RIVERTOWN DANCE ACADEMY
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FACULTY & STAFF

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​​Jessica Horgan (she/her)

Founding Executive Director
Teen Repertory Director; Ballet, Jazz

Jessica holds a BA in dance & sociology from the University of Maryland where she studied with Sara Pearson, Patrik Widrig, Alvin Mayes, Adriane Fang, & Gesel Mason, as well as a diverse faculty abroad at MADE in France. Jessica has worked for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Dance New Amsterdam, Peridance and the Y Dance Academy as Co-Director. Since moving to NYC, she has danced with Faye Driscoll, Julie B. Johnson, Reject Dance Theatre,  Ground Grippers, and Becky Radway Dance Projects. Jessica is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher. She is proud to fulfill the mission of accessibility for all to pursue excellence in dance education at Rivertown Dance Academy.

Photo by Kent Miller Studios.

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Erica Moshman ​(she/her)

Director of Operations
Junior Repertory Director; Ballet, Modern

Erica Moshman is a dance artist, performer and facilitator. Erica's focus is in inclusive dance practice and community work. She is a co-founder of Parable Dance & Artistic Director of Parable NY, and has performed with Becky Radway Dance Projects, Heidi Latsky Dance Company, Evolve Dance Inc. Suse Tietjen/ Tanzorchester Suse Tietjen, Bahar Fattahi, and Jill Moshman, among others. Erica is also the Managing Editor of The Dancer-Citizen online journal. She holds a BA in dance and anthropology from Connecticut College (USA) and an MA in dance anthropology from the University of Roehampton (UK).

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​Alex Martin (she/her)

Project Manager
Tap, Theatre Jazz, Early Childhood Dance

Alex Martin is a dancer, choreographer and educator with a BFA in Dance from Wayne State University. Originally from Michigan, she relocated to NYC post-graduation and has worked with numerous companies, including The American Tap Dance Foundation, Evolve Dance, John Zullo/Raw Movement, and Nicholas Leichter Dance. Alex was an Administrative Assistant with Dorrance Dance for several years and has worked with The American Tap Dance Foundation for over 15 years as a festival coordinator and intern director. Currently, Alex devotes her time teaching over 40 classes per week throughout New York, including movement classes at two Special Education schools and is the Artistic Director of the MK Dance Company and Project Manager at Rivertown Dance Academy. 

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​Renée Kashuba

Development Manager
Renée brings more than 25 years’ experience in marketing and communications to RDA and has been a friend of the program since its inception and a lifelong dance student. After completing an undergraduate degree from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, Renée earned a master’s from Columbia University in New York City and entered a career in professional promotions in medicine, winning an Rx Club Award of Excellence for writing a patient education program.​

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​Christina Morrison (she/her)

Social Media & Content Creator
Christina Morrison Spellman is a professional dancer, teacher and social media manager based in New York City.  Following her graduation from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance Performance, she spent four years in Chicago, performing locally, training, teaching diverse student populations and choreographing new work. Christina’s work has been commissioned for stadium events (NRG in Houston & Smoothie King in NOLA), outdoor venues and concert stages. Christina joins Rivertown Dance Academy with 4+ years of experience in social media and content creation. In addition to helping dance studios nationwide, she has also worked with SHOUT Marketing & Social Media to promote theater, dance companies, film festivals and more! Since 2022, Christina has been the sole marketing manager for the popular NYC Yacht Rock touring act, Yacht Lobsters.​

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Sandy Andrade (she/her)

Front Desk Associate
Sandy brings nearly two decades of dance experience to Rivertown Dance Academy, having been part of the RDA community since the age of three. She is currently pursuing a degree in Digital Media Production at Manhattanville University, where she has also been a member of the Manhattanville Dance Troupe for four years.
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In addition to her extensive background in dance, Sandy is an aspiring graphic designer and animator. Her creative work includes developing social media campaigns, photography projects, logo design, and branded content for a variety of platforms. She is passionate about combining movement and visual storytelling, both in the studio and in her academic and professional pursuits.​

