ABOUT
Culture
Our staff and instructors love what they do and believe in a close family atmosphere where we can educate and share our love for dance with all students. We provide life skills encouraging socialization, inclusion, discipline, confidence building, expression and more! Our diverse staff can take a student from beginner to professional, but also realizes that not all children have these aspirations. Students of all abilities are welcome to join our dance family and will be offered challenges to keep them interested and passionate about dance.
FACILITY
We proudly present a cutting edge facility with over 6000 square feet, that features three dance studios, equipped with cushioned Stage Step flooring to protect your child’s joints and muscles. The floor “floats” on hundreds of high density foam cushions which absorb the impact of dancing and jumping. This system provides a safe and comfortable surface for all students, reducing injury and allowing the dancers to perform with minimal fatigue. Our space also includes dedicated restrooms for each dance space, and a welcoming lobby, equipped with viewing windows/monitors and an exclusive dance wear boutique.
Rent our space!
Email inquiries to info@elitedanceacademy.com
Faculty
The director and the professional staff share the philosophy that dance is to be enjoyed by all for its intrinsic benefits. Our instructors love what they do and believe in a close family atmosphere where they can teach and share their love for dance with their students. Our diverse staff can take a student from beginner to Broadway–caliber, but also realizes that not all children have such aspirations.
Sharon Camarero
Owner
Sharon was Elite Dance Academy’s first student and is the daughter of EDA founder, “Miss Jan”. She grew up in the dance studio studying ballet, tap, jazz, pointe and gymnastics. As a student, Sharon traveled to conventions, competitions and performances at a variety of venues throughout the tri-state area and attended classes in Philadelphia and New York. She moved on to college athletics while earning a BS in Marketing, followed by a Masters of Business Administration in Finance. She was employed as a corporate business system consultant prior to purchasing Elite in 2010. Sharon is very happy to be surrounded by the dance world where she grew up, especially close to adults and children (including two of her own) who share the love of dance. She is a fitness fanatic, an avid runner, and a 2nd degree Black Belt. She is passionate about having a dance studio where children of all ages and abilities can find happiness, learn, and grow surrounded by a healthy environment of love and encouragement.
Sharon Camarero
Sharon Camarero
Sharon was Elite Dance Academy’s first student and is the daughter of EDA founder, “Miss Jan”. She grew up in the dance studio studying ballet, tap, jazz, pointe and gymnastics. As a student, Sharon traveled to conventions, competitions and performances at a variety of venues throughout the tri-state area and attended classes in Philadelphia and New York. She moved on to college athletics while earning a BS in Marketing, followed by a Masters of Business Administration in Finance. She was employed as a corporate business system consultant prior to purchasing Elite in 2010. Sharon is very happy to be surrounded by the dance world where she grew up, especially close to adults and children (including two of her own) who share the love of dance. She is a fitness fanatic, an avid runner, and a 2nd degree Black Belt. She is passionate about having a dance studio where children of all ages and abilities can find happiness, learn, and grow surrounded by a healthy environment of love and encouragement.
Amy Widmer
Amy Widmer
Miss Amy began dancing at the age of 5 at Elite Dance Academy. She was taught by the one and only Miss Jan who mentored her in teaching. At fifteen, Amy was a member of Philadanco’s training company while still dancing on Elite’s competition team. She went on to receive her BFA in dance at DeSales University on scholarship. There she was president of Chi Tau Epsilon (dance honor society) for two years and the assistant director of DeSale’s Dance Conservatory as well as a teacher there. Amy was a member of the ACTion Touring Company and performed in many concerts and musicals while at DeSales as well as a choreographer for Elite’s competition team. Upon graduation, Amy performed on cruise ships and at amusement parks for 2 years. At that point, she decided that her true love was teaching. She has been a staff member of Elite since 1999. Amy has won numerous choreography awards and her students have won many high score medals and national titles (including the prestigious Teen Miss Starpower and Junior Miss Starpower). She has studied with Mia Micheals, Gil Stroming, Mike Minery, Frank Hatchett, Shelia Barker, and Milton Myers to name a few. Miss Amy is certified in Zumbini and CLI Studios as well as currently studying with Rhee Gold, Julie Kay Stallcup and other members of DanceLife Retreat. She is Elite’s Managing Director and hopes to share her love, passion and knowledge of teaching with other members of the Elite staff and her students!
