School Faculty
Elizabeth Douglas
Elizabeth Douglas received her Masters and B.A. in Dance and Dance Education from the University of Buffalo. She is also certified in Dance K-12, Elementary Labanotation, and Level One Somatics. Elizabeth has been affiliated with several children’s dance, arts outreach, and dance theater organizations in the Syracuse, NY and New York City areas. She currently works with Harkness Dance Center, In Grandma’s Attic, Education in Dance, and Intercataction. As a dancer, Elizabeth has worked with noted choreographers Douglas Dunn and Alwin Nikolais.
KIRSTEN HO
Kirsten Ho trained in R.A.D. Ballet in Hong Kong, and graduated from the Hong Kong Arts Academy for the Performing Arts. At the London Studio Centre, Ms. Ho received a B.A. in Theatre Dance and Contemporary Dance. In England, she performed and toured with musical theater and dance productions throughout the U.K. before coming to the United States. In New York City, she graduated from the Independent Study at Ailey and has performed with Abigail Levine, Jennie Liu and Muna Tseng. She recently completed a year assisting for the junior division ballet program at The Ailey School.
JOANIE JOHNSON
Joanie Johnson, originally from Pennsylvania, earned a BA in dance from Slippery Rock University in 2004. She has worked professionally with H.T. Chen and Dancers, Valerie Green/Dance Entropy, and Pittsburgh’s Attack Theatre. She is involved with the non-profit organization, House of the Roses, as a full time movement teacher, dancer, and member of the Artistic Advisory Committee. Other credits include Ism by Pele Bauch, Dance EXposure ’06, The Soup or Salad Dance Project, an internship at the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, and a 2004 summer scholarship at ADF. She is also a 2007 certified Pilates mat instructor recognized by Pilates Method Alliance.
Connie Procopio
Connie Procopio graduated from University of South Florida with a BFA in Dance, and performed one season with Moving Current Dance Company in Florida. In NYC, she trained primarily at the Limon Institute and has performed for Sue Bernhard/DanceWorks, Alan Danielson, Maxine Steinman, Raphael Boumailla, Kathryn Alter, and since 2003 with the Avodah Dance Ensemble. Her own choreography has been performed at festivals in Calabria, Italy; spectacle de variete de la Maison du Canada in Paris, France; Limon Institute; Chelsea Pier; Bric Studio; School of Performing Arts in Connecticut; University of South Florida Theater/Dance Departments; Hostas Cultural Arts Center; Dance Theatre of Lynchburg. Connie has been on the dance faculty at Chen Dance Center since 2005.
Kimberly Prosa
Kimberly Prosa is from southern Oregon and began her training at the Pacific School of Dance studying ballet, modern and jazz. She attended ABT’s summer intensive in 2001 placing in the highest level and the Paul Taylor summer Intensive in 2005. She is a 2006 graduate of SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. She has performed works by Dance Theatre of Oregon, Eugene Ballet Company, H.T. Chen and Dancers and with the Purchase Dance Corps. Kim also has a background in both dramatic and musical theater.
Enika Gjokoreci
Enika Gjokoreci taught piano professionally for over 20 years throughout Europe and the US. She has a BM in Piano Performances and Teaching, completed an Associates Degree in Business, and passed the NY Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills Exam. Comfortable in both public and private class settings, she’s instructed children and adults in such institutions as the Artistic Lyceum in Tirana (Albania), the Staten Island Conservatory of Music, and the Lynbrook School of Music in Long Island. She currently teaches at the DEA Music School in Staten Island, the Bronx House School for Performing Arts, and as a substitute music teacher as P.S. 108.
Yulia Kreyn
Yulia Kreyn received her Masters in Music from Tel-Aviv University in Israel. She worked as a piano accompanist and has taught piano for over 20 years. In addition to holding private piano lessons, she previously worked at Raanana Music Center and at the Yuval Music Association in Israel where she was also a staff pianist.
Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee received his Masters in Music from the Manhattan School of Music in May, 2005. He’s led a fresh but exciting career as a private piano teacher, assistant musical director for the musical “Columbus”, and accompanist for soloists, chamber musicians, and vocal performers on both coasts since 1998. He’s performed with such ensembles and orchestras as the MSM Philharmonia, MSM Jazz Orchestra, and the TACTUS contemporary ensemble
Jasna Popovic
Jasna Popovic attended the Academy of Music in Belgrade and later the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, Germany. She has a BM in both Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy. She also has won several awards, including Second Place at the National Piano Competition in Belgrade and Fourth Place at the International Competition in Rome. Jasna has had the honor of working with several renowned artists such as composer Rodin Scedrin, pianist Vadim Suhanov, and double-bassist Roman Patkolo. She has made recordings of ethno-classical Serbian music honoring Queen Elizabeth and is currently working on her solo debut album.
Emiko Sato
A native of Japan, Emiko Sato earned her Bachelor of Music degree at Doshisha Woman’s College of Liberal Arts where she studied with Bulgarian pianist Svetla V. Protich and received the Mtsusita Kimiko Scholarship (1997), Ishimura Masako Award (1999) and the Niijima Award (2000). She was awarded the Master of Music degree in 2003 and the Professional Studies Diploma in 2005, from Mannes College of Music, where she received a scholarship to study solo piano and chamber music. She has performed in several NY venues, including Steinway Hall. Ms. Sato is currently a DMA candidate at the Graduate Center, CUNY.
Mari Suzuki
Mari Suzuki graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from the Toho Gkuen School of Music in Japan, and attended the extension division courses at the Mannes College of Music. She is currently completing her Master of Art in Music: Performance at Hunter College. Ms. Suzuki has a teaching certificate in music for junior-high and high schools, and has taught privately. She has given numerous recitals and has placed first in music competitions.
Megumi Yonezawa
Megumi Yonezawa received her BM in the dual majors of Jazz Composition and Performance concentration in Piano from the Berklee College of Music. Her musical experience includes playing for such artists as the “Greg Osby Four” (Blue Note Recordings), Phil Wilson and “The Rainbow Big Band”, and Ben Elkins and “The Back Bay Brass”. A few of her awards include the Hokkaido Culture Foundation Oversea Artist Award, the Jazz Performance Award from Berklee College of Music, and theAsian Tour Scholarship from Berklee. Megumi has been professionally recorded on Greg Osby’s “Public”(Blue Note Recordings).