|
|
|
|
|
 | Kara Thompson grew up in Mullica Hill and has always been fascinated with health, nutrition, and fitness. As a child, she was a dancer and gymnast and in high school and throughout college she played softball and was part of the swim team. Kara pursued another passion in college and received a B.A in communications from Rowan University, but always dreamed of starting her own business. After having a baby and missing her days as an athlete, Kara decided to try Pilates, Zumba, and other group fitness classes. After one class, she was hooked. She loved the feeling of gaining confidence, strength, and burning calories while having fun…and she knew other moms like her wanted the same thing offered in a flexible schedule. Kara has taught adult fitness and student dance classes at the studio, but you will usually find her managing everything that goes into running the studio behind the scenes. Kara and her sister-in-law Megan, started Fit to Dance Studio with the dream of bringing a love of DANCE and FITNESS to Mullica Hill. They are thankful everyday for the F2D family of students, FIT clients, and staff. It is a pleasure to watch people young and old alike grow and express themselves through dance and fitness. To stay in shape both physically and mentally, Kara enjoys taking walks and bike rides with her husband Tom, sons Garret and Reid, and dog Harlee, where they live in East Greenwich. | |
 | Megan Datz started her dance career at Dance! By Debra DiNote at the age of 7 and was a member of the Dance! Workshop Company for 11 years. Throughout her time at DDN she was in countless competitions, workshops and performances where she earned her way as a top performer and lead dancer in roles like Cinderella in "Once Upon a Glass Slipper". Megan attended Rowan University and graduated in 2008 with a BA in Child Drama and a Minor in Dance. While attending Rowan University she was a member of the Rowan Dance Team and Dance Extensions, holding the office of President of Dance Extensions. She was recognized with several awards and Honors, including the award for Best Choreographer and the recipient of the Bryna G. Goldhaft Dance Medallion Award and Scholarship, the highest honor a graduating senior can receive to acknowledge superior performance in her field. She has been an annual guest teacher at Dancing for Sheena in Allentown PA, for many years to honor her cousin who inspired her to begin dancing. Megan has taught at various schools in New Jersey which led her to open up Fit to Dance Studio with her sister in law Kara, in Mullica Hill, NJ in 2012. The Studio has grown steadily every year and has nearly 300 students at all levels. They started a dance company called F2D Elite which competes and does various events in the community. Megan has earned top choreography awards at competitions with the Fit to Dance Elite dancers. She hopes to instill the love of dance and inspire young dancers to be the best they can be!! | |
 | Kathleen Hornung With years of experience in business management, she brings professionalism, organization, and heart to everything she does. Since joining Fit to Dance in 2017, she has been the driving force behind the scenes—keeping operations running smoothly and supporting families every step of the way. Her warm smile is the first thing you'll see at the front desk, and her dedication to creating a welcoming, stress-free environment makes her an invaluable part of the Fit to Dance family. |
MARIA JARQUIN • Office Cooridnator |
 | Maria Jarquin has years of experience managing human resources and payroll departments. She has an Associates in Business Administration and is currently working on her Bachelors in Finance from Rutgers University. It was Ms.Marias dream to be a dancer when she was young so she is super excited to be working at Fit to dance to be able to help other little girls achieve this dream. Ms.Maria enjoys spending her free time sewing, crocheting, and spending time with her family. | |
.jpg) | Kimberly Hill Kimberly Hill’s dance journey began at the age of four in Pennsylvania. She continued her training in college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she was a member of the prestigious IUP Dance Theatre and had the privilege of performing works and trainings with numerous influential choreographers. She is classically trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and musical theatre. Kim has performed with multiple dance companies and holds a Master of Arts degree from Drexel University in Dance/Movement Therapy. She has worked with children and their families in a variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and in their homes assisting with medical, behavioral, and emotional challenges. In recent years; she has continued to study, perform, choreograph, and attend dance teacher workshops throughout the region. Kim is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and is a member of the National Dance Education Organization. Routed with a strong technical foundation, Kim utilizes her love of dance, along with her therapeutic skills to maintain a positive, fun, and safe education setting for her students. Kim has been a part of the Fit to Dance family since 2013. |
|
 | Celia Cioffi began dancing at 7 years old and has trained in a variety of styles including jazz, contemporary, ballet, pointe, modern, lyrical, tap, and musical theatre. She did competitive dance for years, winning many awards & titles. In 2020, Celia earned her BA in Dance from Georgian Court University in Lakewood, NJ where she further developed her skills as a dancer, choreographer and instructor under the direction of Silvana Cardell and other renowned choreographers. She has also worked for Groove National Dance Competition where she had the opportunity to run dance competitions all across the country. In addition to teaching, Celia is a choreographer for the F2D Elite team where her work has been recognized with top overall placements and accolades for choreography and entertainment value. Dedicated to inspiring the next generation of dancers, Celia is passionate about creating a positive and empowering space for her students at Fit to Dance! |
