Instructors and Guests
Lisa Carlson
CEO/Instructor
Lisa@starlightpac.com
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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*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'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.​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.
Jenny Stodd
*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.
Krista Reagan
*Fall musical director, Private/group Acting coaching, Group musical theater, College prep, Audition technique.
Krista Reagan, originally from Brooklyn, NY, has over 20 years of experience as an actor, director, and performing arts educator in the Tristate area. She received her graduate degree from New York University in Educational Theatre with NYC/NYS Teacher Certification and holds a BA in Creative Arts (Theatre/Visual Arts) from Siena College. Krista has taught students from all walks of life, from ages 2- 72, in acting, improv, audition technique, college prep, movement, stage combat, public speaking, Shakespeare, puppetry, and more! She established and ran several high schools Performing Arts departments in NYC and Bergen County, NJ. Krista feels very fortunate to have moved down to Barnegat with her husband and three children and is very excited about embarking on this new adventure by joining the starlight communityKrista’s students are attending/graduated from recently: NYU Tisch, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (London), University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Muhlenberg College, Boston University, AMDA NY & LA, Rutgers University, Rider, Wagner College, SUNY Purchase. Krista will be available for private lessons and upcoming workshops in Acting, College prep, audition prep, Shakespeare/Classic Monologue/scene prep, public speaking, Musical theatre (acting the song), film/Tv/ Commercial Audition prep, or coaching for a role.
Deanna has danced and toured the world, 52 countries to be exact! After receiving her BFA in Dance from the University of the Arts (2016), the world was her oyster. One of her most notable performance opportunities has been performing as the “West Coast feature” in Swing the Broadway Musical for Norwegian Creative Studios.(2021-2022) Deanna had the opportunity to learn the role from the original Broadway West Coast featured female dancer, Beverly Durand. She has also had the honor of being the Dance captain as well as a featured dancer for Broadway choreographer, Warren Carlyle’s, production show “Palace of Lights”(2022-2023). She dance captained, and was a dancer/aerialist in Broadway choreographer, Patti Wilcox’s, production show “Elements” (2019-2022 & 2022-2023) as well. Deanna has had the opportunity to train and work with former Cirque Du Soleil artists as well as notable choreographers in the industry and in 2022, her and her dance/ aerial partner premiered their own guest act on board a vessel for Norwegian Cruise Line. Off the stage, she is also known as Miss Deanna, as she has taught at multiple dance studios, theatre schools, summer intensives, workshops, and conventions, throughout New Jersey. Deanna continues to pursue her career in dancing, aerial, teaching and choreographing, and hopes her love of dance reaches and teaches everyone she knows.
Deanna Drago Stojkoska
*Acro, Pointe, Ballet/Lyricl, Jazz, Ballet,Teen Dance Combo, Competition Team.
Liz Trotta
*Pre-School Dance, Special needs certified dance instructor, Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Musical Theater.
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.
Emily Gulden has had a love affair with theatre from the minute she stepped foot on the stage for her dance recital at three years old. As a Manahawkin local, the foundations of her training were instilled in her at Starlight Performing Arts. Lisa Carlson was her first voice teacher and role model. She introduced her to the importance of hard work and embracing your uniqueness that Emily carries with her to this day. She hopes to pass on this message to her students. Emily grew up with Starlight Performing Arts. At eight years old, you could find her taking voice lessons from Lisa’s living room every Tuesday! At 13 years old, she started student teaching and assisting with competition numbers. At 17 years old, she taught her first class, Pre-Musical Theatre. Learning under the guidance of Jenny and Lisa, Emily realized how instrumental teachers are in the development and training of young performers. She recently graduated from Wagner College with a BA in Theatre Performance and two minors in Film/Media Studies and Political Sciences. Outside college and Starlight PAC, Emily has trained at Steps, Broadway Dance Center and attended the Rutgers High School Musical Theatre Academy.
Emily Gulden
*Group-Voice, Musical Theater.
