Dance Cavise is always striving to offer its students an outstanding teaching faculty, including top New York City professionals. Every teacher specializes in the discipline of their class. With diverse personalities, each teacher brings their unique experience to the classroom, while still maintaining the integrity of our syllabus. Mr. Cavise conducts weekly staff meetings to discuss new teaching ideas and address the specific needs of students. Our faculty members include:

Carole Alexis - Ballet and Modern
Carole received her dance certification from the Maurice BeJart School & the Mudra International Center for the Performing Arts, which was created by Leopold Sedar Senghor. She has studied and performed with Rick Odums, Les Ballets Jazz de Paris, and Orlando City Ballet,Irene Tassembedo Cie. Most recently, she has brought her original class to the Lycee Francais in Musical Theatre and Ballet, Bronx Dance Academy, Paris Center Academy of Dance and others. Ms. Alexis combines her Limon based Modern class with an Afro-Carribbean influence, accompanied by her own music. She is fluent in French, English and Creole.

Natrea Blake - Hip Hop
Natrea was born and raised in Queens, NY. She began her dance training at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center. Ms. Blake is a graduate of the New York City High School of Performing Arts and received her BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School. Since then, Ms. Blake has studied and performed with the Alvin Ailey School, NYC’s Peridance and Ballet Hispanico. Our adult students are welcome to join her Wednesday Hip Hop class.

Juan Borona
Bio Coming Soon

Martin Carrasco - Ballet
Martin received his Bachelor Degree in Dance (Ballet) from The National Institute of Fine Arts-School of Dance, in Mexico City. He began his professional dance career in 1986 with the Ballet of the Americas under the direction of Ingeborg Heuser. Since then, he has danced with the Michigan Ballet, The Florida Ballet and the Atlantic Ballet Theater. In 1991, he joined The Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company at Lincoln Center in New York City under the direction of Diana Levi. With over twenty years of experience performing on stage, classical training, and eight years of teaching, Mr. Carrasco has much to offer our young dancers.

Joe Antony Cavise, Director
Began his professional career in 1981 when he joined the Actor's Equity Association and the Screen Actor's Guild. Mr. Cavise received critical acclaim from The New York Times for his role of Dick McGann in the Off- Broadway production of Street Scene. In 1983, he joined the original Broadway Company of Cats and later, performed the lead role of "Mr. Mistoffelees". He was featured in A Chorus Line- The Movie, and has appeared in many TV films and Soap operas.

In 1991, Mr. Cavise founded the Off CenterDance Theatre, Inc., (OCDT ), now in residence at the Dance Cavise Studios. He has created over three dozen pieces exposing scores of dancers to his choreography.

Mr. Cavise has been teaching dance for over twenty five years and decided to leave his performing career to dedicate himself to children and dance education. He managed and taught at STEPS on Broadway, one of NYC's foremost dance institutions. In 1989 he and his wife Lori, opened Dance Cavise Inc. located in Mamaroneck, NY. In 2001, Mr. Cavise was quoted as "Westchester's Dance Man" in Dance Teacher Magazine, a national publication dedicated to dance educator's in the United States.

He strongly believes that children are our future, and hopes that his legacy will have a lasting and positive affect on their lives.

Christian Claussens - Ballet
Born in Belgium, Mr. Claessens studied at the Conservatoire de las Monnaie on full scholarship.  After arriving in the US, he received full scholarships at both the School of American Ballet (NYCB) and American Ballet Theatre (ABT).  Since then, he has danced with Kansas City Ballet, the Pittsburgh Ballet, and as a soloist with the Dutch National Ballet.  Mr. Claessens was the director of the Purchase Youth Ballet at SUNY Purchase and the Co-director of the International Ballet Project.  He teaches adults twice a week at Dance Cavise and children

Elizabeth Douglas - Ballet/Pointe
Elizabeth received her Masters Degree in Dance Education from New York University and her B.A. in Dance Performance from the University of Buffalo.  She also holds a teaching certificate in Dance for grades K-12th. Ms Douglas is affiliated with several children’s organizations through out NYC, including the Harkness Dance Center, teaching interactive adaptive theatre.  She has worked with several noted choreographers such as Alvin Nikolais, Douglas Dunn, and Melissa Hayden.  Elizabeth continues to enjoy the influence and growth that teaching , choreographing, and performing bring to each other.  She is thrilled to expand this philosophy at Dance Cavise. 

Olga Dovorovenko - Advanced Ballet (Vogonova)
Olga teaches our Advanced Ballet students, also teaches at the New York Ballet Institute, Ballet Academy East, and the School of American Ballet Theatre in New York City. She has won the "Distinguished Artist of the Ukraine Award" and has taught in France, Canada, and the Czech Republic. Olga's daughter, Irina, is a principle dancer with New York's American Ballet Theatre.

Vladimir-Dorovenko - Ballet
Mr. Dvorovenko received his training at the State Ballet School and State University of Art in Kiev, Ukraine. He has taught and performed both nationally and internationally. He and his wife Olga, (also on the Dance Cavise staff), are parents of Irina Dvorovenko, who is currently a Principal ballerina with the American Ballet Theatre in NYC.

