City Center Dance

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The Staff
Leading the staff is founder and artistic director Dina Giordano. A native of Westchester County, Dina has been teaching your children for over two decades! A magna cum laude graduate from Pace University, Dina has performed all around the tri-state area at venues such as the Westchester Broadway Theater, The Rich Forum, The Palace Theater, Merce Cunningham, Symphony Space, Purchase College, Quickcenter for the Arts, Madison Square Garden, Continental Airlines Arena, ABC Studios, and Webster Hall, just to name a few! Dedicated to teaching the art of dance to children and adults alike, Dina is committed to making the experience both educational and fun for all students. A positive atmosphere is what you will find at City Center Dance, but most of all, professional instruction is what you will receive. And so you will find staff here with degrees and performance credits from many accredited universities and companies including Manhattanville College, SUNY Purchase, St. Johns University, STEPS on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center and the American Tap Dance Foundation.

Dina Giordano (artistic director) received her dance training at SUNY Purchase, and graduated magna cum laude with her BBA from Pace University. She has performed works by many renowned NYC choreographers including Michele Assaf, Danny Catanach, Lisa Dawn Cave, Lisa Hopkins, and Val Suarez. Company credits include principal dancer for Dawn's Light, Extended Dance, Off Center Dance Theatre, and Oil & Water Dance. Past performances include DRA's "The Remember Project", Broadway Dance Center's "The Gypsy Project", Broadway Cares, Dance Cares I, II & III, performances at Webster Hall and dancer for the Arena Football League. Dina choreographed the winning routine for Miss Fitness 2005 and was assistant coach and choreographer for the USBL Westchester Wildfire Dance Team. Her students have gone on to dance for Disney, movies and TV, as well as for the NY Knicks, Titans, and Dragons, and for the elite collegiate dance/pom teams at Towson, Syracuse, Bucknell and Yale universities. This past spring Dina was proud and honored to accept a position as adjunct faculty for the prestigious dance department at Purchase College.

Debbie Spahr (tap, jazz, creative movement) has performed roles in many dinner theatre, off-broadway and regional theatre productions, including "Hodel" in the Westchester Broadway Theatre's production of Fiddler on the Roof, and has toured onboard Regency Cruises as a member of their musical theatre troupe. She choreographs and teaches all styles of dance in schools and theatres all over the tri-state area and in 2007, she was the recipient of the Helen Hayes Award for best choreography for Rye Neck High School's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Deborah is most proud of her students, several of whom have appeared on Broadway and are presently pursuing careers in the arts.

Emily Glaze (ballet) was born in Kingston, Jamaica and has been studying dance and performing since the age of three. Emily is a graduate of Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, 2004 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree and received her Masters of Science in Education from Hunter College. She received her high school diploma from Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA with a major in Ballet. She has studied at The Ailey School, Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Kirov Academy of Ballet, The Ballet Center and Jamaica School of Dance in Kingston, Jamaica. Emily has performed in works by George Balanchine including Serenade and Stars and Stripes, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, The Nutcracker at Walnut Hill School, Purchase College and The Ballet Center. Emily has taught extensively in Jamaica at The Ballet Center, The Jamaica School of Dance and at Walnut Hill School.

Jami Coumoutsos (jazz, hip hop) Jami was a four year member of the nationally ranked St. John's University Dance Team. She was a captain of the team her junior and senior years and was responsible for a large percentage of team choreography. She began her dancing career at Landrum School of Dance in Queens where she studied jazz, hip-hop, ballet, lyrical and tap for 15 years. She has participated in many studio competitions such as Dance Educators of America, All American and Starpower. Jami also judges many local and state dance team competitions.

Shelby Kaufman (tap) is a member of Germaine Salsberg’s tap company ‘Les Femmes,’ and assists and guest teaches for her at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. She is a member of Traci Mann’s ‘Young Hoofers’, Katrina Phillip’s musical theatre dance company ‘SLC’, and her own company of professional Jewish hoofers, ‘Mazel Toes’. Shelby’s choreography was featured in the 2009 Tap City ‘Main Event’ where she also danced a tribute to Tony Award nominated choreographer Randy Skinner, and performed new choreographic works by Brenda Bufalino, Michelle Dorrance, Jason Samuels Smith, Derick Grant, and Chloe Arnold. Shelby has become Ms. Arnold’s dance captain for various projects in New York, and also assists the tap legend Dr. Harold ‘Stumpy’ Cromer. She additionally assisted Joshua Bergasse for his musical theatre choreography showcase at City Center. Notable performance venues include the Apollo Theatre, Lincoln Center, and Symphony Space in Manhattan, and The Duke Ellington Theatre in Washington DC. Shelby will soon be seen as a guest tap dancer on ‘Sesame Street’.

Ryan Orr (break dancing) has a B.A. from SUNY Purchase College and he has danced in various shows. While studying in college Ryan organized local break-dance events in the Westchester County area. Since 1999 Ryan has performed a variety of dance pieces in Irvington, Albany, White Plains and Sleepy Hollow. Ryan has attended, participated and competed in break-dance events with the 2StepsAhead Crew (2A) in NYC, Philadelphia, Bronx and New Jersey.

Gina Fabbricante (jazz) has been dancing for 18 years competing in multiple regional and national competitions. She performed with the Russian Ballet Company as well as worked for singer Jesse McCartney as a back up dancer. She attended Frank Sinatra School of the Arts where she studied Ballet and Modern and spent 3 years on the nationally ranked St. John's University Dance Team. She is looking forward to the year ahead and is very excited to join the team at City Center Dance!

Caliaf St. Aubyn has been performing independently in New York City for twelve years. Trained at restoration dance theater, Caliaf has been involved in companies such as, Balance Dance Theatre P.A.K.A Dance Company, TAKE Dance Company as well as being involved in the Brooklyn Academy of Music dance extravaganza entitled “Dance Africa”. He was also in the ShowTime movie “Bojangles” alongside Gregory Hines. Caliaf has been a guest teacher at Broadway Dance Center and the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City. He prides himself in learning and teaching many different styles of dance from African, Hip-hop, jazz, tap and modern.

City Center Dance - 236 East Post Road - White Plains, NY 10601
Conveniently located in central Westchester
Tel: 914-328-1881 - Email: info@citycenterdance.com

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