Bio

I grew up in small town Corry, Pennsylvania and moved to NYC in 2005 where I live with my fiance in morning side heights. I have danced since I was 3 and always new she wanted to teach children. I have studied dance genres which include ballet, tap, and modern dance.

I hold a Master’s degree in dance education (2007) from New York University where I learned about creative movement and a Bachelor’s degree in dance performance from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania (2005). I am a huge advocate for early childhood dance education and show that educating young dancers 6 days a week!

I am currently  a movement and yoga specialist at York Avenue Preschool, and a creative movement and tap teacher at Mark Morris Dance Group. I design and teach ballet and movement programs for the young families division at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan and I also teach early childhood movement classes at Dancewave Center in Brooklyn. Previously I have been a teaching artist for New York City Ballet. This past summer I completed 30 hours of kids yoga teacher training from Karma Kids Yoga and is CPR and First Aid Certified.

I am the creator of Maria’s Movers, a program that offers dance, movement and yoga classes to boys and girls ages 5 months- 5 years around NYC. Maria’s Movers began in 2008 and has been growing every day! As the author of the blog Move. Create. Educate. I share creative ideas about teaching young dancers.

I serve on the Dance/NYC’s Junior Committee for the 2010/2011 year and I am also a member of the National Dance Education Organization.