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Laura Aronoff ​(she/her)

Jazz, Contemporary, Theatre Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop
Originally from Atlanta, GA, Laura has lived and performed in Los Angeles, NYC and all over the country. She is SO happy to have found her permanent home with her husband and family in Sleepy Hollow. After graduating from Tulane University with a degree in Communication, Laura began her career in commercial dance and theatre. She has performed for brands such as Adidas, Southwest Airlines and Disney, as well as live premieres for Cartoon Network, FX Network and HBO. TV, commercial and film credits include Rooms To Go, Tall Girl 2 (Netflix), Step Up Series: Season 3 (Starz), Pretty Little Liars (HBO) and Will Trent (ABC/Hulu). Laura’s favorite music video credits include 'KIDS' by New Kids on the Block and the official video for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ ‘American Girl’. Regional theatre credits include: Footloose, West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate, National Tour of Rudolph, and The Music Man.​

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Asia Bonilla (she/her)

Ballet, Early Childhood Dance
Originally from Trabuco Canyon, CA, Asia graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program with a major in Dance and a minor in Mathematics. She has performed internationally in Australia, Africa, and across Europe and is currently a dancer with Ariel Rivka Dance. She has also danced with VISIONS Contemporary Ballet, BHdos (the second company of Ballet Hispánico), and Alison Cook-Beatty Dance and has performed works by choreographers Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, Michelle Manzanales, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Jacqulyn Buglisi among others. Asia has taught dance throughout New York and abroad at institutions such as West Village Nursery School, The Dalton School, and Dance Project of Washington Heights. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist and has worked with physical therapists for over four years. She loves teaching all kinds of movement and is very excited to be joining the faculty of Rivertown Dance Academy! 

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Caitlin Brady (she/her)

Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Early Childhood Dance
Born and raised in Peekskill, New York, Caitlin Brady has been a dance instructor since 2003. Caitlin studied dance at Hofstra University where she was also a student choreographer for both Danceworks and MoVom.  She has choreographed for a range of events from the Miss Delaware Competition to the Annual Business Council of Westchester’s Dancing with the Rising Stars.  She believes that dance should be a release from reality as well as a challenge of the individual mind/body within a safe space (@caitiilou)

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Kiana Davalos (she/her)

Hip Hop, Early Childhood Dance
Kiana Davalos is a self taught international dancer, choreographer, and creative director from Yonkers, New York. Her passion and love for dance began ever since she could walk, and carried on throughout her life since. Without the luxury of being able to take classes when she was young, she took matters into her own hands and made "something out of nothing." At the age of 13, when she first began, she did everything from performing at local events for the community and teaching free classes to the youth, to just simply dancing for herself within the comforts of her own home. Today, that same passion and drive to share and learn has opened some amazing opportunities to travel, perform and teach master workshops all over the world in places such as Canada, Iceland, Puerto Rico and even an International 7 month tour throughout China as head choreographer, artistic director and performer. Kiana has also been featured in Paper Magazine, Complex Magazine, New York Times, International Dance Battles, and World of Dance. As well as worked alongside some amazing sponsors such as Snipes, Sprayground, Contra, Woxer, Staple Pigeon, NBA sports wear, and artists such as TKAY, 070 Shake, Annalise Azadian, Justin Love, Wiz Kid, Akon, and Jadakiss. Kiana uses her networking ability, and passion for dance and the arts to reach out to different people of all sorts of artistic genres to exchange and collaborate. Working with others has pushed Kiana to create in more ways than just dance- it led her to branch out into other fields and develop her own brand and company in which includes Videography, Photography, Fashion, and creative direction. Constantly driven, and inspired by her past and present, Kiana decided to make something that meant more than just a brand, she created a Lifestyle. ​

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Joseph Harrington ​(he/him)

