Professional Faculty
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- Competition 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- Director of Dance Education
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.
Jenn Tran - Instructor
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.
Abby Heller - Lead Front Desk & Instructor
Abby Heller is from Cranford, New Jersey where she started dancing at the age of 2. Abby has been passionate about dance for over 15 years, training in various styles both inside and outside of school. As a dedicated member of her high school’s Dance Academy, she served as the Dance Academy Manager and choreographed for several productions. Her love for teaching began in high school, where she assisted and taught dance classes, sharing her knowledge with younger dancers. In addition to her work within the academy, Abby volunteered for seven years teaching special needs children how to dance, playing a key role in choreographing their performances. Her background in musical theatre extends from childhood through high school, performing in community productions.
Tap dance holds a special place in Abby’s heart, and she has taken classes at the renowned Broadway Dance Center to refine her skills. While she pursued her academic studies at West Chester University—earning both a bachelor's and master’s degree in criminal justice—her passion for dance has remained a constant in her life. Abby is excited to continue sharing her love of tap, movement and performance with the dancers of HTB.
Tap dance holds a special place in Abby’s heart, and she has taken classes at the renowned Broadway Dance Center to refine her skills. While she pursued her academic studies at West Chester University—earning both a bachelor's and master’s degree in criminal justice—her passion for dance has remained a constant in her life. Abby is excited to continue sharing her love of tap, movement and performance with the dancers of HTB.
Delaney Tice - Guest Artist
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Delaney Tice began dancing competitively at the age of five in her hometown of Cape May, NJ, coming to the greater North Jersey area to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from Montclair State University, graduating in May 2023. While at MSU, she also obtained her P-12 Teaching Certification for Dance in the state of New Jersey as a member of The Newark Teacher Project, a teacher education program dedicated to teaching through an anti-racist lense, as well as teacher retention in urban school districts. She has taught and guest choreographed for multiple studios and their competition teams, her students often receiving Special Judges’ Awards for her pieces.
In her performance career, she has performed works by Stefanie Batten Bland, Janice Rosario, Christian Von Howard, Jennifer Radkowski, Urban Bush Women, Jessica DiMauro Marks, and more. Delaney believes that a dance education has the power to help children develop into well-rounded adults, and she is excited to share her knowledge and passion for dance with the students of HTB! |
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AJ Love - Guest Artist
AJ Love is a Choreographer/Dancer/Actor/Singer, born and raised in New Jersey. Since he was young he has been infatuated with old Hollywood style films and their use of storytelling through dance. AJ has been inspired by dancers like Bob Fosse, Gene Kelly, and Donald O’Connor since before he started training in dance. He has furthered his Fosse knowledge working under/ assisting Fosse legacy dancers including Stephanie Pope and Lainie Sakukura. AJ received his training from Montclair State University and has worked regionally at theatres including, but not limited to, The Laguna Playhouse (A Chorus Line: Mike), Mountain Theatre Company (Grease: Sonny, Catch Me if You Can: Ensemble). He has been trained in jazz, ballet, modern, tap, and gymnastics. Outside of the musical theatre world AJ choreographed a short film titled Role Play which premiered this past winter at the Dances with Films Indie Festival in New York City.