Faculty & Guest Artists
Mary-Kate Schmidt
APAA Director
Mary-Kate Schmidt is the Director of the Axelrod Performing Arts Academy. Mary-Kate graduated from Fairfield University where she double-majored in Music and Journalism. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Montclair State University with a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. After half a decade at Random House, Mary-Kate left the publishing industry to pursue her true passion of working in arts education.
For over a decade, Mary-Kate served as director, music director, and choreographer at St. John Vianney High School. During her tenure, her productions were nominated for several local theater awards, including a Basie nomination for “Best Musical Direction” for their production of The Sound of Music. She was also the founder and director of the show choir, Lancer Harmonies.
Mary-Kate grew up surrounded by musical theater and dance from a young age and was fortunate enough to be a part of some of the best arts education programs. She is passionate about providing students with the same high-quality education that she received.
Diana Grover
APAA Assistant Director
Diana graduated Valedictorian from Monmouth University as a double major in Education and Psychology. She received the top honor given at Graduate School, also at MU, with a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership/Supervision. She taught at the elementary level for eight years, receiving both District and County Teacher of the Year her first year eligible. Diana then took time off from teaching other children to raise her own, also serving as Sunday school director, scout leader and class mom. Years later, she found herself volunteering at the newly-formed Axelrod Performing Arts Academy, where she is currently proud to be its Assistant Director. As the mom of now four grown children whose passions all lie within the arts, she is a firm believer in the necessity of the arts in a child's life and a staunch advocate of the power of the arts for a healthy education, life and community.
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Justin Christopher Odon
Youth Theater Director
Justin Christopher is an NJ based theatre artist. He has a large theatre background that includes directing, choreography, set design, lighting design, sound design, costume design, prop design, producing, stage management, production management and performing. He is the founder and artistic director of Theatre@Home: Save The Arts, a virtual theatre company that produces virtual theatre productions. In 2022, Justin Christopher was nominated for three NJACT Perry Awards for his production of The Wizard of Oz in April/May 2022 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts (Outstanding Direction of a Musical, Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical, and Outstanding Musical Production). Alongside being nominated for the NJACT Perry Awards for The Wizard of Oz, he was also nominated for the Broadway World 2022 Regional Awards (Best Direction of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Best Production of a Musical). Justin Christopher is a teaching artist for the Phoenix Rising Star Academy in Red Bank and the Count Basie Academy of the Arts. A few show credits include Once On This Island, Pippin, In The Heights, A Chorus Line, Cabaret, Mamma Mia, Disney’s Descendants the Musical, Be More Chill, Legally Blonde, The Music Man, Spring Awakening, The Wizard of Oz and A Christmas Carol The Musical. Justin Christopher has worked on many productions in the Monmouth County area and is recognized for his dedicated work in helping young theatre artists to create and grow. He is a proud advocate for the arts and is very dedicated to keeping the arts alive.
Nicole Ceballos
Faculty
Nicole Ceballos has performed in, directed and choreographed many, many shows throughout the years! Her work has been recognized and awarded by Broadway World.com's annual NJ Awards, the Basie Awards, the Perry Awards and the Papermill Awards! She is the director of Foundations Performing Arts in Red Bank and a proud mom of three!
Pam Rogers
Faculty
Pam Rainey Rogers enjoyed a decade touring the world as a professional singer/dancer with "Cats", "42nd Street", on the Silver Cloud with Silversea Cruises and in regional productions all over the U.S. Pam's favorite role she ever played was Diana Morales in "A Chorus Line" because it perfectly combined her love for acting through song, belting out high notes and challenging dance choreography. It's that love of triple threat performance that drives every class she teaches. Pam currently lives in Shrewsbury with her husband, Chris, son Peter and daughter Portia. She is the lead singer for the Cozmix Party band @thecozmix.com
Grace West
Faculty
Grace West is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, with additional studies in screen acting and writing at Stonestreet Studios. During her time at NYU, Grace received the Outstanding Achievement Award at Strasberg and earned Best Supporting Actress at the institute’s film festival.
A lifelong performer, Grace grew up creating short films with her older brother and later developed extensive public speaking experience working with organizations including Toys “R” Us, UBS, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Make-A-Wish New Jersey.
