Faculty

Michelle Kirkum

Owner/CEO of Business Operations

Liz Carless

Studio Manager

Office Staff:

Cindy Moerschell and Mickie Borucki

Meet Our Team:

Suzette D'Andrea

Ms. Suzette has been teaching for over 30 years and has trained students that have gone onto professional dance and performance careers for the Broadway touring cast of "Hairspray" and "High School Musical", Chicago's Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, and at Bally's in Vegas. Suzette's credits include being a certified member of the Cecchetti Council of America, a member of Dance Masters of Michigan as well as Dance Masters of America. Suzette has toured the United States performing for the International Auto Show, was a featured dancer in an impersonation show derived from "Legends in Concert" and also has performed in many Industrial Shows. She is involved in all facets of the Miss America Program including title holder Miss St. Clair Shores 90-91, second runner up to Miss Michigan 91, emcee, choreographer, and has trained multiple other title holders for the Miss, Teen, and Little Miss St. Clair Shores Pageants as well as other contestants for Miss Michigan. Suzette has been involved in many competition and convention circuits as a faculty member and adjudicator including Dance Olympus, SADM, and OTDA to name a few. Suzette attained a business degree and achieved her ultimate goal: to own her own dance studio. She is now the RJDA Artistic Coordinator for Dance Education. Her personal motto, "Believe to Achieve" has gotten her this far, and she is excited for the opportunity to inspire students of all ages at RJDA to reach their goals.

Crystal Orlando

Ms. Crystal is RJDA's Director of Recreational Dance Education. She is mother of two daughters and has been a dance instructor for more than two decades. She has taught master classes in Myrtle Beach and has toured across the U.S. as an assistant for dance organizations such as Dance Olympus and Joel Ruminer' s Dance Camps. Crystal was the Co-Director of choreography for the U of D Jesuit High School Musical Productions for Fame, Guys and Dolls, Crazy for You, Grease, High School Musical and West Side Story. For the past 16 years she has been the director of the Small Wonders Preschool Dance Program. As an RJDA faculty member, Crystal teaches preschool Ballet and all ages and levels of Tap, Jazz, and Lyrical including award winning competition groups. It is also a priority of hers to stay current with her dance education through master classes and dance conventions. Her spunky personality and charm always has her students coming back for more.

Beth Nizza

Ms. Beth is a graduate of Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a focus on Autism. She has performed throughout the US and was a member and choreographer for the Central Michigan University's Orchesis Dance Theatre for many years. Ms. Beth has been on faculty touring the country at major dance conventions including Jazz on Tap on Tour, ODTA, SADM and Chicago National Association of Dance Masters as well as teaching master classes and setting competitive choreography from New Mexico to Washington DC. As an RJDA faculty member, Beth teaches intermediate and advanced Tap as well as Lyrical and Contemporary a long with running our studio Facebook account. Her eclectic personality and individualized approach in the classroom make her classes exciting and full of energy!

Nicole

Meredith

Ms. Nicole began her classical training in the Vaganova method at Metropolitan Ballet Center under the direction of Renée Wood. She also trained at the Annual International Ballet Seminar Summer Intensive for multiple seasons under the tutelage of ballet greats; such as Mikhail Lavrovsky, Gelsey Kirkland and Jürgen Schneider. Here she placed into the highest pre-professional level and was chosen to perform in a featured role in an original work choreographed by Mr. Lavrovsky. She continued her dance education at Wayne State University where she received a four year Talent Scholarship and earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a Minor in Dance Education. She was a member of the WSU Dance Company and had the privilege of performing original works created by Sonya Tayeh, Chris Masters, Erica Wilson-Perkins and Samantha Shelton. Additional performance experience includes Soloist and Principle roles in Coppélia, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Paquita. Since finishing her degree, Ms. Meredith’s focus has been on her teaching career. She has been instructing and choreographing in the Metro-Detroit area since 2002. Her choreography has been recognized with numerous honors at both regional and national competitions. Her students have gone on to continue their studies at prestigious universities; including The Juilliard School, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and Point Park Conservatory of Performing Arts. They have also been recognized with various awards and scholarships at regional and national conventions and competitions, as well as summer intensive programs; including American Ballet Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Joffrey Ballet. Nicole’s passion is to equip her students with a solid base in classical training while evoking artistry and expression in their performance.

