Preparing Students for Careers in Dance

OUR ALUMNI

Throughout four decades of providing dance education to our community, our students consistently curate a lifelong love of dance whether they choose to dance professionally or simply for the joy of it.

JLDC STUDENTS BECOME
LEADERS IN THE WORLD OF DANCE

Many Joanne Langione Dance Center Alumni pursue careers in dance, teaching and choreography upon graduation from our school. From dancing at prestigious colleges around the country, appearing with professional dance companies, national tours, TV and film appearances, even Broadway, to creating and founding their own dance programs or projects, we are proud to say they started here.

Billy_

Billy Cohen

Johnny_

Jonny Cohen

Marina_

Marina Vachon

Antonelli_

Alessandra Antonelli

Michael_

Michael Di Leo

Madison_

Madison Hackel

JonPaul_

Jon Paul Roby

annie_

Annie Ellertsen

Elana2_

Elana Jacobs

Robin_

Robin Campbell

Rebecca_

Rebecca Levy

Shawn_

Shawn Mahoney

WE ARE

JLDC

Billy_

Billy Cohen

Billy Cohen, hailing from outside Boston, started his hip hop training at the young age of six at Joanne Langione Dance Center with his identical twin brother, and continued his training at Hofstra University while receiving a B.S. Degree in Dance Education. This training at Hofstra gave him the opportunity to work with artists such as Fredrick Earl Mosley, Doug Varone, David Parker, Heather Waldon, Ellie Kusner, Bill Young, and Barbara Angeline, as well as train with Hofstra’s most notable Dance Department alumni, Larry Keigwin, on scholarship. Billy also created two works that represented Hofstra at American Collegiate Dance Association Conferences, and co-choreographed his own fully-produced evening dance show, “jux•ta•po•si•tion”. Outside of school, he continued his training with Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester and at Generation IV, learning and performing choreography from Teddy Forance, Devin Jamieson, Derek Mitchell, Emily Greenwell, Candace Brown, Jeff Lapes, Noel Bajades, Jonny Forance, and Emma Portner. Recently, Billy’s choreography was included in a segment of MTV’s Episode 2 of “Lit!” sponsored by Beats by Dre. Signed to Bloc Talent agency, Bill has worked with Reebok and was casted as a Principal Dancer in the upcoming season of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, choreographed by Marguerite Derricks. Earlier this year, Billy starred in a viral video called “Student Vs. Teacher Battle”, totaling over 22 million views on all social media platforms and appearing on multiple news networks, including a short segment on “Inside Edition”. With his education background, Billy Cohen hopes to have continuous success in the dance industry, and to someday travel the world doing what he loves best: creating, performing, and sharing his knowledge of dance to next upcoming generation of artists.

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Jonny Cohen

Jonny Cohen began dancing at age 5 when he first performed in Joanne Langione Dance Center’s (Newton, MA) annual run of The Nutcracker.  Falling in love with hip hop the following year, he has performed and choreographed within the genre to the present day.   While studying modern, jazz, tap, and ballet at Joanne Langione Dance Center and later through Hofstra University’s Dance Education Program where he performed works choreographed by Sean Curran, Heather Waldon, Earl Mosley, and Doug Varone, he officially moved out to New York City to pursue hip hop performance and choreography alongside his twin brother Billy Cohen. 

As a choreographer, Jonny Cohen has created several works for student repertories including Imani dance troupe, Danceworks and the Hofstra Dance Department and has brought his studio to American Dance Awards Nationals for youth choreography.  Jonny began his professional training with Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester having the opportunity to train with Neil Schwartz, David Thomas, Joana Numata, Theresa Stone, and many other faculty members in a variety of styles.  He has also choreographed for Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester Showcase and is proud to be an alumnus of the program. Most recently, he has choreographed for Peridance’s Faculty Apex Showcase alongside his brother.  Notable appearances you can watch him perform include Season 2 of Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Meg Donnelly’s music video for “With U”, and the MTV Music Video Awards alongside J Balvin & Bad Bunny.

