Dance Plus
Performance Team
DPPT
Dance Plus takes pride in our highly accredited staff, all of whom have their BFA or MFA in dance. Most have or are still performing professionally. We pride ourselves on being one of the only studios in Monmouth County with such an educated staff.
JOEDE PERSSON
Studio Director, Owner
Joede started Dance Plus along with her sister Sharyce with a vision of creating a studio where artistic and educational excellence was provided to ALL students. Today she is the studio director as well as a full-time teacher of ballet, tap, modern, lyrical and jazz to all ages. Joede is a graduate of Mason Gross School of Fine Arts at Rutgers University with a B.F.A. in dance. As a professional dancer, she has performed with the renowned Don Redlich Dance Company, Mark Morris, Doug Varone, Fred Benjamin, Robert Christopher, Claudia Gittleman and Anne Reinking. She has taught world-renowned entertainers and choreographed numerous music and exercise videos. Her choreography from the American Dance Festival earned an invitation and opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. And she has performed at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York. She has also served as a judge at the national level for several of the largest dance competitions in the United States, and was honored by Monmouth Arts as the 2014 Community Arts Education Advocate.
Joede is the driving force behind Dance Plus' community involvement and has received awards and accolades for her non-profit dance company, The Persson Dance Ensemble, which has performed from coast to coast. Joede's teaching, choreography and business intellect have been featured on Entertainment Tonight, TIME and Self Magazine as well as receiving the Young Entrepreneur's Award from Ernst and Young.
ROBERT DIMAPILIS
Co-Owner, Assistant Director
Robert teaches hip hop, jazz, ballet, modern and lyrical to all age groups. His unlimited energy and top-notch choreography are student favorites. He is also a highly sought after ballroom and wedding choreographer and shares these talents with numerous brides and grooms on a regular basis. Robert is a product of Mason Gross School of Fine Arts with a B.F.A. in dance. As a professional dancer, he has performed with Madonna, Stevie B, Philadanco, Cirque, Dancesport NYC, the Don Redlich Dance Company, Mark Morris, Doug Varone, Fred Benjamin, Robert Christopher, and Claudia Gittleman. Robert was a featured performer at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center and a competitor at the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival in London. Also a firm believer in giving back to the community, Robert participated in The Persson Dance Ensemble and carries this philanthropic nature to the Dance Plus students every day by supporting their efforts to "get involved."
KATHRYN REESE
Kat Reese is a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist working in the New York City and New Jersey areas. Kat has toured nationally as a professional dancer, and has taught a vast range of student populations, including preschool through 12th grade students in studios and school programs, college dance majors, adult beginners and dance professionals alike, and senior citizens. Kat teaches hip hop, modern, ballet, contemporary, jazz, and conditioning for all levels of physical ability. She believes that movement is powerful and essential to a full life, and feels that dance can be for everyone. Kat currently dances for the Equus Projects, a site-specific improvisational dance company based in New York City directed by JoAnna Mendl Shaw, as well as Monteleone Dance where she also serves as rehearsal director. Kat also dances for the Kennedy Dancers Repertory Company in Jersey City, NJ, and serves as choreographer and rehearsal director for their pre-professional division, the Kennedy Dancers Inner City Youth Company. She also serves as a teaching artist for 10 Hairy Legs directed by Randy James teaching modern dance in New Jersey public schools. Kat's dancing, choreography, and thoughts on dance and art have been featured in multiple articles, on television (Dance Vista), and on podcasts (Artist Gripes). She graduated summa cum laude with her BFA in dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Kat is also a graduate of Dance Plus, and is happy to be back home as a teacher.
ALEXA LUCHESE
Alexa Lucchese started her dance journey at Dance Plus when she was very young. She graduated from Montclair State University with her B.A. in Dance Education and her B.F.A in Dance Performance. Alexa has trained and taught various styles such as Hip Hop, Jazz, Modern, Ballet, Contemporary and Bollywood. Dance has allowed her to work both live onstage and behind a camera. Some of her accomplishments include dancing in American Horror Story's Season 7 Promo "The Cult", the Bollywood live show,"Mystic India the World Tour", Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, Max Amini's Persian New Year Show on the VOA Network, performing at the D23 Disney convention in Anaheim, California and dancing at the World Pride Opening Ceremony at the Barclay Center. Her choreography has also been featured in festivals, such as the "Festival for Emerging Dance Artists" in New York City. Aside from performing, Alexa has taught various classes to inspiring dancers both children and adults and experience teaching students that are cognitively and physically challenged. Alexa believes that everyone has the capability to dance and she loves to share her passion with others. Currently, Alexa is bicoastal between Los Angeles and NYC, but always loves returning to her Dance Plus home.
BOBBY DAVIS
Bobby M. Davis is a NYC based actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer who received his degree in Musical Theatre from Marymount Manhattan College. Bobby grew up dancing here at Dance Plus and studied tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and ballroom since the age of 8 with Joede and Robert. This past winter Bobby was the onstage swing in the original cast of The Elf on a Shelf Christmas Musical. Other Past credits include Ted Hanover in Holiday Inn and Bert in Mary Poppins. Bobby is so excited to be back home at DP and looks forward to training with you all!
