Al Blackstone

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Al Blackstone is a New York-based choreographer, performer, and educator and the recipient of the 2011 Capezio A.C.E. Award for Choreographic Excellence. Dance Magazine has called his work “sweet, silly, sly... infectious.” While working mostly in musical theatre, his passion for contemporary and jazz dance enriches his unique approach to storytelling. In July of 2012 he directed, and choreographed the original dance narrative Happy We'll Be at the legendary Roseland Ballroom. Other original works include: The Blues a Little for University of the Arts, Hello Dolly for Dancers Responding to Aids’ Dance From the Heart, the solos performed on So You Think You Can Dance by season 8 finalist Jess LeProtto, and an original piece for Broadway Bares 2013. Theatrical credits include directing and choreographing the opening number of Easter Bonnet 2013 (featuring Marin Mazzie) and Sweet Charity at the John W. Engeman Theatre in Northport, Long Island (choreographer). Favorite performing credits: Wicked(Broadway and 1st National Tour), Carousel (Barrington Stages), the feature film A Winter’s Tale, NBC’s American Dreams and TLCs Trading Spaces. His most recent adventure: assisting Sonya Tayeh on the new musical The Last Goodbye. He is currently on faculty at the Broadway Dance Center and Pace University in NYC and JUMP dance convention.  www.alblackstone.net

  She trained with Gina Forcella at Dance Stop Education Center in New Jersey, then continued her classical ballet training with Risa Kaplowitz and Susan Jaffe.  At 16 she joined Houston Ballet II (HBII) and continued training with Claudio Munoz and Sabrina Lenzi.  With HBII, she toured nationally and internationally, and in 2011, she represented Houston Ballet at the International Youth Dance Festival in Budapest, Hungary. Francesca has enjoyed the privilege of having ballets set on her by choreographers Ma Cong, Elie Lazar, and Lincoln Jones.  She has danced ballets by George Balanchine, Stanton Welsh, Twyla Tharp, and Septime Webre.  Among her favorite roles are the female leads in Trey McIntyre’s Blue Until June and in Stanton Welch’s Fingerprints.   

Jennifer Golonka is a Brooklyn, NY based award winning dance educator, freelance choreographer and arts administrator. Jennifer has danced with the Jessica Lang Project, Hannah Khan Dance Company, Third Law Dance/Theater and Thang Dao

Dance Company.  She has performed with Battleworks Dance Company, Také Dance Company, Camille A. Brown and Dancers, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Jennifer trained at the Martha Graham School and Limon Institute. She was on faculty at

Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp for 13 years, ending her tenure as Director of Dance. She has been a guest artist at numerous arts organizations throughout the country including University of Colorado at Boulder, University at

Buffalo, Stony Brook University, BOUNCE Competition, the symphony Strings on Mountain, Cincinnati Ballet Summer Intensive and as a guest choreographer for the Pacific Arts Dance Center’s The Nutcracker and Destiny Rising at The Joyce Theater. Her work has been presented at many NYC dance festivals, most recently at the DUMBO Dance Festival in Brooklyn, NY.

 Erick Footman was born and raised in Queens New York. He has been working as a professional Hip-Hop dancer/choreographer for over 15 years. Erick has choreographed and performed with various artist such as Chris Brown, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Lil Mama, Fat Joe, and many more. 

Erick also performed on several T.V. shows such as, MTV's America's Best Dance crew, MTV's TRL, BET's 106 & Park live, Showtime at the Apollo, Japan network NHK'S Chick Girls reality show and etc. Erick is also Co-founder and head choreographer of an all male Hip-hop group Called Stryke Force Ent. Stryke Force has performed all over the country and enjoys spreading their love for Hip-hop to other dancers. 

Erick Footman still to this day enjoys training and inspiring students to learn the Hip-hop culture. He continues to teach Hip-hop classes and workshops from here in NYC to as far as Tokyo, Japan. Erick Footman's motivation is continue to spread happiness, confidence and joy all over the world through the art of dance.

 Sara is a pioneer of Jazz Dance in South Korea. Since 1990, she has developed Public Jazz Dance Classes at YMCA and many other Sports Centers across South Korea. She has created annual 

performances/recitals with club members, rhythmic gymnasts, dancers and actors. Generations of students from South Korea have since carried on her legacy and continue developing in commercial dance genres.  

In 2003, Sara received the highly prestigious, “Best Choreography 

Award“ from the 9th Annual Korean Musical Award (the equivalent of a Broadway Tony Award) for her contributions to the musical production, “The Musical Footloose”, which debuted in 2002 in South Korea. When she is not teaching at Dance Stop, she conducts jazz, acting and movement workshops for rhythmic gymnasts, dancers, actors and models. 

Since 1997, Sara, along with Miss Gina and our other master teachers, has authored what is widely recognized as the signature style of the Dance Stop Dancers. Sara enhances our students’ education with acclaimed choreography in jazz/lyrical genres, as well as a performance style that encompasses strength and grace in its creative message. She has received numerous choreography awards from the dance competitions/conventions and has won numerous championships with the junior and senior troupes. Her originality and dedication to her students makes her an exceptional master teacher and choreographer.   

