Tony received his MFA from the NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in 2007. His undergraduate degree is from Santa Clara University in 1998, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, and in Music. At Santa Clara, Tony studied composition with Lynn Shurtleff. Tony has been working with children of all ages for years both as teacher and musical director.

Tony worked as a professional choral musician in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years. He conducted the Albany Community Chorus, the Ragazzi Boys Chorus Primary Group, and sang first tenor/alto with the San Francisco Choral Artists under the direction of Magen Solomon. Tony taught voice as part of the music faculty at Santa Clara University in the 2004-2005 school year. From 2002-2004, Tony was the Director of the Choral Program at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, CA. As a music director, Tony has worked on many shows with Children's Musical Theatre San Jose, and Milpitas Rainbow Theatre as well as other theatre companies around the Bay Area. Professionally, Tony served as Assistant Music Director for TheatreWorks' production of Pacific Overtures, and as Vocal Director for Santa Clara University’s production of Kiss Me Kate in 2004. Tony's first musical, Family, a collaboration with Dr. Barbara Means Fraser for which he wrote music and co-wrote lyrics, has enjoyed two productions–-one at SCU in 1999 and one at the Ryan Repertory Theatre in New York City in 2000. Tony's most recent work, Broken, written with composer Kevin Cummines, is currently in development. It will surely win many awards.

Lynne has studied ballet with Gabriella Darvash, Fred Danielli, Maggie Black and Ben Harkarvy. She has performed principal roles with the Garden State Ballet, Israel Ballet and Radio City Music Hall. While residing in Texas, Lynne performed extensively with Austin Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin, Sharir Dance Company and many independent contemporary choreographers. In 1986, Lynne co-founded and served as school and rehearsal director of Texas National Dance Theatre. She taught, choreographed and performed for five years for the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts summer program. While on the faculty at The University of Texas, Austin, Lynne was awarded the prestigious Teachers Excellence Award in 1993. Alongside her exciting professional performing experience and meticulous eye for technical development, Lynne's gifts as a teacher, extends to her focus on nurturing individuality and cultivating musicality and movement dynamics, creating performers and not just technicians.

Daisy Hobbs- is a young, vivacious triple threat performer whose most recent performances include Cinderella (Paper Mill Playhouse), And The World Goes 'Round, and Parade (MSU). Last summer Daisy starred in a production of Dreamgirls at Plays-in-the-Park(PIP) in Edison, and is thrilled to be back at PIP this summer, where she will be playing Jellylorum in their much anticipated production of CATS. Daisy has also appeared on television in a number of National commercials including MTV's Rock the Vote, Dr. Pepper, and PUNK'd, on Nickelodeon in the hit series, "A Walk in Your Shoes"and on NBC's original Emmy-winning drama Law and Order, acting alongside Jesse L Martin and Jerry Orbach. As a commercial print model, Daisy has been featured in Seventeen and in two issues of Dance Spirit Magazine. Daisy could not be happier to call Front & Center her home for the past 2 years! Daisy is currently attending Carnegie Mellon University, we look forward to having her back this summer and for upcoming workshops!

Rachel is a singer, dancer and actress. Her musical theater credits include Frenchy in a national tour of "Grease" appearing with guest stars such as Frankie Avalon, Cindy Williams and Deborah Gibson. Regional productions include Ellie May Chipley in "Show Boat" and the female swing for "Dames At Sea." While performing in numerous dinner theater productions, Rachel's most memorable was portraying Laverne Andrews in an "Andrews Sister's Memoir." She has also performed in many New York City cabarets including the Duplex and Eighty-Eights. Rachel is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and has alos studided throughout New York City working with Broadway and Tony Award winning Directors and Choreographers. Rachel has been a faculty member of The New Jersey School of Ballet and The Papermill Playhouse for the past four years. Currently Rachel performs with her brother and sister-in-law in a concert series called "The Family."

Raised in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. Calen Kurka started his training in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Muscial Theare, Modern and Chinese Dance. He then later moved to Edmonton, Alberta, furthering his his training competitively.

Currently on faculty at Broadway Dance Center in New York City, as an instructor Calen has taught across Canada, the U.S. and Japan, and more recently in Ireland at Dublin’s Dance Jam ’07. He is currently instructing for Dance Masters of Amerca as one of their Master Faculty, and is also on faculty with Dance Educators of America. His choreography has been recognized as outstanding at many competitions throughout the U.S. and Canada, and has been the recipient of many awards. In addition to teaching in and around New York he’s also assistant to choreographer, director, instructor, Michele Assaf.

Calen’s performing credits include being an original member of the first national tour of Jeff Amesden’s widely acclaimed “A Few Good Men Dancin’,” and performing with recording artist Carmella in a tribute concert to Cher. He’s also worked closely with choreographer/instructor Chris Hale. As a featured performer, Calen’s stage credits include having spent a year on contract with Tokyo Disney as a Main Stage performer, and taking on such leading roles as Capt. Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” and Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors” in regional stage productions. In addition, he can be seen in “The Live! at Broadway Dance Center” video series “Turns and Turn Combos,” dancing with choreographer Danny Herman, and “Floor Work with Calen Kurka and Chris Hale”: A new addition to the “Live at BDC” collection.

