Faculty & Staff
KRISTI DREYER MCINERNEY
OWNER/DIRECTOR/DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Kristi Dreyer McInerney has owned and operated Dance Fusion Performing Arts Studio since 2007. As a young woman, she had the opportunity to study at the Lehigh Valley Ballet Guild under the instruction of the late Alexi Ramov. Kristi is a 1997 graduate of DeSales University with a Bachelor's Degree in Dance. Prior to owning Dance Fusion, Kristi acquired 14 years of experience in teaching children and adults of all ages and levels in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, Lyrical, Creative Movement, and Yoga. She has performed and choreographed for several shows at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, for the locally televised Greater Ms. Berks County Scholarship Organization, and for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Kristi has also choreographed for several local High School Musicals and Lehigh Valley and Berks County area festivals. She was Assistant Director for the Eastern Pennsylvania Ballet Theatre for 6 years where she choreographed and produced several productions of The Nutcracker and quite a few other children's Ballets. Kristi continues to develop her skills as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and Zumba Fitness Instructor by attending classes, performances, and workshops on a regular basis. She incorporates a positive and fun teaching style, emphasizing self-confidence and performance in her classes.
JAMES DU CHATEAU
ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/DIRECTOR OF FUSION2 DANCE COMPANY/DANCE INSTRUCTOR
James Du Chateau is the Assistant Artistic Director and Fusion2 Dance Company Director. He began his professional dance career at age 8 performing in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He made his Broadway debut in “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (Original Broadway Cast) and his film debut in Disney’s “Enchanted. He began his dance training in the Lehigh Valley and attended the Lehigh Valley Charter High School For The Arts in Bethlehem, PA. He attended college at Purchase College in Purchase, NY as a BFA in the Conservatory of Dance. After college, he performed on the National Tour of “Saturday Night Fever” as the Assistant Dance Captain. He then went on to perform at many regional theaters such as the Palace Theatre (Manchester, NH), Axelrod Performing Arts Center (Deal, NJ), Arizona Broadway Theatre (Peoria, AZ), and Flat Rock Playhouse (Hendersonville, NC). James is a choreographer for Six Flags Parks (Dorney Park & California’s Great America) for over three years (Grand Carnivale, Retrospect, Halloween Haunt, and WinterFest). Locally, James has choreographed for the Parkland High School Musicals (Moana Jr., Shrek Jr., Frozen Jr., and Finding Nemo Jr.). He also has choreographed for the Parkland High School & Emmaus High School Dance Teams. James is now the CRU Dance National Company Director & United States Tournament of Dance Acrobatic & Dance Team Director. He also works as a competition director for CRU & USTD. James loves his Dance Fusion family and continues to find ways for his students to strive for excellence in performance & technique.
ANNE GROLLER
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Anne is excited for another great season watching our students flourish! You can find her smiling face and positive energy at the desk when you arrive at the studio. Miss Anne is everyone's "studio mom"! She also works vigorously behind the scenes making our event & costume dreams come true. She has been with Dance Fusion Performing Arts Studio for over 12 years in various capacities. When she is not at the studio, she works for Fresenius Medical Care. Have questions about tuition, billing, uniforms, merch, and costumes? She's your gal!
LIZZY STEIRER
ASSISTANT FUSION2 DANCE COMPANY COORDINATOR/DANCE & ACROBATICS INSTRUCTOR
Lizzy’s dance journey began in the Lehigh Valley, where she graduated from the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem, PA, and continued her studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Throughout her career, she has taught workshops, guest classes, and alumni intensives across the Lehigh Valley, and has choreographed for the Emmaus High School Dance Team. During her high school and college years, Lizzy performed in both student and faculty concerts, and had the privilege of working with renowned New York-based companies such as TAKE Dance, The Bang Group, and Sidra Bell. Her choreography has also been recognized and awarded at a Regional and National level. Always eager to expand her knowledge, Lizzy is recently certified in the Acrobatic Arts and Ready Set Dance programs. Beyond the dance studio, she merges her creative talents with business by also managing our social media platforms! Lizzy is passionate about inspiring younger dancers and sharing her love for the art of dance with the next generation.
