Faculty

“I believe that through my dual background in music and dance I can bring an innovative perspective to our school’s role in Newtown as well as exciting collaborative opportunities for the studio.” ~ Tory Gozzi

Tory Gozzi, Artistic Director, Ballet & Voice Teacher holds a Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Belhaven University. She has sixteen years of dance training and has studied classically with Marsha Ismailoff Mark, Jennifer Johnston, Shamil Yagudin, Laura Morton, Betsy McMillan, Krista Bower, Erin Rockwell, Belhaven University, Ballet Magnificat!, American Academy of Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Tory is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum and has teaching certification in the Vaganova Method through Open World Dance Foundation. She completed her masters thesis on the use of sensory intelligences in the vocal studio, specifically using kinesthetic aids/movement alongside auditory and visual cues to optimize retention of technique. She currently teaches ballet technique, pointe, partnering, repertoire, stretch, and conditioning. As an artistic director, she has re-staged and choreographed productions of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Peter and the Wolf, Circus, Sleeping Beauty, Paquita, Coppelia, Under the Sea: a Handel’s Water Suite Ballet, Four Seasons, Les Sylphides, The Planets: a Gustav Holst Suite, La Bayadere, Giselle, Magic Key, and Cinderella.

She has taught private voice lessons for fourteen years after working under the direct tutelage of Dr. Christopher Shelt and Dr. Christopher Arneson for five years. Her private voice instructors include Carolann Page, Dr. Christopher Shelt, Pamela Hoffman, Anne Gray, Gena Everitt, Aaron Odom, and Elizabeth Richardson. She is well studied in the areas of choral pedagogy, music theory, composition, sight-reading, and diction (English, Latin, Italian, French, German, Spanish), and her musical knowledge encompasses a variety of Broadway, pop/rock, and classical song styles as well as church music genres including hymns, contemporary, and high church music. She is a full member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and she also holds a teaching certification in contemporary commercial music styles through Shenandoah University’s CCM Vocal Institute (Somatic Voicework™ – The LoVetri Method). While at Belhaven, she took part in a partnership arts program that worked in the African countries of Zambia and Uganda and in the South American country of Peru. While at Westminster, she was a member of the Symphonic Choir and sang Brahms’ Requiem at Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, The Messiah at Lincoln Center, and The Resurrection Symphony at Carnegie Hall in New York. She has performed in Tosca with New Jersey Opera, Alcina with Westminster Opera, and The Old Maid and the Thief and The Gondoliers with Belhaven Opera. Her voice has been featured on several local CDs including Way of the Cross, Connecticut Voices for Heroes, and five personal albums.Her students have performed lead roles in local productions of Newsies, Les Miserables, Lion King Jr., Shrek Jr., Wizard of Oz, Guys and Dolls, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Into the Woods, Rent, Mamma Mia, Spring Awakening, Urinetown, and more, have been accepted at Broadway Workshop and Carnegie Hall high school honors performance series, and several have gone on to pursue music performance and education degrees.  In addition to teaching at NCCB&V, Tory also serves as a professional vocalist in both Western Connecticut and New York and is the choir director and cantor at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish in Brookfield, CT.

Jennifer Johnston Cebry, Ballet Teacher is the former artistic director of NCCB. She studied under Marsha Ismailoff Mark, Ballet Master George Volodine, Mrs. Mark’s mentor, and Shamil Yagudin, Master Teacher of the Bolshoi Ballet. At sixteen, she became Mrs. Mark’s assistant and performed as a principal dancer and lecturer with the Malenkee Ballet Repertoire Company. She obtained her Vaganova Certification under Cunova and Kolpakova at the Philadelphia School of the Performing Arts and attended Montana University for The New York Ballet Connection where she obtained certification through A Very Special Arts for teaching children with special needs. In 1996 she was awarded a full scholarship to Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York, and in 2008 she received a certificate of merit from the Finis Jhung Teachers Workshop at Ailey. She has performed as a principal dancer in numerous productions of Ballet Miniature and in actress Susan St. James’ narrative of Peter and the Wolf as well as in Ballet Stars of Moscow, Nutmeg Opera Company, and Danbury Music Center’s Nutcracker as Sugar Plum Fairy. In 2005 she became an Associate Choreographer and, in 2009, Assistant Production Manager under Artistic Director Arthur Frederic for Danbury Music Centre’s Nutcracker. A life-long resident of Newtown she is also involved in community activities that promote the arts. In 2002 she wrote Proposal for the Arts and presented it to the Ad Hoc Fairfield Hills Master Plan Committee. In 2004 she served as Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Cultural Arts Study Committee who presented its proposal to the Selectmen and Legislative Council who adopted Newtown’s Cultural Arts Commission of which she currently serves as chairperson. She directed the HealingArts Center in Newtown following the Sandy Hook School Shooting and was hired as the first program director of the Newtown Community Center during its construction and oversaw the conception and creation of the many arts programs and classes there that continue to run today.