ALISON GARDELLA
ASHLEY BLALOCK
Ashley Blalock is a choreographer and creative producer working in NYC, NJ, and LA. She trained in Ballet (Russian Technique), Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, and Hip Hop styles. She competed nationally and internationally on a team and as a soloist in prestigious competitions including the Youth American Grand Prix. She attended Rutgers University and received bachelor's degrees in Statistics and Art in 2018. At Rutgers, she served as Head Choreographer of the Rutgers Performing Dance Company. Since graduating, she is now a working film and photo producer as well as visual artist. She has also just begun her masters in Film and TV Production at Loyola Marymount University. While having multiple creative outlets and bicoastal pursuits, she is a proud choreographer and teacher of both Dance Plus and Continuum Dance Company (NYC). She is excited to continue working with the wonderful family at Dance Plus!
LAUREN STUCKO
Lauren Stucko received her B.F.A. under scholarship from George Mason University in 2018. She has performed the work of Lucinda Childs, Lar Lubovitch, Doug Varone and Dancers, Nick Pupillo, Susan Shields, Christopher d'Amboise, Nancy Turano, Julie Carter, Ian Robinson and many more. Lauren has had the opportunity to present these works in Greece, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, New York and New Jersey. Currently, she is an apprentice for ZviDance and a company member of Lydia Johnson Dance. Ms. Stucko's love for moment does not just consist of dance, but also Yoga and Pilates. She is a 200 RYT Certified yoga teacher and a Pure Body Pilates Teacher Trainee. A highlight of Lauren's career thus far has been her premiere at the Joyce Theater as the lead role of 'pink girl,' in Lar Lubovitch's work "A Brahm's Symphony," for his 30th Anniversary season closing night show. She is excited to join the Dance Plus family!
JOE MONTELEONE
Joe Monteleone, the "dazzlingly oddball choreographer--Andy Warhol of modern dance" (The Moving Beauty Series) is an award-winning solo dance artist and Artistic Director of Monteleone Dance. His work has been presented extensively in New York City (Judson Church, Inception to Exhibition Festival, APAP, 92Y, Center for Performance Research, Peridance, New York Live Arts, Dixon Place, the Dance Gallery Festival, Alpha & Omega Theater, The Current Sessions, Korean Dance Festival, Live At The Archway, Tranlsate: Voices of Dance, Baruch Performing Arts Center, the Norwood Club, the Amalgamate Artist Series, Green Space, The Moving Beauty Split Bill series, Triskelion Arts' Split Bill Series, Comedy in Dance Festival, Wave Rising Series, Dumbo Dance Festival, the Chocolate Factory, Williamsburg Movement and Arts Center, and various showcases). His work has been presented nationally at the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, Reverb Dance Echoes Tour (Boston University), Your Move Dance Festival (NJ), Rutgers University (NJ), The Wassaic Project (NJ), Crossroads Theatre (NJ), Motion: Best of NJ Dance, and the Breaking Ground Dance Festival (Tempe, AZ) where he was hailed as "far and away the most moving and meticulous dancer to take the stage during Breaking Ground 2017, Monteleone exudes remarkable energy that radiates even through his thumbs" (Phoenix New Times). International credits include a tour with International BPM to Spain on multiple residencies, including commissions by the Institute of the Arts Barcelona, and a performance in the Bailar al Sol Festival. Joe won the Audience Favorite Award at NYC10 in 2015 for his solo work "Defense Mechanism", and was voted favorite choreographer at The Intimate Series. His live installation work has been presented at the Peridance Capezio Center (NYC), the Alpha Art Gallery (New Jersey) and the Infinito Gallery (NYC). Joe has been commissioned by The Moving Beauty Series (Brooklyn), coLAB Arts (NJ), Rutgers University, and Amalgamate Dance Company as a choreographer for the Guest Artist Series, as well as receiving various institutional commissions. Joe has taught and lectured at Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers), Raritan Valley Community College, PMT Dance Studio (NYC), Arizona State University, Ballet Forte, and DancePlus Little Silver.
www.monteleonedance.com
TOMMY SCRIVENS
Tommy teaches tap, jazz, contemporary, modern and musical theatre. Tommy is a Florida native, where he trained at New Tampa Dance Theatre. Tommy graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.F.A. in dance performance in 2005. While training, he has had the opportunity to work with many world-renowned choreographers and dancers. He has performed with Columbus Dance Theater contemporary ballet company, in the United Kingdom tour of Tap Fusion, as a guest artist with BalletMet, Columbus, Collide, and Parsons Dance. He is also currently dancing with dre.dance, Nicholas Andre Dance, marInspired, and Kristin Sudekis Dance. In addition to company work Tommy has been featured in several movies, musicals and TV shows. Recent highlights are The Big Gay Musical movie, City Center Encores' production of "Where's Charley ?" and "Fiorello" and the premier of Rosie O'Donnell's return to prime time TV on Rosie Show, featured on the OWN network. Most recently he has had the honor of working with Verdon/ Fosse Estate on archiving the legendary work of Bob Fosse. As a teacher he has taught master class all over the world including Brazil, China, and Russia. Teaching students that are mentally and physically handicapped, autistic and blind. In the United States he has been privileged to teach at Peridance, Broadway Dance Center, The Ohio State University, Adelphi University, Manhattenville College, and many dance studios across the nation. He is currently teaching classes in studios in New Jersey, New York City and Queens and judging completions all over the nation.