 
Director and Founder, Vander Dance Academy
As a young child, Elyssa, found her passion for dance through her desire to move and her need to communicate with others. Over the years Elyssa educated herself in all styles of dance as well as studying it’s history and discovering what would one day be her individual style of dance. Elyssa’s passion for dance and theatre led her to Emerson College where she received a BFA in Dance.
Elyssa moved to Chicago after college, where she found herself studying with choreographers such as Joel Hall and Billy Siegenfeld. She also began her career as a teacher and choreographer in the local theatres of Chicago. After a year and a half in Chicago, Elyssa was offered the opportunity to be a part of the original national tour of Dragon Tale’s Live. Her adventure with Dragon Tales took her through half the country performing and learning puppetry. At the end of her time with Dragon Tales, Elyssa decided to move back home to New York.
Since then Elyssa has had the wonderful opportunity to work with children and adults across Long Island. She has been associated with the Posey School, Berest School of Dance, the Cultural Arts Playhouse, the Sid Jacobson JCC in Roslyn, the YMCA of South Bay, Elmont Highschool and the Circle of Dance Arts in Education Program. Elyssa has also been a proud member of the National Dance Educators Organization, where she helps to find ways to better improve every students individual dance education.
Elyssa is very proud to be opening her school, where all are welcome to experience dance for themselves. Her goal is to one day have dance be a world wide accepted form of expression and to help others find their individual voice through dance.
 
Hip Hop Teacher
Kristina has been dancing for sixteen years and teaching both dance and baton twirling for 10 years. This past May she earned her B.F.A in Musical Theatre from the Tisch School of the Arts at N.Y.U. As a dancer/actress Kristina has performed locally, regionally, Off Off B-way, and Off B-way in shows such as West Side Story (Anita), Rocky Horror (Magenta), All Shook Up (Lorraine), Anything Goes (Bonnie), Grease (Cha Cha), Hair ("White boys"), The Last Days in Vegas (Showgirl/ *Richard Rodgers Award), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Mrs.Potiphar) to name a few.
She has choreographed at the Cultural Arts Playhouse, Creative Ministries Performing Arts Center, and the Off Off Broadway revival of M. Butterfly. Her skills as a teacher include coaching students of the highschool and college level in baton twirling, leading some to becoming National Champions. She has studied under such greats as Dan Weltner, Michelle Bruckner, Sue Delano, Ray Virta, and Ruben Polendo.
Kristina’s strengths as an dance educator include hip hop, jazz, musical theater, and fast footwork. She looks forward to sharing the knowledge she has gained in the past sixteen years with the students of Vander Dance Academy.
 
Ballet Teacher
 
Teacher
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