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Marina Vachon

Marina Vachon received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from U. Mass Amherst.

Throughout college she performed with the UMass Dance Company under Andrea Watkins and Alive with Dance, a student-based company where she composed and performed. After college, she moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a professional dance career in Film and Television.  As an administrator at L.A.’s Millennium Dance Complex, she works and trains under choreographers Dana Alexa, Janelle Ginestra, Monika Felice Smith, Erica Klein and MaryAnn Chavez who are working artists in dance for film and television.  Marina was recently selected from an open audition to dance in Sam Fischer’s “This City” music video.  She is very eager to learn the industry, continue training and hopes to establish a career in dance as a performer and choreographer! Marina grew up dancing at Joanne Langione Dance Center and graduated in 2016. Her passion for dance and her roots are and will always remain JLDC. 

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Alessandra Antonelli

Alessandra started dancing at JLDC in 2003, joining alongside her mom, Miss René. After 15 years of classes, competitions, and recitals, she went on to earn her BFA from NYU Tisch with a major in drama (New Studio on Broadway, Stonestreet Studios) and a minor in dance.

Her body of stage work includes the Mamma Mia! 25th Anniversary Tour (Ensemble, U/S Sophie), Waiting In the Wings: The Off-Broadway Musical (Gina), The Addams Family (Wednesday) choreographed by Tyce Diorio, and Sister Act (Sister Mary Robert) at Cape Fear Regional Theater.

She is represented by LDC Artist Representation and DDO VoiceOver. Her voice can be heard in various commercials and animated projects, or in a recording of her Senior Speak on Miss René’s iPhone.

JLDC was the place Ally first fell in love with performing, and she carries the support and lessons (technical and otherwise) from all the teachers who have believed in her into everything she works on.

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Michael Di Leo

Michael is a talented young actor whose energy can be felt on stage and screen. He is dynamic, professional and committed to always being his best. Michael made his first stage appearance at age eight in a school production of The King and I in Florida. This marked the beginning of his journey and paved the way for many other performances. In 2015, after relocating to Illinois, Michael was cast in his first two Chicagoland professional theatre productions. The regional premiere of Billy Elliot (Tall boy/Posh boy) at Drury Lane directed by Jeff Award winning Rachel Rockwell and A Christmas Story, The Musical (Roy, Ensemble) at Paramount Theatre directed by the critically acclaimed Nick Bowling.  

Michael is now located in Boston, MA with his family, where he continues his performing arts journey.  He returned to Chicago in 2017 to participate in the Regional Lab Presentation of Trevor The Musical (Ensemble) directed by Marc Bruni.  He is an active member of his high school theatre group, Southstage, and the JLDC dance studio. He remains dedicated to growing his triple-threat skills. He trains in all areas of dance (jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, modern, acro),  private voice and acting between Boston and NYC.  He is constantly challenging himself and looks for new training opportunities to broaden his skill set for Musical Theatre and Film/TV. Michael is an alumnus of the Performer’s School Ensemble and NYC’s Broadway Artists Alliance, where he continues to train in their summer intensives. 

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Madison Hackel

Madison grew up at Joanne Langione Dance Center studying Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, and Contemporary from the age of 3-18. After graduating in 2016, she ventured off to Tulane University in New Orleans, LA where she studied Communications and Psychology. During her four years she choreographed forher sorority’s annual philanthropic dance-off, she took Performance and Jazz classes, and in her senior year she joined “Dat Dance Crew”- Tulane’s hip hop group. Although Madison had small dance opportunities and boogied through the Big Easy, she ultimately lost touch with her love for dance as she navigated the college scene. In the middle of her senior year, COVID-19 hit and graduating became an even more daunting thought. Luckily for Madison, the pandemic brought positive change to her personal life and growth. She realized the importance of dance in her life for her overall well-being and happiness. From there, she made dance and movement her priority moving forward.