As founder and Artistic Director of :pushing progress a company, Calen hopes to continue his journey as an artist, instructor and choreographer. He wishes to inspire, and be continually inspired by those who so honestly give of their talent and themselves. He continues, with his company, to create work pushing new movement, strong technique, honesty, emotional commitment, and growth. It is an evolutionary journey with no boundaries, no limits, no ends.

Rahmael Magny is immensely excited to be returning to the Front & Center family. As a recent graduate of Rider University, Rahmael received his a B.A. in Theatre with minors in Radio & TV, and Dance. During his time at Rider, Rahmael was a dedicated member of the Rider University Dance Team for all four years, becoming male captain his last two. As a member of the Dance Team, Rahmael went on to help them win third place at the Tri-state Area Dance Competition (Feb. 2005) and first place at the Southern Regional Dance Competition (March 2006).Rahmael also trained with the Princeton Ballet School, which is part of the American Repertoire Ballet.

Rahmael’s in-college performance credits include Antonio in The Twelfth Night, Joe/Slang Talk Man in Spunk, Judge/Prisoner in Bang Bang, You’re Dead, Improv and Sketch Comedy Shows, Dance Concerts, and countless Dance Team performances. His professional credits include NY Mets/New York Water Taxi Commercial, and currently an actor/performer in the Winceyco Entertainment Tours.

Jul McCormick is a certified and insured yoga instructor. She is trained in Hatha, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Raja and Kriya traditions and has been practicing for over seven years. Jul is currently pursuing her 500 hour level of Yogic training. Jul teaches classes to students of all ages. Her classes include Mommy and Baby, Mommy and Tots, Yoga for Children, Yoga for Teens, Adult Yoga for beginners and Slow Kundalini for beginners. She truly enjoys sharing her passion for yoga with others.

Jul has been working with children professionally for over 16 years in preschools, daycare centers, elementary schools and private homes. She was a family childcare provider in Middlesex County for six years, until deciding to teach yoga full time. Jul also volunteers her time as a Brownie Scout leader within the Girls Scouts of the USA organization. She is certified with The Red Cross in infant, child and adult CPR, as well as community first aid.

Jul is the proud mother of an 8-year-old daughter, who also enjoys practicing yoga with her mother. Jul truly believes in the numerous benefits of practicing yoga for everyone, including her own family.

Kit began pre-professional ballet training at New Jersey School of Ballet at the age of 12; she continued her intensive study of classical ballet through training programs at Theater Arts Dance America, and received private instruction through former professional dancers, Natasha Girshov, Elaine Kudo and Lynne Grossman. She attended summer ballet intensive programs at the School of American Ballet, The Kirov Academy, The Joffrey Workshop at San Antonio, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, and Ballet Austin (with which she held a trainee position during the 2005-2006 academic year).

In 2004, Kit competed in the Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition in Torrington, CT, where she qualified for the national finals event. In addition, Kit has made artistic and administrative contributions to Ballet Enchanté, a local ballet youth troupe based in Whippany: she danced as a guest artist, has choreographed for the troupe, has served as a rehearsal coach, and is currently doing extensive administrative work. Kit spent this past year in Washington dancing for Evergreen City Ballet and currently holds an apprentice position with New Jersey Ballet for the 2007 – 2008 season. Kit is very excited to be on faculty at Front and Center and to begin working with its many students.

Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Kevin began playing drums at the age of 11. He studied private drum instruction for 7 years and guitar for 3, before earning the John Philip Sousa "Semper Fidelis" music award for outstanding musicianship at the commencement of high school. Kevin continued his education by earning a BA in Arts Administration, with a focus of Music and Theatre, from Marywood University. Kevin taught both private guitar and drum lessons at Gallucci Music throughout college, honored to fill in for his former drum instructor on a permanent basis.

Performing credits include Marywood University's Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble during his four years at college, actor and principle percussionist for children's theater "Plays From African Folk Tales," drum set player for a musical trio performing during "Breakfast With Santa," a Christmas breakfast for underpriveleged chidlren, Tubular Bells player for Marywood's Premier University Anthem Ensemble, and most recently drum set player for Kaleidoscope Theatre for Youth's presentation of "Godspell." Kevin enjoys both performing as a solo and group musician and looks forward to joining Front & Center's wondeful teaching staff!

Page is very excited to be joining Renee at Front & Center as its first-ever Business Director. Page graduated with honors from The University of Richmond with a B.S. in Marketing and Management from the Robbins School of Business. She spent 8 years working on Wall Street at Merrill Lynch in their Global Markets Fixed Income Sales Division. She decided to leave that career path when her daughter was born.

In the interim, Page has spent her time micro-managing the demands of an increasingly hectic household: which includes her husband of 20 years, (they married really, really young) and her extremely busy teenage daughter. It was her daughter's passion for Performing Arts that brought Page to F&C.

