Instructors and Guests
Private Lessons (voice, acting, dance)
Audition Coaching, Career Coaching, Agent/Manager Coaching, Self-Tape Coaching, Artist Development
Jazz, Tap , Ballet , Contemporary, Hip Hop, Commercial Jazz, College Prep, Audition Prep, Musical Theatre,
Lisa Carlson has been working professionally in the entertainment world for over 20 years. Lisa’s career has allowed her to travel and work on 4 continents and 38 of the 50 states. Her performance career included National tours of The Buddy Holly Story and Sweet Charity, many regional theatre productions, film, TV, Dance Companies, and vocal groups. Lisa has performed singing the duet originally sang by Barbra Streisand “Enough is Enough” with Donna Summer in Atlantic City and Minnesota . Lisa was also a back up dancer for the Neil Young “Greenville Tour” choreographed by Russ Tamblyn (Riff in the Original West Side Story movie) at PNC Bank Arts Center and at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Lisa also worked on the “Technical Side” of the entertainment industry with Michael Bolton, Meatloaf, and Donna Summer for six years.
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Lisa’s teaching career started at 17 and she quickly fell in love with the idea of education and giving back to her community. Her earlier dance training started at a local studios about 30 minutes north of Manahawkin, Broadway Dance Center, Joffrey, Steps, and Alvin Ailey. Lisa’s vocal training began in Watertown NJ at the Zone with Shannon Harris and was soon followed by Larry Delmasto and Carolyn Placa at Southern Regional High school and countless private voice coaches in NYC over the years. In total Lisa has training with 10 vocal coaches and credits all of them for helping her find her voice and teaching style.
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Lisa's students have gone onto Broadway, National Tours, Television, Netflix, Film, and Commercials. Lisa has coached her students into many college programs over the past 13 years such as University of the Arts, Marymount Manhattan, Wagner College, Westminster Choir College, Rider University, Montclair State University, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Sarah Lawrence, Penn State, Pace University and more.
Lisa is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy’s NYC campus in Musical Theatre. Lisa's Choreography credits include Nunset Boulevard with Ocean Professional Theatre Company, The Sound Of Music (06) through Grease (12) on the Southern Regional Stage, many years of SRMS and SRHS choral and vocal ensemble concerts, SRMS drama productions and many competitive and recital dances over the years! Lisa’s choreography has one countless awards and special recognitions over the years.
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Lisa knows that a very small percentage of students in her studio will pursue it as a career, but she believes that every student deserves the best training possible, so the choice is theirs to make and so that they can experience all the arts can give them to be a leader in life in whichever path they choose.
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Jenny Stodd- Jenny@starlightpac.com
Assistant Director- Instrumental Program
Piano, Violin, Ukulele, Voice, Music Theory, Harmony, SpaCappella, Musical Theatre, Acting
Jenny grew up in Illinois, surrounded by a family of music educators! She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from St. Ambrose Univeristy and spent six years in New York City. Jenny's 20 years of performance credits have taken her to stages such as The Laguna Playhouse, Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Wayside Theatre, The El Dorado Casino, and more! She also performed in two National Tours of The Buddy Holly Story. In addition to theatre, voiceover, commercial and film credits, Jenny enjoys arranging music for Starlight's performance groups. For more, visit www.jennystodd.com
Elizabeth Trotta
Pre-School Dance, Special needs certified dance instructor
Elizabeth was 14 years old when she started assisting and teaching classes for local dance studios. Ever since, she has made it her goal to share her love for dance with the next generation of dancers. With a huge passion and over 20 years of dance experience, she has gone on to teach children’s ballet at the City University of New York, and has taught numerous Hip Hop classes at Broadway Dance Center. Elizabeth is trained in various styles such as Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Musical Theater, Ballet, Freestyle, and more! Her passion for dance is never limited. Being a versatile dancer and choreographer is something Elizabeth takes to heart. With having the chance to live in New York City for over 4 years, Elizabeth has performed with numerous companies, taught for various workshops, and has choreographed for music videos. Throughout her years of dance Elizabeth has learned a lot about teaching dancers of all ages, levels, styles and has picked up a variety of teaching methods from her instructors. Elizabeth is taking everything she has learned about teaching, dancing, performing and applying it to every class she teaches.