She has worked closely with Denise Simon, Raquel Nobile, and Michael Lee Brown of Badiene Magaziner’s vocal studio, Dave Hibbard, and broadway director Phil Wm. McKinley. Her favorite credits include Toffee in Zombie Prom, Laurie in Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Emmy in A Doll’s House Part Two. Since completing college, Emily has continued to work professionally at Asbury Park Theatre Co. in their production of American Idiot and Catalyst Theatre Company in their production of Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens starring Scott Baker and Chloe Fiddler (of the West End) as Anna and dance captain under the advisement of THE Shiela Barker. She’s also been busy performing at various cabarets in the city, working with ReelArc, auditioning, and creating her own business (Reel Edits by Emily)! She is excited to return home to share her passion, knowledge, and experience with young students who share her dreams.
John "Comix" BarrellaStreet Dance Educator, Choreographer, Performer & ConsultantJohn’s work in film & dance is based around street dance culture. His work utilizes a range of the arts with techniques largely based within locking, popping, b-boy, and hip hop. John has been a featured dancer in music videos “HSKT” by Tenin and “Get Away” By Alissia. Other works include a presentation for Tedx: Chaos, Halftime shows for the NY Knicks, NYC Breakers’ Battle of the Boroughs reunion and much more.As a choreographer, his work has been presented internationally. His unique approach to movement has been placed on dancers in countless schools, programs & teams in and out of the United States. At the age of 14, John was accepted into the "School of the Arts” in East Brunswick, NJ where he began his high school and college years learning modern dance and ballet from a variety of instructors and master teachers. Rounding out his early training, John participated in courses on human anatomy, improvisational techniques, childhood education, choreography composition, musical theatre and theatre. From his early teen years, John has studied under various hip hop artists and was recruited into WildStyle dance company where he learned his core hip hop techniques. He gained appreciation for street styles with glimpses into technique for house dance, waacking and dancehall.
John "Comix" Barrella
*Street Dance Educator, Hip Hop, Breakdance Choreographer, Performer & Consultant.
Furthering his training, John continues to study under master and pioneering hip hop artists. Notable influences on his work include Tom Mckie, Spex, Brian Green, Bev Brown, Jazzy J, Sekou, Pavan Thimmiah and more. John is owner/director of dance company “The Redef Movement”, established in 2007. His company presents work both in a range of hip hop and professional dance atmospheres, most frequently presented throughout NJ, NY and Philadelphia. Their comedy based work “Stupid Humans” is a satire on the performing arts, often utilizing live shows or dance films to create humorous takes on common elements of the dance and performance world. In addition to his duties as a company director, John is an adjunct professor for hip hop at Rider University and has spent time on numerous boards for the arts.In recent years, John has developed a curriculum and program that trains teachers in hip hop terminology and technique, applying it to class structure. This program, “Essentials for Dance Education” has been implemented in classrooms around the world and has offered countless teachers a look into his own method of instruction. John's classes and events are designed to teach aspiring dancers the fundamentals of street & hip hop dance as a freestyle art and techniques to master choreography. His goals are to inspire people to be artists and push themselves creatively and positively both in and outside of dance.
After spending a decade living in New York City as an actor/musician, Todd moved to the Jersey Shore, where he has enjoyed performing at numerous Long Beach Island venues and in the surrounding area for the past five years. He played Buddy Holly in the national tour of THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY musical back in 2015. His guitar playing has also been featured in regional productions of other musicals such as RING OF FIRE, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, ALL SHOOK UP, and PUMP BOYS & DINETTES. When he's not acting in shows or performing acoustic covers at his favorite local joints, he can be found performing around the country and on cruise ships with his band, The Rave-Ons. Todd has been playing guitar since the age of 16 and he is excited to spread the joy of music with Starlight students intersted in the instrument. You can learn more about him and listen to his music at www.toddmeredith.com.
Todd Meredith
*Private Guitar Lessons.
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!
