top of page

The Dance Center Faculty

Donna L. Muzio, Artistic Director & Founder

126244755.png

Ms. Muzio has been the Director of The Dance Center for over 44 years. Her unequaled dedication to her school, students, and instructors and her unique, thorough teaching style have brought The Dance Center a reputation as one of the top pre-professional and most widely respected training institutions in the tri-state area. While consistently working to develop and improve the Vaganova curriculum as it applies to her school, Ms. Muzio continues to teach classes and mentor students while implementing concise, structured classical schedules for her school and company to follow. As a result of this hands-on approach, The Dance Center continues to be one of the most current, successful dance schools, attracting talented, serious students seeking a classical ballet base, along with a challenging, varied performing experience.

Continuing with her mission, in 1979, Ms. Muzio founded the Brandywine Ballet, a non-profit ballet company. The Dance Center would become the official school for the newly formed company. In 1999, Ms. Muzio and Eddy Toussaint founded the Brandywine Ballet Theatre, the professional arm of the company, and Brandywine Ballet's Certificate in Dance Program, a unique partnership with West Chester University. Both of these non-profit programs have proved to be successful outlets for quality performing opportunities for both serious dance students and professionally recognized choreographers.

 

While Brandywine Ballet initially performed and concentrated on classical ballets, over the past few years, Ms. Muzio's goal for the school and company has been the development of artists who fit in the 21st century, i.e., classically trained dancers who are also exposed to contemporary and neo-classic choreography and influence. Ms. Muzio guides her students in their training by insisting they develop a strong, classical technique with professional-level, challenging classes daily. She couples that with the opportunity for them to develop their individual expression by working with guest choreographers and other master teachers. In addition to the in-house professional faculty, all dancers have the opportunity to experience new choreography and masterclasses with professionals from The Balanchine Trust, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Koresh Dance Company, BalletX, and Joffrey Ballet, to name a few.

Nancy Page

126244756.png

Ms. Page trained at a young age at The Dance Center under the direction of Donna Muzio and was promoted to principal dancer with the Brandywine Ballet during her high school years. She won full scholarships to train with the Milwaukee Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Joffrey Ballet upon graduation. She apprenticed with the Pittsburgh Ballet before accepting a company position with Florida Ballet, where she danced the Gold Medal Pas de Deux, choreographed by world-renowned choreographer Norbert Vasak. She later became a member of the Tampa/Colorado Ballet dancing solo and principal roles in classical and contemporary works. Ms. Page eventually accepted principal positions with Sarasota Ballet and Ballet Eddy Toussaint USA, dancing many original, contemporary ballets that were set on her as well as performing the various classics such as Paquita Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.

Ms. Page returned home in 1993 to teach at The Dance Center and also perform as a Principal Dancer with the Brandywine Ballet. In 1998, she was one of the first Principal Dancers in the newly formed Brandywine Ballet Theatre, the professional arm of the company, dancing alongside Zdenek Konvalina (presently with the English National Ballet) for 2 years. She eventually became Brandywine Ballet's Ballet Mistress in 2001 and has served in that position as well as Resident Choreographer since then. Ms. Page has been on faculty at The Dance Center since 1993, teaching ballet based on the Vaganova Method in the Elementary Division, Regular Division, and Professional Division of the school.

Tim Early

126244757.png

Tim Early has been on faculty at The Dance Center since 1993 and has also been a Principal Dancer with Brandywine Ballet Company during that time. Mr. Early has extensive ballet training and bases his teaching on the Vaganova Method of Ballet. In addition to dancing, teaching, and choreographing for the Brandywine Ballet Organization, Mr. Early is currently co-director of the Philadelphia-based Modern Company Opus I Contemporary as well as Resident Choreographer and Co-Artistic Director, alongside Donna Muzio, for newly formed Brandywine Contemporary. Mr. Early has also choreographed for Lafayette College, Moravian College, Temple University, and West Chester University. In addition, Mr. Early has served as the head of the Dance Department for the Performing Arts Institute in Wilkes-Barre, PA, for the past nine years in their prestigious summer program.

Jessica Morley

126244758.png

Jessica Morley is the daughter of Founder and Director Donna Muzio and former Principal Dancer with the Brandywine Ballet Company. Ms. Morley began her training at The Dance Center at the age of three. She was classically trained based on the Vaganova method of ballet, under the direction of Donna Muzio for fifteen years. During that time, Ms. Morley also studied with Nancy Page, Tim Early, Nana Badrena, Eddy Touissant, Cherie Noble, Patricia Brown, and David Kloss. Ms. Morley was one of the founding members of the Brandywine Ballet Theatre, the professional arm of the Brandywine Ballet Company, which was created by Donna Muzio and Eddy Touissant in 1998.

