Faculty

Logrea Dance Academy Faculty

Beth Fritz-Logrea

(Director) Beth Fritz-Logrea was a protege of Dame Alicia Markova. While receiving her early training in Memphis, Tennessee, with Charles Kirby and Manola Agullo, she was seen by Markova and offered a scholarship to the Metropolitan Opera. She joined the Metropolitan Opera ballet company at the age of sixteen and continued her training in New York with Markova's teacher, Vincenzo Celli. She has performed as principal dancer with Ballet Etudes Repertory Company, St. Gallen Stadt Theatre (Switzerland), and the Graz Opera House (Austria), and she has toured Europe extensively, dancing leading roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Romeo and Juliet, and Pas de Quatre. Although trained as a classical ballet dancer, she has also been featured in such shows as Man of La Mancha, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, and Oklahoma!. She is co-director of the Academy and Co-Artistic Director of Westchester Ballet Company.

Jean Logrea

(Director) Jean Logrea came to the United States from Austria, where for seven years he was a principal with the Graz Opera House ballet company. Trained at the Scoala Speciala in Cluj (Romania) in Classical Ballet, Character, and Folk Dance, he was a principal at the Opera House Cluj, as well as a teacher at the affiliated school for nine years. There he was entrusted with a class of especially talented students, all of whom are now dancing internationally with major companies. As principal dancer, he toured extensively throughout Europe and the USSR in such major roles as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, the Jester in Swan Lake, the pas de deux from Le Corsaire, and the Rocker in The Miraculous Mandarin. In addition to co-directing the Academy he is the Co-Artistic Director of Westchester Ballet Company, and he is a judge at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, FL since it began in 2007.

Nick Logrea

(Associate Director) Nick trained at the Logrea Dance Academy and has performed in WBC’s Nutcracker for 27 years. He has also performed as a soloist in WBC productions of Les Patineurs (Man in Grey), La Bayadere (Solor), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck), Peter and the Wolf (Peter; the Wolf), La Boutique Fantasque, Tales of Vienna and A Glenn Miller Nutcracker. Logrea is a ZESTM (Zumba® Education Specialist), training people to become licensed Zumba® instructors. During the past 7 years, Logrea has travelled the US and Internationally teaching Master Classes and had the privilege of dancing with Beto Perez, the creator of the Zumba Fitness program, appearing in fitness concerts in London, Australia and Prague. Logrea appeared on ABC TV’s The View as a backup dancer to Vanilla Ice in a Zumba remix to his smash hit “Ice Ice Baby", as well as appearing on The Today Show as a dancer for Lil Jon, promoting his new song "Work”. He was featured in two Zumba Fitness video games, Zumba Fitness Core and Zumba Fitness World Party.

Billy Blanken

(Ballet) Billy started his professional career as a principal with the Amy Marshall Dance Company before joining Les Ballets Grandiva. His credits include; principal guest artist with Mobile Ballet, CoDa 21 of San Juan, Catherine Gallant Dance, Atlantic City Ballet, Northwest Florida Ballet, Ajkun Ballet Theatre, the East Village Dance Project, Northeastern Ballet Theatre, isadoraNOW, Ballet Mink Colbert, and many others. He is a frequent collaborator with Project In Motion and has been commissioned to stage several of his works on their company.
Billy is original creator, writer, producer, choreographer and performer of "the intimacies project" with dancer Jordan Marinov, filmmaker Bill Hayward and late Musician/ Playwright Anna Elman. ‘the intimacies project’ was featured at Port Authority by Times Square Alliance. In 2016 he founded Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre for which he is Artistic Director.
Billy has taught at Peridance, the Jakarta Intercultural School, the National School in Tirana, Albania, Logrea Dance Academy, Ball State University, Wright State University, Gibney Dance, Northwest Florida Ballet, the School at Steps on Broadway, and others.

Gabrielle Bohrman

(Ballet) Gabrielle Bohrman began dancing at age five. She joined Logrea Dance Academy and Westchester Ballet Company at age eleven. Gabrielle has competed in major competitions including World Ballet Competition and American Dance Competition and spent summers training at ABT in NYC. Her WBC repertoire included principal roles in The Nutcracker, Graduation Ball, and La Sylphide. She performed the Arabian pas de deux as a guest artist with WBC in 2019. In 2014, she received a scholarship to train at Ballet Academy East and trained with Darla Hoover. In 2015, she began her professional career with the Orlando Ballet, performing Corps de Ballet roles with the Company and Soloist roles with the school. In 2017, she joined the Richmond Ballet and performed Corps de Ballet roles in The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty with the main Company and Soloist roles in An American in Paris, Swan Lake and Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 with the trainee ensemble. In 2018 she became a rehearsal assistant for WBC and LDA productions which included staging repertoire and privately coaching dancers. Gabrielle plans to graduate from Purchase College with a degree in Arts Management and Journalism in spring 2020.