Madison stayed in New Orleans after graduating college in May of 2020, working many jobs and exploring her interests. At the beginning of 2021, she began attending various dance classes in the New Orleans area, meeting new people, and connecting with other creatives. She fell in love with dance all over again and missed the feeling of dancing alongside other people passionate about dance. After solidifying relationships and putting herself out there in the NOLA dance community, Madison landed two jobs:  teaching Hip Hop and Contemporary at Move Studio in Metairie, LA and teaching Dance Tempo Cardio at Body Shoppe in Uptown New Orleans. Both have honed in on her love for movement and teaching. In addition, she recently was selected as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans Entertainment Team where she will be performing at all home basketball games and participating in other appearances for the organization. Madison is extremely honored and excited for what is to come from this opportunity and feels grateful every day she is able to dance.

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Jon Paul Roby

Born and raised just outside of Boston, MA, Jon Paul has always loved performing. As an eager seven year old, Jon Paul began “selling” his parents tickets to watch him perform dance routines—that he choreographed and visually directed—to Britney Spears’ “Toxic” in his bedroom. After wrapping up his “Toxic” series, Jon Paul went on to attend Syracuse University where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Seizing opportunities after graduation, Jon Paul has been working at various regional theaters across the country and most recently was able to see the world while performing as Felicia in Priscilla Queen of the Desert on board the Norwegian Epic, in. full. drag. We are proud to count Jon Paul as a JLDC graduate and to have played a part in his dance and life journey. 

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Annie Ellertsen

Annie Ellertsen graduated from JLDC in 2003, where as a student she was assisting many fundamentals classes. After high school Annie received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance performance from Montclair State University. While at college, Broadway Dance Center became her second home. Annie is a versatile performer, teacher and choreographer, residing in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, she appeared as Bert and Oscar the Grouch in the national tour of Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music. Performance locations included the theater at Madison Square Garden, the Orpheum in Boston, Massachusetts, and several venues in British Columbia.

An accomplished teacher and trainer, Annie works with adults and children alike. Teaching in numerous studios in the Tri-State area, including guest teaching at Broadway Dance Center, NY, she always strives to bring out the best in her students, be it beginners or pros. Creative concepts, acting exercises, and unique music are crucial elements in her classes and choreography. She is also a certified vinyasa yoga teacher, and loves to witness the individual growth of her students.

She is a Broadway Dance Center Summer Internship graduate, and is the assistant to Lainie Munro. Together, they have worked events such as BDC’s Absolute Beginner Workshop, Broadway Big Brother Big Sister program, and The Pulse.

“If I can offer any advice to the dancers at JLDC now, it is this: If you are given an opportunity, or are making one for yourself, hold tight to it. If it starts to go down an unexpected path, go with it. Change is good. Fear is too, but face it, full force. Don’t ever let it stop you from being amazing.” “If you can dream it, you can do it.” ~Walt Disney

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Elana Jacobs

Through film, dance, body work, or whatever medium is at hand, Elana strives to find beauty in the moments otherwise known as “in between.” She has always been interested in the residue that separates our inner and outer lives and, through her artistic work, she ponders how to make those lives one.

Elana is the cofounder and artistic director of CabinFever, a performance company that produces original multi-media, site-specific performance works inspired by and performed inside people’s homes and historical spaces. She has created many original performances in architectural institutions, most notably at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Soho House, On The Boards, Town Hall Seattle, and Hyde Park Art Center. She enjoys directing, filming, and choreographing film for music videos, documentary style work, and nonlinear movement. Artist-in-residence programs have invited her to Spain, Greece, Chicago, and Seattle. She was featured on Seattle CityArts Magazine’s Future List 2015.

Elana has also created a body-mind workshop entitled Art & Core as a way to help attendees find both a creative and physical practice. Certified in Romana’s Pilates as a classically trained instructor, Jacobs seeks to foster body literacy with her clients. Through movement and private instruction, she reminds her clients of their innate beauty and invites them to challenge society’s messages about what is an acceptable body. Elana is currently based in New Orleans.