Leanna Hinger, Voice Teacher received her Bachelors of Music in Choral Music Education with a concentration in voice from The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music (The Catholic University of America) in Washington, D.C. Some musical highlights from her studies include singing in the Papal Choir during the Holy Father, Pope Francis’ Visit to D.C., performing Orff’s, Carmina Burana at The John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center, and participating in Humperdinck’s, Hansel and Gretel (Sandman), and Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.

Leanna received her voice training under Gustavo Ahualli and Pamela Hoffman and is well studied in the areas of music theory, composition, sight-reading, choral singing, and diction. She is familiar with a variety of musical genres including, pop/rock, and classical song styles. She is also well versed in liturgical music and has held numerous positions throughout local churches over the past 15 years. She presently serves as the cantor and youth choir director at Saint Mary Parish in Bethel.

Leanna has been working for Newtown Public Schools since 2019 and is currently the full-time Choral Director at Reed Intermediate School (5th and 6th Grade). Her past music teachers are who inspired her to pursue a career in music and she feels privileged that she can share that joy with her students! She also holds a Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University.

Christopher Morrison, Guitar Teacher began performing early on with New Haven, CT jazz organists
Richard McCrae, Bobby Buster and Eddie Buster. The training he received while
working with these men made a lasting impression on Chris. To this day, his playing and
teaching style reflect the simple and practical approach that was used in his education.
Chris has been fortunate to record and perform with many wonderful musicians. He has
appeared with the legendary guitarist, Joe Diorio, as his guitar duo partner. Chris’s
recording, with saxophonist Andrew Beals entitled “Maybe Someday”(2017), is on the
Centaur record label. Dr. Ken Ciuffreda of Just Jazz Guitar magazine writes, “Chris
produces one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard coaxed out of a jazz guitar
– great phrasing, perfect musicality, warmth and expression – all played effortlessly with seemingly unlimited technique.”

Chris has been fortunate to study music with jazz guitarists Sal Salvador, Don Neary
and Joe Diorio, arranger Bill Finegan, pianists Charlie Banacos and Mike Longo and
Alexander Technique with Joan Frost. He holds a Masters of Music degree in Jazz
Performance from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase. His undergraduate
studies, Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, were completed at The University of Bridgeport and Western Connecticut State University.

Chris is employed by the Regional Center of the Arts High School, Fairfield University
and BackCountry Jazz, where he teaches jazz guitar, small group jazz and the
Polymetric time concept, created by Mike Longo. In the past he has taught at Western
Connecticut State University (30 years), the University Of Connecticut, and Naugatuck
Valley Community College. He has earned several awards for his teaching including a
Distinguished Adjunct Appreciation Award and a Centennial Award for Excellence from Western Connecticut State University.

“Chris is a brilliant musician and a great person. I have encountered very few musicians with his talent for playing AND teaching. This guy can really play!”
Joe Diorio

“Chris Morrison is a master of the guitar! One of the outstanding guitarists in the world today.”
Mike Longo

Liang-Fang Chang, Piano Teacher has appeared in numerous solo recitals in the United States, Thailand, and her homeland Taiwan. During the years of her doctoral studies at the University of Iowa, she was the recipient of the highly-competitive UI Graduate College Iowa Performance Fellowship and won the UI Concerto Competition with Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto. In addition to being a piano teaching assistant at the University, Dr. Chang also served as a research assistant at the UI prestigious and well-known Center for New Music. As an active pianist in this position she recorded many contemporary works for the Center, and the CD was internationally released on the Albany label commemorating the Center’s 40th Anniversary. In addition to being a successful solo pianist, Dr. Chang’s musicianship has also been deeply enhanced by extensive experiences as a chamber musician.  Her collaborative concerts have brought her performing throughout Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut. As the pianist for the Taipei Success Children’s Choir, she has performed in major cities, such as Hong Kong, Seoul, Beijing, Tianjing, Linz, Los Angeles, and Taipei.

A native of Taiwan, Chang began to study piano at the age of four.  She earned her Bachelor of Music with the highest honors from the Fu-Jen University in Taiwan and her Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Iowa. Her Doctoral Dissertation The Orchestral Elements in Franz Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy-with implications for piano performance was published by the University of Iowa Press in 2011. Dr. Chang is also an honorary member of The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society.  Her teachers have included Sheau-Ping Hu, Daniel Shapiro, and Uriel Tsachor.

Currently, Dr. Chang is an adjunct faculty in both the Department of Music and Kathwari Honors Program at Western Connecticut State University and the Kent School at Kent, Connecticut as well as Naugatuck Valley Community College. As a private studio teacher, she has celebrated the success of several of her students, leading them to perform and medal at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2019 and 2020.