Egan Carroll

(Ballet) Egan began her training and performing at Logrea Dance Academy and the Westchester Ballet Company at the age of 8. At 14, she placed in the top twelve at the Youth American Grand Prix in Torrington, CT. Egan accepted a scholarship at the Kirov Academy of Ballet at 15 and trained there for a year before coming back to New York City to train with Sara Knight perform with WBC. Some of her repertoire includes Dew Drop Fairy and Chocolate from Spain in "the Nutcracker", Dawn in "Coppelia", a soloist in "La Bayadere," and the Spanish Bride in “Swan Lake”. As well as working and performing with Rebecca Rice Dance Company, Egan has spent summers training at ABT in New York, SLK Ballet, Ellison Ballet, Ballet Academy East, Kirov Academy of Ballet, and Tulsa Ballet. She studied at Fordham University and graduated from Montclair State University. Egan is thrilled to be back at Logrea Dance Academy teaching the next generation of artists!

Jessica Chambers

(Jazz) Jessica began dancing at age three, starting her training and performing at Logrea Dance Academy and Westchester Ballet Company at age seven. She spent summers attending dance intensives at Manhattan Youth Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, White Mountain Summer Dance Festival, and Steps On Broadway. Jessica also attended the Radio City Rockettes Summer Intensive, and was a featured dancer on the second season of MSG Varsity’s television series, “The Rockette Summer Intensive”. Jessica’s WBC repertoire included soloist roles in The Nutcracker, Graduation Ball and Swan Lake, as well as corps roles in Sleeping Beauty, Les Patineurs, and La Boutique Fantastique. Jessica graduated from Princeton University in 2018 with degrees in Dance and Molecular Biology. With the Princeton Dance Department, Jessica performed repertory works by Bill T Jones, Ohad Naharin, Zvi Gotheiner, Susan Marshall, Brian Reeder, Alexandra Beller, and Olivier Tarpaga. Jessica also danced with and served as Artistic Director for Princeton’s oldest student-run dance company, Expressions.

Bieje Chapman

(Ballet, Jazz) Bieje's arts journey began at the age of 7 in Louisville, KY when she tagged along with her mother to join the SouthEast Players Theatre. After doing featured dance, vocal and dramatic works with the theatre, SEP's directors suggested that Bieje audition for the Youth Performing Arts High School and thus began her official training. While at YPAS studying Classical Ballet, Modern and Theatre Jazz, Bieje continued with SEP and upon her junior and senior years starred as Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank and Cinderella in Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Upon graduation Bieje studied at the Colorado Ballet School, CT Dance Theatre, The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory, The Singers Forum NYC and went on to perform with The Ogunquit Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival Theatre, The Singers Forum Lifetime Achievement Awards, Manhattan Opera Rep and the Woodbury Ballet Company as well as getting involved in Independent films, commercials and documentaries. Bieje has taught at CT Dance Theatre, Ballet Arts at NY City Centre, DanceSport Manhattan, Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre, The Woodbury Ballet Academy, and has participated in teacher trainings in the Vaganova methodology of ballet for levels 0-I (lower school) with Shamill Yagudin Bolshoi Ballet RF, Donna Bonasera CT Dance Theatre and the Brighton Ballet Theatre School of Russian American Ballet. Bieje holds a national certification with the NADTA for Ballroom and Latin dance and was just accepted into the ABT Teacher Training program- so stayed tuned:). Bieje is very happy to bring her love of theatre and dance to Logrea Dance Academy and hopes to inspire Logrea's young artists as her teachers have inspired her.

Vivian Frerking

(Director of Early Childhood Training) Vivian was a student of Iris Merrick, performed with Westchester Ballet Company for twelve years, attaining the rank of soloist, and studied in New York at the American Ballet Theatre School. She received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Quinnipiac College in Connecticut, and now resides in Ossining with her husband. She is presently the Director of Rehabilitation Medicine at Putnam Ridge in Brewster, NY.

David Guggino

(Jazz) At eighteen David moved to New York City and attended Marymount Manhattan University. He attended the Joffrey/New School. Performance credits, Ward 9, West Side Story at TUTS, Damn Yankees at NSMT and Grease! at KC Starlight, “Regis and Kelly!”. Company credits, Momix, Joffrey Ensemble, The Chase Brock Experience, Rebecca Kelly Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet. David has choreographed his own off-Broadway show entitled What Guys Do! His choreography credits include West Side Story, Rocky Horror, Sid in the City. His commissioned works are We were always coming back, Virus, Walking with the Gods, and A Beautiful Sadness. His choreographic movie credits include, Fly the Light, and Them. Other commissioned works include Idol Giselle, How Strong, Conversations, What Guys Do Excerpts, Opposing Forces and Cosmic. He has choreographed and taught at the Joffrey Jazz & Contemporary program and has premiered the second installment of his event SlamBamDance! at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn and is a faculty member at Steps on Broadway. Most recently he has Directed and choreographed Lucian Smith” music video “Burn That Paper” and Assistant Directed and choreographed artist “Traces” music video “Hypnotized”.

