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About Us

Amber Bassett

     Amber opened the studio in 2010 and has loved every minute of it ever since!    She has had 38 years of training in a variety of dance forms and danced competitively in Ohio where she grew up.  Amber began taking dance lessons at age 3 and has not had a single year of her life that didn’t include dance in some way.  She enjoys taking classes whenever she can to keep up to date with current styles and/or new skills.  

     Amber attended West Virginia University where she received her Masters in Secondary Education (specializations in French and Spanish) and minored in Dance.  At WVU she was a member and student choreographer for both the Orchesis Dance Ensemble and the WVU Dance Team.  With the Orchesis Dance Ensemble, Amber participated in the 2001 ACDFA with the ensemble and was featured as a soloist.  

     When she lived in Baltimore, Amber was a member of the Baltimore Collective Dance Company and also taught dance at Aberdeen High School in Harford County.  Amber was also an assistant coach for the Harford Hurricanes, a girls competitive cheer team.   In February 2016, Amber was selected as the Rehearsal Director for Koresh Dance Company’s Opening Act that performed at Bloomsburg University as a part of their 25th Anniversary Tour.  

     Amber currently teaches French & Spanish at Central Columbia High School where she coached the high school dance team for 12 years.  She thoroughly enjoys working with dance students of all ages and teaching them to love dance as much as she still does after many years.

Jessica Lunger

     Miss Jess joined the DanceWorks Staff in 2013 as our Irish instructor. She has taught all three levels of Irish, including hard shoe and has also taught Pre-Dance classes.  This year, she will teach Irish III, Pre-Dance I, Pre-Dance II, and Tiny Tots.  Miss Jess will also choreograph one of our solos for the Competition Team.  

     She studied dance for 16 years including ballet, jazz, pointe, modern, and Irish soft and hard shoe.  She studied Irish for 11 years.  Jessica also participated in Central Columbia High School’s first Dance Team.

     Jessica earned her degree from BU in Early Childhood Education/Special Education with a concentration in the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  At BU, Jessica was also a member of the BU Dance Ensemble in which she participated in Irish hard shoe, Irish soft shoe, and taught the Country group.

     Jessica is 5th Grade Learning Support Teacher at Central Columbia Middle School. 

Natalia Taylor

     Miss Natalia has taught and assisted Acro I for several years and this year will teach Acro II and Contemporary II.  

     Natalia is a Junior at Central Columbia High School and has danced for 12 years at DanceWorks.  She is also a 8-year member of the Competition Team and has competed in many group routines, 5 solos and 3 duets.       

     She was recently inducted into our studio’s chapter of the National Honor Society for the Dance Arts for her dedication to academics and dance.  Her dance study includes ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, acro, contemporary, lyrical, and hip hop.  

Melody Bohling

     Miss Melody joined the DanceWorks Staff in the 2019 as our Hip Hop I instructor.  This year she will teach Hip Hop Fusion and Broadway Bound.  

    Melody has a background in cheer and dance focusing on jazz and hip hop.  She danced competitively at East Coast regional and national competitions with the former Marie Lynn and Superstar Dance Centers. 

     Melody is a local tax collector and event coordinator.

Natalie Stackhouse

     Miss Natalie joined DanceWorks in the fall of 2020 and she is thrilled to be a part of the staff where she can share her love of and passion for dance with the students.  She works with the studio’s Competition Team and teaches the Stretch & Technique classes.  Natalie has been dancing for 28 years and has trained in all styles of dance with her favorites being jazz and hip hop.  Natalie continues to train at D&K Studio of Dance in jazz, lyrical, tap, and hip hop on a weekly basis and attends master classes whenever possible to further her education and dance training.  She also has a background in cheerleading as both a coach and a participant, including high school, collegiate and competitive levels.  

 

     Natalie has danced competitively at local, regional, and national dance competitions throughout her youth and attended annual dance conventions.  She was also a part of the Bloomsburg University Dance Ensemble throughout college and was a 4-year members of the award-winning BU Dance Team.  Natalie has been teaching dance intermittently for 17 years, and has choreographed local high school musicals and other performance routines for dance and cheer squads.  

 

     Natalie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a concentration in Fraud Examination and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, both from Bloomsburg University.  She is currently the Vice President and Controller at First Keystone Community Bank.  Natalie resides in Bloomsburg with her wife Tara and her mini dachshund Zoey.  

Taryn Crayton

     Taryn joined DanceWorks in the fall of 2020.  She teaches Ballet/Tap Combo, Ballet II, Ballet III, and Pointe.  Taryn has been dancing since the age of 3, studying ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, baton twirling, and pointe.  

     In January of 2023, Taryn joined the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum Board and the Bloomsburg Rotary.  She is also a graduate of the Leadership Central Penn program that is coordinated by the Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce.  

     In 2016, she was chosen to be a judge for the Freddy Awards which are given out by State Theatre in Easton, PA for excellence in high school theatre.  Also, she was a judge for the National Judges Association for the 2015-2016 Tournament Indoor Association season.   