JoAnn Cusmano

Ms. JoAnn has enjoyed a long and diverse career as an accomplished academic and arts administrator, faculty member; professional dancer and choreographer; teacher, coach and mentor. She holds a BFA in Dance/Theatre and a MA in Administration from Marygrove College in Detroit. As a professional dancer/actress, JoAnn performed with such companies as Detroit City Ballet Company, Michigan Ballet Theatre, Dance Detroit, Michigan Opera Theatre, to name a few. Ms. Cusmano has served on the faculty and taught dance at numerous colleges and universities, schools and dance companies, conventions and intensives including: Marygrove College in Detroit, Froebel College in London, The Royal Academy of Dance in London, Dayton Ballet Summer School, Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, R and J Intensive, and more. In addition, JoAnn is a private ballet instructor and coach to semi-professional ice skaters and gymnasts, and is an instructor for Kinderdance®, teaching movement and dance to young children in numerous preschools and child care centers in the metropolitan Detroit area. Since 2000, she has held the position as Children’s Rehearsal Director for the Michigan Opera Theatre production of the Nutcracker Ballet at the Detroit Opera House working with the Joffrey Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet Company, Ballet International, BalletMet Columbus and the Grand Rapids Ballet Company.

Lindsay Porter

Ms. Lindsay is a graduate of Oakland University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Exercise Science. She has been dancing under the direction of Suzette D’Andrea since the age of 3, and has been with RJDA since its opening. Lindsay has performed with Oakland University’s Repertory Dance Company and has completed grades 1-5 Cecchetti Ballet Exams. She has had the opportunity to perform works by Ali Woerner, Thayer Jonutz, Laurie Eisenhower, Meg Paul, Alexandra Beller, and many more. As a faculty member, Lindsay teaches ballet, lyrical, and jazz as well as being part of the company faculty. Lindsay truly loves the art of dance and inspiring children of all ages to love the art form as well!

Rachel Goral

Ms. Rachel has been with RJDA since its opening. She teaches jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical, and tap, but her true passion lies with jazz dance! She is a faculty member for our competition team and also teaches our amazing Adult Special Needs Program each Monday. She has been dancing since age 6 and has danced under fellow RJDA teachers before she became one herself! Miss Rachel is certified in teaching jazz and tap through Dance Masters of Michigan and has toured the US assisting professional choreographers for JOTOT.

Additionally, Ms. Rachel is an elementary school teacher with her Master’s Degree in teaching reading. Her passion and love for teaching is evident in both of her professions.

Savannah Dynkowski

Ms. Savannah grew up dancing at a local studio, where she immersed herself in various dance styles and eventually fell head over heels for tap dance. From there, to her high school dance team, all-star team, and pre-professional tap companies, she's been tapping her way through life! With experience choreographing for middle school, high school, and university show-choirs and musicals along with other local studios, Ms. Savannah brings a wealth of creativity and joy to her classes. She's also traveled the country to train with tap dance masters, always eager to share her knowledge and love for the art form. When she's not teaching, Ms. Savannah is a Mental Health Therapist and co-owner at Rebuilding Resilience, LLC. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Dance and Musical Theatre from Oakland University, and a Master of Social Work from The University of Michigan. Teaching at RJDA is more than a job to Ms. Savannah—it's a chance to share her passion and keep the rhythm alive. She can't wait to keep tapping into the joy of dance with her students!

Kelly Sterling

Ms. Kelly graduated from University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. Ms. Kelly danced at the studio for 14 years. She was on the Lake Shore dance team all four years of high school and coached the dance team for 3 years. Ms. Kelly assisted at the studio for seven years and is now on her eighth year of teaching. The kids will love Ms. Kelly’s fun and exciting classes!

Cheyenne Lafferty

Ms. Cheyenne grew up dancing at Rhythm N Jump and has taught with us since her high school graduation. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Oakland University and is now in Oakland's Doctor Of Physical Therapy program! Ms. Cheyenne is a wonderful teacher for our dancers and she is so excited to teach all that she knows!

Danielle Kwart

Ms. Danielle has had a passion for tumbling for as long as she can remember. She was a competitive gymnast for 10 years reaching JO level 10. Ms. Danielle has been a tumbling and gymastics coach for 14 years and currently coaches at Warren Gymnastics Center. She has also been around the dance world for an extensive amount of time because her sister was a competitive dancer! Ms. Danielle was on the competition team with her sister for two years. She finds so much joy in watching students get new skills and watch them develop confidence within their talent. Ms. Danielle has been with Rhythm N Jump for 4 years and our dancers absolutely love her classes. We are so lucky to have her!

Katie Kirkum

Ms. Katie earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance degree from Oakland University. She began dancing when she was 2 years old and has trained and competed in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and modern. Katie has performed with the Moscow Ballet in The Great Russian Nutcracker in 2012 and trained at the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive in 2015. Throughout her dance training, Katie has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Stephanie Pizzo, Alison Woerner, Thayer Jonutz, Elizabeth Riga, Samantha Shelton and Wes Chapman. She has danced with Repertory Dance Company where she worked with Sandra Torijano, Dusan Tynek, and Zvi Gotheiner. Katie has also had the opportunity to intern for Eisenhower Dance Detroit in 2019 and currently holds an internship with Take Root. Katie began teaching ballet, contemporary and modern to dancers in 2015 and teaches with a focus of innovation and connectivity. Katie is now attending Oakland University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and plans to use this education to become a dance medicine practitioner in the near future!