Lisa Gaunt
Lisa Gaunt
Lisa has been teaching both dance and fitness for 20 years. She is a graduate of Montclair State University with degrees in Theatre Production & Design, Dance and Musical Theatre. She won the Kennedy Center’s Regional ACTF Stage Management title in both 2004 and 2005, as well as performing in the finals of the prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition. She also performed with the Montclair Repertory Dance company and studied underneath top NJ and NYC choreographers. Her early professional career focused on production, as a stage manager in NYC and at Many of NJ’s top theatres. With a to an affinity for human movement & expression, she expanded into the fitness world in Yoga, Pilates, Group fitness and became a National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer, while continuing to teach the performing arts and direct and choreograph musicals and dance teams throughout NJ. She has acquired over 12 different certifications as a personal trainer, Yoga and Pilates instructor throughout her career.
Her dance and theater students have gone on to study at top university dance and theater programs across the US as well as successful performance careers from national tours, Regional and Off-Broadway Theatres. She is also a proud and busy mom of three; twin girls born in 2011 and a boy in 2015. She began teaching at Elite in 2016 and has loved being a party of the EDA dance family.
Nick Camarero
Nick Camarero
Nick Camarero is a native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania and started dancing at Elite Dance Academy at age 3. He received his primary training from EDA, Princeton Ballet School, and NYCDA prior to college. Nick recently graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance. Nick has worked closely alongside and performed works by Jenn Freeman, Micaela Taylor, David Parsons, Martha Graham, Cameron McKinney. He has also attended training programs including Orsolina28 Goecke/Kylian Repertory intensive, GALLIM, Ballet Hispanico Choreolab, and Peridance Blueprint. Nick has received passionate mentorship from many esteemed Elite staff members and is grateful to have found a passion in dance from the love and care shared with him over the years. He is honored to be teaching, choreographing, and mentoring young dancers from the place where it all started, especially alongside his mom, Sharon and sister, Ava.
Kathryn Smoyer
Kathryn Smoyer
Kathryn Smoyer has been a part of the dance world for over 30 years. As a child, she instantly fell in love with tap and quickly grew to love all dance styles. During her younger years, Kathryn trained extensively in ballet under Ann Moser Trenka. In college, Ms. Smoyer turned her love to hip hop, performing and competing with the Temple University Diamond Gems. She graduated with a Bachelors in Education from Temple University in 2001 and earned her Masters of Arts in Education from Gratz College in 2009. During the day, Kathryn currently teaches sixth grade in Philadelphia. Her proudest accomplishment is being a mother to her two beautiful children. Ms. Smoyer has been teaching dance in the Pennsylvania area for the past 20 years and is excited and honored to be part of the Elite Dance Academy family.
Reggie Oliver
Reggie Oliver
Reginald “Reggie.O” Oliver is a Dancer, Choreographer, and Teacher from Pennsylvania Who has experienced many areas of the entertainment and performance industry! From the stage to the television set and even catelogs and magazines, Reggie holds an extensive amount of credentials and experience. A few of Reggie’s credits include but aren’t limited to dancing for Toni Braxton, Mackelmore, Keke Palmer, Pitbuul, Ozuna, and The Weeknd at his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance! Reggie has also danced on and been featured in a host of award shows and music videos on Networks such as Nickelodeon, BET, VH1, and MTV, just to name a few. In addition, Reggie has been featured in and has choreographed commercials and promotional ads for products and companies such as Boost Mobile, Samsung, Costume Gallery Dance Catalog and Dance Apparel as well as Pastry Sneakers! It is Reggie’s hope to one day be a positive and influential staple in the Pennsylvania dance community and history! Reggie believes that hard work will gain access to anything you want in this world. With all of his experiences and many more to come, there is no doubt that Reggie.O will become the influencer that he aspires to be!
