Dana Ranieri
“Miss Dana” began dancing at age 4. Growing up she danced on Al Alberts & Chief Halftown TV shows, performed at local events and did numerous performances for the March of Dimes telethons. Throughout her training she has studied all genres of dance & grew up competing in Local & National Dance Competitions.
Dana pursued her passion for dance and studied at The University of The Arts in Philadelphia where she graduated with her Associates Degree in Dance with a concentration in Modern Dance. As a student at the University, Dana trained extensively with Master Modern teachers, Roni Koresh, Pat Thomas, Milton Meyers, and Faye Snow, focusing on the Graham & Horton Modern Technique.
Dana was a member of The Philadelphia Kixx Dance Team for 2 years, within that time she performed at games, dance appearances, charity events, and live TV. She was honored to be part of such a great organization, and happy to be able to raise moeny for many different charities. She also had the opportunity to appear with her team in the movie Unbreakable & MTV’s Global Groove.
Dana has been an Instructor and Choreographer at Dancesations since we opened in 1995 (over 26 years). She trains our Competition Contemporary/Modern & Lyrical classes as well as our Teen Competitive Jazz. Dana’s choreography for our Competition Team has won Top awards on the Local & National levels. She has won multiple Choreography Awards for her work. Miss Dana’s Contemporary Production was Nominated for “The People’s Choice Award” for the Industry Dance Awards in 2019. She has received “Best Technique” &
“Ultimate Emotional Execution” Awards for her choreography. Dana has also had the pleasure of having her Contemporary choreography featured in 2 music videos for an upcoming singer.
Miss Dana loves to watch her choreography come alive by her very talented students.
She is always excited to share her passion, love, and enthusiasm for the Art of Dance with her students and to motivate them to continue learning and excel in dance and in their everyday lives.
Dana is married to her husband Bobby and has 3 daughters Gianna, Olivia & Ava. She feels very blessed to be doing what she loves!!
Nicole Billow
“Miss Nicole” trained in all types of dance since age 6. She grew up performing in shows for the Boardwalk Star Review in Atlantic City and the March of Dimes telethon. She also competed in pageants and competitions, capturing more than 40 state and national titles as a child and a teen.
Nicole continued her dance training while attending the University of Maryland and then traveled to New York weekly to take classes at Steps and the Broadway Dance Center.
In 1998, Nicole won the title of Miss District of Columbia and was a top 10 finalist and preliminary talent winner at the 1998 Miss America Pageant, performing a tap dance.
Nicole has danced professionally in tours and shows at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Marquis Theater on Broadway in New York. She toured the nation in a professional tap dance tour called Absolut Tap with other professional tap dancers including Aaron Tolson and Derick Grant. Nicole has also done numerous television and radio ads for Comcast, Volkswagen, Bell South, and served as a host for 2 years on QVC. She also appeared in several television shows and movies.
Nicole has taught tap and jazz at DanceSations Studio of Performing Arts since 2002. She resides in Marlton with her husband Mitch and her 3 children, Shane, Matthew, and Jordan.
Amanda Dempsey
“Miss Amanda” began dancing at age 3 and has been dancing, competing, and teaching for 33 years. She began her training as a student at local dance companies, including DanceSations and Ballet South of New Jersey. Amanda was a member of DanceSations’ Competition Team. She was cast in the leading roles of “Clara” in Ballet South’s production of “The Nutcracker” and as “Peter” in their production of “Peter and the Wolf.” Amanda is also a former Miss New Jersey National Teenager and Miss Teen New Jersey. She began teaching at DanceSations in 2002.
After graduating high school, Amanda enrolled at Georgetown University and joined its competition hip-hop team “Groove Theory.” With Groove Theory, Amanda won 2 American Cheer and Dance National Championship titles in the hip-hop division, 2 DMV regional hip-hop competitions hosted by University of Maryland, and competed in Culture Shock DC’s first annual East Coast Dance Competition. Groove Theory also performed at countless campus and charity events, including Georgetown’s annual Midnight Madness celebration, nationally-televised Georgetown basketball games, and their annual recreation of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video. Amanda served as president and choreographer of Groove Theory from 2005 to 2007. She received the “Excellence in Creative Design” and “Excellence in Administration” in 2007 from the GU Dance Faculty, for her work with Groove Theory.
