Leadership & Faculty

LEADERSHIP & FACULTY

Staff | Leadership | Board of Directors | Faculty

A Staff of Professionals for Every Level!

Greater York Center for Dance Education maintains a full time staff of recognized dance professionals who combine their experience and technical expertise with human relations skills to offer training and personal encouragement to students of all ages and levels. Master teachers, consultants and choreographers supplement the full time staff throughout the year. Our faculty is supported by the board of trustees, the board of committee directors, administrative staff and volunteers who are committed to providing the best for you.

Leadership

	Founding Director, Shana Garling - shana@gycde.com Shana Garling, Early Childhood Program - Founding Director of GYCDE – “Miss Shana” has served for over 30 years. She is trained extensively in all forms of dance and her specialty is teaching pre-school dance. She enjoys being a pageant coach and director for the York County Scholarship Competition preparing young women for Miss Pennsylvania and Miss America. Being a grandmother tops her list of “fun” and adds much joy to her life! She is a lifetime member of Dance Educators of America and is certified by test to teach.
	Artistic Director, Lori Pergament, R.D.E. - lori@gycde.com Lori Garling Pergament, R.D.E., Ballet/Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Choreography - Artistic Director of GYCDE – Lori Pergament is a certified member of the prestigious National Registry of Dance Educators and has taught in the South Central Pennsylvania area for over 25 years. She serves as Artistic Director of Greater York Youth Ballet in addition to directing the school - Greater York Center for Dance Education. She currently serves as Pennsylvania State Director of National Dance Week and strives to promote dance across the state of Pennsylvania. Pergament studied dance at Towson University and has trained under many dance masters including Flora Mae Gillespie of the Littlefield School and Caroline Delone. She is certified in teaching the Vaganova method of classical ballet and is an advocate for the National Self-Esteem Council. She has done free-lance choreography and teaching for area schools, health clubs, musicals, and organizations and for various TV commercials. She served as Membership Chairman of the Northeast Region of Regional Dance America, a national association of ballet companies, of which her company was an honor company. A former Miss York County, she is on the Board of Directors and she served as Producer of the local Miss America Preliminary and is an experienced judge. Lori Pergament is trained extensively in ballet and her focus is in the development of pre-professional dancers as well as overseeing the many details of a large dance school. Her passion is to bring all people to share and experience the love of the dance.
	Executive Director, Melinda Fritz - gycdefritz@aol.com Melinda Fritz, Ballet/Pointe, Jazz - Executive Director of GYCDE - Mrs. Fritz has been dancing since the age of three and was a member of Greater York Youth Ballet for seven years. She began student assisting when she was 12 years old and by the age of 20 became an instructor at GYCDE in addition to teaching for other area organizations. Melinda is trained extensively in ballet and her focus is in the development of the Pre-professional division as well as overseeing the many details of productions such as wardrobe, volunteerism and scenery builds. She interviews with potential faculty members for GYCDE and helps work on performance outreach to the community. She has worked on collaborations with Mr. Wayne Romer, conductor of The York Youth Symphony, and Henry Nixon, Executive Director of The York Symphony to showcase the talents of musicians and dancers in productions such as "Peter & the Wolf", "Carnival of the Animals" and "Carmina Burana". She is married to John, who is very involved with the Production Committee as a volunteer and is the mother of two "dancing" girls, Laken and Lexus.
	Business Manager, Steve Pergament - steve@gycde.com Our Business Manager, Steve Pergament, comes to us with much experience. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a BS in Business Administration, Marketing. He has completed numerous sales and motivational training and customer service courses including Dale Carnegie, Selling Retail INTL, Integrity Selling, Pathways to Professionalism to name a few. He has brought unmatched customer service and human relations skills to GYCDE and throughout his professional career. We are sure that his years of experience in management and the corporate world will prove to be beneficial to the future growth of Greater York Center for Dance Education.
	Trustee, Corissa Fetrow Cori Fetrow began dancing with GYCDE at the age of 2. At the age of 6, she joined the Youth Ballet. Cori began teaching at GYCDE in 1999. After high school graduation Cori went on to West Chester University where she danced with their Dance Team and the student run organization, Dance Production Workshop. Cori then obtained her master's degree from Millersville University and is currently a school counselor at Dallastown Area Middle School. Cori is also a member of the board of trustees at GYCDE. She choreographed the Guys and Dolls at Dallastown Middle School and serves as one of two coaches for the Dallastown High School Dance Team.
	Trustee, Beth Herbst Beth Herbst is celebrating nine years with GYCDE, currently serving as a Board of Trustee member. Beth studied dance for 14 years and although her husband, John, and son, Jared, are non-dancers, they both enjoy attending all GYCDE events. This is her thirty-second year as an English / Theatre Arts teacher in the Dallastown School District. Upon retirement, she looks forward to spending even more time with GYCDE!
	Trustee, Linda Newport Linda Newport has been involved with The Dance Center for approximately twenty years. Currently a legal secretary for a criminal defense attorney, she is heavily involved in The National Amateur Bodybuilding Association as well as with The Miss America Organization.
	Trustee, Jennifer Rose Jennifer Rose is a 1996 graduate from the Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Finance and a minor in Economics, and is currently employed as an accountant at Rite Aid Corporation in the Third Party Accounting Department. She is the Chairman of Rite Aid's Accounting Department's "RAPTAR" Committee, an employee recognition program aimed at recognizing associates that portray excellent customer service within the workplace. Having participated in competitive baton twirling since the age of eight, Jennifer has acquired numerous State, Regional, and National level awards and honors throughout the years with such organizations as NBTA, DMA, and TU. During her college career she became involved with the Miss America Scholarship Program by participating at the local level. She was runner up to several local titles and was finally named Miss York County in 1996. She was a contestant in the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Program and was presented the Non-Finalist Talent award. She remains active in the York County Scholarship Program and serves on the Board of Directors.
	Board President, Michele Mills Michele is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a BSN. She is employed by Wellspan Health System as a Maternity Nurse and as a Lactation Consultant. Michele is currently serving her sixth year as President of the Board of Directors for the Greater York Center for Dance Education. She is actively involved with the Cultural Alliance of York County and sits on the ArtForever Endowment Advisory Council. She has also Co-Chaired the American Heart Association’s Heartball Gala for the past three years and remains an active committee member. This past spring she served on the 2006 Habitat for Humanity 5K race committee to support the “All Women” built habitat home. Michele is a former Miss Clearfield County. She lives in York with her Husband Jim and four children Madison, Drew, Sarah Grace and Shaley. Her hobbies include golf, tennis, performing arts, playing with her children, and addicted to Suduko Puzzles!