Bailey Benoot
Bailey Benoot
Bailey Benoot is a dancer and choreographer originally from Detroit, Michigan. She graduated summa cum laude in 2019 with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Creative Writing at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. She has performed at Dixon Place, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Triskelion arts, the Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out stage, Judson Church, and the Kennedy Center, among other venues. She has premiered her own Choreography at Spoke the Hub’s Winter Follies showcase, Spoke the Hub’s Director’s Showcase, Spring for Spring Dance Festival, River Dance Festival, as well as various showcases in the NJ/NY/PA area. Bailey dances with ~mignolo~ dance as a resident artist and works as a costume and lighting designer for them as well. She is very excited to share her love of dance for dance with the students at EDA!
Lauren Maher
Lauren Maher
Lauren began dancing at the age of 3. She trained in many styles including ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, tap, and pointe. During her competitive years (ages 5 to 18), Lauren received numerous high scores as well as entertainment and judges awards. She also attended renowned conventions where she was able to learn from many industry leaders and received scholarships for future opportunities. After graduating high school, Lauren attended Penn State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. She continued to dance throughout college as part of a lyrical company where she held the position of head choreographer for two years. In this role she choreographed pieces performed in showcases, parades, Disney World, and Penn State’s Dance Marathon. After college, Lauren moved to Boston where she continued performing and choreographing with a company named DanceWorks Boston. Lauren is very excited to be a part of the Elite Dance Academy faculty!
Ava Camarero
Ava Camarero
Ava began dancing at the early age of two. She studied all genres of dance and began competing at the age of 7 on the EDA dance team. Ava was a successful competitor, winning many regional and national awards at competitions as well as earning two National titles in tap. Ava has attended a variety of conventions and intensives to further her dance background. Currently, Ava is a part time instructor and also a competitive choreographer for EDA. Her most recent accomplishment was receiving the National 2022 Stellar Award where her tap group was the highest scoring 12 and under routine. Ava is currently a human physiology major at Boston University, where she continues to take class locally. Ava is happy to be sharing her dance knowledge and choreography skills with the students at Elite!
Conner Kelly
Conner Kelly
Conner has done a significant amount of Tap Dance related work from his earlier years performing with The American Tap Dance Foundation and other New York shows including Ayodele Casel’s, “Tappy Holidays”. Most significantly, Conner joined a cast called TAP STARS who brought their performance from the Kennedy Center all the way to Vancouver. Currently Conner performs & trains with the Philadelphia Tap Jazz Ensemble while also doing various solo performances & teaching up & down the east coast. “Tap dance is something that is often misunderstood & misrepresented, so it is my job to consistently keep my best foot forward, teach from where I’ve been taught and give credit back to the Masters of Tap Dance”. You can follow Conner’s Tap Dance journey on Instagram @itsconnerkelly.
Christa Chirico
Christa Chirico
Christa began dancing at the age of 3 and grew up training in ballet, jazz, lyrical and contemporary at the competition level. Christa also used her dance skills as a member of the Sesame Place Entertainment Department from 2010 to 2013, where she performed daily in shows and parades. Prior to graduating from Villanova University in 2015, Christa was the president of the Villanova Dance Company, which allowed her to take and teach classes, choreography pieces, organize the semester showcases, and plan workshops with local Philadelphia-based dance companies. Christa teachers English at a local high school during the day and loves bringing the same energy from her English classroom into studio!
