Michael Guzman, owner and teacher, a native of Puerto Rico, grew up in New York City. While attending Syracuse University, he began his ballroom dance instruction teaching for Walt Medicis. A former teacher at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, he gained further experiences as a choreographer for the school musicals as the instructor for the Ballroom Dance Club. His performance credits include Pepe in West Side Story and Pedro in Man of la Mancha. Mike is a regular guest instructor in many school districts throughout the area.
Marisa Guzman-Colegrove, owner and our artistic director, is a lifetime member of the CNY dance community. She specializes in Flamenco and is one of the only teachers of this dance style in Upstate New York. She also teaches jazz, creative movement, ballet, modern and is trained in Stott Pilates. She is an award-winning choreographer whose credits include the Syracuse Contemporary Dance Company, Syracuse Opera, Syracuse Symphony, Fayetteville-Manlius High School musicals, Town of Manlius summer shows and most recently a SALT award winner for her choreography in CNY Playhouses’ “Adams Family.” She has performed with Alegre Flamenco throughout the Upstate Region. She recently got her certification to teach Rhythm Works Integrative Dance classes for children with special needs.
Anna Rupertis co-artistic director and a dance teacher at GDS. She is trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Modern, and Flamenco. Anna began taking dance at the age of three and has studied with various schools throughout CNY, as well as taken master classes in CNY, Spain, and Cuba. She has additionally studied Flamenco in Boston with Isaac de los Reyes and in Spain with Asuncion Demartos and others. She has performed with Marisa in Alegre Flamenco throughout the Upstate Region, as well as with various companies in the area, and with Syracuse Opera Company. Anna wrote her thesis this past year on Movement and Neurological Development in Infants Aged 0-3 and is currently applying to programs to get her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She recently got her certification in Rhythm Works Integrative Dance, to teach dance classes for children with special needs.
Lauren Puente is a dancer, singer and actress who graduated with a B.A. in Musical Theater from SUNY Cortland. She has performed for almost every theater company in Upstate NY and has added choreography credits to her list of accomplishments including CNY Playhouse, Fabius Pompey musicals,FM high school musical and Manlius summer shows. You can also find her as one of her many characters at the interactive Museum of Intrigue, Destiny USA.
Caroline Brackett holds an MA from Columbia University, Teachers College in Dance Education and is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) through the Laban Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies. She is a NYS certified dance educator who has been working in the public school system since 1996. She has taught ballet and modern for many private studios in CNY, NYC, and NOLA.
Janna Kozloski holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Nazareth University (previously Nazareth College). She has studied ballet, pointe, musical theater, and jazz since age 4. Janna performed with The Rev on Tour (formerly Merry-Go-Round Youth Tour) from 2018-2020. She then received her MS in School Librarianship from SUNY Buffalo and is now the Library Media Specialist at Solvay Elementary School. Janna remains heavily involved in the theater and dance community of Syracuse. She has performed with The Redhouse and Baldwinsville Theater Guild, serves on the board of directors for BTG, co-directs and choreographs the Wellwood Middle School spring musical, and is involved with the New York State Theater Education Association (NYSTEA).
Sasha Banashkevich started her dance career at the age of 6 in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. She took part in many competitions in different European countries. In 2012 Sasha became the winner of the Finnish championship. She also was a finalist of many championships in Europe and Saint-Petersburg, Russia. In 2016 she was a candidate master of sport. Sasha also trained many dancers, individual and group, varying in all ages. She is ready to help anyone whether new or experienced. Sasha teaches different styles of dancing such as: Ballroom Dancing, Bachata, Salsa, High-Heels, Reggaeton. Sasha can also assist with choreography, stretching. Sasha’s main goal is to ensure you leave your session happy and a better dancer.
Hannah Komar graduated from Nazareth College where she earned her B.M. in music education and she is now an elementary music teacher in the Fayetteville-Manlius School District. Hannah has been dancing from the age of 3 and spent her high school years dancing at Guzman’s Dance Studio. For the past four summers she has taught classes at the studio for students ages 3-18. She also has been in charge of the summer Storybook Camp for the past two years. During the school year she participated in a dance ensemble at her college and helped to choreograph their recitals each semester.