Left to right: Larry Crabtree, Candy Costa Aguilera, Bradley Benjamin, Brianna Rossi, Maryann Iannettone, Lindsey LaDue, Brianna Paro, Cathy Napolitano Mucci, Julie Lombardi. Some Instructors not shown.
has a multi-faceted background of training in dance. Locally, she has studied with Lucien Maley, Richard Sias and Veronica Manz. She has also attended numerous master classes in New York City at Dance Masters of America workshops, teachers conventions, and attended a teachers seminar with Jurgen Schneider, Irina Kolpakova and Janina Cunova on the Russian Ballet technique at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Mrs. Mucci has choreographed many community theatre musicals including the Pompeian Players and other local productions. Mrs. Mucci has also contributed her talents to the Syracuse Symphony Family Series, “Festa Italiana” and the New York State Fair International Building Performances. For 21 years, Mrs. Mucci has coordinated and rehearsed all the children’s roles in the Moscow Ballet’s production of the holiday favorite “The Nutcracker” as well as being a past participant in the Syracuse City School District’s Partners for Education and Business Program.
Larry Crabtree is originally from Syracuse, N.Y., where he received his training at the Center of Ballet under the direction of Deborah Boughton. Larry was a Principal Dancer/Assistant Director/Ballet Master for the Anglo-American Ballet based in New York City for over 20 years, under the artistic direction of Catherine Kingsley (ARAD). He was a member of the “Peter Pucci Plus Dancers”, “Shore Ballet” (NJ), “New Jersey Ballet”, ”New York Theatre Ballet” and Center Stage for Dance & Theater” (NJ), among others. Mr. Crabtree has toured nationally and internationally appearing at such venues as Lincoln Center, Joyce & Joyce Soho, The New Victory Theater in NYC, Edinburgh Festival (Scotland) and throughout the United States, Switzerland and Mexico, as well as dance appearances on television programs including the “Today” and “Maury Povich” shows. As a teacher, Larry has been teaching for DCN for 14 years, he has also been an Adjunct Faculty member at Le Moyne College and Syracuse University, a faculty member for Circle in the Square Theater School (NYC), the STEPS Studios (NYC), Center Stage for Dance & Theater and New Jersey Ballet (NJ), the Bill Reed Summer Musical Theatre Intensive held in Vermont, and Summer Dance Intensives at Dance Works Studio, Utica, NY.
Studied Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Tap at Dance Centre North for 14 years. After auditioning, she attended Summer Intensive Programs at Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, PA. Jennifer was also accepted at Burklyn Ballet Theatre in Vermont and the NYSSA Contemporary Dance Company and the Angel- Fraser-Logan Contemporary Dance Company. While attending a jazz workshop with world-renown jazz instructor and company director Gus Giordano, Jennifer was awarded a scholarship to the Gus Giordano Dance Studio in Evanston, Illinois. As one of the three founding members of CNY Ballet Company Dancers, Jennifer’s eclectic training has enabled her to dance a wide range of roles including contemporary ballet, modern and jazz. For CNY Ballet she has most notably danced the Girl in “The Ugly Duckling”, Aquarium & Fossil in the “Carnival of the Animals”, “Way Over Yonder”, “Playing Bach”, “Catch Me When I Fall”, “Chantez Les Bas”, and “Swing Suite”. Jennifer has also performed with the “Underground Dance Project,” a jazz dance company in New York City, as well as being a “Las Vegas Finalist” in the 2006 season of the Fox Network’s hit TV program “So You Think You Can Dance.” In addition to teaching, she is represented by Go To Talent Agency in Los Angeles as well as choreographing and dancing with an international singing group.
Hailing from Utica, NY, Julia’s passion for performing began at a young age. Attending Utica College, Julia graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Psychology and minors in Sociology and Gender Studies. A dancer of twenty years, her ballet training is rooted in the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus, having examined through the Intermediate level. Julia studied at Ballet Arts of CNY and Mohawk Valley Ballet under the direction of Delia Foley, A.R.A.D. and Melissa Larish, RAD RTS. She later continued her studies at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY from 2015 to 2019, partnering with the Dance and Movement Studies program. Since 2015, Julia has appeared as a guest artist with the Mohawk Valley Ballet and Central New York Academy of Dance, performing principal roles such as Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, and Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker in addition to dancing as a soloist in works by David Fernandez, Sandra Stanton, Paris Wilcox, and Catherine Wright. Julia currently teaches ballet and group fitness classes at a number of studios in the greater Syracuse-Utica area. She has served as a faculty member at Ballet Arts of CNY, Syracuse School of Dance, Tiffany’s School of Dance, Mary Lourdes Academy of Dance, Star Performance Dance Centre, and Dance10 Studio. Her choreography has been featured in showcases with Syracuse Contemporary Dance Company, Mohawk Valley Ballet, Dance with Utica, and Salt City Dance Festival as well as Tiffany’s School of Dance’s full-length production of “The Nutcracker,” for which she acts as the artistic director. Julia holds certifications in Progressing Ballet Technique, PiYo, LaBlast Fitness, Barre Intensity, and P90X. She is an ACE certified group fitness instructor and photographer. Julia anticipates post-graduate studies in social work, with a focus in adolescent eating disorders.