After graduating from Georgetown, Amanda re-joined the staff at DanceSations, where she teaches hip-hop and jazz to our Competition Team students. She has received numerous choreography awards for her work at regional and national competitions, several Industry Dance Awards nominations, impact awards, and overall placements.
In addition to her work as a dance instructor and choreographer, Amanda graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 2011 and works as a corporate lawyer, specializing in franchising and distribution. She lives in Woodbury with her husband Matt, her son Morgan, and daughter Maeve.
Joann Weindel
“Miss Joann” began her gymnastics career at age ten. By age thirteen, she was competing in national competitions. She began her extensive teaching career when she was fifteen and, since then, has taught pre-school gymnastics, mommy and me, and recreational gymnastics to levels beginner to advanced. She also taught and coached the level four and five USAG Gymnastics Teams. Joann studied Health and Physical Education at Rowan University.
During her college years, Joann won first place at the Women’s Bodybuilding competition. She is also a certified personal trainer. Throughout her 20 years in the acro world, Joann has made herself known as one of the premiere acro teachers in South Jersey.
She has been teaching here at DanceSations since 2012 and her students excel thanks to her professional teaching.
Caitlin Jordan
Caitlin started her dance journey as a student at DanceSations at the age of 2 years old. While at the studio, she studied jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, hip hop, Hawaiian,gymnastics, and tap, which is her true passion.
In addition to taking classes, she also competed on DanceSations’ competition team and served as a student teacher. After 18 years of dance at DanceSations, Caitlin attended college at Widener University, where she graduated with honors with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Hospitality Management.
After graduation Caitlin has completed the cycle and joined the staff at DanceSations in 2016, teaching tap and sharing her love of dance with all of her students.
Gianna Racobaldo
“Miss Gianna” began her dance journey at Dancesations at the age of 2. She received her training by our fellow staff members in the styles of Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Lyrical, Broadway, and Hip-Hop. Gianna was a part of Dancesations Competition Team for 12 years, and participated in numerous Regional and National Competitions as well as Fundraisers and Workshops. Gianna got the privilege to take workshop classes from top industry choreographers such as Mia Michaels, Brian Freedman, Tyce Diorio, Dave Scott, and many more. Gianna won the Senior Scholarship at NDS National Competition in 2016. She had the opportunity to audition for Paula Abdul’s TV show, HairSpray Live, and to be an NFL Eagles Cheerleader.
Gianna graduated from Neumann University with Cum Laude and her BSN in Nursing. Gianna was a member of the Neumann Dance Team all 4 years and Captain for 2 years where she choreographed many of the teams routines. The Dance Team performed at different events, games and has competed at UDA Nationals in Disney World.
Gianna has been on our teaching staff since 2015, she teaches the Pre-Teen competition Hip-Hop classes, the Junior competition Jazz class, and combo classes. Miss. Gianna’s choreography has been in the top overalls and received Special Judges awards at local and National competitions.
Gianna is now an RN working at Cooper Hospital. Miss Gianna is so excited to bring her love, passion, and knowledge of dance to her students every week!
Mandy Weiner
As the daughter of a dance director, Mandy grew up in the Kelly Lynn Dance Studio in Turnersville, NJ. She began dancing at the age of three, and continued there for twelve years. She trained in all genres, and also taught Acro.
Mandy attended the Pennsylvania School of Art and Design, where she studied Photography. Upon returning from college, she began teaching Acro at Dancesations.
After stepping away from dance to pursue other interests, and eventually starting a family, her passion for dance returned through her two daughters, who are now on the Dancesations competition team. Mandy again began teaching at Dancesations, and she strives to instill her love of dance into her students. She currently teaches Combo classes and Acro.