Daniella Castoria - Virtual/In-Person
Acting/Dance/Vocal Audition Coach
Career Coaching, Agent/Manager, Dance, Voice, Acting, Commercial coaching, Self-Tape coaching, Audition prep., On Camera.
Originating as an East Coast Native, born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Daniella Castoria is a bicoastal actress, dancer & singer. Daniella danced her way into the industry at the age of 5. She spent numerous years training on the east coast as a competition dancer and expanding her dance knowledge to singing and acting as well. On her off days, she commuted to New York City to attend Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre and she traveled with Triple Threat Talent Tour as an apprentice along the east coast. Daniella graduated from Studio School Los Angeles with a BFA in Acting for Film and Television and simultaneously continued dancing with the Commercial Dance majors during her time there. She has booked commercials, music videos, feature films, short films and even created a podcast, which has gone international in over 10 countries! Most, recently, Daniella has Choreographed Shrek The Musical on the West Coast and Directed her first Agent and Manager Talent Showcase on the East Coast, in addition to Directing 3 Virtual Shows and a Virtual Musical to 4th-8th Grade students at a Private School in North Hollywood, California.She continues to share her love and passion for her craft with the next generation of artists, and is looking to create her own path and leave a trail for those who come after her.
Paula Sloan
Ballet & Tap
Origianlly from Oklahoma, Miss Paula has worked as a Director, Choreographer and Educator ever since receiving her M.A. in Humanities from the University of Houston. Miss Paula served as the Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Houston for several years, where she taught graduate and undergraduate classes in Ballet, Tap, Dance Composition and Dance History. Miss Paula's long list of achievements include:
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Director of Creative Dance For Children (University of Houston)
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Co-Founder of the Texas Tap Ensemble (which toured internationally)
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Teacher Recognition Award for Excellence In Teaching from the National Board of Education
Miss Paula's teaching skills speak for themselves, as her students have gone on to attend Julliard, NYU, and perform with groups such as Tap Dogs and the Mark Morris Dance Company. In addition to teaching, Miss Paula has directed and/or choreographed professionally in many theatres around the country, including Theatre Under The Stars, Casa Manana, Plan B Productions and Surflight Theatre, as well as numerous national tours.
Alyjah Decker -Online
Pop Vocal Coach, Songwriting Coach, Career Coaching, Studio and performance prep
Alyjah is a singer/songwriter who grew up in the music industry, meeting with major record label executives, working with award winning producers, and performing at famed venues on the East Coast. On the team of Grammy Winning Producer/Engineer Earl Cohen, Alyjah has most recently written songs for 2013 winner of American Idol, Candice Glover, and 2nd runner-up of The Voice’s 13th Season, Brooke Simpson. As a teenager, she had been pursuing a recording contract as an artist, and was represented by the former manager of artists such as The Cheetah Girls, and had met with and performed for privately for the presidents and executives of major labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony, EMI, MBK, Interscope, and more. She is a BMI associated songwriter and certified from the semi-annual invitation only BMI songwriters workshop. Alyjah offers vocal coaching, songwriting lessons, Performance coaching, pre- recording studio prep and career coaching.
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Private Lessons Services :
Vocal Coaching - Specializing in pop styles, working on breathing, tone, range, and performance. I aim to guide my students in finding their unique voice!
Songwriting - Using my 10+ years of experience in songwriting, I help my students to develop a sense of structure for songs, finding their style and what sets their original music aside from other artists.
Career Coaching - Guiding students with my experience in the music industry on how to break out and get heard, how to collaborate, how to find producers and management, and developing a following through social media and live performance.