Julie was honored in 2013 when she was selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars as one of the nation's most influential instructors! Along with Thang Dao, she directs the Young Artist Dance Intensive that is held at Dance Stop each year. She began her training in Los Angeles, has traveled the world in her professional dance career with the American Repertory Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and other prominent companies and choreographers in Switzerland, Italy and the U.S. Julie currently teaches at the Orange County High School for the Performing Arts, has been commissioned to create a new work for Ballet Quad Cities in Illinois. 

Julie is honored to be a member of the newly formed Body Traffic directed by Lillian Bitkoff and Tina Finkelman Berkett. Body Traffic has had the honor of working with such choreographers as Guy Weitzman, who hails from Israel, and more recently Alex Ketley, the director of the Foundry in San Francisco. Body Traffic will be performing this summer at the Ford Theatre in Los Angeles as well as touring to San Francisco.  

   Susie Gorman started her training in Kansas City at the Miller-Marley School Of Dance, and The State Ballet Of Missouri. From there she trained with The School Of American Ballet, American Ballet Theater and The Pacific Northwest Ballet. She has danced for such companies as State Ballet of Missouri, Wes Veldink Movement, Journey Dance Company, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, American Dance Machine and Mia Michaels R.A.W. She was in the 1st National Tour of Twyla Tharp's Movin' Out, and has performed in such musicals as Oliver! and Cinderella at Starlight theater. She was recently seen on Good Morning America as a dancer for Mariah Carey. Susie finished her first movie last summer staring as the lead actress in Kings Highway. She currently is a principal dancer for Kristin Sudeikis Dance Company in New York City. She also teaches and choreographs for different studios and companies around the United States. 

    Hope Osborn-Krick received both her Bachelor of Music and her Master's in Vocal Pedagogy and Vocal Performance from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. Among many other venues, Hope has performed as part of the Westminster Opera Theater, at Lincoln Center in New York City, NJPAC in Newark, NJ, McCarter Theater at Princeton University, and in Florence, Italy. Her collaborations include performing with the Princeton Amateur Society, Princeton Friends of Opera, Kinnara, Destino, and in a recent production of Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. Her discography includes recordings with the Westminster Williamson Voices, the East End Gilbert and Sullivan Players, Teaching Choirs Through Performance CD, and others. Hope also serve as a Section Leader at All Saints Church in Princeton. In addition to Dance Stop, Hope teaches voice at Spirit Wind Music Studios and is an Adjunct Professor of Vocal Performance at Molloy College in NY. She is distinguished by her recent awards, which include the elite Encouragement Award by the Metropolitan Opera Council, and the Milton Cross Rising Star Award, given by the Continuo Arts Foundation. 

 This talented teacher has almost two decades of tap dance experience under his belt, performing in touring companies and revivals of some classic productions, including 42nd Street, White Christmas, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and others! Aaron also has enjoyed a career in concert dance, working as a soloist and collaborator in NYC and in LA, and has appeared in productions such as Christmas in the Black Hills, that was televised on CMT. Aaron is especially proud of his improvisational expertise, and the opportunity he received to choreograph and perform as part of an International Visitors Leadership Program, in which he promoted minority participation through the arts in Brazil.  

     Tommy is a Florida native, where he trained at New Tampa Dance Theatre. Tommy graduated from The Ohio State University with a BFA in dance performance in 2005. While training, he has had the opportunity to work with many world-renowned choreographers and dancers. He has performed with Columbus Dance Theater contemporary ballet company, in the United Kingdom tour of Tap Fusion, as a guest artist with BalletMet, Columbus, Collide, and Parsons Dance. He is also currently dancing with dre.dance, Nicholas Andre Dance, marInspired, and Kristin Sudekis Dance.  In addition to company work Tommy has been featured in several movies, musicals and TV shows. Recent highlights are The Big Gay Musical movie, City Center Encores' production of "Where's Charley ?" and "Fiorello" and the premier of Rosie O'Donnell's return to prime time TV on Rosie Show, featured on the OWN network.  He has had the honor of working with Verdon/ Fosse Estate on archiving the legendary work of Bob Fosse and a principal member of American Dance Machine for the 21st Century. Most recently he performed in the pre-Broadway run of the new musical Roman Holiday in San Francisco and is slated to appear in an upcoming FX show about the life of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon starring Michelle Williams and Sam Rockwell.


As a teacher he has taught master class all over the world including Brazil, China, and Russia.  Teaching students that are mentally and physically handicapped, autistic and blind. In the United states he has been privileged to teach at Peridance, Broadway Dance Center, The Ohio State University, Adelphi University, Manhattanville College, Marymount Manhattan and many dance studios across the nation. While keeping up a diverse performance career he is currently teaching classes in studios in New Jersey and Queens and judging competitions all over the nation.