     Taryn holds a BA Degree in Communications and a Minor in Dance from Eastern University.  She is currently employed by the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce where she serves as the Director of Member Engagement.  She lives in Berwick with her husband Derek and their dog Millie.  

Lillian Bennett

     Miss Lillian joined the staff in 2022 as our Tap I and Hip Hop II Instructor.  This year, she will teach Hip Hop II and Jazz II.  

     This will be her 6th year at DanceWorks and 4th year on the Competition Team.  She has competed a jazz duet and jazz solo and has also participated in several group routines including lyrical, contemporary, tap, jazz, and open categories.  This year, she will compete a contemporary solo for her final competition season.  

     Lillian was recently inducted into our studio’s chapter of the National Honor Society for the Dance Arts for her dedication to academics and dance.  She has studied various dance forms including ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip hop, and contemporary.  

     Lillian is a Senior at Central Columbia High School.    

Annie Bohling

     Miss Annie taught Hip Hop I last year and will continue teaching that class this year in addition to Acro I.  

     Annie is a Sophomore at Central Columbia High School and has danced at DanceWorks for 10 years.  She is also an 8-year member of the Competition Team and has competed in many group routines, 1 solo, 2 duets, and 1 trio.  This year she will competed a contemporary solo as well as a lyrical duet.  

     She has studied a variety of dance styles including ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, acro, contemporary, hip hop, and African.  

Anastasia Girton

     Miss Anastasia will teach Jazz I and Ballet I this year and has previous experience assisting studio classes including Pre-Dance I, Pre-Dance II, and Ballet/Tap Combo.  

 

     This is her 6th year of dance at the studio and her 5th year as a member of the Competition Team.  She has competed in numerous group routines, 2 solos, and 1 trio.  This year she will compete a contemporary solo.  Anastasia has studied ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, Irish, and tap.

  

     Anastasia is a Freshman at Central Columbia High School.  

Sarah Yurcho

     Miss Sarah will teach Ballet/Tap Combo and Contemporary I this year.  She has previous experience as our Tiny Tots Instructor and has also assisted Pre-Dance classes in the past.  Miss Sarah will also choreograph one of our contemporary solo routines for this year’s competition season.  

     Sarah has many years of dance experience and was a 5-year member of our Competition Team before she graduated in 2022.  Sarah has studied ballet, contemporary, lyrical, and tap.  She also competed a solo, a duet, and was a member of several group routines when she was on the Competition Team.  

     Miss Sarah currently works as a Licensed Cosmetologist at Blush Salon in Bloomsburg.  

Moria Donahue

     Miss Moria joined our staff this year in our 14th Season.  She teaches Tap I. 

     She has danced at DanceWorks for 10 years where she has studied Tap, Ballet, African, and Contemporary.  She is a 2-year member of the Competition Team and will compete a tap solo in the 2023-2024 Competition Season.  

     Moria is a Senior at Central Columbia High School.   

Ava Zanoline

     Miss Ava joined our staff this year and will teach Acro III.  

     Ava has studied dance at DanceWorks for 7 years, 5 of which have been on the Competition Team.  Ava has competed 2 duets, 1 trio, 1 solo, and numerous group routines.  She will compete a solo this year as well.  

     Miss Ava is a Sophomore at Berwick Area High School.  

Beatrice Varner

     Miss Beatrice joins the staff this year and will teach Irish I/II.  

     

     This will be her 10th year at DanceWorks and her 3rd year on the Competition Team.  She has competed in group routines and this past year she competed a contemporary solo.  Beatrice will compete another contemporary solo this competition season.  

 

     Beatrice has studied Irish (soft and hard shoe), contemporary, ballet, and jazz.   

 

     She is a Freshman at Central Columbia High School.  

Raychel Mausteller

     Miss Raychel will assist Ballet/Tap Combo classes for the 2nd time this year.    

     She completed her 10th year at DanceWorks and will also be on this studio’s Competition Team again this year.  She has competed a contemporary duet and this year, she will compete as a contemporary soloist.  Raychel has studied contemporary, jazz, and hip hop.  

 

Raychel is a Sophomore at Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech.  

Josey McNamara

     Miss Josey will assist Pre-Dance classes again this year.   

 

     This is Josey’s 8th year of dance.  She has studied ballet, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary.  This year completes her She completed her 5th year on the studio’s Competition Team.  She has competed in numerous group routines and 2 solos.  This year she will compete as a contemporary soloist.    

 

     Josey is currently a 7th grader at Central Columbia Middle School.  

Shana Warenda

     Miss Shana is our Backstage Manager for our spring productions and has been for nearly a decade.  She is the mother of one of our studio dancers and Competition Team members, Hanna.  


     She has organized fundraising activities for the Competition Team in the past and is always willing to offer help in any way she can.  In addition to 18 years of dance experience herself, she has coached competitive and recreational gymnastics on multiple levels at Axis Gymnastics Academy.  


     Shana works full-time at Maloney Chiropractic.        

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2021 Recital: DanceWorks On Broadway Video Montage