Alyson Kirkum

Ms. Alyson is currently a student at Western Michigan University studying Elementary Education and Dance. She was also a member of Western Michigan University Dance Team for 2.5 years. Ms. Alyson was a student with Rhythm N Jump since its first year and up until she graduated high school. She taught and assisted classes throughout her time here, including the Special Needs/Inclusive Dance Program, which she helped develop. She is trained in ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz, tap, contemporary, pom and hip hop. Under the direction of Suzette D'Andrea, She is also certified in Cecchetti Grades 1-3. She was the Captain of the L’Anse Creuse High School Varsity Dance Team under the direction of Diana Balgenorth and was apart of the Pankow Performing Arts Dance program under the direction of Niki Thuman. She has danced in numerous productions of BalletMet’s The Nutcracker directed by Dmitri Suslov, Darielle Eberhard, Daryl Kamer, JoAnn Cusmano, and Judith Molina. She also had the opportunity to be apart of ABT’s production of Sleeping Beauty. She has also won scholarships and titles through DMI, 24/7, Nuvo, and Showbiz. Ms. Alyson is a delegate for the Miss America Organization where she has won scholarships to help her continue with her platform and passions. Ms. Alyson has always had a love for dance and leadership and she loves to use her knowledge from school to help better our programs. She also works at Ballet Kalamazoo under the direction of Amy Russell in the aspiring artist mentorship. She gets to choreograph and perform in their winter and spring productions and is loving every moment with her students. She is also behind all of Rhythm N Jump's social media and website posts. Ms. Alyson is so excited to teach all she knows!

Dakota Gerhold

Ms. Dakota grew up in White Lake, Michigan and trained at The Art of Dance starting at the age of four. In May of 2021, Ms. Dakota graduated from Oakland University, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She was awarded with the prestigious MaTilDa award for Outstanding Dance Performance. She performed with Oakland Dance Theater and Repertory Dance Company where she performed works by Sandra Torjiano, Dusan Tynek, Millicent Hodsen and Kenneth Archer, Zvi Gotheiner, Ali Woerner, Thayer Jonutz and others. She also had the opportunity to study abroad in Berlin, Germany where she studied and performed at Tanzfabrik and the Freie Universität in 2018. After graduation, Dakota was a Professional Apprentice with Take Root for two years. Ms. Dakota is certified in Dance for Parkinson’s and is a Pilates instructor at McEntire Pilates in Rochester, MI. Ms. Dakota has been instructing and choreographing for studios in Michigan for several years. Her main goal as an educator is to make dancers feel confident and strong within their artistry and growth as dancers.

Diana Balgenorth

Miss Diana has been teaching and training dancers for over 20 years, with numerous former students advancing to major in dance and then establish careers in NYC and LA. Her choreography has garnered national awards in Tap, Hip Hop, and Jazz, alongside many regional honors. Currently, she is the Varsity Dance Team Coach at L’Anse Creuse High School and Head Coach of the Warren Woods Middle School dance team. Miss Diana's training began under Charmaine Schick of Vaudeville for two decades, and she furthered her dance education with various studios and teams across Michigan. She takes pride in sharing the love and passion for dance that was instilled in her from a young age with her students and team members.

Marlayna Russo

Miss Marlayna grew up dancing in Clarkston MI at The Dance Shoppe where she competed and trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, cecchetti, and hip hop. Miss Marlayna danced on the Dance Team at Saginaw Valley State University for five years and held a Captain position for three of those years. After graduation she was hired as the assistant coach for SVSU Dance and now continues to stay on staff her second year as corner coach. Miss Marlayna loves the game day atmosphere and hopes to help prep dancers for that next step. Miss Marlayna also had the exciting opportunity to dance professionally as a Michigan Panthers Cheerleader in 2023. Miss Marlayna is so excited to share all she knows with our dancers!

Sydney Duhaime

Sydney Duhaime competitively danced for 8 years in all styles and trained under the direction of Kelly Powers. Sydney has won countless scholarships and overalls at all Break The Floor conventions/competitions. As well as scholarships at The Dance Awards and Hollywood Connection Nationals. She also spent two years on the Tremaine Performance Company and as well as assisted classes at Hollywood Connection and Ignite Dance Convention. She recently graduated from Michigan State University with her Bachelors of Science in Advertising.

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