has studied dance locally for over 20 years and is a proud graduate of Dance Centre North. She previously trained at Salt City Moving Company with David Slocum and the late Susan Alvarez Hughes. While at Dance Centre North, Lindsey danced the roles of Waltz Doll in “La Boutique Fantastique,” Wicked Witch and Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz,” Donkey and Kangaroo in “Carnival of the Animals,” and Fouette Girl in “Graduation Ball” in conjunction with the Syracuse Symphony Family Series along with many community productions. Lindsey has also participated in numerous master classes and performed in “The Great Russian Nutcracker”. Her teaching experience includes jazz, ballet, tap, and modern since 2007, working with students at the DCN sponsored after-school program at St. Margaret’s School as well as Dance Centre North. In the past she has attended the Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive (SSDI) and been accepted to summer programs with North Carolina Dance Theatre and Boston Ballet. She most recently appeared with DCN in Symphoria’s Holiday Pops concert. Lindsey is also a Registered Dietitian and ACE certified Group Fitness Instructor.
Studied Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Tap at Dance Centre North for 13 years. As a student there, she was accepted into Summer Intensive Programs at the Timothy M. Draper School of Dance and the NYSSA School of Dance. After auditioning, she was accepted into the Paul Taylor II Shadowing Program, where she was trained under the instruction of Andy LeBeau ,as well as various members of the company. During this time, she was involved in the reconstruction and performance of several excerpts from Paul Taylor’s “Aureole”. Additionally, Brianna was chosen to dance in the “Table of Silence” project with the Buglisi Dance Theatre during their residency in Syracuse. She has also contributed her talents to various other community performances including roles as the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz,” Fossil in “Carnival of the Animals”, Fouette Girl in “Graduation Ball”, Witch Winter Gray/White in “The Adventures of Rudolph” and most recently appeared with Dance Centre North in Symphoria’s Holiday Pops concert.
began her dance training at Dance Centre North. As a student there, she was accepted into Summer Intensive Programs at Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet. and the Columbia City Ballet Summer Dance Institute. As a dance major at SUNY Purchase College, Julie received a B.F.A. in Dance Performance with a concentration in Dance Composition. Julie furthered her education at SUNY Upstate MedicalUniversityand graduated with a doctorate in Physical Therapy. While at Purchase, Julie trained with Ted Kivitt (former principal with A.B.T.). Joyce Herring and Pascal Rioult (formerly of the Martha Graham Co.]. Neil Greenburg (of the Merce Cunningham Co.), Kevin Wynn (of the Jose Limon Co.) and Hernando Cortez (from the Paul Taylor Co.) and studied at the Taylor School. As a member of the Purchase Dance Corps, Julie performed the leading role in Paul Taylor’s “Company B”, the solo work “Rouen” based on Saint Joan of Arc, “Road Trip”, “Zion”, and “The Arabian Variation from the “Nutcracker.” She also apprenticed with Verb Ballet of Cleveland, Ohio where she was part of the reconstruction of Paul Taylor’s “Esplanade”.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Ann Owen began ballet studies at age ten with David Shields. At twelve she received a scholarship to the North Carolina School of the Arts, and at sixteen she was invited to study at the School of American Ballet under a full Ford Foundation scholarship. There she completed the professional division and performed in annual SAB Workshops under the direction of George Balanchine, Alexandra Danilova, Suki Schorer and Andrei Kramarevsky. She was also fortunate to study with Maggie Black, Marjorie Mussman, Richard Thomas, Twyla Tharp, The Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Her professional performing career was as a soloist with the Cleveland Ballet, dancing classical and contemporary roles. After receiving a B.A. in Literature from SUNY Purchase, she joined the faculty of the SUNY Purchase Youth Ballet and subsequently served as its program director. In addition to teaching in Cleveland, and the NY metropolitan area, Ann was a full-time faculty member at the Stamford City Ballet under the direction of Allegra Kent. Her dance career also includes training in Dance Education from both the New York City Center Teaching Artists Program and The 92nd Street Y's Dance Education Laboratory. Ann is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT National Training Curriculum. Prior to resuming her fall 2019 teaching schedule at Dance Centre North, Ann will attend a week-long teacher training workshop at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB), widely recognized as a leader in the world of dance education. Founded in 1955 by Marcia Dale Weary, CPYB is renowned for it’s curriculum, which builds technical strength, stamina, and flexibility while nurturing artistic development. Alumni of CPYB routinely join such prestigious companies as the American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.