Many resides in Mullica Hill with her husband Ryan and two daughters, Remmi and Locklyn. She is both a Dancesations dance mom and teacher, and she is looking forward to a great dance season!
Sydney Diamond
Sydney Diamond is a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist currently based in Philadelphia, PA. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Sydney began her dance training from a young age at her local studio, while also learning singing and acting at Pittsburgh Musical Theatre. She later attended Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School where she continued her studies in dance, choreography, and theatre and became a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts and won the Best Choreography award for her senior thesis. While in high school, Sydney spent her summers training at Point Park University and The Joffrey Ballet School. After graduation, Sydney joined the Dance Department at the University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield, where she graduated summa cum laude with honors with a BFA in Dance.
Sydney has performed in various musical productions including Guys & Dolls, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, White Christmas, and more. She has had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Bobbi Jene Smith, Sidra Bell, Gary Jeter, Curt Haworth, Jesse Zaritt, Anne White, Theresa Ruth Howard, and more. Sydney has performed in the FringeArts annual Scratch Night in Philadelphia and participated in Sidra Bell’s 2019 Summer Dance MODULE in New York City. Sydney continues to train and audition in Philadelphia and New York, while focusing on developing her own work. She premiered her first full length work Little Boxes (2018) at the University of the Arts and will be premiering her newest work Sweet Dreams this August (2021) at Flair Dance Festival in Philadelphia.
Sydney is currently a mentor and choreographer at ZZDance in Cherry Hill, NJ, where she has won awards for her lyrical & jazz choreography at competition. She is thrilled to begin teaching and choreographing at DanceSations this upcoming Fall and is looking forward to creating a fun and positive learning environment where the dancers can grow and create together!
Alexander (Sasha) Herrmann
Sasha Alexander Herrmann is currently a dance teacher/choreographer as well as a freelance choreographer doing master classes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Sasha started Dancing at the age of 4. He is now 23 and is still sharing his passion for dance.
Over the years Sasha has attended intensives at Pennsylvania Ballet, The Princeton Ballet School and The Philadelphia Ballet School.
Always looking to round out his expertise, Sasha has also had the pleasure of attending many workshops and worked with many well-known dancers/choreographers. Some of these include (Mia Michaels, Lacey Schwimmer, Ian Eastwood, Brian Freedman, Kevin Frey, Bill Hotaling, Joshua Bergasse, Kameron Bink, Todd Shanks, etc.), Millennium Dance Complex and Broadway Dance Center. In addition to training, Sasha also participates in live events as a feature dancer. These include dancing at the Riversharks Stadium, The Wells Fargo Center for Philadelphia Soul, and being a featured dancer on Fox 29 News twice. Sasha has studied many styles of dance over the years and continues to share his creativity and choreography.
Yosbel Delgado Hernandez
A native of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Yosbel Delgado-Hernandez began his training at the E.V.A. (vocational school of arts) in his hometown, where he studied ballet for five years. Mr. Delgado’s first professional position was at the Camaguey Ballet in Cuba where he remained for almost two years. While at Camaguey Ballet he performed most of their repertoire including several works by Osvaldo Rivero. After dancing at Camaguey he was hired to dance at the world renowned Ballet Nacional de Cuba (Cuban National Ballet) under the direction of Alicia Alonso. There he stayed for two years and performed featured roles in many works including Von Rotbart and pas de six in Swan Lake, Quixote, toreros and sword dance in Don Quixote among many others. In 2002, Mr. Delgado came to the United States to study and join the Pennsylvania Ballet. Since then he has performed numerous featured roles with the Pennsylvania Ballet in many works including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Taming of the Shrew, Dracula, Firebird, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, The Concert, Kazimir’s Colours, Carmina Burana by Matthew Neenan, Five Tangos, Nine Sinatra Songs, Western Symphony, Messiah, Fearful Symmetries, The Four Temperaments, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Carnival of the Animals. He currently dances with Lustig Dance Theatre.
