HIP HOP 101 | HEELS 101 | TWERK IT OUT | HIGH HEELS

Calli is the owner and fearless leader of PASSION. She was raised in Beacon since the age of 5 and trained at Hudson River Performing Arts Center throughout her childhood. She then went on to become the captain of the Binghamton University Dance Team thinking that after her last senior performance she may never have the opportunity to step foot on stage again. Thankfully that was not the case and she ended up dancing with DanceWorksNYC for a year and The Bad Girls Club in Charleston, SC for nearly two years.

Her passion for dance and building strong relationships has always been at her core. She is thrilled to fill her hometown with the magic of dance and movement by her adult peers. 

You’ll find Calli teaching Heels and Twerk classes at Passion as her desire to express and teach sensuality and sexuality is at the forefront of her dance career today. 

SAMBA MOVEMENT | BRAZILIAN FUNK

Chris was born dancing out of the womb! Raised in Ohio, she started playing around and training in tap, jazz, and ballet when she was a toddler, and continued this journey into her adolescence. In 2010 Chris moved to Salt Lake City and strangely enough fell head over heels (literally) in love with Brazilian music and dance. Chris joined a samba school, Samba Fogo, where she studied, instructed, and performed with the group for the next seven years. Chris eventually moved east and began teaching in the Charlottesville, Richmond, DC area and has now transplanted herself to the Hudson Valley!

Chris is a huge proponent of making dance accessible, and spreading joy and connection through community movement!

SHUFFLE 101 | SHUFFLE N’ FLOW

Stephanie discovered shuffling in 2020 and had no idea it would completely transform her life. What started as a curiosity quickly became a passion — a way to express herself, boost her confidence, and connect with an amazing community. Through shuffling, she’s found joy in movement, improved her mental and physical health, and learned just how empowering dance can be.

Now, Stephanie loves helping others experience that same magic — showing that you don’t need a dance background to find your rhythm, your confidence, and your flow.

When she’s not dancing, Stephanie is a proud mom of two and runs her own virtual assistant business, balancing creativity, movement, and family life with heart and hustle.

CONTEMPORARY FEELS

Kelly Zitka is originally from Dallas, Texas, where she trained at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center. She received her BFA in Dance at Southern Methodist University, and went on to travel the world dancing with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Lines. She toured with Odyssey Dance Theatre’s production of Thriller, and was most recently seen in A.D. Players' production of West Side Story.

She loves to teach students of all ages and skill levels, and is beyond thrilled to be a part of the team at Passion! 

JAZZ FUSION

Gabriella first discovered dance when she was enrolled in ballet as a toddler. From there she went on to explore jazz, hip hop, and modern dance throughout her formative years. She studied Geology and Math at SUNY New Paltz, but always carried dance with her. She joined SMACC Dance Crew and was introduced to jazz funk, heels, K-pop, and other urban dance styles. She became captain of her dance team, and lead them in the creation of their first production “WOMXN”. Gabriella is a huge advocate for making dance accessible for everyone to enjoy, grow confidence, and find power in themselves. She started teaching Jazz Funk in 2021 and is excited to continue the dream at Passion, where she has been an active student and performer since 2022.

STRETCH LAB

Stephanie brings over a decade of experience guiding individuals through healing arts, somatic practices, and sacred space facilitation.

Having trained in Somatic Healing, feminine spirituality, and trauma-informed facilitation, she bridges the gap between the sacred and the physical body, helping participants unlock the wisdom stored within their bodies.

Her work is rooted in creating safe, nurturing environments where participants can explore their sensuality and embody their fullest selves with grace, depth, and compassion.

DANCE PARTY FITNESS

Ashlea has participated in the fitness field the majority of her life. Raised by a Texas high school football coach and an occupational therapist, Ashlea learned at an early age the importance of discipline and teamwork which has contributed to her excelling in athletics and academics. After a successful collegiate career in women's volleyball, she has advanced into the fitness industry. As a nationally certified group fitness instructor, Bonds' contagious energy and desire to help her community makes her a driving force in today's fitness world.

• AFAA certified group exercise instructor
• Licensed Zumba Basic 1 & 2, Toning and Gold instructor
• Licensed BollyX instructor
• Shape Up NYC Fitness instructor
• New York Urban Professional volleyball participant
• Collegiate Volleyball player

BOLD & BREEZY BALLET

Marisa Paull Gorst trained at the School of American Ballet in NYC and the Kirov Academy in Washington DC. Most recently onstage in the National Tour of CATS the Musical (’21-’23), she has also danced professionally in the Las Vegas production of The Phantom Of The Opera and with New York City Ballet (children's roles), Miami City Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, New Orleans Ballet Theatre, Dances Patrelle, and other regional companies in and around NYC. Other credits: Billy Elliot (Theatre On Main Street), Little Mermaid (Yorktown Stage). In addition to her onstage career Marisa enjoys teaching and is currently on faculty as an adjunct professor at Vassar College, at Ballet Arts Studio in Beacon, NY and at Ballet Rockland in Garnerville, NY. She has also served at the School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in Colorado, the International Ballet School of Bled, Slovenia, and at many other schools including Broadway Dance Center and Peridance in NYC, and The Rock School in Las Vegas, NV. Marisa holds a BA from Smith College, graduating summa cum laude with Highest Honors.