JAMIE-LYNN CARRODO
FAB! MUSICAL THEATER COMPANY DIRECTOR/DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Miss Jamie-Lynn Carrodo has been a lover of the performing arts her whole life. Growing up she watched her big sister “Miss Kristi” dedicate herself to dance, so it should be no surprise that she would follow in her footsteps and spent most of her childhood running from voice lessons, to dance classes and then to rehearsal for the musicals at Parkland High School. She holds a Bachelors in Theater Arts with a Concentration in Musical Theater from Point Park University, Elementary and Early Childhood Certifications from Kutztown University along with a Master’s in Reading and Reading Specialist Certifications from East Stroudsburg University. Her ultimate goal was to integrate the arts into the elementary classroom and provide enriching performing arts opportunities to at-risk students. "Miss Jamie" by night and "Mrs. Carrodo" by day, she has been teaching in the Lehigh Valley in both the Bethlehem Area and Allentown school districts (Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and First Grade). Over her 16 years in public school education she has received multiple grants to start up and support different dance and performance programs where students got to experience tap, hip hop and put on full scale productions! Miss Jamie has also been a member of the Dance Fusion staff and has supported it in different capacities since it opened in 2007. In that time she’s been a teacher, leader to the moms in our Fusion2 Dance Company, has “cameoed” during holiday show performances, and supported backstage during every performance. Since becoming a mom, one of her newest goals was to develop a Children’s Theater company, that is inclusive to all students and provides an opportunity for students to develop their acting, singing, dancing, tech skills, reading skills (but shhh don’t tell the kids ;)) and most importantly their confidence. She is so excited to be back at Dance Fusion this year working in the studio where she will be teaching Dance Fusion’s littlest Broadway Babies in Creative Musical Theater and running our newest division of Fusion 2, FAB! Fusion and Broadway Theater Company! FAB! has been waiting waiting in the wings for the right moment to start up and as Elphaba from Wicked would say “It’s time to trust our instincts, close our eyes and LEAP!”
ALEXANDRA SEYBOLT
DANCE INSTRUCTOR/FUSION2 DANCE COMPANY CHOREOGRAPHER
Alexandra Seybolt is a graduate from DeSales University with a B.A. in Dance and a minor in Psychology. At DeSales, Alex served as the president of the DeSales University Dance Team, the secretary of Chai Tau Epsilon Dance Honor Society, and as a teacher for the Conservatory of Dance. Alex teaches to share her passion for dance with others through skill development, self-expression, and creative enrichment.
KATERINA ALMEIDA
DANCE INSTRUCTOR/FUSION2 DANCE COMPANY CHOREOGRAPHER
Katerina Almeida has been dancing for 20 years. She has been with Dance Fusion Performing Arts Studio since 2008 and has since trained in many different styles under many different mentors. She has also been dancing at Dorney Park in their shows during the summer season for the past 4 years. Katerina recently graduated from Temple University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration/ Marketing and has subsequently been working with the non-profit organization "We Are Queens," a mentor network designed to connect industry professionals with aspiring college artists. She is excited to return to the Dance Fusion family in a new capacity as a teacher.
LAURA COFFEY
AERIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR
Laura Coffey attends Lafayette College pursuing a Film and Media Studies major. She has been involved in aerial arts for twelve years, performing on aerial silks, Lyra, triple trapeze, and other apparatus. Her favorite medium is aerial silks for its versatility and flair. She is involved in the theater program at Lafayette, and loves doing backstage theater work, such as costume, lighting, and set design. In her free time, Miss Laura enjoys reading books, watching movies, and spending time with her bunny Balerion. She loves sharing her love for all things aerial with the wonderful families at Dance Fusion!
DENISE BINDER
DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Denise Binder received her B.A. in Dance from DeSales University, where she was the recipient of the Jeannie Maxwell Award for Excellence in Choreography. She has been teaching dance throughout the Lehigh Valley for over 20 years. Previously Denise was the director and choreographer for the Mosaic Dance Company at the Pennsylvania Youth Theatre. While there, she also choreographed for Harry Connick Jr’s production of The Happy Elf. In 2016 she obtained her M.Ed in Elementary Education from Kutztown University and was honored to receive the Clinical Experience Award for both teaching placements. She currently teaches 3rd grade at St. Ann School in Emmaus and in her spare time enjoys her position as the director of the Spring Musical.
