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The Joan Izzo Academy of Dance |
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Our Teachers |
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To contact us: |
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The Joan Izzo Academy of Dance |
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Ms. Mary E. White-Swift Ms. Mary E. White-Swift has been teaching dance in Fairfax County since the early 1990s. She came to the Joan Izzo Academy of Dance in the fall of 2001. Since coming to the school, she instituted the Academy’s annual production of “The Kingdom of Sweets,” premiering in 2002. She has staged a number of ballet suites including “Gaite Parisienne,” “Appalachian Spring,” “Raymonda” and “The Cotillion.” Ms. Mary led a group of dancers to perform in Orlando, Florida, for Walt Disney’s Magic Music Days in 2006 and 2007. Additionally, Ms. Mary oversees several additional performances including “The Kingdom of Sweets” Teas, local parades, and various other performing opportunities. Ms. White-Swift began her dance training at the age of three and earned a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Dance (teaching concentration) from Mercyhurst College in 2000. The Joan Izzo Academy of Dance has become a second home where Ms. Mary can combine her love for Christ and her love for Dance in a unique and enriched atmosphere. She would like to thank her husband and family for all their support to her and to the Academy. |
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Ms. Allison Geary Ms. Allison Geary’s passion for dance began with her training at the Gwinnett Ballet Theater in Atlanta, Ga.. She also was fortunate to study at the Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and the Georgia Govenors Honor Program. She later went on to join the Gwinnett Ballet Theater as a paid professional. Upon leaving Atlanta, she joined the Orlando Ballet where she danced professionally for 8 years. While there, she had the opportunity to work with many well known teachers and choreographers such as, Fernando Bujones, Christopher Fleming ,and Melissa Hayden to name a few. She had opportunities to dance principal roles in the Nutcracker, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, and many other ballets. In addition to Orlando Ballet, she has performed with Walt Disney World and the American Jewish Ballet at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C.. She has taught at various dance schools throughout central Florida and Georgia, and is happy to add Virginia to the list. Allison has also choreographed several ballets for Orlando Ballet and the Northeast Atlanta Ballet to include, “The Little Mermaid”, “To the Rhythm”, “The Seven Deadly Sins”, and many more. She believes that we should use the gifts that God gave us to glorify him and to always strive to do our best. She currently resides in Bristow, Virginia with her husband Jon and their two daughters. |
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Ms. Heidi Rodeffer Ms. Heidi Rodeffer is originally from Harrisonburg, VA where she studied dance from the age of six. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with Honors from Shenandoah University in Dance Performance and Choreography and a minor in Psychology. As a scholarship student, her choreography was showcased and she was selected to be a soloist for various performances. She received the Terpsichore Award for her contributions as a professional artist her senior year. Heidi has performed twice at the Jazz Dance World Congress where she studied with the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. She danced professionally at the Kennedy Center Honors Tribute to Chita Rivera and premiered a solo at Dance Place in DC. She was hired to perform for modern companies directed by Paula Kellinger in Pennsylvania and by Beverly Cordova Duane in Virginia. She has also studied with and performed a work by DanceBrazil’s director Jelon Vieira and a work by Anna Sokolow, staged by Lorry May. Since graduating from Shenandoah in 2005, Heidi has taught Jazz, Modern, Ballet, and Choreography at Valley Dance Theatre in Staunton, VA. She is excited to be teaching her second year here and looks forward to getting to know all of her new students. |
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Ms. Shontya’ Washington Ms. Shontya’ Washington is a God-fearing woman who has a passion for dance. She began dancing at the age of 2 ½. Her dance disciplines include ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop, clogging, and Irish. While in high school she auditioned and was chosen to be a part of the first group of Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency Program. During this program, she was also one of the few selected students to perform on stage with the Performing Company of Dance Theatre of Harlem. She attended James Madison University, and received her Bachelor of Science degree in the major of Integrated Science and Technology and a minor in Computer Science. Although she did not major in dance she still maintained her skills by taking classes while at the university. She also ran track and currently holds track records both at JMU and at her high school (Herndon High). Upon graduation she continued her dance life by teaching at the Northern Virginia Center for Dance and Theatre (NVCDT), the studio where she had been a student since she was 4. There she taught ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. She also was a substitute teacher in the disciplines of clogging, Irish, modern, and musical theatre. Since the closing of the dance studio, she had been trying to find a place that was based on the same dance principles held at NVCDT. The first time she visited the Joan Izzo Academy of Dance, she felt it was a place to call home. Shontya’ is a wife to Brian Washington, Sr. and mother to Brian Jr., Braxton, and Janai. Her love for her family is second only to her love of Christ. She is a devoted wife and mother, with an incredible passion and love for the art of dance. |