Taylor Koretsky
Taylor Koretsky
Taylor was a student of Elite Dance Academy from age 3 to 18. She studied all genres of dance including hip hop, tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, and pom. She competed as part of the EDA Team for 11 years, earned many high scores and awards, and was a leader to her younger teammates. In addition, Taylor was an EDA student choreographer and assistant teacher. A graduate of Towson University with a degree in Elementary and Special Education, Taylor continued dancing throughout college as part of the Towson University Pom Squad and was an acting captain for one year. As a junior, she led her team to the UDA Collegiate Dance Nationals in Disney World. Taylor is a certified “Rhythm Works Integrative Dance” instructor, which is a program designed for those with individual learning differences and other special needs. Taylor is beyond excited to continue to be a part of the Elite Dance Academy family as an instructor and competitive choreographer.
Dania Forberger
Dania Forberger
Dania’s journey in the arts began in Mount Laurel, New Jersey at the age of 3. After 17 years of recreational training in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, and Hip Hop, she joined Towson University to pursue her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography. While at Towson, Dania trained under some of the most accomplished educators and choreographers in our industry today, including Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Catherine Horta-Hayden, Vincent Thomas, Runqiao Du, and Alison Seidenstricker. Since graduating from Towson in May 2020, Dania has continued to explore her artistic voice through teaching, performance, and choreography. Dania is currently dancing with Reveal Movement Company, based in Philadelphia PA, and recently returned to her Alma Mater to pursue her Master of Arts Degree in Dance Education. Dania is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) and is happy to be sharing her passion for dance with the students at Elite.
Mariah Pizzo
Mariah Pizzo
Mariah has been training dancers competitively and recreationally for over fourteen years. As an educator, she aims to create a balance of discipline and encouragement in all her classes. Mariah is Harry S. Truman’s Drama Department Resident Choreographer (and alumni!) creating shows with Tracey Gatte under the legacy of Lou Volpe. She has choreographed many High School pilots and premieres – Musical Theatre is so near to her heart!
In addition to choreographing and instructing at Elite, Mariah is a Bridal Beauty Professional working in the wedding industry as a hair and makeup artist. Her love of art, beauty and human nature flows into her classes making them an environment fit for every dancer to succeed.
Alisa Kramer
Alisa Kramer
Alisa’s lifelong passion for dance started at the early age of 2 years old! She took classes in tap and jazz but her true love was classical ballet. Born and raised in Harrisburg, PA, Alisa found herself at one of the top 3 ballet schools in the area where she studied the Vaganova or Russian style of ballet. Her teachers and mentors include amazing dancers from around the world, but she holds MME Adrienne Dellas Thornton, the former Artistic Director of the Kirov Academy of Ballet, closest to her heart. Within her time training, she has danced many roles (and almost all in the annual Nutcracker) like Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Don Quixote, and many more. After finishing her training, Alisa went to Millersville University where she was no stranger to a dance studio. She partook in dancing with the Expressions Dance Organization where she taught and choreographed ballet, lyrical and contemporary all while teaching at a local studio in the city of Lancaster. A few years later Alisa relocated to the Greater Philadelphia area and began teaching and choreographing at local studios in the area while working on her Master’s Degree. She is also certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). Alisa adores sharing her love and passion for dance with her students and it truly shows in her classes!
Brianna Hughes
Brianna Hughes
Brianna, originally from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, began dancing at the age of 5. She trained in several styles including, ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, pointe, and irish step. Her passion for dance continued as she started teaching and choreographing at the age of 16 for her local studio. After graduating high school, Brianna pursued a dual major in architecture and photography at Marywood University. She continued dancing throughout college on her university’s dance team. She became captain her sophomore year and maintained that position until she graduated in 2022. With this title she choreographed team dances in several different styles including jazz for the basketball games, as well as lyrical, contemporary, modern and tap for the spring showcases. After she graduated, Brianna came back to the Philadelphia area and is eager to continue her passion for dance by teaching at Elite Dance Academy!
