About Us
Joanna Andriopoulos, Executive Director, has been teaching dance for 30 years. Joanna is proud to be a co-director with her daughter, Elena, and believes a nurturing, family environment in the studio helps students reach their potential. She is a graduate of New York University, with a Master of Arts in Dance Education from the Steinhardt School of Education, and a graduate of Montclair State University, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance. Joanna has been an adjunct professor at DeSales University, teaching Ballet, Montclair State University, teaching Modern, and at Raritan Valley Community College, teaching Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Choreography.
She has choreographed numerous original story ballets, including "The Wizard of Oz," "The Little Mermaid," "12 Dancing Princesses," and "Alice in Wonderland," as well as many original productions of "The Nutcracker." She has also set both "Swan Lake" (excerpts) and "Paquita Grand Pas Classique" on her students. She has choreographed for the Gallatin Arts Festival in New York City, for Madison High School's musical theatre production of "The Wizard of Oz", and ballet, modern, tap, jazz and acro works at various studios during her teaching career.
Joanna is an ABT® Certified and Affiliate Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Elena Andriopoulos, Artistic Director, has studied dance since the age of 2 and pre-professional ballet training since the age of 10. As Artistic Director, Elena combines her training in classical and contemporary dance to create captivating and creative choreography for each student. Elena believes that dance training creates a strong person, as a dancer and an individual, teaching them that hard work and perseverance is the way to achieve their goals. She began assisting classes at age 10, and has been involved in dance education since then! Elena holds an MA in Dance
Education with a concentration in ABT Ballet Pedagogy from New York University and a BA in Dance from DeSales University.
Elena was primarily trained with the ABT NTC in her studio years, along with Modern, Jazz, Tap, and Acro. She has attended the Hartt Ballet Summer intensive twice in Hartford, Connecticut, working with Angel Corella, Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner, and numerous workshops and short summer intensives in the Tri-state area, including the moe-tion dance summer intensive, Centenary College's dance intensive, Somerset County Vo-Tech dance intensive, and classes in New York City at ABT, Gibney, Dance New Amsterdam and at Princeton Dance and Theatre in NJ. Elena's performance credits include: "Flock" by Jessie Young, "Magnificat" by Caroline Fermin, "breaking THE cycle" by Daria Evans, "Eneya" by Maddie Rasbold, "REMembering a dREaM" by Emma Maurer, and "MOVE!" by Maureen Glennon. She has danced almost every role in "The Nutcracker" during her studio training years, and performed in "Paquita," "Swan Lake," and other classical and story ballets.
Elena is an ABT® Certified and Affiliate Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She is also a Fellow with the ABT® NTC, an honor few teachers receive each year. She is also certified in Bolshoi Ballet Academy Method of Teaching Character Dance Level 1.
Instructors
Sonia K. Byrnes (formerly Sonia Jones) teaches ballet and is also our Office Manager. She was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she trained under the direction of Carolyn Trythall. She earned highly commended marks as a student and teacher of the Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet and performed classical & contemporary repertoire with Ballet Theatre of Lancaster, both as a student and professional (1999-2009). She received mentorship for teaching at a young age and became certified as a Qualified Cecchetti Teacher (Grades I-V) and presented students annually for Cecchetti exams.
Upon moving to NYC in 2009, Sonia earned an MA in Teaching Dance in Higher Education & the Professions with a concentration in American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Pedagogy from New York University. She performed with Covenant Ballet Theatre, Long Island Ballet Theatre, Atmosphere Dance Company (Project Dance), and Saya Spring Dance Theater. Sonia is fully certified in the ABT National Training Curriculum and has presented students for ABT Student
Examinations.
She has 20 years of teaching experience, including: ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, ABT Young Dancer Summer Workshop, Covenant Ballet Academy, Dance Theatre of Harlem Dancing through Barriers, Harlem School of the Arts, Huntington Center for Performing Arts, Next Level Generation (NYG), and Lancaster School of Ballet. Her children’s choreography has been featured in performances by the ABT JKO School, Covenant Ballet Theatre, Long Island Ballet Theatre, and Ballet Theatre of Lancaster. She has taught private students who have performed on Broadway and in regional theater.
