BALLET • POINTE • HIP HOP • BROADWAY JAZZ • TAP • LYRICAL •• WEDDING DANCES
CREATIVE DANCE • COMBO CLASSES • BALLROOM • BIRTHDAY PARTIES
• PRIVATE LESSONS •

THE DANCE LOFT was opened in 1984 by Willa Damien who studied at the School of American Ballet, the Julliard School and with Andre Eglevsky. She was a soloist with the Eglevsky Ballet Company before moving to Belgium where she appeared as a soloist with the Royal Opera of Ghent, the Ballet of Flanders of Antwerp and Bejarts Ballet of the 20th Century. Her teaching experience includes classes given at the Royal Opera of Ghent, Belgium, at her own studio in Ghent and at various schools on Long Island. Her students have continued on to the American School of Ballet, Joffrey's, Alvin Ailey and the Bolshoi School in Moscow.

FACULTY

Willa Damien - Director

Brooke Robyn Dairman, master class instructor, is an accomplished professional dancer and has held leading roles regionally, off-Broadway, and in Broadway national tours. Brooke graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and holds her Masters of Social Work from Columbia University. She is a coowner of Body Barre, a unique adult dance fitness program offering classes at The Dance Loft. www.brookerobyn.com

Laura Margaret Murphy Laura studied at The Dance Loft, Binghamton University and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Laura previously taught jazz, tap, and ballet at the Binghamton Children’s Dance Theater, and she has choreographed numerous children’s musicals throughout Long Island.

Rachel Portnof has been dancing at The Dance Loft for over fourteen years. She is currently a dance major at Adeiphi University under the direction of Frank Augustyn, focusing on ballet, pointe, and modern. She recently attended the American Ballet Theatre’s Collegiate Intensive where she studied under ABT’s most prestigious faculty such as Melissa Allen Bowman, Ethan Brown, and Hilary Cartwright.

Nikki Ruscica has studied at Horizans, Oceanside Dance Center, and Broadway Dance Center in NYC. She has performed for the town of Hempstead, the Belmont Fair, and has participated in numerous dance competitions. She has taught ballet, tap, lyrical and hip hop at various studios on Long Island. She is currently pursuing early childhood education at Nassau Community College.

Call us at (516) 889-STEP / 7837

email: danceloftlb@aol.com