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Faculty & Staff
DIRECTORS
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Sarah Mason
(Artistic Director)
Ballet, Jazz,
Pointe,
Tap,
Theatre, East Coast Swing
Lumière, Crunch! Productions, Showstoppers
- Certified Dance Educator
- International Performing Artist
- Founder, Footprints Tap Ensemble |
Sarah has performed on the
international stage, appearing alongside
world-famous artists Savion Glover, the late Gregory Hines, and many
more. Her students have appeared on Broadway, at Walt Disney World, in
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and in professional companies around the globe.
Sarah's PAA graduates have gone on to do exciting things in the dance
world - from becoming interns at Broadway Dance Center in New York to
working as personal assistants to talent agents in Los Angeles.
Sarah began her early dance training in Chicago, where she studied with
Barbara Swanson. She is a Certified Dance Educator (CDE) through
Chicago National
Association of Dance Masters, and she continues to work with her
mentor, Heather
Cornell.
Sarah serves as the director of both Crunch! Productions and Lumière
Studio Company, and she is the creative mind behind PAA's annual spring
concerts. She works in the community,
choreographing local productions and mentoring other dancers and
teachers, including faculty and staff members from Penn State.
In addition to her dance experience, Sarah has appeared in feature
films and in theater productions throughout the Chicagoland area. She
served as director of Hello Out There, produced at Lake Forest
College, where she was also a founding member of their Guerilla
Shakespeare Troupe and a choreographer for many other
productions.
Lastly, Sarah has trained many models and pageant contestants,
including several Centre County's Outstanding Young Woman scholarship
recipients and Junior Miss Title winners. She is a fashion show consultant and choreographer, and also
serves as a judge for pageants and dance competitions throughout the
country.
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Chuck Mason
(Executive
Director)
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Bass
Two-Step, East Coast & West Coast Swing
Rock & Roll Band Camp, A Bug's Life Nature Camp
- Vocalist & Lead Guitarist, Chuck Mason &
Blue Reality
- Professional Musician |
Chuck is the Executive Director of
Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts and has studied all styles of dance for
over a decade and has worked as a professional musician for over 20
years. He continues to write and perform music regionally, and you
can see him as lead guitarist with several blues and rock bands in
the area. Chuck's background also includes a Bachelor's in Biology
from Penn State, where he conducted Biology and Entomology research,
as well as a masters of Divinity from Fuller Seminary. His writing
has been published in international journals.
A native of State College, Chuck also holds a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) degree
from Fuller Theological Seminary and a BA degree in Biology from Penn State.
He has conducted Entomology research and has had his work in
theology and biology published in international journals.
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FACULTY
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Megan Casey -
Ballet, Tap, Jazz
- Experienced children's teacher & choreographer
- Member/choreographer of Penn State's ballet company, Volé |
Megan
is the newest addition to PAAs teaching staff, and she
brings terrific energy to our Child & Youth Programs!
Megan
has taught for a number of years, and
she specializes in teaching ballet, tap and jazz to younger
children. She is currently an active member of Penn
State Universitys dance team.
Please help us welcome Megan to our PAA family!
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Chloe Weaver -
Ballet, Tap, Jazz
- Experienced children's teacher & choreographer
- Member/choreographer of Penn State's ballet company, Volé |
Chloe Weaver, a native of State
College, currently attends Penn State University Schreyer
Honors. She offers a fantastic musical background to her tap
students, being a classically trained violinist and
vocalist. Chloe's tap background includes regular studies
with Sarah Mason and Michele Dunleavy, as well as master
instruction with tap greats Roxane Butterfly and Heather
Cornell. Welcome, Chloe! |
MASTER TEACHERS & GUEST ARTISTS
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George Patterson
- Cast Member, "Bring in da' Noise, Bring in da' Funk"
- Artistic Director, Chicago Tap Interpreters
- International teacher, choreographer and tap artist
A Chicago native, George Patterson
has performed since 1992, starting with the world-renowned
Jesse White Tumblers. At the age of 19, he was the only
dancer from the Midwest to appear in Broadway's Tony Award
winning "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk", alongside
Jason Samuels-Smith and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards. He also
has performed in the Broadway in Sweden tour and the
American Millennium Celebration at the White House for
President Clinton. He is the founding director of Chicago's
Finest Tap Interpreters. George enjoys teaching all over the
globe, including at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance
Center. He graduated from the Milwaukee High School of the
Arts, the Sammy Dyer School of Theatre and studied under Ted
Levy and Savion Glover.
