Arts Academy of Hollywood

Erzsi Salamon, Director of the Dance Dept. - Jazz, Ballroom, Latin, Ballet

Erzsi, a native Hungarian, started dancing ballet at age 8. She trained under Hungarian tutor Zsuzsa Vegvari in the Russian Ballet Technique, Vaganova. She is a graduate of the Professional School of Dance, Music & Art, specializing in ballet, music, art history, theatrical dance, Hungarian folk dance and teaching techniques. Erzsi spent 13-years performing as a dancer, vocalist, actress and choreographer at the Katona Jozsef Theatre. It was during this time that she was recognized six consecutive times as the recipient of the “Best Dancer” award. While dancing under Andrea Ladanyi with LA Modern Dance Company, Erzsi had extensive training in jazz, Martha Graham, José Limón, and other modern dance techniques. Oustide the dance world, Erzsi can also be seen on the big screen in Hungarian and American movies. In the theatres, Erzsi has performed a Bob Fosse Review with Jane Owen for the past eight years throughout South Florida. Here at the Arts Academy, Erzsi teaches ballet, jazz, ballroom and Latin dance. She also specializes in choreography of wedding dances. She is also the proud director and producer of two in-house performing companies - Enerzsi & Enerzsi Jr. dance repertory companies for adults and teens.

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Linda Strutz - Ballet, Stretch & Sculpt

Linda, the daughter of a ballet instructor, started dancing at age 7. For 17 years, she taught Early Childhood Education in the Broward Schools, teaching pre-first grade up to grade 5 at Hollywood Central Elementary, Larkdale Elementary and Sheridan Hills Elementary. In 1993, she combining her years of dance training with her Masters in Early Childhood Education to open her own dance academy. She purchased the Broward Ballet Academy and made it into Academy of Dance, in downtown Hollywood. There she taught ballet and special programs to all ages, and put on annual performance productions to rave reviews. In 2004, she expanded that Academy into a full performing arts curriculum for all ages, the Arts Academy of Hollywood. For over 11 years Linda has been an entrepreneur, ballet teacher, educator, administrator, and business owner.

Brian Anthony - Latin

Brian Anthony is CO-owner of Mambo Con Cache Dance Company and is one of Florida’s most exciting salsa dancers. Brian is a native born American who has been teaching for the past 4 years and been has performing since he was a child. He started off dancing folk and jazz in early childhood and danced hip-hop and modern throughout college. An active member of Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity, Inc. Brian found Salsa in 1998 and quickly became well known in the Salsa community. He became CO-owner of the New York based dance school in 2002. Brian has won many dancing awards, step-shows, and salsa competitions. Performances include New York City Salsa Congress, International Hustle and Salsa Competition, Will Smith back-up dancer, Miami Salsa Congress, and many more. Brian takes pride in being one of Florida’s best salsa instructors, and the Mambo is what he calls home.

Mandy Keeley Cerrone - Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Drama, Hip Hop

Mandy Keeley Cerrone was born and raised in Cranford, New Jersey where she studied dance and drama from a very young age. She has attended various master dance classes in New York, New Jersey, and Florida studying with Bob Rizzo, Lynda Gache, Frank Hatchett, Patricia Dickerson, Savion Glover, Patsy Swazye, Mallory Graham, Darrin Henson and others. She has taught classes (ballet, hip hop, tap, jazz, drama) at various dance studios, preschools and elementary schools throughout New Jersey and South Florida. Mandy graduated with a BFA from Florida Atlantic University with highest honors. She is currently seeking a Master’s Degree in Education. Though her first passion is dance, Mandy also found a passion for academic education as well. She believes in a well-rounded education for children, which of course must include the ARTS! Mandy looks forward to an exciting year at the Arts Academy of Hollywood! “Tomorrow’s dreams begin today.”

Anita Macbeth - African, Yoga, Afro-Caribbean

Anita Macbeth has been a dancer and dance educator for over 17 years. She is a native of New York, where she studied ballet, modern, jazz and African dance. Ms. Macbeth danced with Chuck Davis’ African American Dance Ensemble and the Forces of Nature Dance Company. As a dance instructor, she has taught and choreographed for several New York agencies and organizations including the Bronx Council on the Arts, New York Artists in the Schools Program, New York City Housing Authority and Community School Board No. 4 East Harlem Repertory Company. Ms. Macbeth currently teaches in the Broward County, Florida school system at Bethune Elementary School of Visual and Performing Arts. Anita’s Afro-Caribbean class will combine elements of Catherine Dunham, Primus and African influences that are strongly rooted in the techniques today. Her style and cultural based elements are well renown in the Florida Area. Anita has a simple mastery of conveying technique to beginners and advanced alike.

Pablo Malco - Hip Hop

Internationally recognized Hip Hop expert, Pablo is the Founder and Executive Director of Pfuzion Entertainment Inc. Pablo is one of the first to introduce the eclectic Pfuzion style of dance to the greater Miami, Florida area, and has built a reputation and a significant fan base as a result of being an exceptional performer and instructor. Through his unique funky fusion blend of Hip Hop/Jazz/Ballet, he has taught a number of recording artists and dance programs in America, Austria, Germany, Amsterdam, London and Scandinavia. Currently on a yearlong tour as solo performer for Budweiser, Pablo has also spent the summer of 2004 teaching in Austria and Amsterdam. Pablo has worked with such famous names as Ricky Martin, Paula Abdul, Will Smith, Jessica Simpson, Immature, Jean Michel Jarre, C&C Music Factory and others. Pablo is currently a dance instructor at the Arts Academy of Hollywood and the University Center.

