| AMY MOSS - Owner/Operator of Moss Dance Academy
Miss Amy has been dancing since the age of 2 when her Aunt opened a dance studio and she hasn't stopped. She studied with the Sacramento Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West and Minneapolis Dance Theatre. She attended the University of Utah studying Dance and Musical Theatre. She got her first professional job at age 16 as a Dancer/Singer in a large Summer Stock Theatre in California, where she performed in over 16 musicals. She also worked for the Walt Disney World Company as a Dancer/Singer. At Disney, she danced and sang as a "Kid of the Kingdom", in the "Diamond Horseshoe Revue", in "Mickey's Toon Town" and she was a performer on Disney's first trial cruise for Disney Cruise Lines. She also traveled with Disney to Tokyo, Japan where she was a dancer/singer at Tokyo Disneyland for a year. Miss Amy loved performing, but has found that teaching is really what she enjoys. She loves the students and gets joy out of watching them grow and improve as dancers. Miss Amy is married to Joe Moss and together they have 6 children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOE MOSS - Owner/Operator of Moss Dance Academy
Mr. Joe was introduced to the Performing Arts at a very young age, because his mother was a high school drama teacher. He played many roles in her plays as a young boy and continued all the way through high school. He attended James Madison University as an English Major and a Theatre Minor. He was a singer with the James Madison “Madisonians,” one of the top College Choir groups in the country. After graduation, he performed as a Singer/Dancer at Kings Dominion and Kings Island. He then was hired to Sing and Dance with the USO, and spent two years entertaining the troops overseas. Joe was then lucky enough to audition for Regency Cruise Lines and get hired as a Singer/Dancer. He spent the next two years singing and dancing on board Regency Cruise ships going on Alaskan cruises. He then joined the National Touring Company of “West Side Story” and toured the United States. Upon completion of his National Tour, he auditioned for the Walt Disney Company in Orlando, Florida. Joe was hired as a Singer/Dancer and performed all over Walt Disney World in shows such as “The Diamond Horseshoe Revue” and “Hoop de Doo Revue.” It was at Disney where he met his wife Amy. Joe enjoys teaching voice and acting, and finds much fulfillment in watching his students grow and progress. He is also the Director of the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State College. He and his wife Amy have 6 children and live in Northern Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BECKY CONNELLY - Tumbling
Becky has been the tumbling teacher for Moss dance academy for the past 7 years. She has over 35 years of gymnastics and cheerleading experience. Becky was a competitive gymnast and dancer through high school. Becky then went on to be a Varsity cheerleader at Michigan State University. She was also the Michigan State Cheerleading coach for 1 year. Becky was a staff member for Universal Cheerleading Association for 5 years. She has coached a variety of levels of gymnastics from preschool recreational classes to competitive levels for the past 20 years. Becky has completed the USA gymnastics safety and risk management course. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ELIZABETH HICKERSON - Voice and Music
Elizabeth has been teaching music for nine years in various venues. After graduating from the University of Louisville with her Bachelor's in Music Ed and Master's in Teaching. She and her husband, Mike moved to Vancouver, British Columbia where Elizabeth taught music at a private elementary school. Now back in Northern Kentucky, she taught high school choir at Dixie Heights High School for three years before deciding to stay home with her young family. Besides the work she does for the Moss Dance Academy, Elizabeth has sung with the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati and also teaches music classes to infants, toddlers and their families using the Musikgarten curriculum. Elizabeth and her husband have three children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AMANDA SHERMAN - Office Manager & Dance Instructor (Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Tumbling, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Competition Team)
Miss Amanda has over 20 years of dance experience in a variety of dance styles, and has been teaching at Moss Dance Academy since 2006. She grew up studying ballet, tap, and jazz and was a cheerleader at McNicholas High School. She attended Eastern Michigan University where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance-Studio Management and Arts Management. In college, she began studying modern dance and worked with choreographers such as Joann McNamara, Julianne O’Brien-Pederson, Holly Hobbs (Peter Sparling Dance Company), Bill Evans (Bill Evans Dance Company), and Becky Jung (Pilobolus). After graduating from EMU in 2006, Miss Amanda returned to her hometown of Cincinnati. In April 2010, she became a licensed Zumba instructor. In the fall of 2011, she expanded her role at Moss to a full-time position as both Office Manager and Dance Instructor, and now also helps choreograph for the Dance Teams. Amanda loves teaching at Moss Dance Academy and enjoys watching each of the students grow each year into beautiful dancers and great people. When she is not at the studio, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Ross, and training for and running half and full marathons! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MICHELLE CICCARELLO - Hip Hop I/II