• |
 | Abigail Glenn a native of South Jersey, began dancing at age 4 at the Tricia Sloan Dance Center in Wenonah. Over her 14 years of dance prior to college, she also studied ballet at Ballet Fleming in Philadelphia. She went on to receive a BFA in Dance, along with a minor in Education as a Social Science, from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. During her time at Mason Gross, Abigail performed in student works, both films and live performances, and choreographed her own group pieces and solo. Over the past four years, she had the opportunity to perform works by renowned choreographers Michelle Manzanales, Pam Quinn, and Thang Dao. This past school year, Abigail taught at the YMCA of Westfield, NJ, where she gained experience teaching ballet, tap, hip hop, jazz, and acro to children ages 2-10. Having graduated this past May, she is thrilled to begin her first season teaching at Fit 2 Dance and looks forward to meeting everyone! |
| MORGAN MARTELL • Instructor |
 | Morgan Martell is so excited to be joining the Fit to Dance community! She was a gymnast for 12 years and I loved every minute of it. Morgan has been coaching gymnastics for 2 years now and is excited to be teaching dance! She has coached competition teams and loves going to their competitions. She will be continueing her education at Rowan College of South Jersey in the fall and plans to pursue a major in psychology. Morgan loves working with kids and can’t wait to help them reach their goals in dance. |
|
|
 | Sara Kovarovic started her dance career at Dance! By Debra DiNote at the age of 4 and was a member of the Dance! Workshop Company for 9 years. She began competing at the age of 6 and also performed in yearly productions where she earned lead roles for 3 consecutive years. Sara attended Drexel University, where she was a member of the Drexel Dance Team for four years. During her time on the team she choreographed for the team and also performed during all basketball games, other sporting events, galas and competed on the national level. Sara now works at URBN Urban Outfitters Inc. as an event planner, but still has a love for dance! Sara previously has taught adult fitness at Fit to Dance, and has taught student classes for the last two years. She is excited for the upcoming year to teach hip hop again to such wonderful students at Fit to Dance! |
|
 | Erin Mahoney was born and raised in Boston and moved to South Jersey after finishing college at Franklin Pierce University in 2012 with a BA in Theatre with a concentration in dance. She has been dancing since age three and is trained in a variety of dance styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, hip hop, and acro. During her time at Franklin Pierce she was on the Raven Thunder Dance Team as a dancer and choreographer. She has performed with KN Dance & Entertainment for multiple events over the past decade. Included in these events is the annual CHOP Halloween Party hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies. Over the past few years she has organized multiple charitable dance fundraisers for Suicide Prevention at Fit to Dance featuring professional dancer and choreographer Matt Lopez, from New York City. Erin continues to actively learn through a variety of classes in NYC and the surrounding NJ area. In addition to her dance career, Erin is also an accomplished writer and has published five novels |
|
.jpg) | Stephen McClain began dancing at age 13, and quickly found a love for tap. He went on to join the Fit to Dance Elite Company, where he competed in tap across the Tri-State Area, and made amazing friendships in the process. Through dance, he discovered a passion for teaching. He strives to help his dancers grow in their love of dance, and in values that they can take out of the classroom. Stephen’s experience also extends to musical theater, where he has performed in many productions across the South Jersey area, including lead dance roles in shows such as Matilda and Holiday Inn. His love of singing and wide variety of accents often appear in his classroom.When he’s not tapping out crazy rhythms at the studio or doing pirouette sequences throughout his house, Stephen is a student at Rowan University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Dance. He also loves parkour, climbing anything in sight, playing piano, pie, dogs, and Jesus. John 15:13. |
|
 | Kiera Perry has danced since she could walk. She danced at several studios before finding her true love of dance at Fit to Dance Studio. It was here that she gained life long friends and truly developed her talents. As an alumni of Fit to Dance, Kiera was an active part of Fit to Dance’s Elite Company and participated in many events. She danced with Fit to Dance Elite for 8 years. Kiera has participated in many competitions and brought home many 1st place awards and titles including, Premier Miss NexStar 2021. She’s competed on the stage at Fine Arts Nationals for 3 years and was ranked top 10 in the country. Kiera has been trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, and lyrical. Kiera loves instructing “littles” and has assisted at Fit to Dance for the last 4 years. She is excited to instruct others and see them have the same positive experience at Fit to Dance that she has had. |
• | 