Omoniyi “Niyi” Osoba

Omoniyi began training at Pofahl Dance Studio in Gainesville, FL studying extensively in ballet/pointe and later began also training  rigorously in jazz, hip-hop and modern.  In 2002 the school gave her a full scholarship which she received for the following 4 years thereafter.  Also in 2002 she was selected to be apart of the Corp de Ballet of Dance Alive National Ballet where she performed in works such as Firebird, Carmen and Balachine’s infamous Nutcraker.  She’s trained at multiple intensives including Santa Fe Dance Intensive  (FL), The Ailey School (NY), Columbia City Jazz (SC), South Carolina Dance Conservatory (SC), Complexions Contemporary Ballet (NY) and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane (NY).   She’s had the opportunity to work with teachers such as Merrill Ashley, Finis Jhung, Desmond Richardson, Dwight Rhoden, Matthew Rushing, Jennifer De-Palo, Dee Caspary, Jason Parsons, and Nick Lazzarini, to name a few.  She started her Professional career in Columbia, SC at the University of SC where she made history by being one of 12 dancers in the world to ever perform Martha Graham’s “Sketches from Chronicle” in it’s entirety.  A documentary of her work on the project is schedule to air May 2008.  She’s a former member of Vibrations Dance Company (SC) and is now a student at FIU studying Dance Education and Pre-Physical Therapy.

Ali Bramwell - Ballet

 

Alison (Ali) Bramwell has extensive training in classical ballet and is a qualified associate ballet teacher in the Cecchetti method. A member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing London, Ali has studied Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) under Mignon Furman (Director of the American Academy of Ballet) and is a graduate of the University of Cape Town Ballet Faculty, South Africa. Performing professionally for over 20 years in ballet companies, television, music and large Vegas style extravaganzas, Ali and her dance partner/husband (Roy Bramwell) gained international recognition as featured principals and Adagio teammates worldwide. The couple has performed in such venues as: Le Lido - Amsterdam, Farrington Productions - Las Vegas and Japan, San Remo Casino - Italy, Japanese touring company of the famed Paradis Latin (Paris), Atlantis Casino - Bahamas, Donald Trumps Mara Largo and for numerous mega cruise lines.

Nejila Innerarity - Modern

 

Nejila, a native Jamaican, has been performing professionally since the age of 15, first in Jamaica at the Little Theatre Dance Company productions, and later in Washington D.C. for the African Dance Company, Adadaa Memories of Africa with Djimo Kouyate. Nejila an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and poet has performed with several companies in African, jazz, modern and ballet - Tony Powell/Music & Movement (Modern/Ballet), Motion Mania Dance Theatre Company (Jazz/Modern), CityDance Ensemble (Contemporary Jazz/Modern) and Pfuzsion Entertainment Dance Company (Hip Hop). Nejila has performed at notable theatres in Washington D.C. such as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Theatre, Smithsonian Baird Auditorium, Ford Theatre, National Theatre, Ward Theatre, and others. She has trained under the direction of world renowned Anna Sokolow (orig. Graham Dancer), Katherine Dunham (Dunham), Milton Myers (orig. Horton Dancer), Don Martin (orig. Horton Dancer), Rex Nettleford (Jamaican Kumina) and others. Nejila is the Development Director at the Arts Academy.

Rosario Nené Ortega - Ballroom, Tango, Latin

 

Nené, as she prefers to be called, is a native Venezuelan, lives to dance! Her passion is Argentine Tango, Latin Ballroom and Bellydancing. She has been actively performing nationally and internationally in opera houses, ballrooms, universities and at community events for several years. Nene began her dance education at Pine Manor College in Boston as a modern dance major. She continued her education in Paris at the Universite La Sorbonne de Paris. Currently, Nene attends Tango workshops in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the recipient of Dance Heat USA Best Talent Award in 2005 and USA Dance Association Best Choreographer in 2006. She teaches group and private lessons at the Arts Academy.

Marisa Sillner - Tap
Marisa has had a lifelong affinity for music.  She trained at the New York Conservatory for the Arts where she began intensively studying voice, acting, and dance at the age of 6.  Since her childhood, she has been performing professionally, touring internationally and nationally in countless musicals, as well as Song-N-Dance Theme Park Revues.  She is fortunate to have studied voice privately for 15 years under a repertoire of reputable instructors including NY musical composer, Stephen Kitsakos, Douglas Farrell of Carnegie-Mellon, and Elisabeth Bell of the English Nat’l Opera.  She continued her training abroad, where she began her undergraduate studies at Kingston-Upon-Thames University just outside of London where she also performed and sang musical gigs.  She graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Florida Atlantic University and has been steadily working as both a performer and teacher in South Florida for over 5 years.  She has also directed, written, and adapted many children’s musicals.  She plays both the piano and guitar and has experience in songwriting and performing in rock bands based in Woodstock, NY and London.  She can be found performing weekly in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Musical-Dinner-Theatre, “LAFFING MATTERZ” - an original member of their resident Comedy Troupe.

Terri Goodwin
Terri began her extensive dance career at the ripe age of two.  A born performer enrolled in her first ballet and tap classes at Barr Allen Dance Studio in Fort Lauderdale.  Her passion of expression though movement took her to explore many different genres of dance and performance.  Her years of hard work and dedication paid off when she found her niche at Winter Guard International.  The most unknown form of art and expression though dance and skill called Sport of the Arts.  This not-for-profit organization teaches children and young adults respect, dedication and an unprecedented drive for excellence.  Terri has been an Independent World Class performer and competitor since 1997.  She has competed at the highest level World Class for ten years where she has maintained international top ten status.  Still exploring different outlets to express her passion she is excited to join the team at the Arts Academy of Hollywood and spread her infectious positive nature.  She looks for a brighter future through teaching children how to create imagination and self-expression through the arts.