FACULTY

Carly Medico / Director

Carly graduated Adelphi University with a B.S in Physical Education, minoring in Dance. Being Dorothy's daughter, she is a DSD alum. She has studied Dance in Italy with World Dance Movement and has taught dance classes in Taiwan, Asia as well. Carly has appeared in music videos for a number of artists, instructional dance videos, performed with Neyo in NYC, and can be seen in commercials for Lovesac, Kodak, phone companies, and Beneful to name a few. She has been in both movies & TV series. Carly was a dancer for the North American Soccer

League's NY Cosmos. She assists Broadway star and music

producer, Thommie Retter in tap classes around the country

including Abby Lee Miller's booty camp (Dance Moms) in

Pittsburgh and performing on live TV. Besides acting and dancing,

she has modeled professionally for many ads and catalogs

(including dance). Carly has recently modeled for Sephora, Lancôme,

and may be seen among other places as she is signed with a Top NYC

Commercial agent!

Dorothy Medico / Founder

Credentials

Dance Educators of America - 2009 Teacher of the Year
Lifetime Member of Dance Educators Of America
National Champions at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports
- CONTEST of CHAMPIONS
DSD is home to 2009 Tony Award Winner Trent Kowalik - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical in Billy Elliot

Recipient of the 2007 Town Of Hempstead Pathfinder Award for "Arts and Entertainment" in honor of Women's History Month
Member, Dance Educators of America & Professional Dance Teachers Association
Named in Who's Who Among America's Teachers

Business & Community Involvement

Past President, Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores
Past Kids Expo Chairperson, Bellmore Street Festival
Nassau Chamber of Commerce Council - 2000 Small Business Person of the Year

Erin Wolm

'Miss Erin' started dancing at the young age of two at her mother's dance school. Throughout her years of studying at many prestigious dance centers throughout LI and NYC, she graduated Nassau Community College with a Fine Arts degree in Photography along with attending the dance program and child development coursework. Miss Erin adores working with our youngest students (and they adore her!). She is always busy creating new curricula as her ideas are very innovative, just to make her classes even more exciting each year.

Before joining Dorothy's School Of Dance over 25 years ago, Miss Erin co-owned KJM School Of Dance for 13 years with her mother. In addition, she is a certified personal trainer, a member of PDTA, DEA, and the American Council of Physical Fitness. Miss Erin has also worked as a governess for the past fifteen years. She is certified in Early Education with specialty in Elementary Education.

Trent Kowalik

Trent is a DSD Alum and also the 2009 TONY Award Winner for Best Leading Actor in Musical for his role in Broadway's Billy Elliot the Musical, playing Billy himself. Trent has been in film, TV, and live appearances, including performing a duet with Elton John. Before making his Broadway debut, he was living in London playing the role of Billy in the West End's production of Billy Elliot the Musical. He attended Princeton University where he studied Philosophy & Dance and was a member of their dance company, Bodyhype.

Trent is also a 5-year undefeated Irish Step Dance North American Champion and the youngest male at the time to win Irish Worlds at just 9 years old in Ireland. Trent currently travels the world touring with numerous dance companies.

Trent started dancing with Miss Carly at DSD at 3 years old. We are so lucky to have Trent back at DSD as a part of our faculty.

Jill Gittleman

Jill Gittleman is an NYC based dancer and performer. She recently served as the Dance Captain on the International Tour of West Side Story where she had the privilege of maintaining and teaching the original choreography to cast members as well as to students all over the world. Other favorite credits include Elf The Musical, My Fair Lady and HBO’s The Gilded Age.

Kathy Eisenstein

Growing up in Queens, Kathy first fell in love with dance as a young girl at the Robert Mann Dance Centre in Bayside. She credits her early training in ballet, jazz, tap, modern and acrobatics to Bob Mann and the late Anita Ferrari. As a teen she furthered her studies in jazz and musical theatre at the American Dance Machine School in New Hyde Park. Kathy began teaching and choreographing in high school and continued with her love for dance at Queens College with a Major in Theatre and Dance. In college she and a few of her classmates formed a Children’s Party Entertainment Company and performed on weekends and at special events all over NYC and Long Island.

Singing and dancing with her own girl group trio “AngelBleu” she performed in two USO Fleet Week shows on the USS Intrepid, and as a backup dancer for other artists. In more recent years she has appeared in local Community Theatre productions. She returned to dancing after a 'brief' hiatus to pursue a degree in nursing and raise her family. She is a Registered Nurse, Certified in Critical Care with over 10 years of ICU bedside experience.

Eric Decaminada

Eric Decaminada, born and raised in New York, began dancing at the age of 5 at his hometown studio, The Pulse Performing Arts Studio. Throughout his years of training, he was able to work with and perform choreography by some of the best in the business, including Derick K. Grant Jason Janas, Sarah Reich, and many others. He is currently working as a Professional Tap Dancer based out of NYC where he is a part of CHR Project (directed by Charles Renato) and Project Convergence (directed by Vikas Arun and Apoorva Nataraja) as a company member. Most recently, he has been working alongside his longtime mentor and friend, Dexter Jones, as an assistant and dance captain while workshopping new choreography. Eric’s performance credits include “Tap Family Reunion” (directed by Dormeshia Sumbry, Derick K. Grant, and Jason Samuel Smith), “Gotta Dance” (directed by Michelle Dorrance and Dormeshia Sumbry), “Tap Kids” (directed Lisa Hopkins), and he has performed in a variety of locations such as Dizzy’s Jazz Club at Lincoln Center, the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, and the Ted Shawn Theater at Jacob’s Pillow. Eric is also currently working as a teacher and choreographer at numerous dance studios around the tristate area.

Alexa Cutrone

Alexa has been training in dance for 17 years. She has trained in Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Lyrical, and Improvisation, and has taught classes in all of those styles as well. Alexa has taught students of all ages and levels both at studios where she is an in-house teacher and at studios that she travels to guest teach for. Alexa values every single one of her students no matter how long she has been working with them. Alexa wants what is best for all of her students and her goal is to see all of them grow and succeed, not only as dancers, but also as people, in every way.

Nicolette Ciociano

Nicolette Ciociano grew up in Long Island, New York. She grew up dancing competitively, and is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop and pointe. Nicolette has won multiple regional and national titles as a competitive dancer, in addition to many technique and dance artistry awards. Nicolette enjoyed spending many summers furthering her dance education by taking class at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center. She also enjoyed attending dance intensives such as Joffrey Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet and The Protege Movement. Nicolette is signed with the Dance division at CESD talent agency in NYC. This past year she attended Adelphi University earning credits toward her BFA in dance and recently was recruited to be a member of the nationally ranked Rutgers University Dance Team in which she will begin in the fall. Nicolette feels honored and looks forward to sharing her passion and knowledge with the dancers at DSD.