Board of Committee Directors

Michele Mills, President Nan Taylor, Detailing	Marsha Braucher, Detailing
Tony Daniell, Grants Margie Mitzel	Jill Snell, Membership
Sue Smith, Membership Mary Lamanteer, Ballet Society	Christine Kates, Community & CA
Wendy Mallorey, Public Relations

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Faculty
The faculty consists entirely of instructors and consultants whose reputations are established and who are experienced and dedicated to providing motivating and correct instruction to their students.

Nadine Revene
Ballet/Pointe

Nadine Revene started her extensive career at fourteen in Call Me Madam on Broadway with Ethel Merman. Soon after, she was invited to join New York City Opera as a soloist, followed by American Ballet Theater dancing principal solo roles in ballets by Anthony Tudor, Kenneth McMillan, Agnes de Mille and Jerome Robbins. She has also performed in Music Man on Broadway with Robert Preston and Barbara Cook and danced with New York City Ballet for five years. She was a principal dancer, assistant ballet mistress and coach at Pennsylvania Ballet Company. After dancing as a prima ballerina with Staatsoper Bremen in Germany, she became a charter member of the First Chamber Dance Quartet, formed by four members of New York City Ballet to perform original choreography to great chamber works with original costumes, sets and lighting design. In 1976, she opened her own school, Studio Revene in Manhattan where she created an atmosphere of professional standards with a strong musical orientation. Her students have gone on to join such companies as Paul Taylor, ABT, Lar Lubovitch and Alvin Ailey. She has had a full-time teaching schedule of advanced, intermediate, advanced beginner and pointe classes at Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Dance Space Center and Peridance.