Dylan Pearce
Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop
Dylan Pearce is a freelance teacher, choreographer, and performer from New York City. He began dancing at the age of 5 going on to study extensively at the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC on scholarship along with Broadway Dance center, Steps, and The Ailey School. Dylan is an Assistant Choreographer for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and before that spent 7 seasons performing in the Christmas Spectacular. He also performed in the Radio City Spring Spectacular along side Derek Hough and Laura Benanti. He has choreographed for the Samsung Group, Radio City Rockettes, Americas Got Talent, Brenda K. Starr, Amy Lynn and The Gun Show, and all over the United States for studios and Universities. He’s performed in televised and staged productions including Off Broadway in Shea Sullivan’s ‘Dancing on a Dream’, WNBA All-Star Halftime Show, Miss New Jersey, Miss New York and The Miss Florida pageants, The Michael Awards, Trump Signature Events, Equity Fights AIDS, Knicks City Dancers, Jazz Dance America’s Tri-State Youth Invitational, Ray-Ban and Rite Aid industrials, and the International Dance Festival in NYC. Dylan toured with Recording Artists Brenda K. Starr, and Tina Ann, and was a dancer in the modern company, Momix. He was also dance captain for Walt Disney World’s “Twas The Night Before Christmas” and toured the world performing and setting shows for Princess and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Dylan is a highly sought after Master Teacher and Choreographer. His distinctive style sets his choreography apart and gives his dancers a cutting edge above the competition.
Andrew Wright
Music Theory
Mr. Wright has served as a music educator in the Southern Regional School District since 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education with a focus in percussion from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts in Instructional Technology from Stockton University. Mr. Wright, who resides in Manahawkin with his wife and two children, has also enjoyed playing percussion or music directing the orchestra for local school and community theatre productions.
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Elizabeth Troxler
Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Jumps and Turns, Pointe
Elizabeth Troxler began her dance training in Western Pennsylvania with Paula Scriva Jersey. She continued to study at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet, and under Vagonova Masters Irina Kolpakova, Vladilen Seminov, & Mansur Kameletdinov of the Kirov Ballet (now Mariinsky Ballet). Later Elizabeth trained under Maureen Price with the Royal Academy of Dance where she passed all of her RAD vocational exams with Distinction (including a perfect score on Advanced 2). She continued on to achieve her Solo Seal Award with the Royal Academy of Dance, and is now a Certified Teacher for the Royal Academy of Dance.
Elizabeth has performed roles such as the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and the Pas de Trois from Swan Lake with The Nacional Ballet de Panama & The Illinois Ballet. Other ballets in which she has enjoyed performing are Don Quioxte, Les Sylphide, Ballet Etudes, The Little Mermaid & Alice in Wonderland. She conceived, created, choreographed and produced a full length ballet version of the Hans Christian Andersen tale The Snow Queen, as well as a children's production of The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg in conjunction with Northern Arizona University.
As the dance captain and a performer, Elizabeth travelled with the National Tour of Sweet Charity. She has also performed in regional theater productions of Mame (Riverside Theatre), Beauty & the Beast (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), The Wizard of Oz (The Fireside Theatre), Anything Goes, CATS, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Thoroughly Modern Millie (OPTC), as well as in Peter & the Wolf at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She has choreographed many musicals including productions of Dames at Sea, Godspell, Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof, and Sweet Charity.
Elizabeth has trained and coached hundreds of students for the Royal Academy of Dance Children's and Vocational Exams and the Youth American Grand Prix Ballet Competition. Her students have continued on to dance with American Ballet Theatre, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Miami City Ballet, Elements, New York Theater Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and in various National Tours, Broadway, and Off-Broadway shows such as 42nd Street, Beauty & the Beast, Oklahoma!, and Bullets Over Broadway.
Elizabeth is currently on the faculty at the Martha Graham Dance Company & School and teaches weekly at Broadway Donation. She continues to teach and guest teach in and around NYC, coaching and training dancers of all ages and disciplines. Elizabeth directs a monthly choreography lab in which she creates new works of all genres of dance.