TAP 101: FUNDAMENTALS | TAP 102: CONDITIONING

Marcus Carl Franklin is a polymath with 20+ years of experience in entertainment, from his beginning as an acclaimed child actor, his adolescence signed to a record label, his young adulthood as an independent film and event producer, and his adulthood as an independent creative director and systems designer. As a tap dancer, Marcus has performed internationally as a solo artist, fusing everything from hip-hop to folk music with improvised percussion, sometimes on the fly, by-ear. He was a featured percussionist with Drexel University’s Jazz Orchestra, and a lead performer in various National Tap Festivals as a student, intern, and teaching assistant.

Career Highlights:

• Original cast of Tony award-winning Broadway show Caroline, or Change
• The HBO classic, Lackawanna Blues
• An IFC Spirit Award-nominated performance as Woody in the Bob Dylan collage, I’m Not There
• 20+ years as a tap dancer; global improvisational percussionist

LIQUID MOTION

Emily Barry is a Priestess of the River Valley in the Avalon tradition & Sistar of the Stars. She is currently studying to become a Priestess of the Stars in the Avalon tradition. Emily's spiritual path began over a decade ago when she discovered yoga. In 2016, she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training at the Kripalu Center and went on to study 250 hours of Integrative Yoga Therapy there. In 2023, Emily began her dance journey and found Passion, where she experienced the healing and transformative power of movement within this magical space. In 2025, she completed her Liquid Motion certification and is now excited to share her love of dance, intuitive movement, and sensuality as a Passion Guide.

Emily believes that dance is not only a form of expression but also a sacred practice that invites us to honor and embrace our bodies in all their intuitive, powerful, and sensual forms. She creates a safe, welcoming environment for students to explore their unique flow and tap into their inner strength. Whether you're new to dance or an experienced mover, Emily encourages you to listen to your body and connect with your natural rhythm. Her mission is to help you experience the healing, freedom, and joy that comes with moving intuitively and to guide you toward greater self-expression, confidence, and embodiment through the art of Liquid Motion.

HIP HOP 101 | INTERMEDIATE HIP HOP

Kamaria Carrington is a technically trained dancer, choreographer, and teacher with 25+ years of dance experience in Ballet, Rhythm and Broadway Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater, Hip-Hop, West African, Lyrical, Contemporary, Graham, and Horton, with 10+ years of teaching experience in these styles. She began her dance training at the age of 2 at Mind Builders Creative Arts in The Bronx, New York, and continued her training at Newburgh Performing Arts Academy where she was the dance captain of their elite dance team.

After her time at NPAA, she continued her dance training at The Ailey School of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater where she was a member of their Ailey Student Performance Group and got the opportunity to learn and perform Alvin Ailey repertoire and original works such as Dancing Spirit by Ronald K. Brown, Pessoa Melhor by Tina Bush, and Revelations choreographed by Alvin Ailey himself and staged by the talented Freddie Moore. Kamaria now works as a freelance dancer, actress, and choreographer based in New York.

SALSA SHINES

Kathryn is a dancer based in her hometown, the City of Newburgh. A lifelong dance student, Kathryn grew up dancing locally with Orange County Ballet Theater and NFA's Advanced Dance Team.

She pursued her passion in college, receiving her B.A. in Dance from Hunter College along with the Department's Dorothy Viskocky Award. After college, Kathryn freelanced as a performer and choreographer, most notably dancing with NK&D / a movement company and Monica Bill Barnes & Co. at New York City Center's Fall For Dance Festival. Kathryn's focus has since shifted to dancing and teaching salsa. In 2024 she served as a dance teacher to 700 students at a K-8 bilingual school in CT.

She also teaches kids at Latin Rhythm Dance Studio in Stratford, CT. There, she also studies and performs salsa as a member of their dance team under the direction of Jonathan Borges and Ana García.

CREATIVE HOOP DANCE

After 25 years of working at a desk under fluorescent lights, I left the corporate world in New York City behind and became a yoga teacher in the Catskill mountains. My journey of exploration of energy began there. After many years of study and training, I was called to facilitate group and one-on-one Intuitive Guidance sessions where I communicate with ancestors and spirit guides to help gain a broader perspective on the situations at hand.

In 2020, as a response to quarantine I picked up my first hula hoop. Moving with this magical plastic circle has become a passion. Once I learned some moves I started dropping words (such as Belonging, Trust, Power, Ease) into my energy field as I was hooping. I saw incredible shifts in my perspective and in what was coming into my life - simply by dancing with the word EASE I began to feel more at ease and my life got easier! Hoop Dance Activation was born and I started teaching it to all my friends. Now it has expanded and there is even a Hoop Dance Activation Oracle Deck that helps me share this exciting tool with the world.