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Shona Roebuck
Owner/Performing Arts Teacher
A B.A. graduate from Rutgers University, Shona Roebuck has many years experience working on stage and film. Shona has had key roles in well-known musical productions such as Carrie, Legally Blonde, Little Shop of Horrors, Into the Woods and Grease. Shona has also had dramatic roles in Streetcar Named Desire, Crucible and La Chanatrice Chauve, a French language production. Shona pulls from all of her singing, dancing and acting experience from stage and film to deliver tutorship, inspiration and mentoring to her classes. Although Shona knows that hard work and dedication are important to achieving one’s goals and dreams, she also believes that learning should be engaging and above all fun, especially for the younger members of her classes.
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Lauren Kirk
Dance Teacher
Miss Lauren first found a love for dance at the age of three. During her early years she competed nationally and was a company member at Broadway Dance Center’s children and teen program in New York City. In high school Miss Lauren attended the New Jersey Governor’s School for the Arts, a summer program that selects top arts students from high schools across the state and in 2011 graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in Dance and American Studies. During her time at Rutgers she danced with the modern dance company Insurgo Stage Project and performed/choreographed for several student performances. Upon graduation, she began teaching jazz, hip hop, and ballet in various studios throughout northern New Jersey. During the day Miss Lauren can be found working at the national music ed non-profit, Little Kids Rock. At Little Kids Rock she has had the opportunity to choreograph for music students who perform at the annual benefit with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Nathan Sykes, Wiz Khalifa, and Jon Batiste. Miss Lauren started working at Miss Shona’s PAC in 2017 and loves sharing her joy of dance with her students!
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Tom Frascatore
Acting Coach
Mr¬. Tom found a love for the stage at the young age of 13 and has not been able to leave it since. Performing and directing for over 40 years, Mr. Tom has developed a love for the preparation and technique for actors of all ages. Well versed in helping Actors discover and chart character evolution in relation to the greater piece, resource management and creative space utilization. Mr. Tom has directed and taught all over the tri-state area including the local Paper Mill Playhouse. Mr Tom is honored to be the Acting Teacher/Coach at Miss Shona’s PAC where he started in 2017 and loves bringing a passion for the craft to each of his students.
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Nicole Zadra
Dance Teacher
Nicole Zadra completed her ballet training in the USA and Russia. In 2012 she completed her ballet training at Manhattan Youth Ballet, NYC. In 2014 she graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia under Marina Leonova. She then joined The Hong Kong Ballet in 2014 as a member of Corps de Ballet where she performed in Don Quixote, Swan Lake Act III, the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Turandot and more. In 2016 she joined Ballet Memphis where she performed in various pieces including Giselle, Peter Pan, George Balanchine’s Square Dance, The Wizard of Oz and several contemporary works. She guest danced with the Atlantic City Ballet and most recently was a member of the CaliforniaBallet Company. Nicole is an ABT certified teacher, National Training Curriculum, Pre-primary to level 3 and ABT Project Plie scholarship recipient. She is the recipient of numerous scholarships and her training includes time spent at The Alvin Ailey School, NYSSSA, The Rock School, Boston Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Nicole gained extensive performance experience during her training, with highlights including roles in La Fille Mal Gardée at the Bolshoi Theater, The Sleeping Beauty and the Hungarian Rhapsody at the Kremlin Palace in Russia, and Jerome Robbins Interplay, as well as other contemporary, character dance and jazz pieces. In 2011 Nicole was awarded an Alvin Ailey Fellowship. In 2012 she was a NSLI-Y Russian American Foundation, Bolshoi Ballet Academy Scholarship Award Recipient. In 2013 she was a Grishko USA Rising Star.
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Jenna Burniston
Dance Teacher
Miss Jenna is originally from Maplewood and is an elementary special education teacher in SOMSD! She loves to connect her passion for education with her love of dance and theatre through teaching at Miss Shona’s PAC. Miss Jenna joined Miss Shona’s PAC in 2017 and can be seen teaching summer classes, assisting in musical theatre classes, subbing, and working in the office. She is also the Camp Manager at our partner organization, MMTC (Morrow’s Musical Theatre Camp)!
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Melina Soriano
Dance Teacher
Melina Soriano is a creative artist and holistic healthcare advocate who recently received her BFA from Montclair State University with a minor in psychology. Prior to Montclair, Melina studied under Raegan Wood, director of The Taylor School, while performing with Paul Taylor’s Teen Ensemble. Melina also attended High Tech High School and under the guidance of Trista DeFilippis found a keen interest in choreography. Melina has performed works by Paul Taylor, Ohad Naharin, David Parsons, Fredrick Earl Mosley, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and Larry Kegwin. Her first choreographed film work Cerulean Dream was released summer of 2021. Melina has shared her love for dance since 2017 where she began teaching along Raegen Wood for the Teen K-12 Outreach Teaching Artist Program in New York City. Since then she has taught at Montclair State University alongside Julia Burrer, Greenhouse Arts Center alongside Lauren Panzica, as well as Nimbus Art Centers’ Summer Arts Program, and more recently Dance to Learn. Melina is currently a nursing student at Chamberlain School of Nursing, with the goal of combining the arts and healthcare. She is thrilled to be joining the team at Miss. Shona’s PAC!
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Lindsey Garnhart
Dance Teacher
Lindsey Garnhart is a dance artist who holds a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business from Temple University. Prior to college, she studied ballet, modern, jazz, and tap for 15 years at Center for Dance Education. She is currently a member of and has performed with Freespace Dance Company, APDance Inc, and rachelanddancers in New York City, and with Klassic Contemporary Ballet Company in Philadelphia, PA. Her recent choreographic work has been presented at The Secret Theater in Queens, NY, Conwell Dance Theater in Philadelphia, PA, and in virtual settings. Lindsey is a rotating assistant for Tracie Stanfield’s virtual classes at Broadway Dance Center. She also teaches at several dance studios in the tristate area. In addition to dance, she is the administrator for Group Motion in Philadelphia, PA and APDance Inc in New York City, and worked on the social media team at American College Dance Association and Boyer College. She is so excited to be a part of the Miss Shona’s PAC family!
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Jillian DeGironimo
Dance Teacher
Jillian recently moved from Maplewood to her first home in Union with her husband and two cats Artemis and Ceres! She is a practicing Speech Language Pathologist with a Bachelor’s degree from Geneseo State and a Master’s degree from Seton Hall University. Jillian found dance at eight years old and it immediately became her passion. She has danced and studied many styles throughout her life including ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, and tap. Jillian has taught dance classes to children of all ages. In her free time, Jillian enjoys practicing yoga, reading a good book, and spending time with friends and family! Jillian is excited to embark on her first year teaching at Miss Shona’s Performing Arts Center!