Passionate about arts education, Grace is dedicated to creating a supportive, imaginative environment where students feel empowered to explore their creativity. She believes the classroom should be a true “play space,” where young artists build confidence, trust their instincts, and develop the skills to express themselves authentically on stage, on screen, and in every path they choose to pursue.
Susan Marrazzo
Faculty
Miss Susan has been lovingly teaching Dance for the last 40 years. She is the proud owner/artistic director of Dancesation Studios in Nutley, NJ.
She has performed, choreographed and directed extensively both professional and locally throughout the tri-state area. She is thrilled to be sharing her love of the art of dance and theatre with APAA!
Olivia Miranda
Faculty
Olivia Miranda is the Artistic Director and Founder of Ballet Rêve, a contemporary ballet company based in New Jersey. In May 2025, Olivia’s full-length ballet One Sweet Dream was presented at Châteaux en Fête, a prestigious national festival held in Dordogne, France. Her work centers on building a sustainable and artistically fulfilling home for professional dancers while making concert dance more accessible to broader audiences.
A New Jersey native, Olivia trained under Julie Caprio at Hamilton Ballet Theater before earning her B.F.A. in Dance and English from Fordham University and The Ailey School. She was a founding member of Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater, where she danced for six seasons. Olivia has also performed with Ballet Hispánico, Mari Meade Dance Collective, and in The McCarter Theater’s production of Nixon in China choreographed by Graham Lustig.
Her performance credits include appearances at Lincoln Center with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Apollo Theater with Ballet Hispánico. She has also performed in musicals at Axelrod PAC, including Sunday in the Park with George (directed by Eamon Foley) and Evita (directed by Jose Zayas). Olivia has danced in works by Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Riccardo de Nigris, Colby Damon, Andrea Weber, Kanji Segawa, Blakeley White-McGuire, Daniel Catanach, and Talley Beatty.
As a choreographer, Olivia has presented work at The Bell Theater, Asbury Park Dance Festival, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Dixon Place, The McCarter Theater, Rider University, and The Tank NYC. She has been a dedicated dance educator for over eight years, teaching at institutions such as Princeton Ballet School, Freehold Performing Arts Center, Manasquan High School, and Dance For Joy.
Kathleen Pearlberg
Faculty
Kathleen is a NJ based choreographer, musical theatre and ballet teacher. She was trained at the professional New Jersey School of Ballet and went on to dance in the New Jersey Ballet Company where she performed pieces by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Jay Norman, Edward Villella, Joseph Carow and George Tomal. She serves as the Ballet Mistress for the professional contemporary ballet dancers of the Axelrod Theater.
Choreography credits include, Fiddler on the Roof, Kinky Boots, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Jesus Christ Superstar, Peter Pan, Man of LaMancha, Footloose at Algonquin Arts Theater. Associate Choreographer Fiddler on the Roof, Axelrod Performing Arts Center.
Dore Rogers
Faculty
Dore Rogers has been a dance educator for over 24 years. Born and raised locally in Monmouth County, this beach loving mom of one and wife has spent a good part of her adult life spreading her love and joy of dance and the arts with children of all ages! As the owner and creator of Starfish Dance Studio for 11 years (recently closed to slow down the pace), Miss Dore now balances teaching dance in studios with being a support staff substitute teacher! Her formal education was at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Miss Dore finds her happy place rooted in classroom teaching, helping students find their confidence and connecting with them through dance and art! Her philosophy is "because your sparkle comes from within." Excited to be a part of APAA, she looks forward to sharing her energy and sparkle with all the students!
Kerry Butler
Guest Artist
Kerry Butler is a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Award nominee. She first dreamed of being an actress when she was 9 years old and saw Annie. Since then she has been in twelve Broadway shows.
Some of her favorite roles include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Penny in Hairspray, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, and Kira in Xanadu which earned her a Tony nomination. Most recently Kerry appeared in Mean Girls and Beetlejuice.
Kerry has also crossed over into film and television with roles in The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Honor Society, 30 Rock, Gilmore Girls Reunion, Law & Order: SVU, and The Mindy Project.
Kerry loves working with children and young adults, and feels very privileged to pass on all she has learned.
