Grand Jete Instructors
Photos courtesy of Tim Miller of Art of Dance Photo
www.artofdance.photo

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Miss Amanda DiPasquale
OWNER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Miss Amanda has been dancing for over 25 years and was an instructor for 5 years prior to taking over ownership of Grand Jete in 2014. She started her dance education at the age of 3 and continued on until her graduation from high school. She then went on to study dance and general studies at NCC. While attending NCC she was apart of "ACTA NON VERBA" A club for dancers that still exists to this day. She continued learning various dance forms throughout her College education such as Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Hip Hop & Gymnastics. She also performed multiple productions at Baker Hall.  Amanda has also danced professionally for Semi Pro & Professional Indoor Arena football for 6 years. And had served as a captain for 3 years on the PIFL's Lehigh Valley Steelhawks Precious Metal Dance Team. While dancing for the IFL & PIFL she had the opportunity  of being featured in a service electric commercial in 2010 and interviewed and performed on 69 news sports talk. She has also had the opportunity of attending multiple conventions such as New York's JUMP Convention & Dance Teacher Summit where her picture was featured in dance teacher magazine. Amanda still continues to take class in New York at Broadway Dance Center to continue learning and growing as a teacher. In 2013 she was featured in Leslie Feliciano's promo video for his product Combo on the Go. She currently taps along with the Tap Ties Company Members under the direction of Rochelle Haynes every week and loves it. Along with taking classes Amanda has also had the opportunity to judge competitions and talent shows all over the Lehigh Valley, as well as choreograph for elite competition teams on the east coast. Miss Amanda is excited to begin her 9th season as owner/operator of GJD and cannot wait to see what's in store!

Miss Arenda DiPasquale
OWNER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

8Miss Arenda has been dancing for over  25 years.  She has learned and experienced many dance forms throughout her career including ballet, modern, lyrical, jazz, tap, contemporary, theater, pointe and hip-hop. After graduating high school she continued her education as a dance and business management major. She 
has been a part of various dance companies including Monarch Dance Company, NCC Dance Ensemble and Acta non verba. She's also danced professionally for the Lehigh Valley Outlawz and Lehigh Valley Storm. In 2010 she served as a captain for the Indoor Football League's Precious Metal dance team (Lehigh Valley SteelHawks). She was named Dance Coordinator in 2011 and continued season to season until the franchise was sold in 2018. While serving as a Head Coordinator she had choreographed crowd appealing routines as a well as directed 7 annual youth dance clinics at Stabler Arena & the PPL Center. Arenda currently is a member of the Tap Ties Company located here in the Lehigh Valley. This will be here third consecutive year as an advanced tap performer. Dance education is important to her for herself as an instructor so when she is not teaching she is in NYC taking classes at Broadway Dance Center. She has also attended prestigious conventions such as JUMP & Dance Teacher Summit where she has shared her passion with top notch choreographers. She loves sharing her passion for dance with all of the students of Grand Jete. Watching them grow from year to year is something she will always treasure as an instructor! Miss Arenda is excited to begin her 9th season as owner/operator of GJD and she cannot wait to see what's in store!

Miss Jerri L. Brown
Tap - Jazz - Ballet - Lyrical - Company

Jerri L. Brown graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business.  She was a member of the MMC Dance Company for two and half years, performing off-Broadway. While studying in the city, Jerri taught at the 92nd Street Y and The Neighborhood Playhouse.  Jerri was the Studio Manager and Ballet Mistress at Star Maker School of Performing Arts in New Jersey where she wrote, directed and choreographed original ballets as well as numerous award-winning competitive ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical routines for The Entertainers Dance Company.  She was the choreographer for the Freedom High School Theatre Company in Bethlehem and Dance Educator for Easton State Theatre’s Annual Acting Camp for 10 years.  Most recently, Jerri held the position of Dance Director at Pennsylvania Youth Theatre in Bethlehem.  She is the choreographer for Emmaus High School’s Theatre Company and choreographed their spring production of Fiddler on the Roof.
Jerri has judged and choreographed for dance competitions and worked with models for A Wish Come True, a costume catalog company that services dance studios across the country.  Jerri is a member of the Tap Ties Company, a Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania Dance Company that studies, performs and teaches throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
Many of her students have gone on to do professional work for world touring companies (Cats), Cirque du Soleil, Broadway (Funny Girl, Billy Elliott, White Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Knicks City Dancers, Boston Celtics Dance Team, The Rockettes, Tap Dogs, film (West Side Story) and television. 
Jerri is a certified group fitness instructor through the American Council of Exercise, the National-Dance-Exercise Instructor's Training Association, and Marymount Manhattan College.  Currently, she teaches fitness virtually and is Head Coach at Orangetheory in Allentown.  
Jerri’s passion for dance goes beyond the studio and stage as she has her own Etsy shop, Ballerinas on Canvas, creating gifts for dance.

Warm Welcomes Miss Jerri as she joins us during our summer session and into Fall 2023!