| Jade Pratta-Chisholm began dancing at 2 years old, and graduated from GCIT with a focus in Drama in the year 2020. Her father (Sam Chisholm) is a trailblazer in the HipHop community. Because of this, Pratta-Chisholm has been an industry dancer since the ripe age of 16. She is trained in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary/Modern, Voguing, Musical Theatre, and HipHop. Jade’s main disciplines are HipHop, and Modern. Currently, Jade teaches at 3 studios, including L3GACY, her father’s company. Jade has been hired by recording artists to dance on their tours (Greg Fiore), and dances every year at Harrah’s Eddie Taylor Halloween Spectacular. She has also competed in World of Dance twice, going on 3 times as of 2024. With legends like Academy of Fresh, and Phunk Phenomenon. |
|
 | Aly Schroeder began dancing at age five at Elite Dance Company in her hometown of Richboro, PA. She went on to study classical ballet at The Koresh Dance Center and Symmetry Dance Wellness in Philadelphia, PA. Aly is also a certified group fitness instructor and licensed clinical social worker. Currently, Aly continues to pursue her love of dance as a dancer with KN Dance and Entertainment, dancing professionally in corporate and community events throughout New Jersey and Philadelphia, PA. She also pursues continued education in dance by participating in master dance classes and attending dance workshops throughout the region. Aly loves to share her passion for dance, fitness and emotional and physical health with all ages. Aly combines strong dance technique with fun and creative movement to create dance classes that enable each dancer to reach his/her full potential. Aly is a certified dance teacher through the Associated Dance Teachers of NJ. |
|
 | Jenna Scott is excited to be a part of the Fit to Dance staff for a fifth year! Miss Jenna, a history teacher at Clearview Regional High School, earned her bachelor’s degree in History from West Chester University. She has studied dance at Trisha Sloan Dance Studio and was an active member of the dance company by performing in various competitions, holding various roles as a cast member of "The Little Match Girl" and performing in Walt Disney World. She performed with Ballet South in their productions of "The Nutcracker" and "Coppelia." Miss Jenna also studied at Kathy Henkel School of Dance and The Professional School for several years. At West Chester University, she continued to study dance and was a member of the Dance Production Workshop. She also works as the choreographer for Clearview Regional High School musicals, and lives in Mullica Hill with her husband Chris and their two children, Annabelle and Brandon. |
DEANNA GATANIS • | .jpg)
| Deanna Gatanis is a 2008 graduate of Richard Stockton College of NJ with a B.A. in Dance. She began her training at the age of three studying many forms of dance. In her second year of college, Deanna's modern choreography was chosen to be performed at the American College Dance Festival Association in San Francisco. Now, Deanna is a full time dance and aerobics instructor in Gloucester and Atlantic Counties, and the Philadelphia region. Deanna is also a certified Zumba instructor and taught and performed Zumba and Salsa in Showboat Casino with her partner for two years. Deanna has taught Hip-Hop, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Ballet, Salsa, and Gym/Cheer classes all over. She also traveled around the country as a magician's assistant for Anthony Salazar. As a first year teacher at Fit2Dance, she is very excited to be a new member of the studio. Deanna teaches the Hip Hop 2 and Ballet/Jazz classes at Fit2Dance on Thursday evenings and looks forward to working with all her new students. |
| Picture Coming Soon!
| Addy Thomas is 12 years old. She is beginning her 7th grade year at Clearview. Addy has been dancing since she was 3 years old, beginning in Miss Madison and Miss Kara’s class. She has been on the elite team since 2019-2020 season. Her favorite type of dance is jazz. She has taken tap, ballet, jazz, contemporary, and acro. She is excited to begin working on her pre pointe skills this year and working with the young dancers. Cailin Faulkner is 13 years old and is going into eighth grade. She has been at Fit to Dance studio for 10 years and this will be her 11th year. Cailin has been apart of the Fit to Dance company team for the past two years, so this will be her third year. She loves to dance, bake and do arts and crafts. Her favorite style of dance is jazz, contemporary and tap. She is super excited to help out your little ones and put a smile on their face every single day! Brooke Knestaut has been dancing for 13 years at Fit to Dance studio. Her favorite style of dance is contemporary. Brooke has done ballet jazz contemporary tap acro. She is very excited to teach younger kids to become like her. Annalise Flear is 15 years old and has been dancing at F2D for 11 years. She will be starting her 2nd year as a F2D Elite Dance Company team member. She has done many styles of dance including ballet, jazz, contemporary, and acro. She is very excited to assist your child’s dance class this year! Gabrielle Buck has been dancing since she was five years old and has been a part of the F2D Elite Team since 2015. At Fit to Dance, she has trained in a variety of dance styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, contemporary, and hip hop. She is currently a student at GCIT(class of 2026) and has been assisting dance classes since middle school. She is super excited to continue sharing her love of dance by helping young dancers grow this season! Mia DiRienzo has been dancng at Fit to Dance Studio since the studio opened 14 years ago. In 2015 Mia became apart of F2D Elite Team and in-turn fell in love with dancing. She trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, pointe, lyrical and has been assisting classes for 4 years. When she is not at the dance studio, she is a junior at Our Lady of Mercy Academy. She is incredible excited to be able to share her love of dance through assistant teaching in the upcoming season! |
- back to top of page - |
|
|
|
|
|