Joseph Fritz
Guest Artist
A scholarship student at both the School of American Ballet and Joffrey school, Fritz was a principal dancer with the Eglevsky Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet where he served as dance captain before eventually becoming Dance Director at the Met, a position he held for 30 years. Fritz was also ballet master at Blue Lake Fine Arts camp in Michigan as well as a guest artist and guest teacher for companies in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Tamisha A. Guy
Guest Artist
Tamisha, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, began her formal dance training at Ballet Tech, under the direction of Eliot Feld. Later she attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, and SUNY Purchase College as a double major in dance and arts management. She has completed summer programs with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Nathan Trice and Springboard Danse Montreal. She has performed works by William Forsythe, Bebe Miller, Doug Varone, Merce Cunningham, Pam Tanowitz and Mark Morris. In 2013 Guy graduated with honors from SUNY Purchase College and joined the Martha Graham Dance Company shortly after. In 2016 Guy was selected as one of Dance Magazine' Top 25 to Watch and she also received the 2016 Princess Grace Award. She was featured in the segment “Spotlight on Success” in Dance Informa Magazine as well as the Caribbean Life newspaper, where she discussed her upbringing and the distinguished Princess Grace Award. In 2017, she was named one of the Best Dancers of the Year by Dance Europe. In 2021, she received the 2022 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance for her evocative and intuitive performance style that blends elements of contemporary, modern and narrative dance traditions, and for her commitment to furthering her own practice through instruction, collaboration, and mentorship. Tamisha currently dances with A.I.M, under Artistic Direction of Kyle Abraham and formerly an Adjunct Lecturer in Dance at SUNY Purchase, Western Washington University and Barnard College.
Lindsay Jorgensen
Guest Artist
Lindsay Jorgensen is a NYC-based performing artist, choreographer, and teacher from Lawrenceville, New Jersey. She has performed with Ballet Nepantla, Buglisi Dance Theatre, VALLETO, American Repertory Ballet, and Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater. She graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Dance Program, where she holds degrees in Dance and English. She also was awarded departmental honors in Dance from the university. Lindsay has taught for Montclair State University, Steps Youth Program, and American Repertory Ballet’s Trainee Program. She also holds a certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Pennsylvania. Theatre credits (Axelrod PAC): Sunday in the Park with George (Ensemble/Dance Captain), Grease (Cha Cha), Evita (Associate Choreographer), and The Prom (Swing/Asst Director and Choreographer).
Gabriela Soto
Guest Artist
Gabriela Soto was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and relocated to the states at age 14. Miss Gabby is an alumni from The Ailey School Certificate Program. Theater credits include Wicked, Brigadoon (New York City Center), and In The Heights (Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Seattle Repertory Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse at the Park). TV/Film credits include Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Gabriela has also performed works by William Forsythe, Alvin Ailey, Lar Lubovitch, Matthew Rushing, Elisa Monte, Robert Battle, Francesca Harper, Amy Hall and Jae Man Joo. When off stage Miss Gabby enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge with the younger generation of dance.
John John Tarrayo
Guest Artist
John John has been dancing and performing since the age of 12. His passion for dance began with Hip-Hop and Breaking. Wanting to grow as a well-rounded dancer he trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Contemporary and African and was very active in choreographing and performing in both high school and college.
John John was featured in America's favorite dance television show, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE SEASON 16, performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and was a featured dancer performing in the world’s biggest cruise line Royal Caribbean in the “Aqua 80” show. He has appeared in music videos and worked with platinum artists such as The Jonas Brothers, J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Natty Natasha, Sebastian Yatra and Ingrid Michaelson. He has performed at the Radio City Music Hall with Soave, has been a featured dancer on MTV’s TRL, and danced on a national tour with Raymix. He also worked with well known choreographers such as Talia Favia, Luther Brown, Cat Rendic, Theresa Stone, Stacey Tookey, Mandy Moore, Ashle Dawson, Anthony Rue, etc. 
John John has developed a unique and distinct style by mixing contemporary and breaking when he freestyles and choreographs movement. He continues to strive in diversifying his skill set by training in classes at Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center, and Brickhouse. He succeeded in winning 1st place in Monsters of Hip Hop LA. He strongly grasps every opportunity to educate him further in becoming successful in the dance industry. 
His main endeavor is to travel, teach, inspire, and perform all over the world and to create a name for himself.  “Dance is My Passion. My Reason. My Life.”
