Jennifer Israel - Studio Owner
Jennifer was born in Boston, MA where she began dancing at the age of 2. Her formal dance training began at the following renowned studios: The Jeannette Neill Dance Scholarship Program, The Ballet Theatre of Boston and Boston City Lights Hip Hop Company. Jennifer accepted a dance scholarship to attend Hofstra University in Long Island where she would commute to Manhattan for Broadway auditions. Through this dedication she juggled schoolwork while appearing on the Tony Awards for Broadway's Footloose. Shortly after Jennifer was selected to be a Miami Heat dancer. With great success she was then chosen to be a lead in Disney's The Lion King and shortly after the dance captain and company manager for Royal Caribbean International. Having established herself as a successful working performer in the industry, Jennifer accepted leading roles in West Side Story (European tour) and performed in the original cast of Jerry Mitchell’s Peep Show in Las Vegas where she understudied Kelly Monaco and Holly Madison for the lead role of Little Bo Peep. Jennifer was the stuntwoman in The Sirens of TI under the direction of Kenny Ortega and Travis Payne. She also choreographed several Vegas shows and performed with Cirque Du Soleil. Jennifer was wildly successful in Las Vegas and even had her own billboard and her face as the entire side of a major hotel. She was a headliner for Ivan Kane’s 40 Deuce in Vegas (Mandalay Bay), Hollywood (Café Was) and Revel in Atlantic City.
After a move to Los Angeles, Jennifer appeared in commercials, television shows and performed on stage live with major artists in the recording world such as Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock, Christina Aguilera, Jane's Addiction, Blink 182, The Pussycat Dolls, Ja Rule and DJ Dave Aude'. While in California, Jennifer discovered Barre and fell in love with it so she became a certified Barre Instructor and has been teaching it now for 11 years. Jennifer is honored to be able to bring her personal dance style to both the recreational and competitive dancers of all ages to the Cedar Grove area.
After a move to Los Angeles, Jennifer appeared in commercials, television shows and performed on stage live with major artists in the recording world such as Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock, Christina Aguilera, Jane's Addiction, Blink 182, The Pussycat Dolls, Ja Rule and DJ Dave Aude'. While in California, Jennifer discovered Barre and fell in love with it so she became a certified Barre Instructor and has been teaching it now for 11 years. Jennifer is honored to be able to bring her personal dance style to both the recreational and competitive dancers of all ages to the Cedar Grove area.
Ashley Reyes- Dance Director
Ashley Reyes graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelors in Dance. After graduating in 2016 she has been teaching students of all ages. Her dance journey began at the young age of three and continues to flourish today. Ashley continues to create work that comes from her questions of the world. Ashley continues to press the boundaries of dance, and uses dance as her lens to view the world. During her time at school she participated in Rowan’s contemporary dance company, Dance Extensions. She was also part of the University’s hip hop team, Dangerously Diverse Dancers. While at Rowan she was able to create and present her four works: Thoughts 1:10, Loading 89%, Bleed With Me, and Guerreras Indigenas. Ashley is also passionate about health and fitness. After furthering her education in the fitness industry she now teaches her students the importance of strength, and the correlation between fitness and dance. Although Miss Ashley has been teaching for some time now she is still a student. Learning from her students in and out of the room.
Michelle Young- Dance Instructor
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Michelle Young was born in Freehold, New Jersey where she started dancing at the age of three years old. Michelle started her pre-professional training under the direction of Lisa Twamley and Melanie Kramer at the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Howell High School. Additionally, she trained and attended dance competitions with the Freehold Academy of Performing Arts. After high school, Michelle decided to pursue her dance career in Boston, Massachusetts. In May of 2019, Michelle graduated from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Contemporary Dance Performance. While at the conservatory, Michelle performed in mainstage works by Tommie Waheed Evans, Yury Yanowski, and Jon Ole Olstad. In addition to performance, Michelle took on the role of assistant rehearsal director for a piece choreographed by Uri Sands. This experience inspired her to explore possibilities regarding the coaching of movement for performance. Since graduating, Michelle has practiced her knowledge of dance by teaching and choreographing award winning pieces for dance competitions across New Jersey. Not only does she teach dance, but she has further educated her understanding of the anatomy of movement by becoming a Pure Barre fitness instructor. As a teacher, Michelle feels that it is important for her students to feel confident, motivated and inspired at all times. Michelle wants to see all of her students succeed and empowers the children and adults she teaches to be the best version of themselves.
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Christina Cruz - STUDIO MANAGER
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Christina is thrilled to be teaching again at HTB Dance Company. Like most performers, Christina began dancing at the age of 3 and acting at the age of 8. Having a passion for musical theatre, ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical were always her favorite styles of dance. After graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s in English and Psychology, she decided to go back to school for Musical Theatre at Florida School of the Arts. Christina attended Montclair State University where she received her MA in Theatre Studies. Post graduation, Christina expanded her dance background to include ballroom dancing. Christina is a certified ballroom dance instructor and judge through the United States Terpsichore Association in American Rhythm, American Smooth, International Standard and Latin. She is also a member of the National Dance Council of America.
During the day, Christina is an adjunct dance professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University and produces MSU's Annual Theatre Night Awards Ceremony. She is thrilled to be able to share her love of dance and musical theatre with the students at HTB Dance Compan |
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Jenn Tran - Dance & Tumbling Teacher
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Jenn Tran is from South Jersey where she began her dance training at Encore Performing Arts Center. She graduated summa cum laude from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance and a minor in musical theater (May 2022). Jenn has had the opportunity to perform in works by Adam Barruch, Larry Keigwin, Christian von Howard, Janice Rosario, TheDynamitExperience, TweetBoogie, Frederick Earl Mosley, and Gina Menichino. She recently completed two contracts with Princess Cruise Lines on the Grand and Coral cast.
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