Jim McCabe
Improv, Acting, Adult Improv workshops, Page to Stage workshops, Directorial coaching
Jim McCabe is the Improv teacher at Southern Regional High School. He directed the District musicals for over 15 years. "McCabe" is also involved with Bellarine Theatre Company and has directed shows for them over the years. His improv classes are full of fun and on the spot thinking. They encourage public speaking, quick thinking, and build confidence. Check out a class this week!
Max Kasler- Online Instructor
Music Theory, Composition, Coach for writing your own musical, Practice and performance track creation.
Max recently graduated from Muhlenberg College with a degree in Music Composition and Jewish Studies. He started playing guitar in Kindergarten and has been making noise ever since! Compositionally, Max specializes in choral and musical theatre music. Although he now focuses on writing musical theatre, he grew up performing (favorite roles include Horton (Seussical), Cogsworth (Beauty & The Beast), and Piragua Guy (In The Heights)) in musicals and has a deep appreciation of being on both sides of the piano. In 2018 he teamed up with his best friend, Gwen Wilkie, to form Kasler & Wilkie. Together, Kasler & Wilkie have completed their first project, Woven Stories, which is a musical theatre song cycle that tackles the joy and pain that comes with being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is about love and acceptance, from others, and most importantly from yourself. It has been performed twice in full at Muhlenberg College and multiple songs have been showcased at the New York Musical Festival (July 2018 and August 2019), the A Little New Music Festival in Los Angeles (December 2018) and will be performed for the first time internationally this coming October in Cape Town, Africa. The album of the song cycle is set to be released later this year! Currently, Kasler and Wilkie are working on an acoustic musical that deals with climate change and aims to teach children and adults about environmentalism via a post-apocalyptic lens.
Kelsey Fowler -Online
Online Workshops and Masterclasses, Private lesson coaching, Voice, Acting, Audition Prep, College Prep, Career coaching
Kelsey Fowler is an actress, dancer, singer, vlogger and advocate who began her acting career portraying the role of Lee Bouvier in the original Broadway production of Grey Gardens. Her other Broadway credits include Louise in Sunday in the Park with George, Jane Banks in Mary Poppins, and Young Bonnie in Bonnie & Clyde. Kelsey is a creative entrepreneur who is constantly working to create new opportunities for herself and others. She earned a BFA in Musical Theater and a minor in Homeland Security from Pace University. Kelsey continues to work alongside her brother to be a passionate advocate for those with disabilities and even wrote her senior thesis on the power and portrayal of disabilities in the entertainment industry. You can follow Kelsey on Twitter and Instagram @kelseyfowlernyc and visit her website at www.kelseyfowler.com
Dara D. Kawka
Stretch and Strength, a Substitute teacher in all areas of dance, Maternity sub for Liz Trotta January/Feb 2019
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Dara D. Kawka has been dancing for over 35 years and holds a B.A. in Theater Arts and Dance from Santa Clara University, California. She was born and raised in San Francisco, California and moved to New Jersey in October 2005 after marrying her husband D.J. Dara is a proud mother of her daughter Kallie (11) son Josh (9) and daughter Dylan (4)! She is in her 21st year of teaching dance and fitness to students ages 2-adult. Dara has performed on MTV as well as for the NBA All-Star Games. Dara is also a Certified PiYo Instructor, Zumba Instructor and Stott Pilates Mat & Reformer Instructor. Her many talents include Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Hip-hop, Creative Dance, Acrobatics, Body Maintenance, Pilates Mat & Reformer, Floor Barre, Lyrical, Mommy & Me, Pre-school Movement, Nutrition, Dance History, Choreography, Bosu, Stability Ball, Foam Roller, Improvisation, Group Exercise Classes, Musical Theatre Dance, Kahnotation, Zumba Latin Dance Aerobics, KidZanity Fitness classes, Yoga, PiYo & Cardio-Kickboxing. Dara was also the Head Coach for the Santa Clara University Dance Team. She has also been a guest choreographer for numerous elementary and high schools, as well as holding her New Jersey Substitute Teaching Credential for Vocational Arts/Dance. Dara believes that in dance and fitness there are no limits! Life is NOT a dress rehearsal!