Est. 1970 · Alumni

Where our dancers go.

Broadway stages, Radio City, operating rooms, courtrooms, classrooms, and communities across the country. Fifty-five years of training shows up in more places than we can count. Here are a few.

Broadway

Casey Garvin

Casey Garvin is an alumnus of the American Youth Dance Company and recently joined the company of Chess, marking his eighth Broadway show. Previous credits include the Broadway productions of Smash (Charlie), Some Like It Hot (understudying Christian Borle in his Tony-nominated performance as Joe/Josephine), Mrs. Doubtfire, King Kong, Miss Saigon, Disaster!, and Bullets Over Broadway; the first national tour of West Side Story (Diesel); the off-Broadway production of Bare: the Musical (Zack); and starring as Phil Davis in White Christmas at Paper Mill Playhouse. He was also a dancer in the film Hail Caesar and made appearances on One Life to Live and Saturday Night Live.

Public Service

Jennifer Sellitti

Jennifer N. Sellitti is an alumnus of the King Centre. She graduated from Suffolk University Law School and holds a B.S. in public relations from Boston University. She was sworn in as the Public Defender for the State of New Jersey on February 1, 2024, leading the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, one of the nation's largest public defense systems, overseeing approximately 1,300 attorneys, investigators, social workers, and staff across 66 offices serving all 21 counties.

Broadway

Danny Rutigliano

Danny Rutigliano started his dance training at the King Centre and won Mr. Dance in New York City. He has since been seen on Broadway in Holiday Inn, the original Broadway/L.A. cast of The Lion King, Billy Elliot, Born Yesterday, and The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public. National tours include How to Succeed…, Elf, and Cirque du Soleil's Banana Schpeel, plus five Encores! productions including the title role in Fiorello! Additional credits: Beetlejuice, Monte Cristo, Kismet, The New Moon, and One Touch of Venus.

Broadway · Film

Susan Misner

Susan Misner grew up in Pompton Plains and attended the King Centre, where she fell in love with dancing. Broadway credits include Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Dream. On screen she has appeared in Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You, Chicago, Stick It, Two Weeks, Somebody's Hero, Cayman Went, and Hope Springs, and in music videos by C&C Music Factory and Taylor Dayne.

Rockette

Lindsay Mecca

Former Radio City Rockette; choreographed and contributed to The Producers, Bye Bye Birdie, Guys and Dolls, and Cats. Currently a cast member of Beauty and the Beast: Live On Stage! in Orlando, Florida. B.S. in Business Administration and Management from William Paterson University.

Medicine · Science

Ashley Tetens

Graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2021 with a primary degree in Molecular Biology and a secondary degree in Africana Studies. Currently attending the Johns Hopkins MD/PhD program at the Koldobskiy Lab.

Dance

Molly Davison

University of Oklahoma. Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Appeared in multiple theatre productions.

Performance

Giulia Griffith

Performed in productions such as Jubilee!, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Lincoln Center Hall of Fame Gala, Vox Lumiere's Fate Still Rests, Busch Gardens (Fiends and Christmastown), and Theatrezone (Copacabana).

Radio City

Samantha Zuidema

Samantha's dance journey began at age 3 at the King Centre. She went on to a distinguished career at Radio City Music Hall as a dancer, dance captain, swing, assistant choreographer, and associate choreographer for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes. Additional credits include Heart and Lights, New York Spring Spectacular, America's Got Talent, and collaborations with artists like Pitbull. She is now a director for Allé Dance Conservatory in Florida.

Law

Caroline Passaro

Caroline began training at the King Centre in 2013 and was a member of the American Youth Dance Company for six years until graduating Mahwah High School in 2022. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia in 2026 with a B.A. in Advertising and certificates in Sports Media and Personal and Organizational Leadership. She is pursuing her JD at the University of Georgia School of Law as a Georgia Scholar.

Dance

Julia Longo

Julia has been dancing since the age of 2 and trained in all styles of dance. She trained at the King Centre her senior year of high school. Before the King Centre she trained in NYC, where she had the opportunity to travel to Cuba and Italy for dance opportunities.

Performance

Haley Herina

Haley began her dance training at the King Centre. Her professional experiences include Kids Karaoke (dancer/host), Block Party, Dance Party, Dead Man's Party: Grave Stories (lead dancer), Frost: A Cirque Spectacular, Carnival Imaginique, Marilyn and the Diamond Bellas, Rock Circus, and House of Houdini. She also modeled for Curtain Call Costuming in the 2017 Dance Catalogue.

Creator

Noelle Leyva

A former competitive dancer with the King Centre, Noelle has become a recognized internet personality and content creator focused on a fit lifestyle. Her audience has grown to over one million followers across social media.

Broadway

Samantha Czulada

Samantha is an alumnus of the King Centre. After completing her training with the studio, she went on to perform in Billy Elliot: The Musical in 2008, where she was also a swing.

Dance · Wellness

Jane Krantz

Jane grew up performing and competing nationally with the American Youth Dance Company. After earning a BFA in Dance from the Hartt School, University of Hartford, she performed with companies nationally and internationally. She holds a 200-hour Hatha Vinyasa teacher certification, serves as Vice President of The Hartford Dance Collective, and is a professor of dance at the Hartt School Theatre Division. She recently opened Afterglow Studio Hartford, a yoga and wellness space.