began her dance training at Dance Centre North studying ballet, pointe, Pas de Deux, modern, jazz, tap and Theatre dance over the course of eleven years. During her time at Dance Centre North, she performed various roles in the Moscow Ballet Nutcracker, played the role of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz presented by Dance Centre North and Rudolph in The Adventures of Rudolph presented by CNY Arts. In the Summer of 2009, she attended the New York State Summer School of the Arts Ballet Program where she trained with professional ballet dancers from the New York City Ballet. She also participated in the Paul Taylor II Shadowing experience in 2011. Following her training at Dance Centre North, she attended Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania to obtain a Minor in Dance with the Mercyhurst University Dance Department. While attending Mercyhurst she performed contemporary works choreographed by Neta Pulvermacher, Meredith Lyons, and Katrina Fitzpatrick in Mercyhurst University’s Raw Edges performance in 2013 and 2014. In addition, in the spring of 2014 she choreographed “The Source”, “It Takes Two” and “Reliance” showcasing Mercyhurst dancers. For her senior year at Mercyhurst, she joined the Mercyhurst Dance team and performed hip hop pieces at a variety of events on campus. She most recently appeared with Dance Centre North in Symphoria’s Holiday Pops concert and is looking forward to continuing her dance career as a Ballet instructor at Dance Centre North.
trained with Isabel Dix and Eileen Weiner. She then studied with Eva Goulette and Serpa Salatino at Syracuse Ballet Academy. A veteran performer, she has appeared in 20 Pompeian Players productions in both chorus and lead roles. Maryann has also performed with Shattuck-Nye Productions, Syracuse Musical Theatre, The Syracuse Opera Theatre and The Talent Company. Currently, Maryann teaches all levels of Tap and Theatre Dance at Dance Centre North and also has worked as a choreographer for the children’s chorus at Our Lady of Pompei School in their performances at Disneyworld, Universal and in Washington, D.C.
Bradley Stone is a performer, teacher, and choreographer of musical theater and dance. Bradley’s professional credits include the Broadway revival of Oklahoma! directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Susan Stroman, the 1st National tours of Pippin (Catherine) and Thoroughly Modern Millie, Phantom-The Las Vegas Spectacular, the Las Vegas and Hollywood Bowl productions of Hairspray directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring The Rockettes. Regionally, Bradley has performed with Sacramento Music Circus, Reprise! Theater Company in Los Angeles, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, St. Louis Repertory Theater, LA Opera and more. Bradley has also appeared on television on The Today Show, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and The Late Show with David Letterman among others. Bradley has taught dance and theater locally and around the country as a Broadway Connection instructor and is an accomplished musical theater choreographer. Bradley received her training at The Center of Ballet & Dance Arts in Syracuse along with summer studies at The Juilliard School, NYSSSA and The Hartford Ballet. Bradley holds her B.A. in Performing Arts from Saint Mary's College of California and her M.A. in Arts Administration from Le Moyne College and is a member of Actors Equity Association.
was born and raised in Central New York and has studied ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, modern and tap dance disciplines in a number of area dance schools for the past twenty years. From 2006 to 2009, she was a member of “The Light of the World” professional ballet Company, under the directorship of Ashley Rollinson. During that time, Ms. Burak had the opportunity to perform in venues all over New York State, as well as in China. While in China, she had the privilege of promoting the arts through dance in several school districts located in southern China and tourist venues in Beijing. She has choreographed musical productions including Christmas and Easter presentations, “The Sound of Music”, dance ensemble pieces for community events for the “Festival of Nations” and the Syracuse City Department of Parks & Recreation. From 2010- 2012, Ms. Burak taught dance in the after-school program in the Liverpool School District and has been a dance competition judge in the New York District Youth Convention Fine Arts Festival for the past two years. In addition to the aforementioned dance styles, she has also studied Ballroom and Latin for the past six years and has performed in many regional exhibitions in Argentine tango, rumba, cha cha, waltz, quick step, foxtrot, and jive.