Since F&C's opening 5 years ago, Page has played a very active role helping in whatever capacity was needed. Her past relationships with many of the students and their parents makes Page most thrilled to be working this year with the Performing Arts Companies as Front and Center's first Company Manager. Given the popularity and the major growth of the F&C companies, this "go-to" position will be beneficial to the faculty and staff, as well as the students and parents.

Page brings a unique and valuable skill-set to F&C. She hopes to utilize her business background combined with her strong organizational and interpersonal skills. These in conjunction with the hands-on knowledge she's gleaned from being completely immersed in Performing Arts (as a parent) for the last 7 years should make for a very cohesive and complimentary balance to Renee's multi-faceted creative talents. Page would like to thank both Renee and her Family for not only providing her this wonderful opportunity but also supporting her in this endeavor.

Renee comes to Front & Center having taught both dance and drama at New York University, The Joffrey School, NYC Elite and many other studios across the US and Canada. She holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Acting with a concentration in Dance Education and the Actor Teacher. She has also attended teacher training workshops at Dance Masters of America, New York City Dance Alliance, Broadway Dance Center, and Dance Teacher Magazine. Students under her direction have won numerous awards at competitions statewide. They can also be seen performing in NYC in Circle of Friends The American Girl Place Revue and the upcoming Broadway production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Renee's directing credits include The Pajama Game, Seussical, Into the Woods, Annie, and the upcoming CATS. Renee also directs in the community, including Godspell and Once On This Island at the Summit Playhouse. She is also an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Union (SSDC) and Actors' Equity Association (AEA).

As a performer, her credits include The Wizard of Oz at Madison Square Garden, Rumpleteazer in the National Tour of Cats, and Diana Morales in A Chorus Line (North Carolina and Helen Hayes Theatre). Other regional credits include productions at Paper Mill Playhouse, Walnut Street Theatre, Fulton Opera House.  Renee is also the proud mama to Baby Celeste, who already loves a good show tune.

Derek began his dance training at Clark Academy of Performing Arts in Rochester and Buffalo, where he took Master classes from such tap greats as Savion Glover, Ted Levy and Van "The Man" Porter. He received a BFA in Theatre Performance from Niagara University and his credits include national tours of Kiss Me Kate (Bill Calhoun), Showboard, Cinderella and Funny Girl, as well as the Italian Tour of West Side Story. Derek continues to study tap with teachers such as Barbara Duffy, Randy Skinner, Roxane Burrerfly, Max Pollack and Jason Samuels Smith, and he regularly attends tap jams in NY. He recently performed in ATDF's New York City Tap Festival and Winter Tap Intensive, Shakespeare Sonnets on Tap, and In It For Life at New World Stages. He has taught at Broadway Dance Center and Master Classes at universities and studios across the US. He is currently creating a tap show with Parallel Exit Physical Theatre Company in Manhattan called "Time Step." He is currently on faculty at New Dance Group Arts Center. Check out www.derekroland.com!

Thomas was born and raised in New Jersey and attended The Manhattan School of Music. He has performed many principal and supporting operatic roles, including Alfredo in La Traviata, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, Rodolfo in La Boheme, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, Manrico in Il Trovatore, and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. In addition to his operatic repertoire, he performed with international legend Zubin Mehta at Alice Tully Hall in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and has performed as an Off Broadway recital artist at the Lambs Theatre in New York City. The New Jersey Star Ledger is quoted as saying, “as Rodolfo, Thomas Smargiassi is a true tenor with ringing high notes” and from the Italian Tribune, “he mastered the role of Rodolfo in days instead of months… his performance was flawless. Cries of ‘Bravo’ reverberated through the packed theatre. Maestro Puccini would have been pleased.” As the only male member of his family music trio, he has the joy of presenting Neopolitan, Broadway and Operatic selections and showcasing his talent along with his wife and sister.

Anita has been involved in every aspect of theatre: as an actor, singer, dancer to stage manager, producer and everything in between. Graduating from Hofstra University with a BA in theatre and a concentration in music and production, she has continued her studies at New Actors Workshop and numerous studios throughout NYC. She has gained invaluable experience working at the Roundabout Theatre, The Feld Ballet, The Creative Acting Company and One on One Productions. The co-founder of the theatre company Amici Ensemble and member of the female harmony group Mercy, Anita has performed in numerous regional and NY venues including: The Kennedy Center, American Theatre for the Actor, Center Stage NY, Downtime and the Bitter End.

She is very happy to be back at Front & Center and excited to work with the talented students and staff!

CHRIS YORK is an actor and musician originally from Indiana, where he graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Vocal and General Music Education. Chris just completed a year-long artistic fellowship at the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, PA where, among many things, he performed in their mainstage and children's theatre productions, worked with their casting department, taught classes at the Fulton Academy, and composed the incidental score for the new play, "The Last Call at Tir Na Nog." Now living in New York City, Chris is extremely excited to be an instructor at The Studio and looks forward to working with so many new and wonderful students.