MARNIE DERR
DANCE/ACROBATICS INSTRUCTOR
Marnie began her dance training here at Dance Fusion in 2009! She joined the Fusion2 Dance Company in 2014 to expand her love for the arts and performance. Marnie has worked under many instructors at Dance Fusion assisting classes to begin her journey in teaching dance. With 6 years of experience in assisting, she has moved on to become an instructor after graduating from Kutztown High School. Along with teaching at the studio level, Marnie is also an assistant coach for Kutztown School Districts K-12th grade dance teams. She is currently a student at Kutztown University studying History with Paralegal Studies. Marnie is excited to share her love and passion for dance with all her students.
CAROLYN LIPPERT
BALLET MISTRESS
Carolyn Lippert was born in Boston, Massachusetts and trained at Severance Ballet Conservatory with her mother, Carla Stallings-Lippert, and at the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Lippert was named a National Training Scholar and attended American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensives on full scholarship from 2008-2011. Lippert joined the ABT Studio Company in September 2011 and performed with American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House in 2013. She went on to dance with The Washington Ballet for their 2013-2014 season and San Francisco Ballet for their 2014-2015 season. Lippert joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in 2015 and went on to perform in Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadere, Firebird, and The Seasons to name a few. While with ABT, Lippert also took college classes at CUNY and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelors in phycology in 2021. In that same year, Lippert retired to pursue a career in medicine. Lippert is ABT National Training Curriculum certified and enjoys teaching whenever possible. She plans to remain a part of the ballet world and looks forward to sharing her passion and knowledge of classical ballet with students.
NICOLE BUCCIGROSSI
DANCE, THEATER, & VOCAL INSTRUCTOR
Nicole Buccigrossi has been singing and performing since she was two years old. Originally from NYC, Miss. Nicole has performed in over 200 shows throughout the tristate area, ranging from regional professional companies to community theatres. Some of her favorite roles include "Gingy" in "Shrek the Musical," and "Wendla" in Spring Awakening. In addition to performing herself, Miss Nicole has been giving voice and acting lessons to young performers for the last 11 years. Classically trained through Wagner College, Miss Nicole is able to provide extensive training in vocal technique, making sure her students understand the importance of proper vocal health and placement to help them become the triple threats they are meant to be! Besides the world of the arts, Miss Nicole is also a middle school English teacher. She is super excited to share her love of all things singing and performing with the talented performers of Dance Fusion!
JESSICA LANG
YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Jessica Lang teaches Yoga at Dance Fusion Performing Arts Studio and throughout the Lehigh Valley. A seeker of truth, meaning, beauty, and happiness, Jessica’s yoga journey was born out of stretchy bits of asana incorporated into ballet classes over 20 years ago. What began as a quest for physical exercise has evolved into a healing-focused practice for mind, body, and spirit. Jessica has found mental focus, pain relief, increased mobility, strength, and reduced anxiety in her own practice, outcomes which she now aspires to share with others. Jessica is RYT-200 certified through an Ashtanga-based program with additional training in Yin yoga. Her practice style infuses body awareness and mindfulness that she encourages students to incorporate, both on and off the mat.
PATRICK PAGELLA
FITNESS INSTRUCTOR
Patrick Pagella earned his B.S. in nursing from Cedar Crest College with additional M.S. from DeSales University where he completed the Nurse Practitioner Program. Although formally trained in Family Practice and Wellness, he has extensive experience in Trauma, Orthopedics, Burn and Surgical Critical Care. Patrick has been actively training in strength and conditioning for 21 years and has trained with several local exercise physiologists, lending to his modern approach to strength and conditioning training.
SAMANTHA DOUBLET
COSTUME COORDINATOR/FUNDRAISING MANAGER
Samantha Doublet joined the Dance Fusion Family in 2009 with her daughters Marnie and Avalon. Samantha has always been a volunteer dance mom at Dance Fusion, helping at the studio, recitals, and dress rehearsals, where you've probably seen her backstage or selling snacks and drinks. She has been volunteering with the Fundraising Committee for several years and took over as Fundraising Coordinator in 2021. Samantha was hired in 2022 to assist Anne, the Costume Coordinator. As a child, Samantha danced and twirled the baton for 10 years with the former Melanie Wagner Academy of Baton and Dance in Bethlehem, PA. Samantha works part time as a customer service associate at Weis Markets in Kutztown and also volunteers with the Kutztown Indoor Association Dance and Twirl Teams.