LaVon Patterson
LaVon Patterson, originally from Philadelphia, PA, started his journey with dance at Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan, NY. To further his skills and education he attended the Creative & Performing Arts High School in Philadelphia and went on to reeive a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance from the University of The Arts.
LaVon had the honor of being assistant choreographer to Brian Thomas for Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Special in 2001 at Madison Square Garden and he’s worked with major music artists Usher, Destiny’s Child, ‘N Sync, J-Lo, Michael Jackson, and many more!
His magnetic energy and authentic freestyle has taken him around the World where he shares his love for movement through performance and education. From dancing in national commercials and movies, to award shows and World Tours, LaVon truly embodies what it is to be a modern day professional artist. His passion for teaching and entertaining from a young age has served as the foundation for his career. His goals are to always make a positive impact and be a role model. The mission is to transform lives through music, movement, and the groove.
Domenique DeSanto
Domenique started her dance journey at the age of 4 at Dance by Debra DiNote. She danced her way through to high school graduation, taking ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip hop, musical theater, and pointe. She moved through the levels and was a company member for 10 years. Domenique danced in many community service events. She competed both regionally and nationally. Domenique performed twice in Disney World! She had many lead roles in company productions.
It was in high school that Domenique knew she wanted to pursue a career in Dance. She was the recipient of the Senior Star award 2015 at Dance by Debra DiNote when she graduated at age 17. Domenique was also a part of TWP Dance at Washington Township High School all 4 years and was 1 of 8 chosen to perform a solo at the annual Dance Concert her senior year.
After graduation, she went on to pursue her dance passion as a Dance Major at Rowan University in 2015 where she is now a senior. Domenique has begun senior year as the recipient of the Bryan Goldhaft Memorial Dance Scholarship 2018-2019.
Julia Taormina
Julia began her dance training here at DanceSations at the age of five. The teachers and coaches she has had along the way have contributed to the dancer and teacher she is today. Her favorite dance memories include being on the varsity dance team at Paul VI High School, competitions with her DanceSations friends, and dancing for Rowan University. Julia joined the DanceSations teaching staff during her second year of college in 2017. Since then, she fell in love with sharing her love of dance to young students while creating a positive learning atmosphere.
After graduating from Rowan University in 2021 with her bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education and Writing Arts, Julia accepted a full-time teaching position as a 5th grade teacher. She is excited to be back in the studio for her 5th year, this year being a first-time competition teacher, and looking forward to another great dance season!
Kyra Beke
Kyra has been dancing for over 20 years and grew up dancing as a competition team member at DanceSations. Kyra grew up taking dance classes and focused on technique training in all styles of dance.
She has had opportunities to work with Scott Jovovich in creating excellent shows of The Nutcracker, accepting a principal role of performing as the Arabian Princess. She has also done small gigs in Atlantic City as a promo dancer interacting with casino goers. Kyra has recently started and coaches the Kingsway Dance Team, lucky enough to be at her high school alma mater. She prepares the team with high energy halftime performances for football and basketball games and high school dance team competitions. She has taught and subbed at numerous studios in Southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia area. Through teaching and coaching, she wants to continue to inspire and share her passion of dance with young upcoming artists. Kyra has had many opportunities to audition for different pro-sports dance teams, both local and nationally. Kyra has just finished her second season dancing as a Philadelphia Wings Dancer for the NLL Organization.
Upon transferring to Rowan University, Kyra had the opportunity to attend University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, where she worked with numerous choreographers including Gary Jeter, Robert Burden, Katie Swords-Thurman, Jesse Zaritt and many more. Kyra has graduated from Rowan University in 2018 where she received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and an Associates in Dance. She was a member of her college dance team and actively took open classes that Rowan University’s theatre and dance department offered. When Kyra is not dancing or teaching, she is working full time for a mid-size company as an accountant.