Michelle Thompson
Guest Artist
Michelle Thompson is currently a professor at SUNY Purchase in New York. She received her training from San Francisco Ballet, and danced for 14 years with Ballet Austin. She performed in works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Ulysses Dove, Stephen Mills, Sidra Bell, Greg Dolbashian, Nelly van Bommel, Amy Seiwert, James Gregg, Gina Patterson, Thang Dao, and more. Also during her time in Texas she earned her undergraduate degree from St. Edward’s University, and began her choreographic career with an emphasis on site specific and immersive dance experiences. Michelle was the Artistic Director of New York based Spark Movement Collective from April 2020-April 2024. Michelle grew this company for 4 years, and has been awarded grants by The Flushing Town Hall for programming for children and The Queens Council on the Arts for her work Armenian Voices. She is currently a freelance choreographer in New York, and has recently shown work at The Mark O’Donnell Theater, Green Space, Dixon Place, and Art On Site. She was chosen as the Women’s Choreography Project winner in 2017 by Avant Chamber Ballet in Dallas and was featured in Dance Magazine. Her commissions include NuVu Festival, CreateArt, Style Pointe for New York Fashion Week, Ballet Hartford, J Chen Project, Ballet Austin II, Harvard Ballet, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Ballet Spartanburg, TY&CO, CounterPointe, Prelude Projects at Carvalho Park Gallery, and SUNY Purchase. Michelle has worked closely with Grammy award winning musician Johnny Butler and creative partner Caleb Patterson on projects performed at The Visionary, Mercury Lounge, Ace Hotel in Brooklyn, C'mon Everybody, and the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY. Michelle’s Illusory Impressions collaboration and co-directorship with composer Catherine Davis was given an award by the Austin Critics’ Table for excellence in a Site-Specific work. She also creates for film and music video projects including music video "Let You in" by Pete Muller. She teaches for Peridance and for NY Community Ballet in Manhattan. Michelle has also performed with XAOC Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Eryn Renee Young at Battery Dance Festival amongst other New York venues. Michelle teaches yoga, and she is a mother of two. Michelle most recently premiered a new commission in Dallas for Pegasus Contemporary Ballet in June 2024 in collaboration with Grammy award winning musician Scott Tixier.
IG @michelle_thompson_ulerich
Andrew Winans
Guest Artist
Andrew Winans is an award-winning director and choreographer represented currently with two shows in the off-Broadway circuit. His work has been honored with multiple Perry, New York Theatre Festival, Theatre Maker and BroadwayWorld Awards and nominations. Andrew has worked closely under TONY Award recognized Broadway legends Bob Avian, Baayork Lee, Randy Skinner, Chet Walker and Donna McKechnie.
He recently directed and choreographed Maddie, nominated for 7 NYTF Awards including Best Direction and Best Choreography. The show is set for an upcoming limited run off-Broadway at Players Theatre.
Off-Broadway credits include: Do Re Mi (revival), Agatha Christie’s The Hollow (Players Theatre), Mike & Mindy's Wild Weekend Jam (Players Theatre) and Company of Man (AMT Theatre).
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Andrew worked as Assistant Director to Bob Avian and Assistant Choreographer to Baayork Lee on over 10 companies of A Chorus Line including: New York City Center, National Tour, multiple International Tours, China Premier, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, The Public Theatre and The Apollo Theatre. Andrew also re-staged A Chorus Line at Summer Stock Stage and Algonquin Arts, nominated for 4 BWW Regional Awards.
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Original, associate, resident and reconstruction work has been seen internationally with: Norwegian Creative Studios, Hershey Park, RWS Entertainment, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, American Dance Machine for the 21st Century, 54 Below, Green Room 42, CAP21, Hunter College in additional to multiple regional theatres, AEA staged readings and workshops. Andrewwon both the 2021 NJ Perry Award and BWW Regional Award for Best Choreography in Hello, Dolly! with Capital Productions.
As a performer, he toured in national and international companies of 42nd Street and A Chorus Line, also seen at: North Shore Music Theatre, Gateway Playhouse, Maine State Music Theatre, ACT of Connecticut among many other regionals. On screen television and film credits include Saturday Night Live hosted by Jason Sudeikis, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Live by Night starring Ben Affleck.