Sonia was the Student Examinations Coordinator and Manager for the ABT Certified Teachers, under the direction of Franco De Vita and Raymond Lukens (2015-2016), and Cynthia Harvey (2016-2022). She joined the ABT/NYU Master’s Program as an instructor in 2020 under the direction of Harriet Clark. In 2022, she was appointed Executive Director of Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn (CBT), with Artistic Director and Founder Marla Hirokawa, which culminated in June 2025. She serves on the ABT NTC Artistic Board of Examiners for the ABT National Training Curriculum, the Advisory Board for Regeneration Arts (REGA Arts) and is on the founding board and leadership team for Times of Refreshing Christian Centre, New York Campus (TORCC NY). She is a member of CORPS de Ballet International and the Cecchetti Council of America East Coast Committee. Sonia is currently a freelance dance teacher,
administrator, and coach. She and her husband reside in New Jersey.
Daria Charlize Evans teaches jazz. She is a certified dance educator and artist whose lifelong passion for dance began at the age of 3. She holds a Master’s in Dance Education with Initial Certification for Teaching All Grades from NYU Steinhardt and a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from DeSales University.
Daria is deeply committed to using movement as a tool for education, empowerment, and social change. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practices, aiming to create learning environments where students feel inspired to explore their identities, develop critical thinking skills, and express themselves authentically through dance.
As a choreographer, Daria’s work often weaves narrative and social commentary, frequently addressing issues relevant to African American communities. Her choreography confronts systemic injustice, celebrates resilience, and sparks dialogue. Her piece dans le temps (2025) was performed at NYU’s Frederick Loewe Theatre. In 2022, she presented breaking THE cycle at DeSales University, where her earlier work FLESH (2021) also premiered. Daria believes that art is a powerful form of self-expression, offering insights into the raw human experience and empowering individuals to share their stories, document history, expose injustice, and gain a deeper understanding of the world.
Nathan Forster teaches modern. He is an NJ based Dance artist and teacher. With an AFA in dance from Raritan Valley Community College, BA in Theatre from Drew University, and voracious appetite for information, Nathan brings a diverse skill set informed by their theatrical and dance training to cultivate the next generation of dancers. Originally from Berkeley, CA, Nathan has previously danced for choreographers Marissa Aucoin, Stephanie Beauchamp, Loretta Fois, Emmeline Gonzalez-Beban, Lisa Grimes, and Nina Haft.
Nathan is also the founding artistic director of ReFrame Dance Theatre, a company devoted to creating accessible dance in surprising places, and has been commissioned by the Rahway Arts+Business Partnership to create outdoor performances for their annual Culture Crawl. Most recently, ReFrame Dance Theatre successfully produced and performed their first evening of performances, Remember Me, in the Rahway Arts District Park. Nathan also just completed an artist residency at Mignolo Arts. Additionally, Nathan performs with Mignolo Dance, and is regularly invited to collaborate and teach in their class series and intensives. He also continually collaborates with West Coast-based choreographer Michael J. Lee on a variety of live and film projects. Nathan’s choreography has been described as surreal, transformative, and “everything you need in a good gumbo at a fancy restaurant.”
Nathan’s teaching is heavily influenced by his years of experience developing Pre-K movement curriculum and facilitating dance experiences for seniors; somatic practices including yoga and Feldenkrais; Laban Movement Analysis; and dance training in Cunningham, Hawkins, Limon, Release, and Simonson techniques. In Nathan’s class, dance is a vehicle to develop expressiveness, artistry, and critical thinking. It is his firm belief that the fundamental value of dance class is not to perfect a dance, but to discover all the ways a dance can be perfect.
