Faculty

Susan Penaskovic Bednarski (Ballet) -

Susan is currently a company member of the Anglo-American Ballet, the Staten Island Ballet and Shore Ballet. She has taught ballet in New York at New York University, and at Kingsley Studios, as well as Saint Peter's College and Raritan Valley Community College. She studied ballet with Catherine Kingsley and at the Joffrey Ballet School, and jazz with jazz legend Luigi. She has a Master's degree in dance from New York University.

Marlowe Davis (Jazz, Lyrical) -

Marlowe Scott Davis began his dance training at Center Stage Dance and Theatre School. He was a member of their competition tap and jazz companies, Tap Cats and Sr. Cats. While competing he received several regional titles and one national title. Marlowe continued his dance training at North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC. After finishing school he received a scholarship to attend the "Alvin Ailey American Dance Center" in Manhattan. He performed with the Alvin Ailey company in their City Center season in NYC. He has also performed modern dance choreography by David Parsons, Paul Taylor and Merce Cunningham. After leaving the modern dance world, he toured Europe as a backup dancer for "103.5 KTU's dance music Diva "Despina Vendi" (I can't be) and appeared in one of her music videos. Returning to the state's he's performed choreography by former Madonna dancer "Slam" and has done industrial performances for "Toyota." Marlowe has appeared in an Off-Broadway musical "Thin Line." You can also catch him every year in Manhattan's annual Mega-Event "Broadway Bares." Dancing on stage with such stars as John Stamos and Cyndi Lauper. He continues to work with a Jazz, Hip Hop dance company, and has also moved into modeling, posing for "HX Magazine's" annual swimsuit issue. Marlowe is now a resident judge with the prestigious dance competition, Legacy Dance Championships.

Lainie Defranco (Ballet) -

Lainie began her studies at the Hartford Ballet Co., where she performed with the junior company and chamber ensemble. She graduated from Hartford's two year teaching program. Ms. DeFranco has taught all levels of ballet for both adult and children's professional classes for the Hartford Ballet, Syracuse Ballet Co., Metropolitan School for the Arts and the Princeton Ballet. Lainie is co-director of the Center Ballet Ensemble. Lainie has been teaching for Center Stage since 1985.

Mickey DeFranco (Jazz, CATS Company Director) -

Mickey served as choreographer for “Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego”, as well as the opening dance montage, for PBS television; Metropolis Studios, New York City. She is an active member of Dance Educators of America, and is the director of the national award winning Pre-Professional Center Stage CATS Jazz Company. CATS Alumni have appeared on Broadway in “Urban Cowboy”, “CATS”; Nationals Tours of: “Fame”, “Tommy”, “Footloose”, “Chorus Line”, “West Side Story”. Her students have appeared on television and in theatres around the country. She has done choreography for Resorts International Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, and was a Master Choreographer/Teacher for Dance Troupe, Inc.. Mickey was a guest choreographer with Broadway Dance Center featuring Frank Hatchett, Finis Jhung, and Savion Glover (New York City).

Elaine George Foulides (Musical Director) -

As a vocal coach, teacher and performer for more than thirty years, Elaine's students have appeared on Broadway in "Les Miserables", "Ragtime", "A Christmas Carol", "Tommy", "Urban Cowboy" and "Hot Feet", in national tours of "Les Miserables", "Fame", "Footloose" and "Bye Bye Birdie", on television, in commercials, movies, and regional theatres.  Elaine's performance credits include Broadway, off-Broadway, benefits, cabaret, dinner theatre, church and synagogue soloist and numerous recordings. including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids Christmas 2001 CD, "Carols for a Cure".  Her most recent performance was April 2006 at Odette's, New Hope, PA  in her new cabaret show.

Sue Garahan (Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre) -

Sue has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts and is a member of Dance Educators of America.  She trained extensively through the years in both New York City and London, England.  Her theater credits include "42nd Street", A Chorus Line", "Oliver!", and "The Pajama Game", to name a few.  She is the director of many of our Jazz and Tap Companies and has won many choreographic awards over the years.  Many of her students have appeared on both Broadway and television.

Aimee Gray (Jazz, Hip-Hop, Ballet)  -

Aimee is ecstatic to be a part of the amazing faculty at Center Stage. She has not only danced since the ripe old age of two, but has spent many of her years right here at Center Stage. She was a member of the Jr. CAT and TAP CAT companies and competed regionally as well as nationally performing in Palm Springs, California, Arlington, Texas, and Orlando, Florida in MGM Studios.  Aimee has also appeared in Dance in the Park, Plays in the Park, and numerous community theatre productions. She went on to continue her love of dance at Rider University where she received a BA in dance as well as a BA in elementary education.