Kate Bilenko
Kate Bilenko
Kate Bilenko is a performer currently pursuing her B.F.A in Musical Theatre at Rider University! Prior to university, she studied Ballet for 16 years with Philadelphia Dance Conservatory under the direction of Altynay Mazhikeyeva. Kate has received advanced training in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, and Hip-Hop. Recently, Kate was a Swing in Rider University’s production of Kiss Me, Kate! as well as an Assistant Choreographer for a Musical Theatre Showcase. Her recent professional credits include: Singer/Dancer with RWS Entertainment Group and Nunsense (Sister Robert Anne) with Revival Productions at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. In Summer 2023, Kate was accepted to and attended the Verdon Fosse Legacy Professional Training Program in NYC. You can catch her doing a yoga flow in the morning, auditioning in the afternoon, and singing at night – that is if she is not dancing or teaching. Kate is passionate about sharing her love for this art with young aspiring dancers!
Amanda Ortner
Amanda Ortner
Amanda Ortner started her dance career in her hometown of Manahawkin, NJ at the age of eleven studying Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Pointe. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rider University with a B.A. in Arts and Entertainment Management and Dance in December, 2020. Her college experience gave her extensive training in Modern technique, Pilates, and Mind/Body connection through dance science with a COMBO certification. She trained with accomplished faculty such as Kim Vaccaro, Cheryl Whitney, and Eri Millrod. Amanda spent her summers interning with local arts nonprofits such as Princeton Arts Festival and FringeArts, taking a deep dive into arts administration. After graduating, Amanda pursued a full time position working in Fundraising for the Philadelphia Orchestra, and later for the University of Pennsylvania. She started teaching not long after graduating in the Philadelphia area, and discovered her love for teaching and inspiring young dancers! Now, she teaches locally at several studios and is the Director of the Student Teacher Program and the Director of Trials at Dance Xperience.
During her college years, she performed in the semi-annual Dance Department showcase, and danced in and choreographed for the Rider Dance Ensemble. She continues to train locally in the Philadelphia area, and is a member of Flair Dance Company in Collingswood, NJ. She has performed in their annual holiday show Cracked Nuts, and presented her work “State of Being” in the 2023 Flair Dance Festival. Amanda is so excited to be joining the awesome team of Dance Educators here at Elite Dance Academy!
Jordyn McNichols
Jordyn McNichols
Jordyn McNichols began dancing at the age of 2, receiving training from The Eastern Connecticut ballet, and later training in the Cecchetti method under Jacqueline Anderson, former president of the Cecchetti society of America.
At the age of 14, Jordyn began her professional career dancing with the Albano Ballet Company of America. She danced with the Albano Ballet for 5 years performing soloist roles in An American In Paris, The Nutcracker, Dance – The Language of Movement, and Spring Repertoire showcases. Under the direction of Joseph Albano and Julia Frederick, she was trained in Albano’s “Law of Centers and Theory of Rotors”, a more scientific understanding of ballet and how the body works through each movement.
In 2009, Jordyn moved to Philadelphia to attend the University of the Arts where she earned a BFA in Ballet. She trained in ballet under the direction of Eva Szabo, Anastasia Babayeva, Denis Gronostayskiy, Christine Cox, Scott Jovovich, Andrew Pap, and Karen Brown. She also received extensive training in modern and jazz techniques with Zane Booker, Kim Bears-Bailey, and Roni Koresh, to name a few.
Since graduating from college, Jordyn has continued to study, perform, and teach both in person and virtually. She has enjoyed the opportunity to become certified in Progressing Ballet Technique by founder Marie Walton-Mahon, and most recently is focused on how knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology in combination with physical therapy exercises can refine a dancer’s technical foundation.
Jordyn has over 13 years teaching experience, specializing in ballet, conditioning, technique, and kinesiology, and enjoys sharing that knowledge and her ballet passion with students wishing to take their talents to the next level.
It’s Not Too Late!