Faculty

Gretchen L. Vogelzang, MFA, Director

Gretchen Vogelzang is a seasoned dance instructor, artistic director, choreographer and arts management executive.  She has over 45 years experience as an instructor and coach in ballet (all levels), pointe, repertoire and partnering as well as contemporary dance forms within universities and highly successful private dance schools.  For fourteen years, Ms. Vogelzang was the Founding Artistic/Executive Director of a nationally ranked pre-professional dance company in Northern California.  As Artistic Director, she choreographed over thirty ballets including five full-length ballets, one of which she wrote, developed and produced as well as choreographed.  Her choreography has been performed locally, regionally and nationally with much acclaim.  For fifteen years, she was the President and then Executive Director of Regional Dance America, a national association of dance companies.  Currently, in addition to teaching and directing the Greater Washington Dance Center, Ms. Vogelzang is the founder and Artistic Director of GWDC’s resident dance company, Festival Ballet Virginia.  She holds degrees in Kinesiology and Theatre and  a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance Education from the University of California, Irvine.  In addition to her vast teaching, directing and performance experience, Ms. Vogelzang is certified in the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE® National Training Curriculum – Primary to Level 3 and the Progressing Ballet Technique program.   Contact:  glv@gwdancecenter.com

Stephanie Dorrycott, Associate Director

Stephanie Dorrycott is a passionate dancer, choreographer, and educator, and is the founder of Northern Virginia-based company, Motion X Dance Co. Raised in the DC area, Stephanie trained extensively in ballet, modern, and jazz before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Shenandoah University in 2009. She was honored with the Excellence in Choreography Award upon graduation and later received the Rising Star Award as an alumna in 2017.

 Stephanie’s choreography has been widely recognized throughout the region, earning accolades such as the Monticello Award from Regional Dance America and high critical acclaim by DC Metro Theater Arts and Washington City Paper. Her choreographic commissions include work for Shenandoah University, Joy of Motion Dance Center, Georgetown University, Metropolitan Youth Ballet, Inwood Dance Company, and Festival Ballet Virginia. Her professional company, Motion X Dance, has performed across the East Coast at venues such as the Atlas Performing Arts Center, The Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center, The Grace Street Theater in Richmond, VA, and The Charlotte Ballet Theater in Charlotte, NC. In 2019, Motion X was selected to present Turning Point at the 36th Annual Choreographer’s Showcase in Maryland, and Stephanie taught as part of the Kennedy Center REACH Opening Festival. Most recently, Motion X was selected for Joe’s Movement Emporium’s Spotlight Artist Series.

As a dance educator, Stephanie has taught across the region. She previously served on the faculty at the Metropolitan School of the Arts and recently joined the faculty at Georgetown University as an adjunct professor. Stephanie currently serves as Associate Director at the Greater Washington Dance Center, where she also manages the studio’s social media presence.

DAVID ARCE

David Arce former dancer with San Francisco Ballet (CA) for 13 seasons, Artistic Director of Juline Regional Youth Ballet (CA) for 10 seasons, Assistant Artistic Director of Mid-Columbia Ballet (WA) for 2 seasons, and recently the Trainee Program Director at Ballet Idaho. Born in San Diego, California, he began his ballet training at Ballet Yuma (AZ) with Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair.  His list of accomplishments with the San Francisco Ballet include principal and soloist roles in Balanchine, Robbins, Forsythe, MacMillan, Martins, Morris, de Mille, Petit, Ratmansky, Caniparoli, Tomasson, Kudelka, Welch, Wheeldon, Adam, Possokhov, York, and Lubovich.  Additionally, he has performed throughout the world with San Francisco Ballet and independently at many galas, festivals, and international ballet competitions in Asia, and Europe.  Mr. Arce has taught master classes, coached, and choreographed domestically and abroad including Japan, China, Malaysia, Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, Washington Ballet in D.C., Utah, New York, throughout California, and numerous RDA/P and Ballet Alliance festivals.  Mr. Arce was a staff writer for Dance Studio Life, contributing Ballet Technique Tips monthly to the magazine for 5 years.

Ava Connor

Ava is a senior at South Lakes High School and has danced at Greater Washington Dance Center since 2014. She currently dances with Greater Washington’s Professional Division and enjoys performing as a part of the company, Festival Ballet Virginia. Ava is a graduate of GWDC’s pedagogy program. She began assisting classes at GWDC in 2022 and has assisted several levels of ballet, adaptive classes, and jazz. She also loves to teach and run summer camps for young dancers. Ava is a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. She has also participated in the Kennedy Center’s contemporary master class series. Over the summer, Ava enjoyed dancing at the University of Utah summer intensive. Ava loves to perform and share the joy of dance with audience members and younger dancers.