Pamela Susan Gray (Jazz, Tap) -

Pam has an extensive dance and theatre background and has taught dance at several studios in New Jersey. She is thrilled to be working at Center Stage. Pam has choreographed for local theatre companies, most recently a production of "Godspell" for the 5th Ave Players, as well as the Linwood School Show Choir and Highland Park School Theatre Productions. As a performer, Pam has appeared with the NJ Renaissance Festival, Plays in the Park, Somerset Valley Players, and on television with the MDA Telethon.

Elaine Harned (Voice) -
Elaine is presently working on her Masters degree in Music Performance at Westminster Choir College. Her bachelors degree in music is from the University of Pennsylvania. She continued her studies privately in New York City. She has been teaching privately for the past seven years, in addition to serving as choir director in the public schools. World Pre-Care Center and KinderCare at Howell and Freehold.

Annika Higgins (Musical Theatre) -

Annika is a Center Stage alumnus who is thrilled to be back in the studio teaching for her third year.  While Center Stage, she studied dance, musical theater and voice, and also assisted various teachers for over five years in tap, jazz, and musical theater disciplines.  She has performed locally in a number of community theatre productions and many benefit cabarets.  Currently, she is pursuing a degree Elementary Education with a minor un Musical Theater at Montclair State University, and is very happy to be part of the Center Stage family.

Leonie Higgins (Musical Theatre) -

Leonie is something of a Central Jersey musical theatre diva, having played lead roles in "I Do! I Do!," "Guys and Dolls, " "A Little Night Music," "A Chorus Line," "Gypsy," and many, many more shows. She performed in several "Make-A-Wish Foundation" benefits, along with such stars as Ben Vereen, and performs annually in Cabaret for Life, which benefits AIDS and Cancer victims. Leonie has a Bachelor's degree in theatre from St. John's University, and studied voice at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and Dance at Farnworth, Hauer & Kelly in New York City. She is on the judging panel for Paper Mill Playhouse's "Rising Star Awards" for High School Musical Theatre, and is a member of the Speech and Theater.

Anne Krug (Ballet) -

Anne is a Center Stage graduate, having worked her way up through the Jr. CATS and CATS companies.  As a member of CATS, she competed for national titles and at the Youth of American Grand Prix ballet competition.  At the age of 14, she was awarded the New York City Dance Alliance Ballet Scholarship by Daniel Catanach.  In her senior year at Center Stage, she performed the lead role of Sugar Plum in our bi-annual production of “The Nutcracker.”  She has trained additionally at the Briansky Saratoga Ballet summer intensive, and at The School at Steps under the instruction of Leslie Browne.  Anne performed with the Urban Ballet Theater and the Abrons Arts Center Dance Ensemble in Daniel Catanach’s production of “Nutcracker in the Lower,” and is a member of the Ensemble, and an apprentice with the Urban Ballet Theater.  We are pleased and proud to welcome Anne back to Center Stage

Danielle Mondi (Jazz, Ballet) -

Danielle is currently studying at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University working towards a BFA in dance. She was born and raised in Somerset, New Jersey where she trained in tap, jazz, and ballet, at Center Stage since the age of three. Mason Gross has engaged her in modern, another form of dance that she is quite fond of.  Danielle has had the opportunity to work with various choreographers such as Paulette Sears and Julia Ritter to name a few. She is involved with various community theaters such as Plays in the Park and Villagers Theater.  Recently Danielle was on stage in Carousel with the WYACT Company, making her first debut at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Beverly Rigby (Acting) -

Beverly has been an artist educator with the professional children's theatre company, The Shoestring Players for the past two years. As an actress, she has performed in California, NJ and NY including roles with TheatreFest (M. Butterly), Theatre, Inc. (Macbeth), and Montclair Operetta (Hello Dolly), for which she was nominated for Best Featured Actress in North Jersey. She has also appeared as a stand up comedienne at Stand Up New York, and done comedy improv at the New York Comedy Club. Beverly received her Masters degree in theatre from Montclair State University, where she is also a professor for the Gifted and Talented Program for kids.

