarova, which earned her a Certification in Ballet Instruction, with a Specialty in Pointe. Miss Sharon has continued teaching Ballet and Pointe at various studios in the Western New York area for over 40 years.
Taylor Heaphy grew up dancing in Rochester, NY at TNT Dance Explosion and The Draper Center for Dance Education. She received her BA in Dance and minors in Biology and Spanish, graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University at Buffalo on full Honors College scholarship. While at UB, she had the privilege of training extensively with jazz, tap, and social dance educator Tom Ralabate, and aerial dance and circus arts educator Kathleen Golde, among others. Taylor was assistant to the director of Emerging Choreographers Showcase for two years, choreographed and performed in multiple departmental shows and projects, and was her senior class representative. Upon graduation, Taylor moved to New York City and studied with many renowned dance artists including Al Blackstone and Billy Griffin.
In addition to teaching at Dansations, Taylor manages a NYC-based GYROTONIC® and Pilates studio. She is a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts through NDEO, an IBBFA certified Barre instructor, and has completed the following dance certifications: Musical Theater from the British Association Teachers of Dancing, I.D.A. International Dance Arts Ballet Seminar, Contemporary Jazz and Repertoire of Les Ballet Jazz Montreal through PAEC, and CDTA Jazz & Modern Dance Palooza.