After graduating from Towson University in 2005, Ms. Morley returned home to join the faculty of The Dance Center. Under the mentorship of her mother, Ms. Morley is enthusiastic about the continual development of her skills as a dance instructor. Her teaching style is based on the Vaganova method to instruct her ballet students and uses this training as a basis for teaching other forms of dance. Outside of teaching at The Dance Center, Ms. Morley has earned a doctorate in School Psychology and has worked as a practitioner since 2009.

Kathleen Morley LAVELLE

126244759.png

Kathleen Morley is the daughter of Founder and Director Donna Muzio and former Soloist with the Brandywine Ballet Company. Ms. Morley began her dance training at the age of three at The Dance Center. She was classically trained based on the Vaganova method of ballet under the direction of Donna Muzio and also trained by other teachers including Nancy Page, Tim Early, Cherie Noble, Nana Badrena, Patricia Brown, and David Kloss. Ms. Morley also studied jazz extensively during her training, both at The Dance Center and at various schools in Philadelphia. In addition to her training, Ms. Morley assists in the facilitation of The Dance Center’s annual student recitals, assists in administrative and social media capacities for The Dance Center, and also serves as a rehearsal assistant for the Brandywine Ballet Company. This season is Ms. Morley’s twelfth year on faculty at The Dance Center. She has extensive experience teaching ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap to students in the Pre-Dance Division and Elementary Division of the school. 

​

Outside of dance, Ms. Morley earned a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from St. Joseph’s University and obtained her Juris Doctor from Villanova University School of Law in 2009. In addition to teaching at The Dance Center, Ms. Morley works full-time as an attorney at a Philadelphia-based law firm.

ANDREa Olazagasti

126244763.png

Andrea Olazagasti began her dance training at Delaware Dance Company at the age of 9. Before graduating, she spent her final year studying at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Ms. Olazagasti went on to dance for the Lousiville Ballet, Festival Ballet Providence, and most recently with First State Ballet, where she danced many leading roles such as Myrta and Peasant Pas de Deux from Giselle and Pas de Trois from Swan Lake. She has had works created on her, including Helena from A Midsummer Night's Dream and Evil Step Sister from Cinderella. In the 2013 Valentina Kazlova IBC, Ms. Olazagasti and her partner were awarded "the best interpretation of the compulsory piece" by Paolo Arrias of Boston Ballet.

In addition to dancing professionally, Ms. Olazagasti has extensive teaching experience in ballet, lyrical, modern, and jazz.  She has been a dance instructor for schools affiliated with the Louisville Ballet, Festival Ballet Providence, and First State Ballet.  For the upcoming 2015-2016 season, Ms. Olazagasti will be joining The Dance Center/Brandywine Ballet Organization as a Principal Dancer with Brandywine Ballet Theatre, in addition to joining our faculty. The Dance Center welcomes Ms. Olazagasti and looks forward to having our students benefit from her professional experiences both on the stage and in the classroom.

Genevieve Jacoby

136096152.jpg

Genevieve Jacoby is an undergraduate student at West Chester University studying dance along with Political Science and Law. She currently serves as the Secretary for the West Chester University Dance Company, where she has many opportunities to choreograph and perform for the company.

Miss Jacoby's teaching experience is extensive. She has taught all ages and levels at the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Eagleville, PA, in ballet, tap, hip hop, acro, and lyrical. She also is a faculty member at Macrina Academy of Dance in Audubon, PA, where she started her training many years ago under the owner, Annemarie Macrina. Miss Jacoby has recently had the opportunity to perform in the professional realm by taking part in West Chester University's Department of Theatre and Dance Professors Devised Work entitled Carnival of Ruin.  

Beth DeVito Mondzelewski

137936226.png

Ms. Mondzelewski was chosen to apprentice at 16 years of age with the Colorado Ballet. She then moved to Denver to join the company under the direction of Martin Friedman. After a short time as an apprentice, she became a proud member of the corps de ballet. She had the opportunity to perform in Denver and tour with company in full length classical and contemporary ballets. Ms. Mondzelewski danced professionally for several years until returning to Philadelphia to attend college where she received her BA in Fine Arts from the University of the Arts. For the past 20 years she has dedicated her life to performing, choreographing, and teaching in the PA, DE, and NJ areas. She now focuses her talent in the studio where she has the knowledge and experienc to connect with all students, young children through professional, in all genres of dance. The Dance Center welcomes Ms. Mondzelewski to our faculty as she is a seasoned teacher whose goal is to provide a high level of technique with a strong focus on implementing confidence in young dancers.  