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Amy Brandt
- Member, Suzanne Farrell Ballet
- Writer, Pointe Magazine
- Writer, Dance Magazine
- Member, New Chamber Ballet
- Founding Member, ad hoc Ballet
- Former Member, Milwaukee Ballet
Amy was born in Libertyville, Illinois, where she
received her initial dance training at
Dancenter North. She continued her studies on full
scholarship at the
Milwaukee Ballet School. She was invited to join the
Milwaukee Ballet, where she performed soloist roles in
ballets such as Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Four
Temperaments, and Alonzo King's MAP. In
2003, she joined the Suzanne Farrell ballet in Washington,
D.C., with whom she's performed at the nationally televised
Kennedy Center Honors and the Edinburgh International
Festival. Ms. Brandt is also a founding member of
Ad Hoc Ballet, a
contemporary dance company in New York City, and has written
for Dance Magazine.
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Gilbert Bailey II
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Hip-Hop
- Experienced educator
- Professional emcee, vocalist and interactive dancer
- Penn State Musical Theatre program
Gilbert has worked in studios surrounding the Philadelphia area as an instructor
of Hip-Hop, Acro, and Street Jazz. In addition, he has worked as the
"Hip-Hop culturalist" and choreographer for the BHS Hip-Hop squad and is
a current member of ABC crew, a dance group out of Bristol. He was
recently seen in the URTC production of WORD UP, a staged documentary of
Hip-Hop. Gilberts expertise in this style of dance spans the whole
realm of the genre from breaking to rocking, locking to popping, and
house to capoeira. Gilbert is also employed at Asharp Productions as an
MC, Vocalist, and Interactive Dancer, and he attends Penn State
University where he is a Musical Theatre major.
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Roxane Butterfly
International tap star
hailed as "an untamable tomboyish force of nature" by the New York Times.
Teaches worldwide and has danced with the greatest named in tap - Savion
Glover, Barbara Duffy, Dianne Walker and more! |
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Heather Cornell
The tap world's finest -international
teacher, Broadway choreographer, and world-renowned performer! Artistic
Director of Manhattan Tap and the mentor of names like Roxanne
Butterfly, Max Pollak, Jeannie Hill, Lisa Hopkins, Mike Minery and more!
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Ayodele Casel
Internationally acclaimed tap star
who has appeared in stage & screen appearances with the finest dancers and
actors in the world. Currently runs a production company with Sarah
Savelli.
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Jason Samuels Smith
Emmy Award-winning tap dancer who is the founder of the LA Tap Festival
and has appeared on and off Broadway in everything from So You Think You
Can Dance to Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk! One of the
biggest names in tap today!
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ASSISTANT TEACHERS
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Kayla Bracken
Jordyn Brooks
Liz McNitt
Elara Sakona
Samantha Statham |
PAST
TEACHERS
Gilbert Bailey II (Hip-Hop)
Corinna Brooks (Ballet)
Kylie Brooks (Tap, Ballet, Jazz)
Karen Cattell (Kindermusik)
Rebekah Cattell (Ballet, Tap, Jazz)
Brianne Dalton (Ballet, Tap)
John Daulby
(Jazz, Hip-Hop)
Dayna Hasson
(Jazz, Hip-Hop)
Becky Mastin
(Jazz, Modern, Tap, Ballet)
Christine Mollica
(Tap)
Katie Maxwell (Jazz, Hip-Hop)
Christine McHale
(Hip-Hop, Modern)
Ashley Metz (Ballet, Jazz, Modern)
Lauren Rubio (Ballet, Tap, Jazz)
Tiana Sakona (Jazz, Hip-Hop)
Brandon Wilbur (Hip-Hop)
Tione Won
(Ballet, Jazz)
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