Lisa Zola - DeLibero | Director Lisa has been dancing since the age of seven. She started her dance training at The Ballet Studio under the direction of her mom, Beverly Zola. While taking weekly classes at The Ballet Studio, Lisa attended master dance classes and workshops in New York City, while also attending classes at Princeton Ballet. As well as a love for dance, she also played sports throughout her elementary, middle, and high school years. Lisa attended The College of New Jersey where she received a Bachelors degree in psychology, with a minor in journalism. During her years at TCNJ, she wrote a fitness and nutrition column for The Signal, the college newspaper. She then attended Rider University where she received a graduate teaching degree in elementary education. Lisa is presently attending Rider University Graduate school where she will receive a Life and Career Coaching Graduate Certificate.

Sherri began dancing at The Ballet Studio at the age of three under the direction of Beverly Zola, owner and former ballerina with the Thomas Cannon Ballet Company. She attended Rutgers University where she graduated with a BA in Sociology and was certified as an elementary school teacher. During college she pursued her love of dance as captain of the nationally ranked RU dance team and as a Universal Dance Association instructor. After graduation, she was honored to become part of the TBS staff and work alongside her mentor, friend, and director, Miss Lisa. Sherri's passion for dance and teaching continue as she heads the competition program at the studio and works as a fourth grade teacher at Errickson School in Freehold. She is forever grateful to teach at the studio where she grew up and to be part of an amazing staff which she considers family.

Amber began dancing at the age of 3, under the direction of Beverly Zola, at The Ballet Studio. She previously danced with her high school dance team as well as attending recreational dance classes in NY & NJ. Amber enjoys teaching, choreographing, and interacting with the students while they learn. She currently teaches combination classes. She graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Chemical Engineering, with minors in Economics and Psychology. Amber currently works for Church & Dwight.

Cara has been dancing since the age of three. She started participating in dance competitions at the age of eight to the age of eighteen. She received an associates degree in the Arts from Mercer County Community College where she studied dance. She was a part of the Mercer Dance Ensemble for two years. She recently transferred to Richard Stockton College where she plans on recieving a Bachelors in Dance with a concentration in Pre Movement Therapy. She is also a member of the dance team for Stockton. She plans on receiving her Masters and becoming a Dance Therapist. This is her third year teaching jazz and hip hop at TBS and she loves every minute of it! ut. Michaela is so excited to be helping out again this year, and looks forward to making more amazing memories!

Erika began dancing at the age of 3 under the direction of Ms. Irene Parker. She continued her enjoyment of dance at the Dance Shop under Ms. Joyce Smilek for 12 years. At the Dance Shop Erika participated in tap, jazz, lyrical and ballet she also took part in competitions. After Erika finished high school she began taking classes and teaching with Ms. Lisa at the Ballet Studio. She also participated in competitions. During the same time Erika attended MCCC and graduated from Rowan University with a BA in History. While at Rowan University Erika launch the Rowan Dance Team. They performed at home football and basketball games as well as school functions. She currently is employed by the State of NJ as a Senior Police Officer with the Department of Human Services. She still continues to enjoy her love for dance by instructing and choreographing for students performing solos, duets, and trios.

Amanda began dancing at The Ballet Studio when she was five years old. She started with foundations in ballet technique and eventually moved on to jazz, lyrical and pointe. In addition to these classes, Amanda joined the competitive dancers at The Ballet Studio until graduating from high school in 2006. Upon graduation, she became a Ballet Studio staff member. Amanda is currently a junior at The College of New Jersey where she is pursuing a double major in Special Education and Math, Science, Technology and a double minor in Psychology and Communication Disorders. While academics hold the highest regard, Amanda also finds time to dance on TCNJ's Dance Team. The dance team attends camp every summer, performs at home football and basketball games, as well as other campus events, holds an annual fundraiser Dancers for Cancer, and competes every January at the Universal Dance Association's College Dance Team Nationals in Walt Disney World. Amanda currently teaches advanced level hip-hop at The Ballet Studio.

Jaime began dancing at the Ballet Studio at the age of 3, under the direction of Beverly Zola. She continued dancing until entering college, where she received her BA from Rutgers University. Shortly thereafter, Jaime spent some time living down south, working as an Educational Director, while always holding on to her love of dance and taking dance classes every chance she had. Jaime has since made her way back "home" and was welcomed back to The Ballet Studio, where her passion for dance first began. She is also the owner of Petite Treats by Jaime Christine, a chocolate specialty company, although dancing will always be her first love. "Working with young dancers is such a joy, and I am thrilled to be back and part of the TBS family, doing what I love and seeing that same joy radiate on the dance floor through our dancers!"