Mehgan Jarvie

Mehgan Jarvie Headshot 2024.jpg

Ms. Jarvie received her BFA in Dance from Cedar Crest College and her MFA in Dance Education from Temple University. She has been teaching dance professionally for the past 25 years throughout the tri-state area. Most notably, Ms. Jarvie was the Director of Dance for Renaissance Academy Charter School for 13 years. During her tenure she developed a varied curriculum for over 350 students. In addition, each year she produced two concerts, a full-length Nutcracker, as well as community outreach performances Her program was featured in Dance Teacher Magazine as a full inclusive program that enabled all students of all ages and levels to participate.

​

Since her time at Renaissance, Ms. Jarvie has dedicated her teaching and love of dance to many studios in the area. She especially enjoys teaching and focusing on the younger dancers in their prime development years. She feels her vast experience in teaching and choreographing can best be shared at the beginner levels.

​

Mehgan is very excited to be part of the The Dance Center/Brandywine Ballet faculty.

Julie DI Stasi  

Julie DiStasi Photo.jpg

Julie DiStasi began her dance training at the age of three at the Dotty McGill School of Dance in Western, PA., studying a variety of styles including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, acrobatics, lyrical, hip hop, and musical theater. Julie was trained in the Cecchetti Method of Ballet and tested up through Grade V prior to graduating. After high school, Julie attended the Pennsylvania State University to study Kinesiology and continued her dance training as a member of the dance organization, Tapestry. She performed at a wide variety of school events including her favorite, Penn State THON. She finished her schooling and now practices as a Physical Therapist.

​

In addition to dancing, Julie has extensive teaching experience as she assisted and taught a variety of classes at her hometown studio, and she continued to choreograph and teach numbers for her dance company in college. She taught individual and large group routines aging from 4-18 years old in ballet, jazz, tap, and lyrical. She has also choreographed for musicals including ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Once Upon a Mattress’. Julie has also helped teach dancers how to rehab from injuries while working with shows including ‘Hamilton’, ‘The Blue Man Group’, ‘Waitress’, and ‘The Cher Show’. She is excited to join The Dance Center Family and looks forward to sharing her love of dance with the students!

GraceAnn Smith

GraceAnn Photo 2024.jpeg

GraceAnn has been training in dance for over 19 years. She began dancing at the Oxford Center for Dance where she danced competitively including competing in the prestigious Youth American Grand Prix. In 2015 she began dancing at The Dance Center and in 2016 became part of the Brandywine Ballet Company and then subsequently The Brandywine Ballet Theater. While training and performing she was a teacher assistant for young ballet classes at her prior studio as well as assisting hip hop classes at The Dance Center. She furthered her dance education by taking classes at Broadway Dance Center and several summer intensives including Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, The Rock School in Philadelphia, First State Ballet, as well as attending a 5-week summer intensive program at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and The Pennsylvania Ballet.

Through prior experience, GraceAnn has developed a passion for the art of dance and eagerly wants to share her knowledge and passion for the art with her future students. After high school, she continued her love for dance by joining the West Chester University Dance Team, where she attended UDA College Nationals in Florida for 3 years and became a National Collegiate Champion in the Open Hip-Hop division in 2022. In addition to earning a championship, GraceAnn is also obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Grades Education (PK-4) and a minor in Dance.

Miss. Smith is very excited to be returning to The Dance Center as a teacher and to share her passion for dance with the students.

Patricia Perla, Pianist

126244770.png

Patricia has had a lifelong involvement with dance. She has designed and performed classical educational concerts for piano aficionados in New York and Pennsylvania, played for dance performances, rehearsals, and training classes, and directed and performed in musical productions for schools and churches.

Ms. Perla was Company Pianist for the Des Moines Ballet before moving to NYC, where she had the opportunity to play for leading dance teachers, including Maggie Black, Peff Modelski, Gelsey Kirkland, Steps, Broadway Dance Center, Ballet Academy East, and Joffrey School.

Ms. Perla has been playing for The Dance Center/Brandywine Ballet since 1990.

bottom of page