Lyana Cocchi
Lyana began dancing at age four. She trained at DanceSations for fourteen years in all genres, and was a member of the competition team for seven years. She enjoyed participating in both Regional and National competitions, and throughout the years was recognized with many special judges awards.
Lyana started student teaching at Dancesations in 2017, and in 2019 she joined our teaching staff. She currently teaches Combo classes and Hip Hop. Lyana enjoys sharing her passion and love for dance through her teaching.
Lyana is a 2020 High School graduate, who was involved in many clubs and events during her time there. She played an important role in helping to create a Dance Club at her school, where she also choreographed, and led a team for them.
Lyana is presently a student at Rowan College of South Jersey, where she is excelling and continuing her education.
Lyana is very excited to reunite with her previous students, to meet her new students, and to begin her third year teaching at Dancesations.
Caitlyn Crompton
Miss Caitlyn began her dance journey at Dancesations at the age of 2. She received her training by our fellow staff members in the styles of Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary and Broadway. In addition to taking classes she served as a student teacher.
Caitlyn was apart of Dancesations Competition Team for more than 10 years and has participated in numerous Regional and National Competitions where she lead her competition team in two National Dance-Off titles, a National championship and won the title of “The Best of NDS” at regionals for having the highest score for the entire competition.
Caitlyn was honored to perform at the Koresh Dance Company as part of the Koresh Artistic Showcase, as well as having the opportunity to take workshops with Hillary-Marie, Aaron Tolson, Jason Samuel-Smith, Derick Grant to name a few.
Caitlyn graduated from Washington Township High School in 2020. She choreographed the Senior Directed Cabaret and Spirit Parade, and as a member of the Interact Club she volunteered in community events as well as fundraising for ALS. Presently Caitlyn is attending Rowan College of South Jersey.
Caitlyn hopes to inspire her students by sharing her passion, knowledge and love of dance with them.
Student Instructors
Madelyn Brook
Miss Maddie has been dancing at Dancesations since the age of three. Over the course of 15 years, she developed her love for the art of dance in all genres. She is entering her senior year at Kingsway Regional High school where she is a member of the dance team.
Maddie has always challenged herself to grow as a dancer. She has furthered her training at the Joffrey Ballet Summer Dance Intensive and Rock School West Summer programs. She also performed with The South Jersey Ballet’s production of Cinderella and The Mid Atlantic Dance Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker. Maddie was also chosen as an ambassador for the ShoreStop Dance Convention. She had attended numerous dance intensives, conventions and classes.
Maddie has enjoyed student teaching for the last several years under the leadership of Miss Dana. She has earned numerous awards, nominations and titles over the years. A few special memories include her national titles for her solos/duet, best of NDS nominations and being crowned “Teen Miss Beyond the Stars”. Maddie was also honored to be the featured dancer in two of Marina Morgan’s music videos.
Maddie continues cherish her time at Dancesations and is looking forward to continued growth as a dancer in college. Maddie is honored to be a part of the Dancesation’s faculty and is grateful to share her passion for dance with her students. She looks forward to an exciting and fun year ahead!
Taylor Lucidi
Taylor has been dancing at Dancesations since she was two years old. In addition to being trained in all genres by our staff members, she has spent many summers taking master classes and Intensives in New York City and also studying dance at places such as The Joffrey Ballet School and The Rock School West. Taylor began competing at the age of four, and since then has been an asset to our competition team. She has won many awards and titles over the years, and has been crowned “Junior Miss Beyond The Stars” and “Miss Onstage America” for her high scoring solos. She was also nominated and named “Dancer of the Year” at one of our Nationals.
She is currently a student at Sterling High School, where she not only dances on their dance team, but also helps choreograph for them. This past season, she was recognized and awarded with a certificate for her outstanding choreography skills.
Taylor has worked alongside one of her mentors, Miss Dana, for the past few years student teaching, and she has also been substitute teaching at Dancesations when needed.
Taylor is so excited to join our staff and she is eager to share her skills, knowledge, and love of dance with her students!