Medicine · Service

Dr. Rachel Han

Dr. Rachel Hyeun Han is an Army psychiatrist at Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital in South Korea. She earned her M.D. from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where she trained to care for service members and their families. Dr. Han has contributed to psychiatric research, including a widely cited publication on planning for mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education

Haley Lindstrom

Haley danced at the King Centre from age five and was a member of the American Youth Dance Company for 11 years, performing in many Nutcrackers and other productions. She is currently studying Elementary Education at Montclair State University and looks forward to sharing her love of dance with her students.

In Memoriam

Joan Aslund

One of Joan's greatest passions was dance. She pursued that passion in renowned shows that toured the world and, in the early 2000s, owned and operated her own dance studio in Oak Ridge, inspiring countless local students. She later returned to school to earn her bachelor's degree in education and became an elementary school teacher, nurturing young minds with patience, creativity, and compassion.

Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Britney Gray-Walker

Dr. Brittany Walker was born and raised in Ringwood, New Jersey, and attended the King Centre. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Quinnipiac University and received her doctorate in veterinary medicine from Western University of Health Sciences in 2010. Her special interests include preventative medicine, internal medicine, and radiology.

Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Monica Endy

Dr. Monica Endy grew up in and currently resides in Ringwood, New Jersey, and attended the King Centre. She holds an undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University and earned her DVM from the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to joining Ringwood Animal Hospital, she practiced at Banfield Pet Hospital of Paramus. Her special interests include soft tissue surgery.

Medicine

Dr. Kenneth F. Taylor

Dr. Kenneth F. Taylor began his journey in the performing arts as a student at The King Centre, where he developed the discipline and dedication that continue to shape his career. Today he is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and hand and upper extremity specialist at Penn State Health, where he serves as Chief of the Division of Hand and Wrist Surgery and a professor at Penn State College of Medicine.

Dance · YoungArts

Katie Muhleisen

Katie is a rising senior Dance major at Chapman University in Orange, California, also pursuing a second major in Public Relations, Advertising, and Entertainment Marketing. Originally from Wyckoff, NJ, she trained for 15 years at the King Centre and developed a lasting love for theatrical jazz. In 2023 she was recognized as a YoungArts Award Winner in Jazz Dance. This fall she will perform original repertoire by choreographer Dwight Rhoden. She has premiered three original works at Chapman: Kinetic Relapse, Out of Measure, and What Remains, Rebuilds.

Faculty

Lindsey Holohan

Lindsey started dance at age 5 at the King Centre and was a member of the American Youth Dance Company for 10 years. In 2023 she graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Biological Sciences. She currently works as a medical assistant while teaching at the King Centre, helping dancers grow in confidence and technique.

Dance · Health

Madison Ostrander

Madison began dancing at age three and joined the American Youth Dance Company at eight. A four-year member of the Lakeland Regional High School Dance Team, she helped the team to two National Championships. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from West Virginia University, where she was a four-year member of the WVU Dance Team and a two-time NDA College National Champion. She is a registered dental hygienist practicing in northern New Jersey.

Finance

Laura Wescott

Laura started dancing at the King Centre at age 3 and was a member of the American Youth Dance Company through high school. She attended Virginia Tech, majoring in Accounting and Information Systems with a minor in Organizational Leadership, and served as Student Director and Treasurer of the Contemporary Dance Ensemble. She is now a Senior Audit Associate at RSM in New York City, working toward her CPA license.

Faculty

Livi Janjigian

Livia joined the American Youth Dance Company at age 12 and was part of the competition team for seven years. She has performed in numerous Nutcrackers with the New Jersey Foundation for Dance and Theatre Arts as Mouse Queen, Lead Chinese, Lead Russian, Lead Arabian, Lead Mom, and Sugar Plum Fairy. She was accepted to The Ohio State University as a BFA Dance Major and now teaches at the King Centre while choreographing for the AYDC. She has taken classes at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway, and has worked with choreographers including Ebony Williams and Robbie Fairchild.

Professional Dance

Arlene Howell

Arlene began her dance training at the King Centre and graduated in 2014, then attended Montclair State University. She focuses on ballet and choreography. In 2019 she was hired as a professional dancer for Princess Cruises, and in 2024 as a professional dancer for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida, where she continues to work.

Nursing

Victoria Howell

Victoria danced at the King Centre and graduated in 2016. She attended Rutgers University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rutgers School of Nursing. She is currently a registered nurse specializing in patient care.

Medicine

Olivia Sabatelli

Olivia danced with the King Centre for many years. After graduating high school she attended Virginia Tech, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Psychology. She was a member of the Contemporary Dance Ensemble. She has continued to work as a PCT and has applied to PA school.

Faculty

Josie Ugliono

Josie has been dancing at the King Centre since age 3 and joined the American Youth Dance Company at age 7. She attended William Paterson University, earning her degree in Physical Education with a certification in Health. She teaches students of all ages and styles while choreographing for the American Youth Dance Company.

Faculty · Alumna

Kristen Behrens

Kristen graduated from the King Centre in 2008 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Southeastern University. She worked as a dance instructor and office staff for the King Centre for nearly eleven years, taught at Country Lane Loft Studio, and has served as an assistant preschool teacher at Skylands Learning Center and a paraprofessional at Ramsey School District. She currently works as a customer service representative for State Farm.

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