Mary Jane Houdina

(Tap) Mary Jane was associate choreographer for the movie "The Great Gatsby" and tap consultant for Peter Allen at Radio City. On Broadway she was associate choreographer for the original "Annie" and choreographer for "Into the Light". Regional theaters have seen her choreography in a myriad of musicals including " Oklahoma!", "Follies", and “Showboat": with such stars as Jean Stapleton, Juliet Prowse, and Gavin McLeod. She danced in ten Broadway shows, working for choreographers Michael Bennet, Gower Champion, Alan Johnson, Tony Stevens, and Peter Gennaro. She also had the pleasure of dancing in Peter Gennaro’s night club act. She is the 1998 Barrymore Award recipient for her choreography for “Crazy for You”, the 2001 nomination for “Singin’ in the Rain” and the 2006 nomination for “42ndt St.” all at the famous, historical Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. On TV she choreographed “The Adventures of Slim Goodbody In Nutri-city” for Captain Kangaroo; was assistant choreographer for the Miss American Pageant; and the “Dames at Sea” TV special starring Ann Margaret, Ann Miller and Ann Meara. Additional director/choreographic credits include the opening ceremony for the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, NY (home of the Buffalo Sabres!); a long list of industrial shows for Avon and Merrill Lynch among others; plus a 50’s “Rock and Roll” review in Seoul, Korea! As a teacher, she has taught throughout the US and has been on the faculty for all the major dance organizations, plus adjunct professor at Pace University, Briarcliff, NY. She continues to choreograph and teach, and is Pilates Mat certified. She recently received a Legacy Award from the NYC based organization “Dancers Over 40” for her contribution to the dance world! She lives north of NYC with her husband Cole and 6 furry friends.

Cynthia Izoldi

(Ballet) Cynthia Izoldi is a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil where she graduated from the Municipal Ballet School of Sao Paulo and danced professionally before moving to the United States. She received a scholarship from the Joffrey Ballet School in New York Cityand studied under the tutelage of Meredith Baylis. She performed in various companies including the New York City Opera Ballet where she danced for 15 years works by well-known choreographers, such as Agnes de Mille, Donald Byrd and Jerome Robbins. She has been in "Live from Lincoln Center" productions and as a choreographer, has had works performed locally, as well as at the News-Journal Center- Florida. Ms. Izoldi has participated in many teacher training programs such as: Cuban Ballet training methodology, National Dance Institute, American Academy of Ballet, the ³Vaganova Teaching Methodology² with the Classical Dance Alliance and The Paris Opera Ballet School. Ms. Izoldi holds a BS in Biology from PUCC University, Campinas Sao Paulo
(Brazil). She has been teaching classical ballet for over 20 yrs.

Ramona Kelley

(Ballet) Ramona is from Berkeley, CA where she began her training at Berkeley Ballet Theater. She went on to earn a BFA in dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Ramona danced the principal role of ‘Betsy’ in Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away and went on to dance with the Tharp company creating new roles in addition to performing repertory works. She is a principal guest artist with Oakland Ballet and has also performed with Christopher Wheeldon’s An American in Paris, Dance Lab New York, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Claudia Schreier and Co, Post:Ballet, Sidra Bell, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance and Phantom of the Opera (25th Anniversary Tour) among others. Ramona has taught master classes in Tharp technique across the country and is on the summer ballet faculty at NYU’s Tisch Dance.

Dona Wiley Kim

(Ballet) Dona Wiley Kim received her pre-professional dance training at the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance in Connecticut under the direction of James Robey, and studied ballet at many professional level summer intensives including the American Ballet Theater summer program in New York City. Dona Wiley Kim is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. As a dance instructor, she has taught ballet and pointe, choreographed new works, and set classical repertoire in studios throughout New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Dona is the co-founder and rehearsal director of CelloPointe, a chamber music and ballet company based in New York City. As a professional dancer she has also performed with Connecticut Ballet, Lydia Johnson Dance, Staten Island Ballet, Neglia Ballet, Felice Lesser Dance Theatre, Neville Dance Theater, IKADA Dance, Taormina Teatro Group, and Ballet Inc.