Michelle has been dancing for over 15 years and grew up outside of Cleveland taking classes in a variety of dance styles with a focus on ballet, jazz, and contemporary. She was captain of her high school dance team for a couple of years, which is where she discovered how much fun hip hop is. Michelle is currently a graphic design major at the University of Cincinnati, and a former member of the nationally ranked UC dance team. Michelle has taken and taught classes at a couple of different studios in the midwest over the years. She is focusing on her passions of design and choreography and is excited to be teaching hip hop at the Moss Dance Academy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALICIA BAUTISTA KEMP - Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Competition Team
Alicia has been dancing for 33 years. She started out dancing ballet at the YMCA in Covington, KY then received dance scholarships to Von Ottengen School of Ballet in Cincinnati, Ohio for four years in a row and studied most of her ballet training there for another ten years. Alicia has studied Ballet, Modern and Jazz at Woodland Hills, CA and studied Filipino, Hawaiian and various Ballroom dances with the Filipino Association of Southern Ohio. Alicia also modeled for Shillito's now Lazarus and was contracted to do jobs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Ohio and various industrial and retail such as Cincinnati Bell Wireless and Lenscrafters. She and her husband, Mike, have 3 of 6 children dancing at Moss. Alicia and Mike both work full time at their company manufacturing bio diesel and brokering petroleum by-products throughout the US with their own tank trucks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABBY WAGNER - Act & Sing, Ballet, Hip-Hop and Tap
Abby has been studying at Moss Dance And Performing Arts Academy for the past 7 years. She has studied in all areas of dance, voice and acting. Abby has trained with Master teachers from all over the country. She spent last summer studying Ballet and Modern Dance in Lexington at the "Governor's School for the Arts." She was one of 12 dancers chosen. She is attending Northern Kentucky University where she is attaining her BFA in Dance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DREW SIMENDINGER - Tap
Drew Simendinger is the first Moss Dance Academy student to attend Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts, as well as graduate with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre (Millikin University). Long-time Moss patrons might recognize him from How to Succeed…, Into the Woods, and Honk! At Millikin, Drew starred in many productions from new works to Shakespeare to big dance musicals. Also at Millikin, he was a teacher assistant in acting, tap, and jazz, tap captain of a mainstage musical, co-director of the children’s show, and the department’s “tap tutor,” a position employed by the department to assist tappers of all levels. Professionally, Drew has performed in many productions in Cincinnati and across the Midwest. He is thrilled to be back home at Moss to pass on the knowledge he’s gained and share his burning passion for the performing arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DONNA DAMON - Vocal Coach
Miss Donna has over 25 years of professional singing experience and over 10 years as a Vocal Instructor. She attended Northern Kentucky University where she had a dual major in Vocal Performance/Vocal Pedagogy and Broadcast Communications. She was a 4 time 1st place finalist in NATS Regional competition (National Association of Teachers of Singing). While attending NKU, she was cast as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutti”, Susanna in “Marriage of Figaro” and Gretel in Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel”. In addition, Miss Donna has performed with the Cincinnati Byzantine Singers, Cincinnati May Festival Chorus, Northern Kentucky Symphony Chorus, Andy Williams at Cincinnati Music Hall and with Amy Grant. Voice lessons with Miss Donna can focus on musical theatre and/or classical repertoire depending on student goals. Vocal technique includes breath support, vocal freedom, tone, pitch and resonance. Musical theatre also includes acting while singing, as well as GSA (Governor’s School for the Arts) audition preparation. Classical voice lessons may include repertoire in English, Italian, French, German or Latin. Donna and her husband live in Northern Kentucky and have 2 children, Matthew (16), and Mimi (14). Miss Donna has been at Moss for the past 3 years and is looking forward to many years to come! |
