First Position Dance Arts

Faculty

First Position Dance Arts dance educators are dedicated, professional and passionate about teaching movement to children and young adults. We find the best teachers are those who are open to learning. In addition to continuing their own dance education at studios in the tri-state area, they attend numerous conferences on the myriad forms of dance and movement, the latest technology in our field and skills to increase learning and retention.

A majority of our staff at First Position continue to perform locally, nationally and internationally. This allows our students to learn from dancers who really understand the ups and downs of performing. First Position’s staff stresses performance quality dancing as we feel that children and young adults who are proficient at performing will have more confidence when public speaking, in social situations and interviewing (colleges and formal employment).

Lisa Welsh, M.S., Director, has trained since she was four in classical, jazz, modern and improvisational methodologies. She obtained her B.A. in psychology with an emphasis in child development and M.S. in human resource development. In addition to her school of dance for children, adolescents and adults, Ms. Welsh has taught in preschools, private and public schools and colleges. She continues to pursue her relationship with several instructional and performing arts centers as an independent dance professional.

Recent performances include:

• Philadelphia Fringe Festival
• Swarthmore College
• Eastern University

Choreographic credits:

• Philadelphia Fringe Festival
• Haverford High School – Lecture/Demonstration 3 years
• Harlem Globetrotters halftime performance 3 years
• Haverford Middle School – School Musical 8 years

Dr. Joy Lurie Friedlander has her doctorate in dance education from Temple University and M.F.A. in dance choreography and performance from the University of California, Irvine. First Position is remarkably proud of her most recent achievement, National Dance Educator of the Year, 2005! Currently, Joy is the director of the dance program at Philadelphia High School for Girls. Previously, Joy has taught at The Philadelphia High School for the Creative & Performing Arts (CAPA) and The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Schenley High School Program and has served on the faculty at the University of Alabama, Duquesne University, Point Park College, and Bryn Mawr College.

The State Department of Education has employed Joy as a consultant for many projects over the years including writing a Proposal for Dance Certification, creating performance assessments for the PATT Project (Pennsylvania Assessment Through Themes), and serving as a leader for Governor’s Institute for Arts Educators. Joy also serves as a dance consultant for the Educational Testing Service and NAEP. She is on the editorial board for The Journal of Dance Education and on the board of daCi USA.

As a choreographer of jazz, modern, ballet, musical theatre/Broadway, and character, Joy’s passion for each dance genre and their melding gives her work a particular universal appeal and strong dynamic. Embracing all these forms in combination with Joy’s extensive work in professional theatre and dance venues makes her well sought after in the community and beyond for choreographing new works in many different settings.

Kelly Snell Kelly is a graduate from Drexel University with a BA in Marketing, and has been performing hip-hop and breaking professionally for 11 years. She is member of a Philly based breaking crew, ILLADELPH PHLAVE. She also tours nationally with OLIVE DANCE THEATRE as a principle dancer and rehearsal director. Kelly received her Zumba certification in 2009 and has been teaching ever since! Kelly also teaches the Hip Hop class and brings her Hip Hop roots into her Zumba class.

Elizabeth Luff has danced and choreographed professionally as well as being an dance administrator and teacher.  As managing director of ZeroMoving Dance Company, she produced the company’s first New York season.  Working with Carunchio & Associates,  Luff researched arts education programs in the 5-county area and helped raise over a $1 million dollars for college access programs for Philadelphia Schools Collaborative.  Currently, Ms. Luff operates Moving Studios, which teaches creative dance on-site at preschools, after-school programs and in the community.  She is a certified trainer for the Department of Public Welfare early childhood programs and has taught teacher workshops for local and national Head Start programs.Most recently, Luff has developed Fit2Learn,a series of movements designed to enhance learning readiness, and has received a grant to pilot the program in a local elementary school.

Amaryah Ferry has been dancing at First Position Dance Arts for seventeen years and has taught modern/jazz for three years. She is also a certified Zumba-fitness instructor. She studies modern, jazz, ballet, and trains regularly in capoeira, a Brazilian form of martial arts. She is the co-director of Shift Dance Company, a core company of Indigenous Pitch Dance Collective. As an original member of Indigenous Pitch Dance Collective, she has gone to New Orleans for the past four years, and Haiti this past summer,to provide free arts camps to children suffering from the ongoing effects of a natural disaster. Amaryah’s performance credits include performances in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival with such companies as Underground Dance Works, Stephen Welsh’s SWERVE, Binc, Vive and Shift.   She has also danced in works such as “Dance Off Broad” with Jeanne Ruddy Dance (2005) and Gwendolyn Bye’s 2005 production of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Other performances include several ETC. Series performances at Philadelphia’s Arts League and Community Education Center, lecture/demonstrations at Haverford High School for three years, the Swarthmore Faculty Dance Concert, Haverford Township Day, and the half-time show for the Harlem Globe Trotters.  Currently Amaryah is a senior kinesiology student at Temple University who will soon be pursuing her Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

Christine J. Herrman has trained in the styles of ballet, jazz, tap and modern since the age of eleven. She obtained her B.A. in Dance from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania in 2007. Christine currently teaches creative dance, ballet and tap at First Position Dance Arts as well as modern and ballet at The Agnes Irwin School. She has performed in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival with Shift Dance Company, Stephen Welsh’s SWERVE and Underground Dance Works. Christine is also the Program Director for Indigenous Pitch Dance Collective, Inc., a non-profit organization that performs in the Philadelphia area and works with children affected by natural, environmental, and/or economic disasters.

Lauren Quattrone

Chelsea Barr

Bara Burden

Guest instructors and choreographers are invited periodically to share their expertise.