Staff Biographies

Simone DePaolo is well versed in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical,Musical Theatre, Afro/Jazz, and Modern ,she has been trained by such masters as Mr. Charles Kelley, Phil Black, Don Farnsworth, and at Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theatre. Her vocal attributes include singing and recording lead and back-up with various artists including the Platters, Kid Creole , Toto Cotugno and Claudio Baglioni . Simone's TV appearances include NBC's Saturday Night Live) and RAI TV (Italy) in a variety of productions . She toured nationally with a number of musicals including Smokey Joe’s Café (Brenda), Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary Magdalene) and Pippin (Leading Player) to name a few. Simone has worked extensively with musical theatre and cabaret groups as coach and choreographer (o.a. with Youthbridge Theatre Workshop founded by Mr. Paul Newman). She received many awards and recognitions for her various pieces. Simone coaches vocal students and teaches dance master classes worldwide, taught and judged with StarQuest International and recently presented at the DanceTeacherWeb Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. She is currently on staff at Sacred Heart University with the Theatre Arts Program.

Hip-hop dancer/B-boy Kenneth “Ken Fury” Marez Jr. was raised in Pueblo, Colorado, where he grew up with a strong desire of self expression and a passion for dance. Ken built his technique by training with the Lordz of Finesse Crew and competing in many nationwide Break Dance competitions. Ken’s dance style became so dynamic, at the age of sixteen he was asked to perform with artists such as Rahzel, Kurtis Blow and the Black Eyed Peas. Since then he has been a featured performer for Full Circle Productions, K-Swiss print advertisements, The New York City Float Committee, and other commercials. His dream is not only to become the best dancer he can be, but to inspire others how to express their souls through dance and encourage one’s ability to utilize the spirit of dance to be free!

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Royce has danced professionally for 22 years both in the U.S and Europe. The last nine have been in New York City where he was a regular in (o.a.) the Nutcracker. He is presently Certified in The American Ballet Theatre Teaching Curriculum and has his Masters in Higher Education and Ballet Pedagogy from N.Y.U. Steinhardt. His background also includes extensive training in tap, jazz, and musical theater. He received his B.F.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Royce has performed with professional companies in Classical and Contemporary Ballet works, professional Modern based companies and has done professional work in the field of musical theater as well.

Royce has taught master classes and workshops in classical ballet, contemporary movement, and partnering in Dallas, Florida, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Germany, and New York City. He has been on staff at Broadway Dance Center, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center's Ailey Extension Program, and The School at Steps on Broadway. His classes are challenging but fun. His class thrives on musicality, shifting of weight, and conscious movement through space. Royce is very passionate about students passing the point of what they perceive their own limitations to be only to discover new boundaries to explore in personal growth and development with in the art form.

Olisa Thompson (Edited version from www.cecilyandolisa.com). Born and raised in New York, Olisa Thompson (and Cecily Bradley) are the award-winning, show-stopping choreographing team known as Nu-Stylz. By the time they were teens they’d already earned a reputation for ripping down stages at dance competitions, college shows and the world-famous Apollo. Since then, Nu-Stylz has gone to become one of the hottest choreographers in the business, working with top entertainers such as G-Unit, Missy Elliot, Tweet, Daddy Yankee, Mario, The Fugees, and Whitney Houston. The choreography on Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On” music video earned them nominations at the 7th Annual American Choreography Awards and the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. At the 10th Annual American Choreography Awards they won the “Outstanding Achievement in Choreography” award for their work on Missy’s “Pass the Dutch” music video. In the spring of 2006 Olisa and Cecily were selected to judge the second season of Fox TV’s hit reality-competition show “So You Think You Can Dance”. They also worked on commercials for Nike and the 2006 “VH1 Hip Hop Honors” awards show where they took their skills to another level by choreographing and dancing alongside a 75-piece marching band and with hip-hop legends Rakim, Ice Cube, Ice-T, the Wu-Tang Clan, and the Beastie Boys.

Svea Schneider was born and raised in Landau, Germany. She moved to New York City in 2003 to study at the renowned Broadway Dance Center to pursue her dancing career. In 2006 she received her Extraordinary Artist Visa for the United States and since 2007 she is signed to the agency Cleartalent Group. Svea has been trained in Jazz and Modern Dance but found her passion in the street dance styles such as House, Hip Hop, Breakdance, Locking, Popping, Waacking, Voguing and Hustle. She has taught and performed throughout Germany, the UK, the US, Canada, Dubai and India. Svea has worked with artists such as Lil John, Nitty and Speedy and has danced for MTV’s TRL, BET 106 & Park, ABC Networks “The View”, Eska Music Video Awards and MTV India.

Svea appeared in music videos such as Timberland’s “Part of me”, Lumidee`s “Sientelo”, Curly's "How it is" and Moby’s “Oh yeah”. She extensively toured the US and the UK with the all female hip hop company Decadancetheatre, in which she danced and co-choreographed from 2006 until 2008. Svea performed at such renowned stages as the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the South Bank Center in London, Liverpool Playhouse, Macrobert Theatre, B Supreme Festival, Bumbershoot and Jacobs Pillow. She has danced in the Off-Broadway Shows Carnival Girls and Prince Williamsburg; appeared in an independent movie and was subject of a documentary project released in Germany in 2001. Her own choreography has been performed at “Cut Loose” at various theaters around the world. Svea appeared in the magazines Dance Spirit and Flair and was featured in the Mumbai Times, Sadie Magazine and Maxi.