Ballet, Contemporary
Joseph is a dance educator, fitness instructor, and performer based in New York City. He holds a BFA in Dance from Pace University where his concentration was Ballet Pedagogy. Joseph began performing at a young age, eventually making his Broadway debut at age 8. He starred as Billy in Billy Elliot The Musical on Broadway at age 11 and continued the child performer life for a few more years before heading back to Cincinnati, OH to focus on training and being a kid. He has since maintained a performance career alongside being an educator of dance and fitness to folks of all ages. Some of his favorite opportunities include creating a Boys Ballet program with Mariana Sanchez of Dance Matters in Queens, NY and initiating a theater dance program for seniors at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. He is a NASM-certified Personal Trainer and a certified Reformer Pilates instructor through Studio Pilates International. Joseph strives to use his experiences growing up to inform how he teaches his students. He is passionate about creating a safe, kind, and fun space for his students that inspires hard work and growth.

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Elisabeth Jeffrey ​(she/her)

Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary
Elisabeth Jeffrey is currently the Rehearsal Director and a member of Periapsis Music and Dance,  while also being a freelance artist in NYC. She is a full scholarship graduate of the Joffrey Ballet School, and has trained with schools such as The Royal Ballet School, Houston Ballet and Washington Ballet.  Elisabeth has taught company classes for Benjamin Briones Ballet and led auditions for Periapsis Music and Dance and Emotions Physical Theater, as well workshops for Central Minnesota Ballet Academy's Adult Program, Montana School of Classical Ballet, MADco Dance Company, and is a core teacher for NYCommunity Ballet. She also enjoys being a supplementary teacher for Greenwich House of Music School, Dancation (NJ) and Logrea Dance Academy (NY).
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Elisabeth’s class is built on an honest and straightforward approach to ballet. Classes provide a firm technical structure, focus on the individual’s needs, technical goals, and accuracy of movement, helping the student to build layer on layer of technical tools, while preparing the professional for the day.

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Kristin Licata (she/her)

Ballet, Modern, Floor Barre
Kristin Licata holds a BFA in dance from the Fordham/Ailey program & is an ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 3 through the ABT® National Training Curriculum.  After graduation she worked with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II, Yuka Kawazu/Danse En L’air, Felice Lesser Dance Theatre, Regina Nejman and Company, Tamara Saari Dance, Vabang! and Vox Lumiere.  Kristin is a freelance dancer in New York City working with Ariel Rivka Dance, Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn, Matthew Westerby Company, and Valerie Green/Dance Entropy.  She is Associate Artistic Director of Matthew Westerby Company.  Kristin is a dance teacher on faculty at Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn and is their Artistic Advisor to CBT-2 Junior Company, and Elite Performing Arts Center in NJ.  

Photo by 
Whitney Browne.

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Jill Moshman ​(she/her)

Youth Repertory Director, Ballet, Modern, Early Childhood Dance
Jill Moshman is a choreographer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist. She holds a BA from Middlebury College in Vermont, USA and an MA from Bath Spa University in Bath, UK. Her work is primarily grounded in movement, while seeking to explore the intersections between dance, film, text, and visual media, and the diverse ways in which movement can be captured for an audience. www.jillmoshman.com  ​

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Victoria Sames ​(she/her)

Ballet, Contemporary
Victoria Sames, originally of Annapolis, MD, graduated from the Hartt School in 2017 with a BFA focused in Ballet Pedagogy and Performance. While at Hartt she performed in works by José Limón, Adam Barruch, Manuel Vignoulle, Gemma Bond and Norbert De La Cruz III. Post-graduation she secured a teaching position working at Ballet Tech under the direction of Eliot Feld and continues to teach, coach and choreograph in and around the tri-state area. She is currently a New York City-based freelance artist working with Twyla Tharp Dance, Pigeonwing Dance and The New Jack Cole Dancers. She has performed at some of New York’s prestigious theaters such as the Minskoff Theatre for Broadway Cares EFA, The Joyce Theater, Little Island in ‘How Long Blues’, Baruch Performing Arts Center and at the New York Botanical Garden. Under the direction of Gabrielle Lamb, she has performed in ‘The Carpet Series’: a series of over 200 compact outdoor performances to date in parks and on sidewalks across the five boroughs. ‘Rising’, a new work with Pigeonwing Dance performed with the Grammy nominated Neave Trio will be touring and making its NYC debut April, 2026. Featured in a collection of works in Howard Schatz’s newest book ‘Pairs’, she modeled for “Dance Study 1439”. Victoria is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA appearing in television and film including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Maestro and A Complete Unknown.​

