MEET MS. MARIA
Owner/Artistic Director
Miss Maria began dancing when she was just 3 years old and has since studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Modern and Bellydance. She graduated from Manhattanville College in 2010 with a degree in Dance & Theater and has been teaching dance to students of all ages ever since.
Maria has had the opportunity to work with and learn from incredible choreographers such as Peter Pucci, Val Pullman, Keith Saunders, Bill Hastings, Nicole Hockenberry, Hannah Nour and Tabatha Robinson- Scott. And she has had the chance to perform in Washington DC, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Lincoln Center, and the Joyce SoHo.
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Since graduating, Maria has coached the Northampton High School Dance Team for several years, danced and cheered with both the Lehigh Valley Storm and Lehigh Valley Steelers Dance Teams, as well as danced with the Monarch Dance Company for 5 years.
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Maria also has extensive experience choreographing for high school musicals, dance teams, competition soloists, performance projects and more.
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In 2019 Maria opened Valley Dance with the goal of bringing her love of dance to the Lehigh Valley and creating a welcoming environment for all our dance families. The mission and goal of Valley Dance is to instill a great passion and love of dance, while inspiring self-confidence, discipline and respect of the performing arts. The goal is to give each individual dancer the tools they need to take dance as far as they dream to take it.
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**We believe that if you can dream it, you can achieve it!**
MEET MS. MARI
Dance Instructor
Mari Perrella started dancing when she was 6 years old at Orlando School of Dance in Schenectady, NY, where she took ballet, tap, and jazz. She went on to major in dance at the University at Buffalo and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in dance and psychology. While at UB, she choreographed for Emerging Choreographers Showcase ("live in technicolor,") and Dancer's Workshop ("006," "Peanut Butter Jealous"). Mari was also a teaching assistant for a number of classes in the program and was the President of UB's chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. For the 2018-2019 dance season, Mari had the pleasure of teaching tap classes at Lancaster Dance Center near Buffalo, NY, but her goals to pursue graduate school brought her to Bethlehem, PA. Mari is now a graduate student at Lehigh University studying school psychology. She is so excited to start sharing her love for dance again with the students at Valley Dance, and she cannot wait for fall classes to start!
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MEET MS. JULIA
Dance Instructor
Miss Julia began her dance training at the age of 7 and has trained extensively in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, and Contemporary. Her favorite style of dance has always been Ballet and Pointe. Miss Julia has performed in recitals, benefit shows/events, showcases, dance intensives, baseball games and more.
Miss Julia holds a B.A in Dance from DeSales University. While at DeSales, Miss Julia has danced in a number of performances including Dance Concerts, Senior Showcases, Composition pieces, as well as teaching for the DeSales Conservatory of Dance program, where she taught for two years under the direction of Jill Fitzgerald. At DeSales, she trained extensively under the instruction of Tim Cowart, Angela Sigley Grossman, Elise Jumes, Julia Mayo, Milan Misko, Trinette Singleton, and Caili Quan.
Meet Ms. Becka
Dance Instructor
Becka Morris has trained as a gymnast and a dancer since she was three years old. She attended Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts as a dance major, and has had the opportunity to perform and choreograph throughout the Lehigh Valley. Becka has taught dance and gymnastics for the past ten years in the Lehigh Valley, West Chester, PA, and Philadelphia. Her favorite classes to teach are acro and modern! Along with teaching dance and gymnastics, Becka is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She loves working with clients to help them meet their athletic goals! Becka has also been teaching group exercise classes for the past two years. As a dancer, runner, cyclist, and swimmer, she understands the importance of proper strength training for athletes and for everyday life! In addition to teaching dance and fitness classes, Becka teaches 7th grade English at Bangor Area Middle School. Becka is very excited to work with all of the amazing students at Valley Dance this year!
Meet Ms. Carly
Dance Instructor
Carly Watson has been teaching dance for over 10 years in the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania! She grew up performing as a featured dancer in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parades and competing in competitions throughout the state. She attended Lock Haven University where she studied Early Childhood and Special Education while also minoring in Dance. During her time at Lock Haven, she was heavily involved with Dance Consort, Modern Dance Company, and Revamp. She was both a dancer and choreographer. She also served as President and secretary of Modern Dance Company and Dance Consort. Carly was instructed by Tennessee's Ballet Artistic Director at Bucknell University and attended the American College Dance Festival at Penn State University. Aside from collegiate dance classes, Carly also taught professionally within the Lock Haven community. She also assisted the LHU Dance department as a volunteer instructor for local elementary schools. Carly graduated from Lehigh University with a graduate degree in Educational Leadership with a Principal Certification and currently teaches special education. Carly is excited to share her love of dance with the next generation!