Timothy Rinko-Gay
Ballet/Pointe

Dancing since the age of 6, Timothy Rinko-Gay began his serious training at the age of 10 at the American Academy of Dance in Houston, TX. At age 16, he and his family moved to Carlisle, PA so that he and his sisters could continue their training with the Central Pa Youth Ballet. Rinko-Gay developed an intense interest in teaching and became a student teacher. He has trained under many dance masters including Angela Jackson, Barbara LeGault, Marcia Dale Weary, Darla Hoover, Alan Hineline, Leslie Hench and Leslie Browne to name a few. Although he decided not to go the route of being a professional dancer, he still loves ballet and enjoys teaching immensely. After he stopped dancing, he joined the CPYB faculty for a time and then went on to work with Capital Area Dance Theatre. Currently, he is on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in addition to the Greater York Center for Dance Education.

Andrea Duffy
Tap, Jazz

Andrea Duffy has taught dance for over 18 years including Tap, Jazz, Ballet and Lyrical to students age 3 to 73. Her students have won 20 national gold medals and First Place awards in various competitions. She is an experienced pageant, and regional and national dance competition judge. Duffy has appeared on national stages as a professional singer, dancer and actress. Credits include starring roles in several national touring companies and over 60 national television commercials and radio voiceovers. When she’s not dancing, she is an attorney specializing in criminal defense and family law.

Jill Flemming
Early Childhood & Ballet Program

Jill Flemming grew up in Lancaster, PA and began dancing at the age of 3 where she performed in many shows including The Nutcracker and Snow White. Jill continued dancing at Slippery Rock University in Western Pennsylvania where she earned a BS in Psychology. Jill received her MEd in School Counseling from Millersville University in 2006. She works as a Middle School Counselor for the Elizabethtown Area School District.

Michele Harper
Early Childhood Program, Gymnastics

Michele Harper started dance and gymnastics training at the age of 9. Her dance training includes many years of Ballet/Pointe and Jazz. She is a former Miss York County, and she received her B.S. in Elementary Education from Shippensburg University. She is a full time teacher at Lincoln Charter Schools. She is the proud mother of two dancing daughters and a wonderful husband, Wendell.

Nichole Alicea
CheerDance, Irish/Celtic, Early Childhood Program, Hip Hop, Tap

Originally, from Harrisburg, PA, Nichole Alicea began her career in dance at the Nancy Hench School of Dance, Harrisburg, PA under the direction of Nancy Hench. During her 14 years with NHSD, her scope of study included Ballet, Point, Tap, and Jazz. Ailcea began received valuable teaching experience under Nancy’s guidance. She performed soloist roles at numerous recitals held at Harrisburg Forum. After moving to Lancaster, PA Mrs. Alicea became a teacher with the Silver Spring Dance Conservatory in 2002 as director of the Tap Program. She also instructed the Irish, Ballet, Jazz, and Hip Hop classes. During her time at SSDC, she choreographed the performance of Indiana Jones and The Temple of Chicken at the Dutch Apple Theater as a fundraiser and also, did choreography for Amos Karknocker from Lancaster County. Currently she resides in Manchester, PA where she teaches Tap, CheerDance, Irish/Celtic Dance, Hip Hop Pre-school Dance. Her experience at GYCDE has provided her with the opportunity to enrich the lives of students through dance.

Corissa Fetrow
Dance Team Director, Trustee, Pre-School, Jazz, Hip Hop

Cori Fetrow began dancing with GYCDE at the age of 2 ½. At the age of 6, she joined the Youth Ballet. Cori began teaching at GYCDE in 1999. After high school graduation Cori went on to West Chester University where she danced with their Dance Team and the student run organization, Dance Production Workshop. Cori then obtained her master's degree from Millersville University and is currently a school counselor at Dallastown Area Middle School. Cori is also a member of the board of trustees at GYCDE. Currently, she is also the choreographer for Guys and Dolls at Dallastown Middle School and one of two coaches for the Dallastown High School Dance team.

Barclay Pease
Modern/Ballet

Barclay began her dance training in Baltimore at the Peabody Preparatory, Towson University’s Children’s Dance Division, and the Baltimore School for the Arts. She then studied at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet on scholarship for two years. After graduating from high school in 2000, Barclay spent a year in an apprentice program with Ballet British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She then moved to South Carolina to dance with the Charleston Ballet Theater for two years before returning to Baltimore and becoming a dance major at Towson University. Barclay has taught ballet, pointe, and repertoire classes at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Towson’s Children’s Dance Division, Rage Box, and the Morton Street Dance Center.