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Rachel Shaver ​(she/her)

Jazz, Contemporary, Strength & Conditioning
Rachel grew up dancing in Chesterfield, Virginia and obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the Conservatory at Shenandoah University. She was fortunate to perform with Washington D.C. based contemporary dance company Christopher K. Morgan & Artists while still in school and was later presented as an independent artist in the D.C. dance scene. She moved to New York City with the goal of broadening her dance education and fell in love with teaching. She has continued performing for various NYC based choreographers while exploring her own choreographic voice. Rachel teaches at numerous Westchester local studios, and was recently on faculty at Broadway Dance Center. She has been teaching Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, improvisation, composition, and more for 10+ years. She holds a certificate in Personal Training from NASM, and enjoys coaching her fitness clients in private and group classes. 

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​Matthew Westerby (he/him)

Modern, Choreography
Matthew is a dancer, choreographer and dance educator originally from the U.K. He trained at the Laban Centre, London, and graduated with a BA (Hons) in Dance Theatre. After moving to New York in 2005 he danced with notable choreographers including Nai-Ni Chen, Risa Jaroslow, Dusan Tynek, Bronwen MacArthur, Peter Kyle and Sue Hogan. He founded Matthew Westerby Company in 2009, creating numerous choreographic works and initiating a variety of dance education and community outreach programs. As a non-profit organization, the Company is dedicated to building community through the arts, making dance accessible for all regardless of age, experience or the ability to pay.
He has been choreographer-in-residence for Hudson Guild Theatre Company since 2012 creating projects spanning the worlds of dance, opera, music and circus arts. Matthew works as a dance educator for all ages in New York City public schools, in dance training programs and is an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University (CT) teaching dance technique, choreography and dance history. He lives in Manhattan with his husband Steven and their pit bull mix rescue, Macy Grey, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at Baruch College.
Office Hours by Appointment   |   914.631.4302 |   [email protected]g

69 N. Broadway
Tarrytown, NY 10591
* accessible from the parking lot behind Snap Fitness


© Rivertown Dance Academy 2025   |   a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization
  • Home
  • Página Principal
  • About
    • Curriculum
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Policies
    • Tuition
    • Performing Ensembles
    • ​Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility
    • Birthday Parties
  • Sobre Nosotros
    • Plan de estudios
    • Facultad y personal
    • Políticas
    • Matrícula
    • Conjuntos de actuacion
    • ​Declaración de Igualdad, Diversidad, Inclusión y Accesibilidad
    • Fiestas de cumpleaños
  • Schedule
    • Fall Schedule
    • School Closure Camps
    • Calendar
  • Horario
    • Calendario de otoño
    • Campamentos de cierre de escuelas
    • Calendario
  • 10th Season Events
    • November Giveaways
    • Fall 2025 Open House
    • RDA Festival 2026
  • Eventos de la décima temporada
    • Regalos de noviembre
    • Evento abierto de otoño de 2025
    • Festival RDA 2026
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • NEW HOME!
    • Friends of RDA
    • Sponsors
    • Grants
  • Apóyanos
    • ¡NUEVO HOGAR!
    • Amigos de la RDA
    • Patrocinadores
    • Becarios
  • Financial Aid
  • Ayuda Financiera
  • Contact Us
  • Contáctenos
  • Fiesta de regreso a clases de otoño