Online Dance Lessons & Dance Coaches
Our Dance Coaches are ready to help you shine! Our one-on-one, online dance lessons allow you to start your dance training by establishing a strong dance technique foundation, refine your dance technique, work on developing a new part of your dance technique (i.e. learning how to do a triple pirouette) or exploring a new or favorite dance technique—ballet to jazz to modern dance to tap to contemporary. Our Dance Coaches work specifically with you, so that you can improve dance technique in a safe and supportive atmosphere.
Our Dance Coaches are professional NYC dancers and performers with top BFA and conservatory training. They are up-to-date on the latest dance trends, trained to teach dance in all different styles in your online dance lessons, and are experts on the audition process. They have worked with students of all ages on a range of dance styles—modern dance, contemporary dance, ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap.
In your one-on-one, online dance lesson with your Dance Coach, via Skype/FaceTime, you will choose a dance goal in your first online dance lesson (as specific as learning how to get a clean tap sound or as general as strengthening your core or learning how to dance more fluidly with the music) and you will receive a choreographed combination created by your dance coach via video to target your specific dance goals. In your online dance lessons, you will work on improving the dance technical elements within the specific choreography and learn how to perform the character of the choreography. You will also receive a Dance Warm-up Video Series (ballet, modern/jazz, and tap) to practice between dance lesson and auditions and strengthen dance technique skills.
Meet the Dance Coaches
Meet Dance Coach
☆ Joey Dippel ☆
Joey Dippel is originally from San Jose, CA and is now based in NYC as a professional actor, director, choreographer, and amateur pancake-maker. He earned his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where he choreographed the Theatre Division’s productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Street Scene, & Into a Lamplit Room: a Kurt Weill Revue, as well as the Musical Theatre Showcase in New York. He also conceived, directed and choreographed two original one-act dance pieces, the annual holiday benefit concert, Carol for a Cause, and received the Lehman Engel Award for Achievement in Musical Theatre Dance.
Joey has performed regionally with the Bucks Country Playhouse (Benjie, Summer of ’42, dir. Hunter Foster), the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport (Baby John, West Side Story), Pioneer Theatre Company, Weston Playhouse, the Lincoln Theater in Napa Valley, and Marquee San Jose. He has assisted and danced for Otis Salid, Patti Wilcox, Lorin Latarro, Jeffry Denman, and Jacob Brent.
As an independent choreographer, he has worked for the Broadway Dreams Foundation, the Musical Theatre Factory, the Kurt Weill Foundation, and Penguin Rep. He teaches and choreographs for the Children’s Musical Theatre of San Jose, Staten Island Academy, and his own donation-based dance class series called “Combo & a Cocktail."
☆ Q & A with Joey ☆
Current Audition Song & Monologue: “King of New York” from Newsies
Ariel from The Tempest
Special Skills: Basic rope twirling tricks
What (or whom) inspires you?: Choreographers like Andy Blankenbuehler, Wayne Cliento, & Al Blackstone
First Broadway show you ever saw: Fiddler on the Roof (with Harvey Fierstein & Andrea Martin)
Favorite play of ALL time: Peter and the Starcatcher
Broadway star you would most love to perform with: Hugh Jackman or Neil Patrick Harris
Favorite Movie when you were a kid: Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights
First tape/CD you ever owned: Spice Girls’ “Spice” (and it was definitely a tape)
Pop culture guilty pleasure: One Direction
Most memorable role in high school musical: Will Rogers in The Will Rogers' Follies
Crazy audition story: I was in a dance call for a Christmas revue that a theatre company was creating, so no one auditioning was really sure what they were looking for. The combination was to the Linus and Lucy theme from A Charlie Brown Christmas and the concept was kids playing in the snow. I quickly assessed that I was not the best dancer in the room, but I like to think I’m funny and creative and wanted to showcase that. So during my time to dance, we had a few seconds for improvisation. Not having many fancy dance tricks, I made the choice to lick (yes, lick!) one of the large pillars in the room and act like my tongue was stuck, a la A Christmas Story. I ended up booking the job and on the first day of rehearsal, the director told the entire cast/crew about my audition.
Three things you can’t live without: The people I love, my iCalendar, and coffee
Favorite thing about New York City: Running into friends on the street
Cats
Age 16
Meet Dance Coach
☆ Ashley Peter ☆
Ashley Peter is originally from Lakeland, Florida, where she trained at Highland School of Dance and Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. She studied and performed with the Orlando Ballet (formerly Southern Ballet Theatre), The Cecchetti International Summer Dance School, Thodos Dance Chicago, The Imperial Symphony Orchestra, Florida Dance Theatre, and The Broadway Theatre Project. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a concentration in jazz and ballet, as well as a minor in Journalism and Mass Communications from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is certified in the Cecchetti method of ballet technique.