Alicia began dancing at the age of 4, under the direction of Irene Parker in Trenton, New Jersey. As her love of dance grew stronger, she attended classes at The Dance Shop in Hamilton Square for 11 years where she study tap, ballet, and jazz. She was also a member of the Competition Team who won many awards in both tap and jazz. She has also taken classes and workshops in New Jersey and New York. After High School Graduation she began assisting at The Ballet Studio in the Competition and PreSchool Programs. She attended Mercer County Community College and Georgian Court College in Lakewood, NJ, where she studied Special Education. She has taught the in the PreSchool program for the past 19 years and has been Director of the PreSchool Program for the past 2 years. She also teaches Ballet and Jazz in the intermediate classes. The Ballet Studio is her second home and all present, past and future students are her Kids!

Courtney began her dancing career at the age of three at the Hamilton YMCA. At five years old, she started at The Ballet Studio with Miss Lisa as her teacher, and loved it. During her years at TBS, Courtney was on the competitive team from the age of eight to eighteen, winning many awards and competing in nationals. After graduating high school, Courtney attended Rider University and graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2016 with her degree in Elementary Education, Psychology, and a minor in Special Education. She currently teaches elementary and special education. Courtney has loved dancing since a very young age, and was excited to return to The Ballet Studio as an instructor in 2016. She is thrilled to be back doing what she loves as an instructor and co-choreographer for the competition team.

Daria danced at The Ballet Studio since the age of three. She went on to study ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap, and lyrical. During high school she joined the competition team and participated in duets, solos, and group numbers. In her junior and senior years of high school, Daria volunteered teaching the youngest dancers at The Ballet Studio. Daria is currently a senior at The College of New Jersey where she majors in Business Administration with a specialty in Marketing and a minor in Communications. She was a member of the TCNJ Dance Team where she attended the UDA Dance Team Nationals in Walt Disney World. Currently, Daria dances for Turbulence, the Semi-Pro Arena Football League Dance Team. Daria will be teaching competition solos and duets this year and upon graduation will be a permanent staff member of the TBS dance family.

Victoria started dancing at The Ballet Studio at the age of 5. Her first classes were with Miss Lisa. When she got to be in the third grade, she started competition dance with Miss Sherri and loved it. She continued to dance competitively under the supervision of Miss Sherri and Miss Shelly and didn't stop until the age of 17 when she graduated high school. Once she turned 11, Victoria began pointe under the instruction of Miss Penny and later Miss Amber. Victoria loves pointe and ballet - its her favorite type of dance to watch, choreograph, and to dance. She is the beginner, intermediate, and advanced pointe instructor at The Ballet Studio. Victoria also teaches Ballet and Jazz combination classes at TBS. She has taken numerous workshops with professional instructors including Mr. Thomas Hanner, a guest professional instructor. Teaching dance isn’t a job to Victoria, it’s her passion. She loves the dancers, parents, and fellow instructors at The Ballet Studio. Victoria graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2012 from Rider University with a BA in Elementary Education, Psychology, and a minor in Special Education. Victoria worked for the Bordentown Regional School District as a Teacher of Students with Disabilities for two years. She is currently the Practice Manager at The Eye Care Center of Bordentown.

Julia started dancing at The Ballet Studio at the age of 3. She enjoyed dancing as well as having a love for photography, art, and playing field hockey. Julia attened Montclair State University where she majored in Family and Child Studies. Her love for children made her decide to attend Rider University, where she received her Graduate Teacher Certificate and is presently completing a Masters degree in education. She is currently teaching third grade at Robinson Elementary School in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.

Rachel began dancing at the age of three. At the age of seven, she started at The Ballet Studio with Miss Lisa as her teacher. During her time at TBS, Rachel was on the competition team and was a student-teacher. After graduating high school, she attended Penn State University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders. While at Penn State, she was a member of The Blue Band Silks and served as a guide and captain her junior and senior years. Upon graduation from college, she participated in the Disney College Program in Walt Disney World. Rachel recently graduated from Monmouth University with her Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology and is working as a speech therapist at a skilled nursing facility in Hamilton, NJ. She is excited to be back at The Ballet Studio as an instructor!

Emilia is thrilled to return to The Ballet Studio in a new role as instructor and continue the legacy her mother, Miss Brenda, created. She began her dance journey at TBS when she was just two-years-old, where she first connected to the performing arts. At TBS, Emilia trained in various dance styles - developing a love and appreciation for ballet - and was a member of the competition team until the end of her high school career. Since graduating high school, she periodically returned to TBS to guest teach and choreograph alongside her mom. Emilia graduated summa cum laude from Montclair State University in 2022 with a BA in Theatre Studies, earning herself the Citizen Artist Award from the Department of Theatre and Dance. Shortly after, she graduated from Montclair State in 2023 with her MA in Theatre. During her time at MSU, Emilia has served as the Production Dramaturg for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Artistic Director of the 2021 Student New Play Fest, and Dramaturg for Paterson Echoes Thru Time - a devised site-specific performance. Through her love of dance, Emilia discovered her passion for the art of theatre, finding her artistic voice within dramaturgy and directing. She believes that performance has the power to uplift authentic human experiences and empower artists and audiences alike to create positive change. Emilia strives to incorporate this philosophy in her work as an instructor and encourage students to uncover the joys of live performance, as she did at The Ballet Studio.