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Robin Campbell

Robin Campbell is a proud JLDC alum and is thrilled to be back at the studio to share what she has learned since she left! Robin is a New York City based performer, educator, director and choreographer. Broadway credits include Big Fish, Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway, City Center Encores! productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Girl Crazy, and Stairway to Paradise;  My Fair Lady with the NY Philharmonic and Sir Paul McCartney’s Ecce Cor Meum at Carnegie Hall. After singing and dancing alongside Hugh Jackman on Broadway, Robin performed with Mr. Jackman in Istanbul, Las Vegas, and throughout Australia on the arena tour Hugh Jackman Broadway to Oz. Robin has been seen on TV and film in Blue Bloods, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Ugly Betty, Onion Sports Dome, The Consultants and Below the Beltway. Robin appears on the original Broadway cast recordings of Big Fish, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She also sang on the Grammy Award-winning album On the Transmigration of Souls with the New York Philharmonic, and is the lead vocalist on three Billboard chart-topping meditation albums. Robin has taught theatre and dance in New York at Kidz Theater, Broadway Kids Auditions, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Molloy College and Broadway Arts Collective.  She holds a B.A. in Music and Dance from Barnard College at Columbia University (phi beta kappa, magna cum laude), and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Educational Theatre at NYU Steinhardt. Most recently, Robin appeared in a Super Bowl commercial dancing alongside The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, a horse, and an alligator. Robin is currently preparing for her next project as choreographer for A Chorus Line at Kidz Theater in New York City.

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Rebecca Levy

Rebecca Levy, currently the director of Florida State College at Jacksonville’s dance repertory company, DanceWORKS, Rebecca Levy has lived and worked as an educator, choreographer, and performer in Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles and Jacksonville. She is founder and artistic director of Jacksonville Dance Theatre, a modern dance company providing choreographic, performance and educational opportunities for dancers living in Jacksonville. And she was founder and for eight seasons co-artistic director of the Los Angeles based B.E. Productions Dance Company.

Rebecca holds a Master of Fine Arts in choreography from California Institute of the Arts, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from Cornish College of the Arts, and is a registered certified yoga instructor and a Power Pilates certified Pilates Mat I & II instructor. Her choreographic work has been featured in festivals and concerts throughout the country. Most recently her choreography has been produced at the New Seeds Festival for Women Artists, Emerging Choreographers Showcase in Pasadena, California, The Cambridge School of Weston, Massachusetts, Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Florida, NewGrounds in Tampa, Florida, the Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, and Case Western Reserve University.

Rebecca participated in the 2012 NES Artist Residency program in Skagastrond, Iceland where she created an award-winning dance film, and was a contributing filmmaker to Globe Trot, a film project directed by Mitchell Rose and choreographed by Bebe Miller premiering in 2014. As a performer, she works with many notable choreographers and companies, and for six seasons has toured nationally as a soloist with Lineage Dance Company.

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Shawn Mahoney

Shawn Mahoney began his ballet, tap, and jazz training at the Joanne Langione Dance Center and his early performing career with Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre in Boston, MA. As an apprentice, Shawn danced for American Ballet Theatre before joining Boston Ballet. At Boston Ballet, Shawn performed in Petipa, Balanchine, Kylian, Forsythe, Bejart and others. Shawn performed as a chosen member of “Tharp!”, a national and international touring company directed by Twyla Tharp. Ms. Tharp invited Shawn to be part of the creative and choreographic process for her Broadway hit “Movin’ Out” and performed in Tharp’s “Red, White, and Blues”. Shawn performed with the Suzanne Farrell/Balanchine Project, Sean Curran Company, Washington Ballet, and Bale Estado de Goias. As an educator, Shawn has taught internationally for Festa de Danca in Sao Paulo and Bermuda Civic Ballet. Currently, Shawn is on faculty at Emerson College, instructing dance classes to actors and musical theatre students and is a teacher and lecturer at Days in the Arts. Shawn founded Mahoney Agency, representing dancers for national engagements for the Nutcracker Ballet. Shawn is a sought-after mentor for emerging artists and choreographers in ballet and contemporary dance.

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