Kristin Leggio Sedita - Director Kristin began dancing at age 3. At age 7, she entered an intensive ballet training program with the Ballet Theater of Westchester, under the direction of Claire Kelley, where she became a principal dancer for the Company, and eventually an instructor. Kristin continued her training at The Joffrey School, Broadway Dance Ctr & The Ailey School, and has been a dance instructor and choreographer for 30+ years. Many of her students have gone on to become professional dancers and dance educators.	Lauren Barrett - Instructor Lauren grew up dancing at Robin Horneff’s Performing Arts Center, training with teachers such as Gil Stroming (Break The Floor Productions), Larissa Saveliev (Youth America Grand Prix), Ray Leeper & Michelle Barber, to name a few. She has been a teacher choreographer for 20+ years, & has trained & nurtured many towards professional dance careers. Credits include “The View”, CBS morning show, ESPN, an AmEx Commercial,& with several musical artists. Synthesis Dance Project & Pushing Progress (NYC)	Brianna Gitnik - Instructor Brianna Gitnik graduated with a BA in Dance Education and English from Muhlenberg College. Brianna’s initial training took place at a variety of locations in New York and Connecticut in the genres of Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap and Hip-Hop. She also pursued supplementary training at The Ailey School, Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. Brianna began teaching in 2009 and teaches Creative Movement, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Pointe.
Arianna Danzig - Instructor Arianna has been dancing since age 2 and is a CT native. She trained throughout the country in the genres of ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop & was a member of the DFR Competition Team. She pursued additional training at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, and the Joffrey Ballet School where she has worked with choreographers such as Dexter Carr, Jake Kodish, & Neil Schwartz. She is also the Head Coach of the RHS Varsity Dance Team. We are excited to welcome Ari home to DFR!	Peter Nevin - Instructor Peter danced with the Westchester Ballet Company in New York, under the directorship of Jean Logrea and Beth Fritz. He was Artist In Residence with the Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre while it was under the directorship of Patricia Thornton and Gari Boehm. Peter performed lead roles in the classics including Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty. Additionally, contemporary works were created on him by guest choreographers, most notably Ron Cunningham, director of Sacramento Ballet.	Mickey Lonsdale - Instructor Mickey began his dance training at Alabama Dance Theatre, & holds a B.A. in Communication/Theatre at Auburn Montgomery. Mickey moved to Italy to pursue an M.F.A. in Physical Theatre at the Accademia del’Arte. He attended Flic Scoula di Circo, Circus School, where he trained in acrobatics, acro dance, Chinese pole, walking globe, and various other circus skills. Post M.F.A., Mickey moved to the NYC area where has starred in several independent films, commercials, and TV shows.
Rachel Blackwelder - Instructor Rachel trained with The Northwest Florida Ballet, joining the company in 1998 performing in the ballets Cinderella, Giselle, Coppelia, & The Nutcracker, in addition to the repertory of modern, jazz, and contemporary ballet pieces, including Fernando Bujone's Jazz Swing. Pilates certified from the Physical Mind Institute in 2000, she also studied with Rock School, Joffrey Ballet and holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Central Florida, with a Dance focus.	Karlie Zabin - Guest Artist Karlie Lynn Zabin is a professional choreographer, teaching artist, and dancer. Karlie trained as a member of the pre-professional companies for both Connecticut Dance! and Performing Arts Center of CT growing up, and holds a BA in Dance /Choreography from Muhlenberg College. She has been employed by & trained with Central PA Youth Ballet and Batsheva Dance Company. Karlie is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Sacred Heart University.	Ginger Cox - Instructor Ginger Cox is on faculty at Pace University, and has been on faculty at BDC for over 15 years. featured in Dancetrain Magazine for her dynamic teaching style and contributions to dance education. Ginger holds a Masters in Kinesiology, a BFA in Dance, and the creator of the Dancing Anatomy Workshop. Ginger is on the Faculty Advisory Board at BDC, the board for the Young Choreographers Dance Festival. We are so excited to welcome Ginger to the DFR family!
Amelia Burkhardt - Guest Artist Amelia travels the United States judging studio dance competitions for Starpower, Imagine, and Revolution Talent Competitions. Over her professional career, Amelia has taught at several dance studios, high schools, and universities on the East and West Coast, She is a traveling faculty member for Liberate Artists teaching and choreographing alongside Phil Wright, Comfort Fedoke, Lauren Froderman and other industry icons.	Kenny Hernandez - Guest Artist Kenny Hernandez is a self taught dancer and choreographer from The Bronx, NY. Growing up, he started to build his street style by training with different teams and groups based in NYC. Kenny later continued his training at Broadway Dance Center, EXPG, BrickHouseDance, and MonstersDance. Kenny has taught workshops and classes all over the country and in Australia. He loves inspiring and wants to share his knowledge and passion for dance with all of his students.	Benjamin Briones - Guest Artist Director, Founder & Resident Choreographer of Benjamin Briones Ballet. Benjamin graduated from The National School of Classical Ballet, The National School of Contemporary Dance and The Royal Academy of Dancing. Former Soloist at Ballet El Paso, Ballet Austin, Connecticut Ballet, Ohio Ballet & Ballet Theater of Annapolis. Dedicated to teaching dance as the highest art form, he does so throughout NYC at Alvin Ailey, Steps on Broadway, Peridance, Joffrey, Mark Morris & Ballet Arts Center for Dance