Kristina Lindbergh

(Ballet) Kristina received her early training in Washington state with Margheret Sundsten on Bainbridge Island and Jan Collum in Tacoma, and later at Cornish School of the Arts and Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. She worked with Christine Temin at Middlebury College, and with Nancy Bielski and David Howard after moving to New York City. While there she performed with two experimental dance companies, Spoke the Hub and Boyce Dancers, before relocating in northern Westchester county to raise her family. Kristina has been a teacher at Logrea Dance Academy since 1987, and she and her two daughters performed with the Westchester Ballet company for many years. She served on the company’s board of directors for fourteen years, seven of them as President.

Tracey Munn

(Modern) Tracey graduated from the University of Arizona with a BFA in dance performance, and received teaching certifications in both Yoga and Pilates. Tracey has over seventeen years of training in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap, and has experience with many other dance genres including hip hop, musical theater, and African. She studied and performed with dance intensives such as Rimini en Danza and the American Dance Festival, and has trained as a scholarship recipient, assistant, and invitational week student for the Radio City Rockette Summer Intensive. For over three years, Tracey was a featured member of Naganuma Dance Company, and currently participates in outreach performances and charity work as a member of ALMA Dance, a New York based non-for profit company. She performs at special interactive private and corporate events with Total Entertainment, and enjoys working with independent choreographers, actors, and musicians on dance-based projects around New York City.

Marisa Paull Gorst

(Ballet) Marisa trained at the School of American Ballet in New York and the Kirov Academy in Washington DC. She has danced professionally in The Phantom Of The Opera, and with New York City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New Orleans Ballet Theatre, Dances Patrelle, and other companies in and around New York and Europe. In addition to her onstage career Ms. Gorst enjoys teaching and choreographing both ballet and Broadway-style shows. She has served as full-time faculty at the School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, as the Artistic Director and Head Instructor at the International Ballet School of Bled, Slovenia, and as the Director of Youth Dance at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. She has taught at Broadway Dance Center, Peridance, and Studio Maestro in New York City, The Rock School in Las Vegas, NV, as well as many local dance and theater schools in New York, Las Vegas, and the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado. In addition to her pursuits in dance she has received a BA from Smith College, graduating summa cum laude with Highest Honors in English Language and Literature. Marisa is a proud member of Actor's Equity.

Andrea Redman

(Ballet) Andrea Redman has been teaching all disciplines of dance for 28 years, although ballet and pointe are her specialty. She directed her own school in Michigan for many years and has served as the Children’s Rehearsal Director for the Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker” for 15 years in Detroit, MI and now Brooklyn, NY. Ms. Redman holds a B.A. in Dance from Oakland University. She currently teaches at the Ballet Hispanico School and the Lucy Moses School at the Kaufman Music Center in NYC. She has also taught at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and Performing Arts, Steps on Broadway and many other schools in NY, NJ, CT and MI. Andrea has been judging for Nexstar Talent Competition for 13 years. She danced professionally with the Eglevsky Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Russian Ballet Theatre of Delaware and Ballet Theatre Pennsylvania. Ms. Redman has won several choreography awards for ballet and lyrical pieces, and her students have placed in the top 3 at the Youth America Grand Prix and have been invited to the finals several times. Her students are dancing on Broadway, with the Radio City Rockettes, Royal Carribean Cruise Lines and with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet and Ballet Internationale.

Jayne Santoro

(Ballet) Jayne received her classical training at the American Ballet Theatre School in NYC with Maria Swoboda. She also studied with Leon Fokine, Maria Jones, Nenette Charise, and Finis Jhung. Jayne is a former member of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and also performed with the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company.
In addition to teaching advanced technique at LDA, she also teaches beginner through advanced levels of ballet at the JCC of Mid Westchester Dance School.
Jayne recently retired as the JCC Dance School Director and the Director of Westchester Theatre of Dance, where she choreographed, produced and directed over 30+ ballets for the school.

Evy Vaughan

(Theater Dance) Evy is a dancer, singer, actress, choreographer, and teacher originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. She trained heavily in RAD ballet technique at the Menlo Park Academy of Dance before moving to Bay Area Dance School, where she continued to train in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, and acrobatics.
Evy received her undergraduate training at Pace University in New York City, graduating from the Pforzheimer Honors College summa cum laude with her BFA in Commercial Dance and a minor in Biology. Evy has worked with acclaimed choreographers including Rhonda Miller, Dee Caspary, Lauren Gaul, Al Blackstone, Sean McKnight, Karida Griffith, Scott Jovovich, and Leyla Boissonnade, to name a few. She has consistently worked as Dance Captain for choreographers such as Jess Hendricks, Jacki Ford, and Lauren Gaul. Evy has studied voice with Judy Blazer, Andrew Wheeler, and Christopher Stevens.
In addition to performing, Evy choreographs for plays, musicals, dance theatre, and various dance projects. She currently is an instructor for younger dancers at Gelsey Kirkland Academy. Evy also hikes, practices yoga, and aspires to hold a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.