Pottstown Dance Theatre

Staff Bios

	Michelle Jones Wurtz Pottstown Dance Theatre, Owner/Director Schuylkill Valley Regional Dance Company, Artistic Director ContempraDance Theatre, Assistant Director Michelle holds a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a Master’s in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management. She trained under Barbara Sandanato (former Principal of the National Ballet of Canada and Pennsylvania Ballet Company), Patricia Thomas of the Alvin Ailey and Graham Schools, Judith Jamison (currently the Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre) and Milton Myers (currently the head of the Contemporary Division at Jacob's Pillow).
She performed professionally with Group Motion Dance Company while still attending college. After graduating Magna cum Laude, she continued her studies in the Vaganova Method (Russian Ballet Method) at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet under John White, former Ballet Master of the Pennsylvania Ballet Company, and has been specially trained to teach the method. Michelle then joined the faculty and professional repertory company at the New Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia cited by the Kennedy Center for Excellence in the Arts; and also performed with Philadelphia based Footfalls Modern Dance Company and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange based out of Washington D.C. Later, Ms. Wurtz joined ContempraDance Theatre and eventually became the Assistant Director. When she was not performing, she was teaching throughout the Tri-State area and has given Master Classes at Swarthmore College, the University of the Arts, and at Temple University. Currently Michelle is the Owner and Director of the Pottstown Dance Theatre, located in Pottstown and Downingtown. She is also the Artistic Director of the Schuylkill Valley Regional Dance Company. Under her direction, the Company performs three full length concerts per year. She was the first American instructor invited to teach at the International Dance Festival in Ladek Zdroj, Poland and received an Honorary Degree in International Dance Studies. Last summer she toured the country of Poland with ContempraDance Theatre, and has been asked to work at numerous other international festivals throughout Europe. She has been featured in Dance Spirit Magazine, Dancer, Dance Teacher, and Philadelphia Magazine. Ms. Wurtz is a member of the National Dance Critics' Association, is a certified Pilates instructor, and was a panelist for the Program Stream category for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
	Andrei Ustinov and Elena Martinson were born in St. Petesburg, Russia and graduated from the Vaganova Academy. Both began their professional dance careers in the Kirov Ballet. Andrei has performed as principal dancers in Moscow Classical Ballet, Estonian Opera House, Mussorgsky Theater in St. Petesburg and London City Ballet. Ustinov was Principal guest artist for Dallas Ballet and Martinson performed principal repertoire from 1982–1990 with Kirov Ballet. They moved to the United States in 1990 and became principal dancers with Fort Worth Ballet in Texas.
Their students have been accepted into well-known dance schools such as SAB, North Carolina School of the Arts, Harrid Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, as well as renowned professional companies, including New York City Ballet, Metropolitan Opera, American Ballet Theater and Boston Ballet. They are involved in international workshops and exchange programs with countries such as Scotland, Japan, Estonia and Denmark. They are currently part of faculty of Temple University and The Rebecca Davis Dance Company. They both continue to teach ballet at both Pottstown Dance Theatre locations.
Lynn Amalfitano has been dancing since the age of five. She received her dance training at North Carolina School of the Arts and The School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. She currently serves as Board President for Schuylkill Valley Regional Dance Company and teaches dance at both Pottstown Dance Theatre studios. Her love of dance and strong technical training are passed on to her students and make her a very talented and a highly preferred teacher.
	Christa Campbell is originally from Wisconsin where she began her dance training locally in Madison as well as abroad at various summer programs, including Virginia School of the Arts and the Joffrey Ballet. She went on to attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA graduating with a BA in Dance. After graduating, she moved to Indianapolis to dance professionally with the modern dance company Dance Kaleidoscope. She then relocated to Philadelphia to further her dance career.
Christa also dances with the modern dance company Vada Dance Collective and is a choreographer for Contempra Youth Dancers. She toured with ContempraDance Theatre in Poland, July 2006. Christa currently teaches at ContempraDance Center and looks forward to sharing her talents with her students at Pottstown Dance Theatre.
	Cheryl Connaghan is a certified teacher and member of the Ceccetti Council of America. She also obtained the California Community College Instructor Credential in Dance and a degree in Child Development and Dance Therapy. Cheryl has been teaching dance and creative movement for more than 20 years. She brings a wealth of experience to her classes for pre-ballet students at the Downingtown studio of Pottstown Dance Theatre.
Emily Horstmann is a recent graduate of West Chester University with a degree in Communication Studies and a dual-minor in Dance and French. She performed and choreographed for the Contemporary Dance Company and Dance Production Workshop and was a captain of the WCU dance team. Emily is an alumnus of the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. Recently she performed with ICE (Independent Choreographers’ Exchange), Village Productions, Garden State Dance Festival, University of the Arts, Kennett Symphony and the American College Dance Festival and is currently performing with Loose Screws, a contemporary tap company in the Philadelphia area.
	Alejandra Ramirez started her ballet training in Mexico in 1983, at the age of eight. In 1991 she joined the Scenic Arts School of Nuevo Leon University in Mexico under the direction of professor Fernando Alonso (Co-Founder of the Cuban National Ballet). In 1997 she participated on the Alicia Alonso’s International Competition in La Havana Cuba, reaching the the third and last round. The same year she moved to France and continued her ballet training at the Rosella Hightower Dance School in Cannes.
In 2004, she started training with Andrei Ustinov and Elena Martinson. She teaches ballet in the Downingtown studio of Pottstown Dance Theatre.
Timothy Zimnoch started dancing at the age of eleven at the West Chester Ballet Theater. After several years of ballet, tap and jazz, Tim had the unique opportunity to study under world renowned hip-hop star Clyde Evans Jr. Tim traveled with Clyde’s company, “Chosen”, entertaining audiences with lecture demonstrations and theatrical performance. While dancing in New York, Tim was claimed as official “Ninja of the House of Ninjas” by the legendary house dancer, Willie Ninja. Tim performed in “The 2005 Orlando Citrus Bowl” and took the opportunity to dance on set for a taping of “America’s Funniest Home Videos”. He participated in a dance production for a cultural art series at The Philadelphia Art Museum and performed at “The Philadelphia Fringe Festival”. Tim is very happy to be part of the Pottstown Dance Theatre’s family.