I started gymnastics at the age of 7 and quickly fell in love with the sport. I gained many accomplishments and awards as a competitive gymnast over the years. I decided to continue my gymnastics career at Temple University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology. My passion for gymnastics brought me into the world of coaching at the age of 13. I have coached all levels of gymnastics and continue to coach. After graduating from Temple University, I continued my education at Raritan Valley Community College with a certificate in Medical Assisting, and later went on to gain a dental radiology license. I am currently working in the dental field as a dental assistant/office manager.

Currently, Luke is receiving a Minor in Dance from the University of Pittsburgh under the direction of Susan Gillis-Kruman, Jessica Marino, and Jil Stifel. He has grown up dancing since he was 7 years old. Luke primarily studied dance at Dance Arts of Yardley in Lower Makefield, PA for 11 years with Andrea Bontoni, Jaime Santoro, Christina Castro, Melissa Profy, and Sakie Hachiya. While at Dance Arts of Yardley, Luke was a Senior Company Captain of the competition teams and was tasked with rehearsing and the cleaning of the various competition dances for the various ages and levels. While at Dance Arts, he was given the unique opportunity to student choreograph, under the advisement of Andrea Bontoni, for various ages and levels of the competition students. Luke started choreographing when he was thirteen and his choreography has won numerous top overall awards and special judges awards at various regional dance competitions and at nationals. Luke still sets pieces of choreography for competitions during winter break, as well as, choreograph for the dance productions, musicals, and concerts at the University of Pittsburgh. With regards to teaching and instruction, Luke completed a two-year teaching training program that included observational learning and feedback instruction from numerous instructors at Dance Arts of Yardley. He also has studied proper dance pedagogy under Susan Gillis-Kruman at Pitt. Luke has experience teaching children ages 5-18 in ballet, jazz, jazz funk, hip-hop, musical theater, contemporary/lyrical and modern. Some other class options that Luke teaches include improv classes, jumps and turns, and stretch/strengthening classes.

Jordan Jackson | Guest Instructor Jordan Joel Jackson, a native of Somerset, New Jersey, began his formal dance training at Inspira Performing Arts and Cultural Center and continued at Manhattan Youth Ballet. Mr. Jackson is a graduate of Somerset County Vocational and Technical High Schools Gifted and Talented Honors Dance Program. He is a 2x bronze medalist from the NAACP ACT-SO competition. He is also a recipient of the Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Art Award and a Certificate of Appreciation from the New Brunswick Area Branch of the NAACP. Jackson has performed in works by Frederick Earl Mosley, Clifton Brown, Antonio Brown, Artis Smith, Jessica DiMauro-Marks, and Maureen Glennon-Clayton. He is currently attending Montclair State University, majoring in Dance and Education. During his freshman year of college, he was named a Rehearsal Assistant to Jessica DiMauro-Marks for her work entitled Underneath.

Francesca started dancing when she was 9 years old at The Ballet Studio. Her first teacher at The Ballet Studio was Ms. Victoria. Francesca still remembers the first dance she did and, she still has the costume! It was one of her favorite costumes and one of her favorite dances. It was Stand By Me from Ben E King, still to this day is one of her favorite songs. Mrs. Victoria told the students while they are dancing this dance to think about someone they lost and dance our hearts out. Ever since then every lyrical dance Francescas dance, she think about all the love ones she has lost. In her junior year of high school, she joined the competition team. The dancers did Mamma Mia, one of her favorite movies. Over my years at the studio, Francesca met people and became best friends with all of the girls. She loves all the girls at The Ballet Studio and all the teachers. The Ballet Studio will forever be her favorite place and second home.

Gabriella has been dancing at The Ballet Studio since she was four years old and says now getting to be apart of the staff is such an honor, especially in a new position as an apprentice. Dancing has always been a joy for her, but once she joined the competition team at eight years old it became her passion. Gabriella continued to add as many classes as she could and enjoyed coming in as a helper for the Junior Competition Team. As she reached her senior year the idea of leaving dance and The Ballet Studio was heartbreaking which is why she couldn't be more excited for this opportunity of coming back and still being a part of the team. Gabriella looks forward to working with the ballet dancers as well as junior competition dancers, as she was in their place just a few years ago.

Sydnee started dancing at The Ballet Studio when she was 3. During her last two years of high school, she started volunteering at The Ballet Studio, helping teach under Mrs. Amber on Friday nights. Sydnee found a new joy for dancing, and could not bear to part with The Ballet Studio. Dance has been Sydnee's motivator to go to The College of New Jersey and become an art teacher. Being able to stay with The Ballet Studio community during college is something that inspires Sydnee to keep following her own dreams. Igniting someone else's passion for dance brings joy to Sydnee's life, and she cannot wait to become a teacher at The Ballet Studio.