Elevate Dance Academy Faculty

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Allison Westrick was born and raised in Long Valley, New Jersey. She began her training at the age of 3 in a multitude of dance styles. At age 15, she began her pre-professional career through Z Artists Group, where she was given many opportunities to travel and perform. Her international experiences include a cultural exchange with Malpaso Dance Company through the Joyce Theater Foundation in Havana, Cuba, Assisting her mentor Joelle Cosentino at the DanzArt Festival in Sicily, Italy, and a residency in Mumbai, India. Allison has notably performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Broadway’s BC/EFA Easter Bonnet Competition, Dancers Demand Action Benefit at the Joyce Theater, as well as United Nations Reception for Adolescent Health. She received her BFA in Dance Performance at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance in May 2024. During her studies, she had the opportunity to perform works by Martin Løfsnes, Nattie Trogdon and Hollis Bartlett, and Doung Varone and Dancers among others. Allison has done additional training  with Joy Apluerto Ritter through B12 international festival,  Juliano Nunes and Flockworks at Orsolina28, the EXPLORE Program at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble’s Ballet Intensive, and more. Allison was also chosen to represent Purchase at London Contemporary Dance School as a study abroad student, where she performed works that culminated from investigative processes. Allison has taught and choreographed for many dance studios in the NJ and Northeast area.  She continues to deepen in her creativity, and her work reflects her vast collection of technical styles and worldly experiences.

Luka Gabriel Appelbaum is a New York–based dance artist and choreographer. He holds a BFA in Dance with dual concentrations in Choreography and Modern, along with a minor in Arts Management from Marymount Manhattan College. Luka has had his choreography presented for The Young Choreographers Festival at The Joyce Theater, multiple shows at Marymount, and at the upcoming Dumbo Dance Festival.. Luka has performed works by esteemed choreographers including Andrea Miller, Bill T. Jones, Martha Graham, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Pedro Ruiz, Donterreo Culp, Karen Gayle, and others. He has danced at iconic venues such as Chelsea Factory, Playwrights Horizons, Arts on Site, and The Joyce Theater, where he was a part of the centennial season with the Martha Graham Dance Company and the NYCDA Foundation’s Destiny Rising. Outside of Marymount, Luka received tutelage from Gallim School of Movement, American Repertory Ballet, and Koin & Co. Luka brings curiosity and conviction into every space he enters, all while somehow maintaining a chaotic sense of humor and proper alignment. 

Kathy VanDereedt is a performing artist, choreographer and dance educator based out of NYC. Her versatility has enabled her a long and varied career that spans over 20 years across multiple disciplines.  Performing highlights include: Multiple productions with The Washington National Opera (The Kennedy Center), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), Disney’s The Beauty and the Beast (Int’l Tour), Bryn Cohn & Artists (Bryn Cohn), BODYART (Leslie Scott), Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and various regional productions including White Christmas, Crazy For You, The Producers, and more.

As an in-demand educator, Kathy has taught and choreographed across North America for various arts programs, top dance studios, and conventions, including: NYC’s Broadway Dance Center, PMT House of Dance, Artists Unite Collective, and the former NYC-based Pre-Professional Contemporary Training Program under Pushing Progress. She has also enjoyed teaching in the Musical Theatre Department at New York Film Academy since 2022. Her choreography has been praised for its musicality, intricacy and storytelling, and has been presented in NYC, across the US and Canada. 

Kathy knows that the journey of training and pushing to reach new levels of technique and artistry is never done, and enjoys challenging her students, along with herself, to always continue learning and growing as artists. kathyvandereedt.com

CiCi Crosby, a New Jersey native, is a dancer, choreographer, and gymnastics coach. She began her professional dance career with the New York Riptide Dance Crew and is now a second year company dancer at Nimbus Dance in Jersey City. CiCi has performed works by various renowned choreographers, including Jonathan Godfrey, Chelsea Godfrey, David Lim, Jona Biddle, Fik-Shun, Phillip Solomon, Bill T. Jones, Fredrick Earl Mosley, Tevin Johnson, Dawn Marie Bazemore, and Samuel Pott. Her training includes Somerset County Votech Dance, The Joffrey Ballet School, The Pulse Dance Intensive, Complexity Dance Center, and Montclair State University Dance Department. CiCi choreographed and premiered her first dance film titled “The Killer Series” in 2021. She followed with her second “La Lucertola” in 2023 and her third “Salema” in August of 2025. She also hosted her first gallery for her dance photography titled “The Shapes of Girlhood” in 2024. With a wide range of knowledge in the fields of dance & gymnastics, as well as equal passion for performing, teaching, and choreographing, she has enjoyed the honor of sharing her versatility with the youth of the dance world. CiCi has now been teaching young dancers across New Jersey and New York since 2019. Her classes and choreography are known for their innovation, musical variety, challenging technical work, and uplifting energy. CiCi challenges her students artistically and athletically, encouraging them to push creative boundaries and balance flexibility and strength. She has been awarded for her choreography in the styles of Contemporary, Jazz, Acro, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Pom, and Modern.

Sophia Greene (she/her), from Syracuse, NY, is a New York City based dance artist specializing in modern, ballet, contemporary, theater jazz, and dance-theater styles. She holds a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Modern from Marymount Manhattan College, with additional training through the Martha Graham School, Tecniche di Danza Moderna, and the O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation. Sophia employs her experience in theater, voice acting, and music to inform her dance approach. She has performed works by José Limón, Martha Graham, Caterina Rago, Tamisha Guy, Nicholas Cunningham, Netta Yerushalmy, Raja Feather Kelly, Nathan Trice, Sameena Mitta, and others, in venues such as The Joyce Theater, 92NY, Battery Park, Judson Church, Dixon Place, and Piazza Monumento in San Lucido, Italy. Currently, Sophia is a member of Martha Graham Dance's Graham 2, and performs as a company member with CRDANCE Company (Dir. Caterina Rago), MeenMoves (Dir. Sameena Mitta), and as a founding member of Svalyava Contemporary Dance (Dir. Luka Gabriel Appelbaum). Sophia has extensive teaching experience with movers of all ages. She is passionate about dance accessibility and quality movement education for children, and loves to contribute her skills to the next generation of performers.