Mindy Golder teaches PBT and Ready, Set, Acro. She is also a substitute ballet teacher. Mindy is a classically trained ballet dancer who started dancing at the age of 3. She began her classical ballet training when she was 7 at the New Jersey School of Ballet, where she studied under several world class teachers such as George Tamal, Caralyn Clark, and Eliie Lazar. She performed in numerous productions of The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and end of year workshops. By the age of 8, she was dancing an average of 25 hours a week. At the age of 11, Mindy continued her training at the Mill Ballet School under the direction of Mark and Mellisa Roxey. After spending her summer training at Princeton Ballet Summer Intensive program, she was accepted into their Ballet Plus year-round program at the age of 13.
Throughout Mindy's dance training, she has trained around the country through various programs, which have given her the opportunity to not only train from international professional dancers and teachers but gave her the ability to grow as a dancer. Unfortunately, a knee injury at the age of 16 prevented her from pursuing a professional career. She then attended St. Francis University, where she obtained her BA in Social work. Since graduating, she has taught ballet, lyrical, pointe, and ballet/tap combo classes in several studios in new Jersey. She is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT).
Miss Mindy believes that ballet is not only her passion but is in her bones; she loves nothing more than sharing her love for the art of ballet with children of all ages. She holds certifications in PBT, Ready, Set, Move with Me, and Ready, Set, Acro.
Caitlin Knowles teaches modern. Catilin is a performer and educator based in the NYC/NJ area. They graduated from Montclair State University with a BFA in Dance and Theater and continue their training by taking classes regularly at Gibney, Peridance and Steps on Broadway in NYC. They have committed to growing as an educator and choreographer by participating in programs such as the ABT NTC Pre-Primary- Level 3 Teacher Training, Royal Winnipeg Ballet Summer Teacher Training, AXIS Summer Intensive and BergenDanceMakers. They are certified in Acrobatic Arts Module 1.
Caitlin is so grateful to have been able to perform works by José Limòn, Bill T. Jones, Nancy Lushington, Doug Varone, Marked Dance Project, Meghan Daly, David Ingram, Mei Yamanaka and Stephanie Beauchamp among others. They have also had the opportunity to perform in venues such as The Joyce Theater, Gibney, Hackensack Performing Arts Center, The Actors Fund Arts Center, Ramapo College, and Oskar Shindler Performing Arts Center.
Caitlin has had 10 years of education experience working for various studios, public schools, intensive programs, and residencies. Knowles’ teaching integrates student-centered practices that foster mental health, anatomically sound technique and alignment, and strong partnering and floorwork. They also collaborate with companies to create accessible and socially conscious spaces and advocate for Mental Health Awareness through volunteering for the NJ Mental Health Players.
Their choreography has been shown at festivals/events such as The Craft, Manifest, NJ Mental Health Association webinar, Dance Parade, DanceRising, and Anytime Anyplace Online Dance Film Festival. They are currently a company member with Nikki Manx Dance Project and MarDel Dance, freelance/collaborate with individual artists regularly and will be entering a residency at Mignolo Dance with Haley Yacos this summer. They are thrilled to be teaching for Joanna Andriopoulos, as their career wouldn’t be possible without her foundational training and support.
Maddy Gilleland teaches ballet to our youngest dancers She has been dancing since she was 3 and began teaching in the fall of 2024. She is a Ready, Set, Move certified teacher and also teaches pre-primary and primary ballet. She has been training in the ABT® National Training Curriculum since age 7 and most recently passed the 5B exam.
In addition to the conservatory program at WJYB, Maddy has trained at Atlanta Ballet’s Summer Intensive and Ballet Magnificat! Summer Intensive.
She loves teaching the youngest dancers and allowing them to express themselves and use their imaginations. She cherishes being around their innocent joy and seeing them learn and focus on something new.
After graduation, Maddy hopes to continue teaching dance while pursuing dancing professionally in a company.
Zoey Korbylo teaches tap and is one of our studio experience facilitators. Zoey has been dancing since she was 3 and began assistant teaching when she was 14. Last summer, she began leading her own classes at WJYB.