Breanna Rufle
Early Childhood Program, WorshipDanceTEAM

Breanna Rufle is 22 years old and was born in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, about twenty minutes east of Pittsburgh. Her family moved to York when she was four and it was here that we eventually called home. She began taking dance classes at GYCDE in 1988 and have been involved with GYCDE ever since. She has always loved children so it wasn't a surprise to anyone when she took an interest in wanting to assist teaching with Shana Garling since 1996. She continued to help teach dance classes and each year she grew to love teaching more and more. She decided early on that no matter what career she chose, she would always keep teaching dance a part of her life. Rufle graduated from Central York High School in 2003 and immediately began taking general classes at Harrisburg Area Community College. The following year, in 2004, she was accepted into Lancaster General College of Nursing and Health Sciences where she graduated in May of 2006 with a degree as a Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist. Currently, she is employed full time at Memorial Hospital's cath lab and works part time for Greater York Center for Dance Education.

Teena Deemer
Ballet/Pointe

Originally, from Harrisburg, Teena began her dance career with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, in Carlisle, under the artful direction of Marcia Dale Weary. During her ten years with CPYB, Teena performed roles in several internationally known ballets; Concerto Barocco, Divertimento #15, La Source, Raymonda Variations and Valse Fantasie by George Balanchine; La Soiree by Antony Tudor, as well as Snow Queen, Dew Drop and Sugar Plum in CPYB’s The Nutcracker. In addition to training with CPYB, Teena trained with Aspen Ballet and worked with aspiring choreographers at the Carlisle Project. At age 16, Teena joined Arizona Ballet. After Arizona Ballet, she performed soloist roles with Harrisburg Ballet. She attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), earning a B.S. degree in Dietetics with a minor in Dance. At IUP, Deemer was member of the university’s dance company performing many soloist roles and was assistant choreographer for IUP’s production of On the Town. She also worked with the Enhancing the Creative Arts Program, held at IUP for Pennsylvania inner-city high school students. In the fall of 1998 after moving to Reading, PA, Teena Deemer joined the artistic staff of Berks Ballet Theatre and served as Artistic Director until August 2005. Over the years, she assisted in the choreography of several ballets, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Fantasia, Peter and the Wolf, to name a few. Most recently, her ballet, String Serenade, was featured in Regional Dance America’s Northeast Festival in Philadelphia, PA at the Annenberg Center on June 4, 2004. In addition to her involvement in the dance community, Deemer is currently employed by Oracle as a Sr. Curriculum Developer.

Erin Haslup
Lyrical, Jazz, Early Childhood Program

Currently Erin Haslup works in the financial services department of Wellspan Health full time and is a part time student working towards her degree in business administration. She has experience teaching in Ballet/Pointe, Voice, Lyrical, Musical Theatre, and Jazz. Her training includes Millenium Dance Complex & EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, CA, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, the Rock School, and others. She has performing in exciting places such as the Kennedy Center Christmas show, the Nutcracker Ballet and Broadway American Style.

Niki Zengerle
Jazz, Hip Hop, CheerDance Early Childhood Program

Niki Zengerle danced at GYDCE for 13 years, and was in youth ballet company for 10 of those years. Zengerle was a cheerleader for 4 years on the Viper All Star Dance Team, coached cheerleading for 2 years and now is married and has 2 dancing daughters.

Emilee Atwood
Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, Modern

Bio coming soon!

Erin Holmes
Hip Hop, Contemporary

Erin Holmes is a graduate of Temple University with a BF in Dance and a Minor in Psychology. She was an apprentice for Urban Bush Women and received many dance and choreography awards such as from Rennie Harris Puremovement and the All- American Talent Awards. She resides in NYC and travels to Greater York on a weekly basis.

Mitchell M. Nugent
Acting/Theatre

"Mitch" is a professional actor currently contracted at Sight & Sound's Millenium Theatre in Lancaster. He studied theatre arts at LeMoyne College, Arts Administration through Empire State College and is a graduate of the Vineyard Leadership Institute. Mitch has extensive training and experience leading classes and programs centered on musical theatre. He has directed and taught for numerous companies and institutions including VIA Theatre Arts, CRS Media Corporation and the Chrisitan School of Performing Arts. Productions directed include Whose Angel Is It Anyway, Witness For The Prosecution, Encounters, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, Dogs: The Musical, The Wizard of Oz, Carla Bianco (from Broadway's Rent) and Colm Wilkinson (Broadways' Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables), One Hundred Years of Broadway and The Last Five Years.

Staff | Leadership | Board of Directors | Faculty