Bronwyn Dean

 

Bronwyn Dean is originally from Cape Town, South Africa where she attended RAD Ballet classes with Stephanie Rutherford, Mignon Furman at the University of Cape Town Ballet School, and Barbara Holden. She also attended IDTA Modern dance classes with Stephanie Rutherford and later Brigitte Reeve, where she attained the advanced level.  Bronwyn has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Barkly House Teachers College and has taught preschool classes in South Africa, Tanzania, and in DC. She works for Fairfax County’s Office for Children as a Child Care Specialist, providing classes for preschool teachers and home daycare providers. She is a certified Once Upon a Ballet/Children’s Ballet Method teacher, as well as a certified Rhythm Works Adaptive Dance instructor. She has been teaching at GWDC for the past six years and started the successful Adaptive Dance program for children with special needs. “Every Child Deserves to Experience the Joy of Dance”.

STACY GEORGE

As family lore goes, Stacy George danced before she could walk and hasn’t stopped moving since! She immersed herself in all things dance and through an injury found herself on a personal journey of health and healing. Through this experience, Stacy grew a passion for helping all people achieve a sense of wellness and wholeness in themselves and strives to assist as many people as she can live a life without pain by learning how to use their own unique body.  Stacy has a BS in Exercise Science and an MS in Health Promotion. She is a certified Pilates Instructor with Balanced Body and a Certified Exercise Physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine. To this, Stacy adds nearly 20 years of experience working in different capacities such as Fitness Instructor, Pilates Trainer & Instructor, Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor Trainer, Exercise Specialist in a Physical Therapy office and an Alzheimer’s research study, and as a Fitness Conference Presenter.  Stacy is excited to bring her expertise and passion to GWDC with the hope of reaching and enriching even more lives.

Mychal Keels

Hailing from Sumter, SC,  Mychal Keels began his dance training under Nancy D. Pinckney at North Carolina Central University, where he acquired an immense love for dance, exploring a myriad of styles and concentrations in the process. He uses his background in football, track, and rugby to bring an intensity and strength that is usually only found in sports, to the world of dance. Mychal is experienced in the styles of jazz, ballet,  and street jazz, but has a focus in Horton technique and contemporary movement. He is a member of Koffee Dance Company, a member of Origin Urban Dance Crew, and has participated in the American Dance Festival where he was a recipient of the Fox Family Foundation Scholarship, where he performed with Charles O. Anderson’s Dance Theater X. He has performed with Charles Anderson, Chuck “Baba Chuck” Davis, and has been a guest artist with ShaLeigh Dance works. He currently works as an instructor at Elite Formation Dance Studio and has been guest teaching at many DMV dance studios and schools Formerly he has been an instructor at Empower Dance Studio, Threehouse Studios, and Studio One Dance in NC. Mychal has also set pieces on Fayetteville State University, choreographed forNorth Carolina Central University Theater Department’s production of Dreamgirls., Longleaf School of the Arts (Raleigh, NC) and Durham School of the Arts, as well as taught master classes at a myriad of high schools in the RDU area.

Kendall Nelson

Kendall is a senior at South Lakes High School and has danced at Greater Washington since 2014. She currently dances in GWDC’s Professional Division and loves sharing her passion by performing with Festival Ballet Virginia. Since 2022, Kendall has assisted in several ballet, jazz, and adaptive dance classes, which have greatly inspired her, and hopes to work with children in her future career. She loves making connections with the students and helping them grow as dancers. Kendall is a graduate of GWDC’s Teaching Pedagogy program as well as a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. This past season, audience members will know Kendall as the Fairy Godmother in Festival Ballet Virginia’s production of Cinderella.  Kendall plans to continue to share her love of dance and inspire younger dancers!

JULIANNE NICKLES

Julianne Nickles began dancing at the age of 15, training primarily in ballet through beginning adult programs. A year later she found GWDC and quickly began to consider it her home. She was a student of the Professional Division from 2018-2020, and performed as part of Festival Ballet’s The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty’s Dream. In 2020 she began her studies at the College of William and Mary, pursuing a degree in Neuroscience. In 2021 she began her role as administrative assistant for the studio, and worked primarily remotely throughout the remainder of her college career. Post-graduation, she is continuing her administrative assistant role as she prepares to apply to medical school with dreams of being a child psychiatrist. She has been teaching dance with GWDC since 2017, and loves her GWDC family dearly.