Anne-Marie Galler - Jazz
Anne-Marie began dancing at the age of 3, and became professional at the age of 15. After becoming a member of the Actor's Equity Association in the National Tour of West Side Story, directed by Jerome Robbins, Ms. Galler went on to appear in the original Broadway casts of Me and My Girl and Prince of Central Park. She moved to Westchester in 1998 and married her husband Jamie and has a beautiful boy Tristen. Anne-Marie is thrilled to be a part of the Dance Cavise staff.

Heather Garbrandt - Ballet
Heather was trained at the New Jersey School of Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School and New York Theater Ballet. She moved to NYC when she was 18 to dance with Ballet for Young Audiences. Here she danced principle roles such as Clara in The Nutcracker and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. Heather has also danced with Staten Island Ballet and Octavia Cup Dance Theater. In 2003, Heather began teaching  the “Young Childrens Division” at Ballet Academy East and STEPS on Broadway in NYC. This is Heathers first year with Dance Cavise and she looks forward to many more!

Olympia Hernandez - Ballet
Olympia received her Bachelor's degree in Ballet from the Escuela Nacional de Danza Clasica, Centro Nacional de las Artes Mexico City. Ms. Hernandez also represented Mexico in the 5th International Ballet competition in Jackson, Mississippi and was a semi-finalist in the 7eme Concours International de danse de paris in 1996.

Jamie Himpel - Creative Movement, Jazz
Jamie is originally from Kansas City, where she trained and performed with the American Dance Center of Kansas City. She received a B.A. in literature from SUNY Purchase and went on to dance professionally with the original company of Off Center Dance Theatre. Jamie has worked with the Dance Cavise Studios since its' inception in 1989 and will soon be celebrating her 20th year with the organization. Besides teaching, she is also Studio Manager, in charge of day to day operations.

Lisa Kovacs - Ballet
Born in Montreal, Liza Kovacs studied at the National Ballet School in Toronto and upon graduation danced with the National Ballet of Canada. She took part in Lalala Human Steps' world tour of "2" where her opening solo was described as "a memorable moment in the history of Canadian dance". She has since danced for some of Montreal's best contemporary choreographers and co-produced the solo show Projet Kovacs. In 2003 she completed an MA in dance with a focus on learning in technique class. In 2006 she graduated with distinction from the Laban Centre MSc Dance Science program, completing a thesis on periodized training in dance. She is a fully certified Pilates instructor and has recently completed the year long intensive Laban Movement Analysis course at LIMS in New York City. She has an ongoing interest in anatomy and physiology and studies with neuromuscular specialist Irene Dowd and anatomist Rebecca Dietzel in NYC while teaching dance and pilates in Westchester.

Colin Pritchard - Tap
Colin Pritchard, a native of nearby Harrison, loves to take classes at Dance Cavise when not teaching them!  He has performed internationally and across the country in such musicals as 42nd Street (original and 2001 revival versions),  A Chorus Line, Cabaret, Singin' in the Rain, Contact, Thoroughly Modern Millie, No, No, Nanette, The Sound of Music, and Hairspray, among others.  Colin has also done work in contemporary and classical theatre, as well as on TV, film and in the studio as a recording artist.  

Kimberly Prosa - Children's Ballet
Kimberly Prosa began her dance training in southern Oregon under Joan Sanders-Seidel of Netherlands Dance Theatre.  She continued her training in classical ballet and contemporary dance at American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey and Paul Taylor and received her BFA in dance from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, graduating with honors in 2006.  Kimberly has performed works by Dance Theatre of Oregon, the Eugene Ballet Company, Purchase Dance Corps, Stephanie Tooman, Bettijane Sills, Pascal Rioult, Angela Harriell and has been a company member with HT Chen and Dancers for the past two years.  She has taught ballet, pointe and contemporary dance throughout New York, Ohio and Oregon.

Miriam Serow
Miriam began teaching ballet, tap, jazz and "disco" way back in the 1970's throughout central and western Massachusetts. She taught for Joe when he first opened Dance Cavise in 1989. After raising her 2 kids and continuing a performing career in theatre and TV, Miriam's thrilled to be back "home" teaching with Joe.

Moenike Sims - Hip Hop
Born in Oklahoma City, Moenike became Miss Black Oklahoma in 2002.  After receiving a Bachelors Degree in Dance from Oklahoma City University, she co-founded the School for the Arts, a non-profit fine arts school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  She went on to teach and choreograph Tap and Hip Hop with the prestigious Urban Elite Program where she received rave reviews from local media.  Moenike moved to New York where she is now on staff at several city dance programs including the Cherry Street Dance Productions.  She is currently performing through out the tri-state area with several R&B and Hip Hop artists.

Rene Sonne
Bio Coming Soon

Gina Truhe - Tap/Jazz
Gina has been dancing since she was two.  Most recently she has choreographed several productions at the College of New Rochelle, and worked with dancers from The Lexington School for the Deaf in Brooklyn.  Ms. Truhe has performed through out Europe with the USO as part of their “Good Will” tour, also conducting dance workshops with the military children on base.  She has joined the Dance Cavise staff on a full-time basis, teaching multiple levels and disciplines.

Chris White - Hip Hop
Chris White, a.k.a. "SWEAT” was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Penn State Unigersity with a B.A. in Journalism and Psychology. Chrizz began his dance training while attending the university. Since then, Chris has worked with Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and is currently performing and choreographing for ASHANTI, R&B's hottest new star. Chris shares his passion for hip-hop dance by teaching and conducting master classes at various dance institutions throughout the five boroughs and abroad.