your instructors
Jessica Jaber
Ballet,PBT,FLX, Owner
As a dancer who began seriously studying ballet as an adult, Jessica aspired to create a studio for other adults to begin to dance, or continue to have dance be a part of their health and fitness routines. She wanted to create a space similar to the large studios in NYC where adults with hectic and sometimes uncertain schedules could drop in and take a class when their schedules would allow. A true believer in both the joy of self expression and the proven health benefits of dance for physical and emotional well-being, she enjoys bringing her love of this fitness and art form to adults of all ages.
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Jessica has trained in classical ballet for 20 years under master teachers from both the English and Russian disciplines of ballet. She has studied the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus, is a licensed Silver Swans teacher, and previously performed with Kozlov Dance International in NY, NJ and Aruba. Jessica was the Director of a Royal Academy of Dance youth ballet program in White Plains prior to opening the adult only studio in her hometown of Cornwall, NY. She is a certified instructor in PBT, Progressing Ballet Technique, and in FLX Flexibility and Conditioning Program. Her dance training spans over three decades of dance in modern, jazz, tap, musical theatre, Ballroom, and ballet. She is a member of Actor's Equity and SAG-AFTRA.
Mara Davi Gaines
Broadway Dance &
Int/Adv Tap
Mara is an actor/singer/dancer who has worked in New York and regionally since 2004. Her Broadway credits include A Chorus Line, The Drowsy Chaperone, White Christmas, Dames at Sea, and The Play that Goes Wrong. Mara has taught master classes in Broadway repertoire and tap dance across the country while touring with various shows. She has always been drawn to the song and dance of classic musical comedies and golden age movie musicals and she aims to bring style, storytelling, sweat, and smiles to each dance class.
Montana Nogrady
Beginner Tap
Contemporary/
Lyrical
Montana graduated from The University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in May 2018 with a BFA with Honors in Dance. She performed in works by Douglas Becker, Meredith Rainey, Tania Isaacs, Thaddeus and Tanya Davis, Milton Myers, Nora Gibson, Sidra Bell, Jesse Zaritt and Anne White, and Robert Burden. She was trained locally at Step by Step, in Cornwall, and the Darlene Wilson Institute of Dance, in Newburgh. She was a part of Orange County Ballet Theatre and performed annually in The Nutcracker and their spring performances, with repertoire including Swan Lake, Pas De Quatre, Le Corsaire and La Bayadére. With Step by Step, Montana has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and several international festivals in England, Scotland, Spain and Italy. She has been a choreographer for Step It Up’s Summer Stage, for productions of Hairspray, Shrek The Musical, School of Rock, The Addams Family, Guys and Dolls, and Chicago- High School Edition, in which she performed as Kitty and a featured dancer.
Veronica Nogrady
Adv/Int Ballet
Veronica is a Cornwall on Hudson native & began her dance training at Powers Dance Arts Centre. She has performed with numerous companies in the Hudson Valley area, including The Orange County Ballet, The Pougkeepsie Ballet Theatre, The Ulster County Ballet Theatre, & Ballet Arts Company. She is a graduate of The Hartford Ballet Teacher's Certification Program, has danced with Hartford Ballet's Studio Company, was a Guest Artist at The Simsbury Light Opera Company, a Principal Dancer & Faculty member of the Atlantic Contemporary Ballet Theatre, & performed with Capital City Opera & Ballet Orlando. She currently teaches at Step by Step, Hudson Valley Conservatory & Seven Star School of the Perf. Arts. She has choreographed the Goshen High School musicals since 2007, and her choreography has appeared at The American Alliance of Performing Arts Educators, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and abroad in London, Scotland, Barcelona, Italy and Greece.