Ms. Tabb is a graduate of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, and teaches performing arts at Southern Regional, right here in Manahawkin! Ms. Tabb grew up studying a variety of music and performing in many areas of the arts, both in school and the community, and continues to do so to this day! Her “whole heart” is teaching her “nuggets” and watching them grow into their success, and she also enjoys performing in musicals and taking on lead vocals in the Ned Ryerson Band! Her 30+ year background in voice, theatre, and dance has allowed her to work with many local and NY based professionals and experience a variety of performance styles, which has shaped her approach to both teaching and performing. Fun Fact — Ms. Tabb’s introduction to "all things arts" was TAP DANCING !! She is thrilled to get those feet tip tapping and moving and grooving again with Starlight! At home, Ms. Tabb loves to spend time with her fiancé and fur babies, playing with her nieces and nephews, going thrifting, and cooking!
Jannah Tabbaccino
*Tap, Vocal.
Adina Paciello
*Private Vocal, Audition Prep and coaching.
Adina is thrilled to be back teaching with Starlight PAC, where her love for performing began over a decade ago! She is a graduate from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Over the past few years Adina has been touring all over the US and Canada as the Swing and Dance Captain in Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour, and has also made her debut in London’s West End in Blippi the Musical, along with a short residency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When Adina is not touring, she can be found in NYC performing in various cabarets, readings, taking classes and working on her craft. Simultaneously, she is teaching as an early childhood educator at Little Maestro’s, New York’s #1 infant and toddler music program. She hopes to help students use theatre and music as a way to have fun and learn to express themselves in new and exciting ways
Mia Spallina has trained in the tap world since she was very young. She began her professional-level training in classes with Maurice Chestnut from 2015-2022. In 2017, she debuted as a member of the youth ensemble in the Philadelphia-based tap company, The Lady Hoofers, in "The Tapcracker, " led by Kat Echevarria Richter and Katie Budris. In 2019-2020, Mia joined the New Jersey Tap Ensemble as an NJTap2 apprentice dancer. Here, she began intense training in rhythm tap with legends Karen Callaway Williams and Deborah Mitchell. NJ Tap also provided her with masterclasses led by Jason Samuels Smith, Lisa LaTouche, and more. NJ Tap was involved in many community outreach programs, and Miawas invited to perform on stage with them at their 25th Anniversary Celebration at NJ PAC.In 2020, Mia returned to the Lady Hoofers as a high school apprentice, where she performed in a virtual adaptation of "The Tapcracker". In the 2022 in-person season of "The Tapcracker", she was featured in the youth ensemble and was creatively challenged with first company pieces, including one with an onstage snowball fight. Mia also performed with them in their spring concert "On Tap" this year and will continue to train with the company throughout her senior year of high school.
Mia Spallina
*Tap
Mia's goal is to share her love for tap as an art form with students and teach them that it's more than just doing a few steps in shoes with metal on the bottom. Tap can be a dance, a conversation, a history lesson, and even its own song.
Rob Hilliard
*Technical director, Stage combat.
Rob is the resident technical director for Starlight PAC, and has extensive design credits for lighting, sets, and sound, stretching across nearly every local arts organization in South Jersey. He toured with Donna Summer, has worked with casinos and arenas across the Tristate area, and spends a majority of his time every year working technical aspects for the Philadelphia 76ers. In addition, Rob has a deep appreciation for theatre and theatre education, is licensed in stage combat, and even has a background in dance! If that's not enough, you can catch him playing percussion in the band Third Wheel at local establishments throughout the year!
Charles Ray
*Musical Choreographer
Charles is currently in his fourth year of study in Pace University's Commercial Dance program. He has choreographed several projects for Southern Regional High School, taught choreography for The Orchestra Moves at Carnegie Hall, and is an award-winning dancer, performing at Surflight Theatre, The Chita Rivera Awards, and numerous projects in NYC!
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.
Elizabeth Troxler
*Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Jumps and Turns, Pointe
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.
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.
Dylan Pearce
*Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop.
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.