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Middletown (732) 671-2328

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Meet Our Faculty!

At Bodies In Motion Dance Centre, our faculty is the heart and soul of our community. Each member of our teaching team brings a wealth of experience, passion, and dedication to their craft, ensuring that every student receives the highest quality of dance education.

Our Instructors

Our instructors are not only seasoned professionals in their respective dance disciplines but also enthusiastic mentors who are committed to nurturing each student’s potential. With diverse backgrounds in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary, and more, our faculty members are equipped to provide comprehensive training and foster a love for dance in every student.

Commitment to Excellence

When you choose Bodies In Motion, you’re choosing excellence. Our faculty strives to create an environment where every dancer, regardless of age or skill level, feels valued and supported. We believe that every family is an integral part of our close-knit community, and we pride ourselves on knowing every student by name.

LORRI GOLDMAN-MENDEZ, DIRECTOR - Miss Lorri brings over 40 years of teaching, choreographing and performing to Bodies In Motion Dance Centre. In that time, Lorri has worked throughout NY and NJ with several Dance companies and in musical theater.
Her choreography has won numerous awards on the competition circuit, as well as being featured in a music video released on MTV Asia. Lorri attended Mason Gross College of Performing Arts, Middlesex County High School of Performing Arts, and has trained at leading studios in New York. Lorri has also studied with the Royal Academy of Dance in the teacher’s certification program. R.A.D. is an internationally recognized training school for ballet. Miss Lorri is a member of Dance Educators of America and Associated Dance Teachers of NJ and retired after 20 years on the board of directors for A. D. T. of NJ. She had served as President of this prestigious organization for four years, as well as treasurer for seven years previously. Lorri considers dance to be a passion, her first true love since she began studying at the age of two and a half… She truly believes that dance is body poetry.

CHRISTINA SOTO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - Miss Christina graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. At Marymount, under the direction of Katie Langan, she had the pleasure to work and perform with many artists including Robert Battle, David Parsons, Kate Weare, Merce Cunningham among others. She trained extensively with the pre-professional company New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble from the ages of 9 to18. NJDTE offered her wonderful opportunities such as to dance at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center with the Kirov ballet in their revival of Sleeping Beauty. Under the direction of Nancy Turano, Christina also has worked with Jason McDole, Miki Orihara, Alessandra Prosperi, Elisa Clark among many others. Christina has been a guest teacher at several studios around the metropolitan area and loves teaching at Bodies in Motion Dance Centre. She is also a former member of Roschman Dance Company and of Bryn Cohn and Artists. Bodies in Motion is lucky to have her!

HEATHER LUKE, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR knew at a young age that dance was a very important part of her life and wanted to share this love with others. Heather graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor's in Dance with a concentration of Education. Drexel gave Heather many opportunities to choreograph and perform, working with a wide-range of choreographers, including but not limited to Meredith Rainey, Nora Gibson, Clyde Evans, and Olive Prince. In addition to her dance studies at Drexel, she volunteered with Drexel Dance Touring Ensemble and Youth Performance Exchange, both programs used to introduce dance to Philadelphia Public School students. Heather also participated in a wheelchair dance program that allows students to work one-on-one with a child from HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy. While in Philadelphia, Heather worked at an elementary school where she implemented a movement/dance curriculum in the Physical Education classes. Heather returned to her home state and has been happy to continue to share her passion with her students!

Alexis Bartkowicz began her dance studies at Bodies in Motion at the age of three, where she graduated as a member of the Inertia Dance Troupe. While on the performance troupe, she studied various genres and danced at several venues throughout New Jersey and the surrounding area. She most recently was a member of the Middlesex College Dance Ensemble and is now attending Rutgers University finishing her degree in psychology. Dancing at BIM gave her the opportunity to be a part of the #TAPLIFE Company created by world famous “TAP DOG” Anthony LoCasio. Alexis was an assistant dance teacher at BIM for 6 years, and she is excited to now be teaching at the studio where she learned her love of dance.

Maureen Dicker is a graduate of Mason Gross Performing Art at Rutgers University, with a BA in dance.
She was the owner and director of Maureen's Danceworks, with locations in Old Bridge and Sayreville NJ for 20 years.
During this period, Maureen created the Par Excellence Dance Competition Team, who performed at the Orange and Citrus Bowls, Magic Music Days in Disney World, and won numerous competitions titles in solo and group categories in tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, and contemporary styles. Her students also performed at Swing 46 tap club in NYC. In addition to Rutgers, Maureen has studied at the University of Florida dance enrichment program, at Woodpeckers in NYC with Brenda Bufalino, Gregory Hines and Barbara Duffy. She Participated in the Royal Academy of Dance teachers training program in Ballet, studied with Savion Glover at the NJPAC summer intensive, and with Jacques D'Ambrois in the National Dance Institute Teacher Training program. Maureen holds Level 1 and 2 Tap Teacher Certifications in rhythm tap from the American Tap Dance Foundation in NYC. Maureen is currently a choreographer for competitive dancers in New Jersey, and has won numerous technique, entertainment, and artistry awards for her work.