She attends Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School Dance Program in addition to being in the conservatory program at WJYB. She has completed Teaching Methods (Little Steps) training at VoTech. She has additionally trained at Rock West Contemporary Intensive and The Rock School for Dance Education's Ballet Intensive.
Zoey enjoys teaching because she likes to inspire the new generation of dancers. She tries to ensure her students are having fun but also working hard to achieve their goals.
Zoey aspires to be a professional dancer in a fun city after graduation.
Riley Roberts teaches tap and jazz and is also one of our studio experience facilitators. Riley has been dancing since she was 2 and began assisting classes when she was 9 years old. She began leading her own classes at WJYB last summer.
She attends Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School Dance Program in addition to being in the conservatory program at WJYB. She has completed Teaching Methods (Little Steps) training at VoTech. She has additionally trained at DeSales University Summer Dance Intensive and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Ballet Intensive.
Riley loves allowing her students to let their creativity shine. She incorporates fun activities that help her students learn to find joy and laughter in dancing, building a foundation for a lifelong love of the arts.
After graduation, Riley’s goal is to join a professional ballet company, and she also hopes to continue teaching.
Music Instructor
Tim Byrnes had been playing and teaching music in New York City for over twenty years before he and his wife Sonia moved to New Jersey. While in New York City, he worked for sixteen years as a music teacher at St. Luke's School in the West Village. It was there that he proved himself to be a master of instrumental music education, raising several generations of students with a love for playing music together in a variety of creative formats, including rock band ensembles and concert band wind ensembles. His students participated in concert performances at community venues, live radio broadcasts, and studio recordings produced at professional music studios.
After St. Luke's, Tim taught at Wagner Middle School (MS 167), a public school in the Upper East Side, which boasts the largest middle school concert band program in Manhattan. Tim's time at Wagner straddled the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave him the opportunity to successfully make the move from traditional school band rehearsals of one hundred students, to remote music education when necessary, using a variety of innovative technological platforms. While at Wagner, Tim also worked in the ELA / English department.
Starting in early 2022, Tim began collaborating with his friend Darvin Lau, teaching at The Bay Ridge School of Music in Brooklyn, further honing not only his teaching skills, but also his skills in community development, working with special needs students, and outreach. Since moving to New Jersey, Tim has begun working at the Robert Treat Academy in Newark, NJ teaching K– 8 music, leading both the band and guitar programs there.
Tim has a unique approach to teaching which focusses on instrumental performance, practical music theory, improvisation, and composition. While he mostly works with young people, he has accepted and inspired a significant group of adult students as well. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from New York University, plus a Master's degree in Music Education from Hunter College.
Additional Staff
Kristen Klein is our Marketing Manager and Front of House Manager.
Kristen graduated from New York University with a degree in journalism and mass communication, with a focus on digital media. She’s worked on content creation, marketing initiatives, and social media for national magazine brands, including Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, CosmoGIRL!, and Bridal Guide. After leaving the New York City area and settling in Warren County, she transitioned her skills to helping local businesses.
She is also certified in Acrobatic Arts Module One and is available for private lessons.
Kate Roehm is our in-house costumer. She has over 20 years of sewing and costuming experience, mostly in historical recreation and fantasy genres. Many of the costumes seen in our spring ballets, as well as newer additions to "The Nutcracker," are Kate's creations! She is also available to design competition costumes for our conservatory students, and she is always ready with a needle and thread backstage in case of any wardrobe emergencies.
Prior to homeschooling her children and becoming Head of the Board for her co-op; she studied English Lit and Creative Writing at Albertus Magnus College, and was a site director for an after school enrichment program in Hunterdon County.
Emily Taggart is our Photographer, Competition Assistant, and Family Engagement Coordinator.
Emily graduated from Ramapo College with a BA in Art. She transitioned her love for photographing her family and pets into becoming our in-house photographer, with an eye for catching those special moments in a dance, thanks to her years of experience as a “dance mom.” Her favorite dances to watch are ballet and contemporary pieces. Emily especially loves watching our students learn new skills and is always there to cheer them on from the office.