Annie Orth

Annie is a native of Chicago where she began her training in dance, acting, fitness and vocal performance. She moved to New York after high school to attend the SUNY Purchase Conservatory, and furthered her training in New York City where she resided and worked for over 10 years. She has been a performing member of multiple New York based dance companies, as well as part of the teaching faculty at New York’s premier dance studio, STEPS on Broadway. Her professional performing experience includes national tours, productions on and off-Broadway, regional and international shows. She remains a proud member of Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. In addition to performing, Annie was the associate choreographer for multiple New York concerts and musicals, which bridged her transition from on-stage to off.  Her love for fitness started at a young age and peaked while living in New York when she got pulled into the pilates and barre circuit between performing jobs. She obtained her pilates certification through Power Pilates in New York City, began her barre work with Physique 57, and got her group fitness certification through ACE. With over 20 years of teaching experience, she is passionate about sharing her love of dance, and the knowledge she has obtained from years in the industry. Annie is excited to be joining the faculty at GWDC, balancing time in the studio with being a wife and mom to the most wonderful humans.

Caitlyn Smith

Caitlyn Smith has over 15 years of experience as a ballet instructor, and brings her lifelong passion for ballet to GWDC. Ms. Smith has a diverse dance education, training in the techniques of the Royal Academy of Dance, Vaganova, and Graham. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Intermont College, with a concentration in dance instruction and choreography. Ms. Smith holds a Certificate of Ballet Teaching Studies (CBTS) from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), and is qualified to enter students for the Academy’s annual ballet examinations and presentation awards. She has experience developing successful new ballet educational programs at area ballet schools such as ballet intensives and teacher training courses. She also has experience in all aspects of ballet production, including direction, choreography, costume design and fabrication, prop fabrication, music direction, and organizing photo shoots. Ms. Smith is also a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) and is certified in the Progressing Ballet Technique program.

Caitlin vives

Caitlin Vives (200RYT) loves to laugh, and brings that joyful effervescence to each and every one of her yoga classes. With a firm dedication to create a welcoming, unpretentious, empowering space that is safe in all ways for all practitioners, Caitlin has experience teaching post-natal yoga, senior yoga, and everyone in between.  Caitlin graduated in March of 2019 from the rigorous and well-regarded yoga teacher training program at Beloved Yoga in Reston, VA. It is there that she honed her skills teaching anatomically-focused, trauma-informed, inclusive classes.  Immediately upon graduation, Caitlin was recruited to teach at Samskara Yoga in Sterling, VA. In addition to highly popular before-school elementary school and preschool yoga, Caitlin has taught large all-levels community outdoor classes at Lake Anne Plaza, baby-and-me classes at INOVA Loudoun, adult Vinyasa classes, senior classes, and more.  In 2020, Caitlin’s yoga teaching experience expanded further when she was brought on to teach young adult ballet dancers at The School of Theatrical Dance in Great Falls, VA. Quickly, the addition of yoga to the dancers’ training became noticeably beneficial. Now, Caitlin brings her talents and teaching to Greater Washington Dance Center, enabling all practitioners to become more aligned, aware, and balanced in their whole selves.

Jenn Youngelman

Born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Jennifer is a dynamic dancer and passionate performer. Her love for the craft began at the ripe age of 3 years old, and has been the heartbeat of her life ever since. She currently resides in the DC area. With an intense passion for the arts, Jennifer’s expertise expands across many dance styles including Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Tap, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Heels. Some of her favorite credits include: The Kennedy Center Honors with Gloria Estefan and Ariana DeBose, KISS, Usher, opening for Tik Tok sensations Flyana Boss, back-up dancing for Jodeci Milhouse on her 2019 Manifest & Chill Summer Tour as well as for the Pop Smash Music Awards, and having her work featured in multiple shows at the MGM National Harbor. Jennifer has also acted/danced in a number of projects and music videos in the DMV area.

She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Shenandoah Conservatory, where she majored in Dance Performance.

Jennifer has been teaching dance for 8 years, and whole-heartedly aims to inspire and educate with the most optimistic approach. As part of her effort to pursue this, Jennifer created The Confidence Compass, a mentorship framework that helps artists build unshakable confidence from the inside out. By combining mindset, movement, and practical tools, she empowers creatives to move through fear, gain clarity, and create careers and lives that feel deeply aligned.