Amanda Mrotzek began dancing when she was 7 years old and never stopped! After dancing recreationally at Dance Impressions for 5 years, she joined their competitive dance team and competed in many different dance styles for the next 6 years including Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop and Tap. The intricate rhythms and rapid footwork in Tap fascinated Amanda, and the style quickly became her favorite, leading her to compete in Tap solos throughout middle school and high school. Amanda attended The College of New Jersey for Early Childhood Education and while she was there, she helped create the TCNJ Tap Ensemble. In the Ensemble, Amanda held the position of Choreography Captain during her Sophomore and Junior years, and Vice President in her Senior year. Her passion for dance continued on and led her to Bodies in Motion where she has worked this past year teaching recreational classes in various styles. Amanda feels truly grateful that she is able to continue to spread her love of dance to the younger generations. Dance has not only been her passion but has also helped her overcome anxiety and find her confidence on stage and in herself. When Amanda is not teaching dance, she works as an Elementary School teacher in Freehold Township.

Nik Palivoda trained and performed with Traditional Serbian Folklore Ensembles, Dukati and later Biseri, for over 20 years. He began dancing with the youth group and worked his way up to the professional ensemble where he performed and choreographed for 5 years.
Nik expanded his training through the dance programs at Middlesex County College and Montclair State University. While attending school, he focused on developing local dance concert performance programs with Main Street Theatre Company in Sayreville and with the Rahway Arts + Business Partnership at the UCPAC's Hamilton Stage where local dance artists and choreographers could showcase their talents. After graduating, Nik has continued to direct and produce his concerts while also teaching at various dance studios.
Nik is very passionate about dance and continues to seek any opportunity to share his love of dance with everyone.

Megan Perry is an energetic professional with over 15 years of experience as an instructor and choreographer. Megan has been a dancer since the age of 2 and has experience dancing at the competitive level winning many awards. As a young dancer Megan had the opportunity to dance with dance professionals such as Savion Glover, Frank Hatchett, David Howard, Rhapsody, Chio, and Brian Friedman. Megan has a degree in Theater Arts from Centenary College (now University) with a concentration in stage management and dance. As a student, Megan created the Dance club, was a choreographer for student dance concerts and the theatre production of "Godspell". She worked with the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, the R2 Dance Company, and the Mark Morris Dance Company. After graduating she was an Adjunct professor teaching dance at Centenary. In 2010 Megan started working at the studio level for both recreation and competitive teams and has loved every minute of it. Megan has also received many judges’ awards and recognition throughout her career. She appreciates the love and talent every student possesses and loves being a mentor during their dance journey.

Alex Susanto began dancing at the age of 17 during his last year of high school, from what started out as a dare with younger sister, . Little did he know that his first dance class would kindle a deep love for the art form for years to come. Alex graduated from Rutgers University in 2013 with a B.A. in Communication. During his time in college, he began training
in various dance styles such as breaking, popping, commercial, house, and locking. To give students the best education possible, he continues training in studios around globe; including NYC, LA, Germany, and Japan. Alex has worked with artists such as Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, American Idol’s Jax, and Canadian pop star Vita Chambers. You can also catch him dancing with Darren Criss and Chord Overstreet in Season 5 of Fox Television’s T.V. series, “Glee”. When it comes to teaching his craft, Alex works not only to teach dance moves, but to create a fun and safe environment for his students to enjoy; fostering creativity, confidence, and positivity.

Amy Royland is an energetic teacher and choreographer with over 16 years of experience. Amy began dancing at the early age of 2 1/2 and immediately fell in love. She continued to attend classes in tap & ballet at various studios until ultimately landing under the direction of Carolyn Stefanchik. Amy also had the privilege of studying tap with former Rockette, Dorianne Denardo. She was a competitive dancer for 10 years, earning top awards and scholarships at convention. Amy has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. She is also is dually certified in Elementary K-5 & Special Education. She has over ten years experience in the classroom teaching third grade. Amy specializes in tap, jazz, lyrical, and musical theatre. She has also 15 years experience choreographing for competition teams ranging from solos to large productions. Her choreography has earned many entertainment and creative awards. Amy was also named UDMA Teacher of the Year in 2018. Amy is looking forward to working with everyone at BIM! Most importantly, all of the beautiful dancers there.