In the tri-state area, she has choreographed for and taught at New Canaan Dance Academy, Performers Theatre Workshop, Ridgewood Performing Arts Center, Mt. Kisco’s The Studio, Taps and Toes Dance Studio, and Theatre and Dance Arts Westchester. She has been on staff for Universal Dance association, DivaDance NYC and an assistant at the Broadway Theatre Project, and most recently, The Jimmy Awards, also known as The National High School Musical Theater Awards. She has choreographed for high school dance teams and performance companies across the U.S, where her choreography has received numerous awards.
She recently had the privilege to choreograph singer/songwriter Joey Contreras’ first music video, "Ohio." Her professional performance credits include national industrials in NYC, Pittsburgh, Orlando, and Ohio, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, RWS & Associates, and The Walt Disney Company. She is currently a member of the contemporary dance company UrbanHumans.
☆ Q & A with Ashley ☆
Current Dance Combo: Right now, I am choreographing any cover of Sia’s "Chandelier" I can get my hands on!
Current Go-To Warm-up Song: No matter what style I’m teaching, I always use Janet Jackson's "All Nite." It has the greatest beat!
Special Skills: Contortionist, Flute Player, Jewelry Making
Who inspires you?: Music, my students, and Martha Graham!
First Broadway show you ever saw: Thoroughly Modern Millie with Sutton Foster
Favorite musical of ALL time: West Side Story and Chicago. I can’t choose.
Broadway/Film star you would most love to perform with: Neil Patrick Harris
Favorite Movie when you were a kid: Tie! My Best Friend’s Wedding & Mrs. Doubtfire
First tape/CD you ever owned: Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill"
Pop culture guilty pleasure: *NSYNC’s "I Want You Back"
Most memorable role in high school musical: The Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty
Crazy audition story: I was in a scholarship audition at a dance convention, and for the acro portion, you had to do a balance of some sort. I decided to do a chest stand. I’d done it 100 times before, but it was at the end of the day, so nerves and exhaustion got to me and I passed out in the chest stand in front of 200 people! I was ok, but people still bring it up today, I'm known as ‘Pass out girl.’
Three things you can’t live without: Chapstick, coffee and my family!
Favorite thing about New York City: Everyday is an adventure. no two days are ever the same, and the littlest thing become the biggest adventure or turn into the most memorable day.
Sailor Girl Ballet
16 years old
Meet Dance Coach
☆ Sarah Lovett ☆
Sarah Lovett is originally from Heber City, Utah where she trained and performed with Wasatch Dance Center, Odyssey Dance, and Center Stage. She began teaching at 17, falling in love with the training process through taking classes with Wade Robson, Mia Michaels and Dan Karaty.
While attending a dance intensive in the Land of Angels before her freshman year of college, she discovered contemporary movement. She attended the University of Utah for Modern Dance and began performing her own choreography through various outlets and was invited to dance with ESPN and the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics before her senior graduation.
As a dance teacher, Sarah has taught with Wasatch Dance Center, Dance Tech Studios, Salt Lake Continuing Education, The Girl Scouts of America, The Studio of Performing Arts in New Canaan, and the Statement Arts Program in New York City. She specializes in jazz technique, ballet, hip hop, funk and contemporary/modern. She is also Pilates and Reiki certified.
☆ Q & A with Sarah ☆
Current Audition Song: “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid
Special Skills: Hula hooping, crystal magic, card reading, and gardening
What (or whom) inspires you?: Nature, Bob Fosse, Dee Caspary (LA based choreographer), and Tess Hewlett ( LA based dancer)
First Broadway show you ever saw: Cats
Broadway star you would most love to perform with: Sutton Foster or Neil Patrick Harris
First tape/CD you ever owned: Janet Jackson's “Rhythm Nation”
Pop culture guilty pleasure: Britney Spears and BIEBER!
Most memorable role in high school musical: Damn Yankees choreographer
Crazy audition story: While interviewing for a college dance scholarship, I tripped on the way to the table and my portfolio went everywhere. The interviewer said, “ I thought you were supposed to be a dancer." I replied, "I’m not on a dance floor." I got the scholarship.
Three things you can’t live without: Coffee, rose quartz, the people I love
Favorite thing about New York City: People watching in Washington Square Park