KARIN SARI RENDELMAN

Karin, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., is a working choreographer and teacher now residing in New York City. Graduating Cum Laud from Florida International University, Miami Florida, she earned a BA in Dance. Her infectious energy and her passion for dance, seasoned while she mentored under the Broadway Tap Dancer, Jimmy Tate. Karin continues her training at BDC and STEPS on Broadway.

Karin has been teaching for over ten years and during this time, was honored to become the Director of the Dance Department at the nationally renowned Weiss School. Karin also directed a youth tap company in South Florida where her students and choreography were recognized with numerous awards at a variety of competitions on both regional and national levels. In addition, she continues to teach master classes and create choreography for many students from Florida to New York.

Karin is excited to become a part of the family at SPAC and is looking forward to a very successful year! Her passion for her art and the technique that supports it, for rhythm and energy and the combination of it all, can be seen in her ambitious and expressive choreography!

Angela Crain began teaching hip hop dance at Peridance in 2002 and is excited to be back in the program after finishing her degree in performance studies and sociology at NYU. Her dance career has led her from Louisiana to San Francisco, LA, Brazil and NYC where she began

performing and teaching with Decadancetheatre, an all-female hip hop dance company. Since 2002, Ms. Crain has toured throughout the US and Europe and has performed in programs such as NBA Allstars broadcast, commercials for Macy’s and Nike, a Reebok industrial, music video for Sony music artist, as well as Jacob’s Pillow dance festival. As a teaching artist, Ms. Crain has worked with children and adults from diverse backgrounds including community organizations, public schools, and private studios. She believes that dance has the pervasive capacity to break through social and cultural barriers and to promote mutual respect among artists. Her class will integrate various forms of hip hop movement into concert dance while engaging students both physically and intellectually to explore their own artistic expression.

David Fernandez is a choreographer, dancer, and ballet teacher based in New York. Born in Mexico City, David Fernandez studied at the Centro de Arte y Ballet. He immigrated to the United States in 1989 after winning a scholarship to Giordano Jazz Dance in Chicago, where he performed with the company and

received the Jeffrey Mildenstein Award. David began choreographing while studying at the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, creating contemporary works for performance in art galleries and alternative spaces.

Most recently, David was commissioned to create a solo for New York City Ballet Principal Joaquin de Luz for the celebrated Kings of the Dance Tour (2009-10). The solo, Five Variations on a Theme, was performed on tour in Europe as well as in the US at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles and New York’s City Center. De Luz also danced the piece at the Youth America Grand Prix 2010 Gala - Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow.

David’s work has been featured in festivals and competitions including the Youth America Grand Prix, the Jackson Competition, and the New York International Choreographer’s Festival. In January 2009, two of his works premiered at Lincoln Center’s Dance on Camera Festival; Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear starring New York City Ballet Principal Daniel Ulbricht, and Icarus APR, a contemporary choreography created for New York City Ballet Soloist Ask La Cour. Objects in Mirror was then selected for performance as part of Ballet Builders 2010, an annual group show featuring work by emerging choreographers. New York City Ballet Soloist Ask La Cour danced the lead role in performances at The Ailey Citigroup Theater in April 2010.

David has also choreographed for companies across the US including Brooklyn Ballet, Opera North, Staten Island Ballet, and Westchester Ballet Company. During his dance career, David performed with Chicago’s Boitsov Classical Ballet dancing roles in Le Corsair, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Specter de la Rose, and Pinocchio. He danced with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for several years, performing in Aida, Faust, Ghost of Versailles, and as a soloist in Un Re in Ascolto. David was also a guest artist with the Ballet Theatre of Chicago and in Indiana University’s production of Don Quixote, directed by Susan Jones of the American Ballet Theatre. A highlight of David's later career was performing alongside Mikhail Baryshnikov in the play The Doctor and The Patient at the 2004 Lincoln Center Festival

Born in Minsk in the Republic of Byelorussia, Vitali Krauchenka trained, from the age of six, at the Byelorussian Choreographic School and performed with the Byelorussian Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. After graduations he joined the National Ballet Theatre of Belarus, then moved to Riga, Latvia where he danced with the Latvian National Opera. He also danced in Canada with Atlantic Ballet Theatre and Ballet Jorgen of Canada. His repertory with those companies included roles in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, Romeo and Juliet, and other classical and modern ballets such as Carmen, Le Sacre du Printemps, 3x, Ben Jorgan’s Petrouchka, Boris Eifman’s Tchaikovsky and Kchistof Pastor’s Carmen.

Krauchenka joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2004. His roles with the Company include the Rajah in La Bayadère, the Father in Fall River Legend, the Duke of Courland in Giselle, The Man She Must Marry in Jardin aux Lilas, the Father in Prodigal Son, the Lead Spanish Dancer in Raymonda, Lord Montague in Romeo and Juliet, Gallison and the Russian Prince in The Sleeping Beauty and Von Rothbart and the Spanish Dance in Swan Lake, as well as other roles in the Company’s eclectic repertoire.

Krauchenka has toured extensively, performing in Russia, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Finland, Switzerland and Italy, among others.

Always bringing the best New York has to offer to Stamford in a safe and friendly environment.

Former New York City Ballet dancer, ABT soloist, currently Principal Guest Artist.