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Shoreline Dance Academy opened its doors June 2004 with the under the direction of Mrs. Heather Wanner. Shoreline Dance Academy trains dancers ages 3 to adult utilizing various instructors and technical approaches throughout the year. Shoreline Dance Academy strives to create an environment where the student can feel secure and confident as a dancer.

Mrs. Heather Wanner
OWNER/DIRECTOR

Born and raised at the Jersey Shore, Heather's dance experience began at the age of five. She studied under many choreographers, directors and dancers from companies including The Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey and Thommie Walsh.  Heather performed in various dance competitions and honed her craft at Joanne Reagan Dance Studios, The Jersey Cape May Dance Academy, several New York Dance conventions and The Summer Arts Institute of New Jersey.  Heather spent many of her younger years commuting to Manhattan for numerous auditions.  Heather's training involves, theater vocal and dance.  Appearing in several productions including Pippin, 42nd Street, Annie, The Sound of Music and A Broadway Baby, Heather is Actor's Equity eligible.  

 

Mrs. Wanner's educational background consists of a B.S. in Elementary Education and a minor in Dance Education.  Heather attended East Carolina University where she was a member of the Pure Gold Dancers, a competition squad, ranked fourth in the nation during her involvement.  Dance has always been a part of Heather's life and she has been able to share that passion with students at dance studios in Pittsburgh, P.A., Cape May, N.J., and public schools throughout North Carolina and New Jersey.  

 

Shoreline Staff (a to z)
Aaron Salazar

Aaron has been performing and training since the age of 8 years old. Trained as an Actor, Singer, Dancer, and Choreographer, Aaron strives to bring something fresh and exciting to the evolving world of the performing arts. As a native of California, Aaron migrated east to New York City almost a decade ago and has been working steadily ever since in both the dance and theatre industries. Aaron recently directed and  choreographed Disney’s High School Musical for Broadway Training Center of Westchester.

 

Recently Aaron was featured in the October ’07 issue of Dance Spirit Magazine, in the special focus section on competitions and conventions.
Raymond "Spex" Abbiw

Spex has appeared in music videos with such artists asMariah Carey, Joe, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and more. Spex also toured internationally in Japan and France. He made his off-broadway debut in the 2002 "Full Circle Productions" production "Soular Power'd" at New York's New Victorytheater. He continues as a member of the Full Circle Dance Company touring throughout the U.S. and abroad including the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Spex is currently part owner with founder Brian "Footwork" Green and Ullier Maier of the House Dance Conference.

Arnold Texiera

Arnold  has a B.S. in Management Science from Kean University and is a certified personal trainer from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.  He is a member of IDEA Health & FitnessAssociation. Arnold is also a founding board member of the Jersey Shore Arts Center’s resident theater company NENA Productions Theater Project. Shoreline Dance Academy is thrilled to have Arnold as part of our team running our fitness program and teaching ballroom.
Cathy Jarmon

Cathy has had a passion for dance from an  early age. Her training began with the Diane Fay Dance Gallery in Manasquan, NJ.  From there Cathy went on to study at the Joffrey Ballet School  in NYC and at the Princeton Ballet School in NJ.  After high school she attended the Alvin Ailey American Dance School's certificate program where she graduated with a certificate of dance and was lucky enough to dance with the company during their City Center season. She has danced locally and also with the Staten Island Ballet. Cathy has also been teaching students of all ages locally for many years.

Darika Ukurchinova-Leggett

 A previous student of Classical Ballet at The National Academy of Ballet: Kyrgyzstan and The Moscow Academy of Ballet, Darika has been a Professional Ballerina for the National Academy of Ballet and a Principal Teacher at numerous academies. Darika is also actively modeling with various agencies throughout NYC and NJ and was awarded the title of “Prima Ballerina of Classical Dance” in 1997.  Shoreline Dance Academy is honored to have her as a part of our faculty. 
Jane Imburgia

Jane Imburgia a.k.a. “Zumba  Jane,” graduated from West Chester University with a BS in Marketing and a minor in  Nutrition.  After a career in sales, Jane went back to her true passion of fitness and nutrition…and became certified in Zumba, one of the hottest fitness crazes. Zumba is an exhilarating fusion of salsa, cumbia, reggaeton, and hip hop music that incorporates cardio latin dance.

Jessica Jarmer

Jessica is a member of the Ballroom staff at Shoreline. She holds a BS degree in Education from Salve Regina University and has many years of teaching experience behind her. Due with her 3rd child in July, Jessica is excited to start teaching again in the fall.
Jeanna Petersen

Jeanna grew up in Claremore, Oklahoma and studied dance, music, theatre and voice form an early age. Her teachers and mentors are recognized in the dance community and include: Pat Catterson, formerly of the Merce Cunningham Company, Richard Kuch, North Carolina School of the Arts; Derrick Minster of Alvin Ailey; Clay Taliaferro, former Jose Limon company member and former Dean of Duke University's Dance Department; and Jacquelyn Buglisi, former Martha Graham member and currently director of Buglisi/Forman Dance at 42nd Street Dance Studios in NYC.

Jeanna holds a Bachelor of Science in General Education and attended University of Oklahoma as a Modern Dance Performance Major. Her teachers there included former members of Martha Graham Jose Limon, Lester Horton, and Alvin Ailey. She later accepted a full Dance Scholarship and completed her studies at University of Central Oklahoma. At both OU and UCO, she was a featured dancer for their modern dance companies.

Jeanna has been teaching dance to all levels of students for 12 years. She enjoys the opportunity to pass the legacy of dance on to her students. Currently, she teaches ballet, modern, jazz and hip-hop at several well known schools in the Monmouth County area.
Mary Neal

Mary has worked with Shoreline Dance Academy for several years. She studied one full semester at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC and has continued with her studies there. She has also choreographed a solo and a group piece for the Competition Team this year. We look forward to seeing Mary work with our Competition Team in the fall.
Rachel Wasser

Rachel is honored to be part of the Shoreline family. She began singing and dancing at an early age, training locally at Rekeda Studios and Movement Dance Company. Rachel graduated with a BA from Marist College where she choreographed for the theater arts department and served as captain of the Marist dance team, while studying in New York at Steps and Broadway Dance Center. Rachel continues to train and perform in the area, and recently received a Perry Award for her role as a featured dancer in Cabaret. Rachel is grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow alongside her students each week and for the chance to share her love of performing arts.
 
Stacy Coppola

Stacy has been dancing and performing since she was very young. She attended Mercer County Performing Arts High School and University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She continued her training in NYC at Broadway Dance Center and Peridance. She has taken master classes and studied with dance greats like Joe Lantieri, Nan Giordano and Charles Kelly. She realized her passion for teaching at an early age and has taught in studios and schools around New Jersey for the past 15 years. She has choreographed numerous shows for Community Theater Companies in New Jersey including Phoenix Productions, Thompson Park Summer Theater, and NENA Productions. She is currently the Dance Director at Red Bank Catholic High School and is very excited to start working with the students of Shoreline Dance Academy. 

Tina Conti Pritzlaff

Tina Conti Pritzlaff has a passion for teaching and motivating others to reach their highest potential. She is a graduate of Villanova University where she studied Education and is an All-American soccer player. For nine years she worked as an elementary education teacher for the Holmdel School District and coached soccer there.

Tina has practiced with some of the top yoga instructors in the nation including Baron Baptiste and David Swenson, as well as being trained by Yogafit. Tina has seen her daughters benefit greatly from yoga combined with the inspiring dance instruction at Shoreline and is excited to be a part of this powerful combination.