Miss Kaela Frankenfield
TAP- JAZZ- HIP HOP-LYRICAL
ACRO + GYMNASTICS

Kaela is rising Senior at Desales University and will be graduating in the Spring of of 2024. She will be receiving her B.A and a B.S in Dance and Sport Exercise science. Along with her collegiate education she has been dancing for over 15 years within various styles including Tap, Jazz, Hip-hop, Acro, Modern, and Contemporary. Kaela has performed in the works of Spamalot, A Christmas Carol, and was the choreographer for Annie Jr at the Civic Theater.  Along with theater performance she has been a selected dancer apart of the core in choreographic works at DeSales University. Among those series she has experience dancing on film and choreographed her own series "Overthinker" in 2022. She is excited to share her passion of dance with the students of Grand Jete as we gear up for our 2023 season!  ​

Miss Maggie Larrabee
ACRO- TECHNIQUE-

Maggie attended DeSales University and graduated in 2023 with a B.A. in Dance and a Minor in Business. Over various years she has had the opportunity to perform in various works across the Lehigh Valley and at her University. These performances include Desales University Dance Ensemble Concert, Emerging Choreographers Concert, Spring Up;Freshly Squeezed, On the Town Excerpt, and Cedar Park Fairs; Grand Carnivale Grand Showcase and Parade. Also during her time at DeSales, Maggie was an administrative assistant and taught classes in various styles at local studios in our area. She created choreographic works within Desales 72 hour Film Challenge, Spring Up;Freshly Squeezed and Emerging Choreographers in Concert. Fun Fact, she has assisted Tim of Art of Dance Photo during group shoots and personalized solo sessions over many years. She has worked with some of our students and is eager to be able to teach them this season. Maggie will continued to teach styles including Acro and Technique at GJD. She is looking forward to working with the talented students and amazing staff of Grand Jete Studio of Dance. ​

 Miss Taylor Masiado
ACRO- JAZZ- CONTEMPORARY

Miss Taylor was born and raised in Macungie Pennsylvania along with her sisters and parents. She currently still resides in Macungie with her family and Dog Lavi. Taylor is a recent graduate of the Charter High School for the Arts with a focus in Dance.  While at the Charter High School she choreographed her own pieces with unique concepts and casts. By auditioning for the school as a freshman she has emerged as an artist in dance concepts, improv skills, choreographing and dance theory until her graduation in 2021. Currently, Taylor is continuing her education locally at NCC.  Taylor has been dancing for over 10 years and has been a wonderful assistant at Grand Jete for 7 years and has led her own classes as a Senior. While assisting she has learned proper technique and class structures to continue into her own teaching style. She loves teaching all genre's is looking forward to working with all of our students at GJD and joining our wonderful staff.

Miss Aiala Oliveira
BALLET - PRE-POINTE - POINTE

Miss Aiala is a former professional Ballet Dancer with extensive experience and currently a Classical Ballet Instructor bringing her gifts to GJD. In her experience she has taught students from diverse and multicultural environments from ages 3 to 60 years old, focusing not only on Ballet technique, but also coordination, musicality, discipline and well being. Her goal is to promote a respectful and healthy environment in the studio, where students are invited to develop their creativity, self-confidence and thrive at their own pace and excellence.

She provides a sensitive and caring attitude in the classroom along with a strong interest in understanding how individuals learn while respecting their developmental stages. Her foundation is to inspire her students and ignite a love for the art of Ballet.

Performance Experience:
Atlantic City Ballet, Atlantic City/NJ — 
Performed as soloist in the company repertoire. Featured as 'Snow Queen' and 'Leading Marzipan' in 'TheNutcracker', 'Princess Florine' and 'Jewels' in Sleeping Beauty, 'Bride' in 'Dracula', 'Harlot' in 'Romeo and Juliet',‘Spring Fairy’ in ‘Cinderella’ and in ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Pas de Deux. Artistic Director, Phyllis Papa.

Cia de Dança Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil —  
Performed a range of Classical/Contemporary Ballet works as a soloist with a focus on Classical Ballet repertoire pieces, and Grand Pas de Deux's.

Cia Jovem de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 
Performed with the company and toured to many cities and states in Brazil. Company repertoire included diverse dance styles such as Ballet, Contemporary and Jazz.

Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Corps de Ballet 
Performed in full length Ballets and Opera productions of the Theater. Among them, 'Marguerite and Armand'(Ashton), 'Onegin' (Cranko), 'Swan Lake' (Yelena Pankova), 'The Nutcracker' (Dalal Achcar), 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Aida' and 'Merry Widow'.

Welcome to our GJD family Aiala! We can't wait for you to share your love of Ballet and knowledge with our students at Grand Jete!

Miss Melissa Zimmer
MODERN- LYRICAL- BROADWAY- COMPANY- 

​Melissa grew up dancing in the Lehigh Valley since the age of two.  She graduated from Cedar Crest College with a B.A. in Dance and a B.A. in Theater.  Upon graduating she began dancing professionally with Monarch Dance Company, an Afro-Contemporary based company under the direction of Tabatha Robinson.  With Monarch she has performed at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater in NYC, the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and various venues throughout the tri-state area.  In 2014, Melissa was promoted to Assistant Director and in 2015 she helped to create Monarch's first high school apprentice company, Mariposa.  She has also served as a choreographer for the Pennsylvania Playhouse since 2010.  Her work there includes Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Drowsy Chaperone, Annie Get Your Gun, and The Music Man to name a few.  Melissa has also been the choreographer for Whitehall High School since 2016.  She has also served as a guest choreographer for In Motion Dance Company in Chester, NJ.  Her work with them was showcased at Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater and Carnegie Hall in NYC.  During the day Melissa works in Member Services at the JCC of the Lehigh Valley.  She is on the faculty at Grand Jete Studio of Dance, Nardi Dance Studios, & Cartesion Dance Academy.

Miss Kerri Sodl
GYMNASTICS

Kerri taught gymnastics for over 25 years.  She took the time to individually examine and help each student so they can 
progress safely and quickly at their own level. She took students to competitions where they have received high ranking medal. Miss Kerri taught all levels of gymnastics from beginner to advanced at Grand Jete for 15+ years. We remember her and know she is forever watching over our Grand Jete Family. She is greatly missed and will always be a huge part of our growing facility. #cartwheelsforkerri

Miss Laura Whipple
Office Management

Office Hours
Monday - Friday 2:00-7:30
grandjeteoffice@yahoo.com

610-393-5225
Grand Jete Dance Studio