Heather Robbins (Voice) -

Heather holds a Masters in Music from the University of New Hampshire, where she specialized in vocal pedagogy and performance, and has studied with Neil Semer in New York.  Heather’s teaching emphasizes healthy vocal technique in a variety of musical styles.  She has performed in opera (Eugene Onegin, Susannah), as an oratorio soloist (Gounod St. Cecilia Mass, Fauré Requiem, Duruflé Requiem), in a cappella jazz groups, and in professional choruses both in the United States and in New Zealand, where she also taught voice and sang with Canterbury Opera.  Her students have won prizes in competitions and held lead and supporting roles in local musical theatre productions and opera.  Heather sings with the vocal a cappella trio The Tritones, directs the Kingston Women’s Chorus, and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the American Choral Directors Association.

Jennifer Zizza Taddei (Jazz, Lyrical) -

An alumnus dancer of Center Stage, Jennifer received a BFA in dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and has continued her training in New York City at Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Broadway Dance Center and Steps. Her credits include performing in a music video on VH1, choreographing a Dairy Queen commercial, and performing all over the Tri-State area. Jennifer is the recipient of the prestigious Turner Choreography award and was the winner of an invitation to perform at ACDFA's national dance concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for her choreography.

Julie Thick (Tap) -

Julie is co-owner/producer, with her husband, Bob of the Off Broadstreet Theatre. She has choreographed over 60 musicals for the dessert theatre in Hopewell. Julie is a member of the DEA and PDTA dance associations. She has taught in NYC at the Ed Sullivan Theatre and the Broadway Dance Center. She has worked at Center Stage since 1980 teaching Tap, Jazz, and Tumbling. She has studied with many teachers including Luigi and Frank Hatchett. As a performer, she worked with Gregory Hines and Mercedes Ellington in an open Tap company and with Luigi's Jazz. She was the NJAIAN State Collegiate All Around Champion in Gymnastics.

Stephen Waldrup (Acting) -

Stephen also teaches acting at the T. Schreiber Studio in New York City. As a performer, he appeared at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival in "A Man for All Seasons, " "The Sunshine Boys", and Shakespeare's "Henry VIII", "Othello", "The Merry Wives of Windsor", and "The Merchant of Venice". In New York, he appeared recently in "An Ideal Husband", "Once in a Lifetime", "Ambrosio" and "I Am A Camera" at the T. Schreiber Studio, "On the Road to Holeness" at Theatre for the New City, "Dogg's Hamlet/Cahoot's Macbeth" with the 1010 Players, "The Bald Soprano" and "The Wailing Wall" with the Farrington Company and at the American Theatre of Actors. Recently, Stephen directed productions of "Four Dogs and a Bone" and "Birdbath" in Manhattan.

George Warren - (Artistic Director) -

Mr. Warren's union affiliations are Actors Equity, Screen Actors Guild, Dance Educators of America, and the International Tap Association. He is a noted New York teacher and performer whose students have appeared on Broadway and in National and International tours of "Cats", "Phantom of the Opera", "Footloose", "Tommy", "Showboat", "Guys and Dolls", "Les Miserables", "Carousel", "A Chorus Line", at Radio City Music Hall, and in many movies and television shows. His last professional performing appearance was the national tour of the Broadway musical "Whoopee" with Imogene Coca and Mamie Van Doren. George has been teaching in Central Jersey for 25 years and is very proud of his Center Stage family.

Jason Warley (Jazz) -

Jason trained at Lehman College in NYC, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and Broadway Dance Center. He was the recipient of the Harkness Choreographer's Space Grant at SUNY Purchase. He choreographed and performed in world tours with performing artists Shannon and LeClick, where he opened for such artists as Back Street Boys and EnVogue. He was featured with the students of the Joffrey Ballet School in "The Unbreakable Bond." Last summer he taught workshops in conjunction with "Masahi Action Machine of Japan." He is a member of Peter Pucci Plus Dancers, with whom he just completed a promotional world tour for IBM. He is also on the faculty of Broadway Dance Center.

Xander Weinman (Tap) -

Xander is a graduate of the C.A.T.S., Hoofer's Club and Tap C.A.T.S. companies of Center Stage, where he studied the performing arts from the age of 3. He has performed in Battery Park in New York City, at MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and in countless theatres throughout New Jersey including: the State Theater in New Brunswick, the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank and Middlesex County College. He has also been seen dancing on ESPN2 national television. Xander continues to study in New York City. As a tap dancer, his major inspirations are (among others): George Warren, Savion Glover, Barbara Duffy (and Company), Brenda Buffalino, Lyn Schwab, Mike Schulster and Derek Grant.