Noel V. Bernard, Adjunct Faculty (Intermediate & Advanced Ballet, Partnering) is currently attending Fordham University at Rose Hill in the Bronx. He studied dance at the Connecticut Dance Conservatory in Stratford, CT where he teaches dance classes for adolescent, intermediate dancers. He excels in ballet, tap, and contemporary dance. Noel has received scholarships to attend the American Ballet Theater (ABT) summer intensives and the Joffrey Ballet summer program. In 2012, he performed in NYC at the going away celebration for Remy Charlip, celebrated performer and co-founder of the Paper Bag Players. He has also done walk-on performances at the Stratford Shakespeare Theater. Locally, Noel has performed for the past several years as the Cavalier in the Danbury Music Centre Nutcracker and he has been the featured soloist in NCCB productions of Les Sylphides, Cinderella, La Bayadere, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and Coppelia.

Beth Rodbell, Adjunct Faculty (Intermediate & Advanced Ballet, Pointe, Repertoire, Mat Pilates) is originally from Sandy Hook, CT. She asked her parents at the age of four to sign her up for ballet classes and left home at the age of thirteen to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballerina. She trained at the Draper Center for Dance Education in Rochester, NY during her high school years and began dancing with the Rochester City Ballet as a trainee at the age of Thirteen. She spent summers training at The Chautauqua Institution, The Harid Conservatory, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, State Street Ballet, and Miami City Ballet.

Taegan Smith, Guest Artist originally from Newtown, CT, is a 2021 alumni of NCCB&V. Taegan currently lives in New York City where she is a rising junior in the Alvin Ailey School/Fordham University BFA program with a double major in Dance and History. At The Ailey School, Taegan has trained with notable faculty including Ana Marie Forsythe, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Peiju Chien-Pott, Hollie Wright, Mikhail Ilyin, Kevin Predmore, and Flavio Salazar. While the Ailey curriculum encompasses a variety of techniques including Ballet, Horton, Jazz, Contemporary, Dance Composition, West African, House, and Improvisation, Taegan holds a special affinity towards Graham-based modern.

Hannah Bush, Guest Artist (Intermediate & Advanced Ballet, Contemporary Ballet, Jazz, Repertoire) began her serious training at Myers Ballet School and Northeast Ballet in Schenectady, NY. After graduating with a B.F.A in Dance Performance from Belhaven University, Hannah joined Ballet Theatre of Indiana as a founding company member.

Hannah has performed and taught in the classical and commercial genre throughout Europe, China, Africa and Canada. She has worked administratively for Russian Ballet International and Joffrey Ballet. Hannah has completed a teacher training course through Bolshoi Ballet, Levels One through Three, and is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level Three of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Hannah Bush is also the author of Ballet Etiquette: A Primer for the Student.

Currently Hannah serves as the company manager for Ballet Hartford in Hartford, CT.

Leyna Woods, Guest Artist (Intermediate & Advanced Ballet, Contemporary & Classical Repertoire) Raised in California, Leyna Woods began her ballet training at the age of twelve at a local studio on scholarship. At fourteen, she was selected to be privately coached by a former dancer of American Ballet Theatre, Christina Gibbs.  Under Gibbs’ careful tutelage, Woods attended American Ballet Theater’s Detroit Summer Intensive (2006) and Kirov Academy of Ballet’s Summer Intensive (2008). In 2009, Woods was hired by the Crystal Cathedral to perform as a dancer in the Glory of Christmas productions.  From 2006-2010, Woods founded and directed a small troupe of dancers, called Rejoice Ballet Troupe, which ministered to nearby nursing homes and churches.  She also taught ballet at Jimmie deFore Dance Center and South County Classical Ballet.  From 2010-2014, Woods received further training and dance education at Belhaven University under the instruction of Laura Morton, Caleb Mitchell, and Ravenna Tucker. She received the Bezalel Award (2010) and represented the university for two years at the American College Dance Festival Association (now ACDA).  In 2012, she accompanied a group of Belhaven students and faculty to South Korea where they performed for and ministered to college students, churches, and orphanages.  Woods graduated summa cum laude from Belhaven University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She worked as a company artist with Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet from 2014-2016 and is now serving as the artistic director of Ballet Hartford in Hartford, CT.

Todd Hall, Guest Artist (Advanced Ballet, Partnering) began dancing in Rhode Island, at the age of ten, with the Festival Ballet. One of his earliest roles was that of young Fritz, Clara’s brother, in The Nutcracker. Todd trained at the School of American Ballet in New York City, as well as at the Joffrey Ballet School, and the School of the Boston Ballet. He has performed with the Boston Ballet and the Washington Ballet, among others, and has been a guest artist with a number of ballet companies in the United States, dancing such roles as Albrecht in Giselle, the Prince in Swan Lake, the Cavalier in The Nutcracker, and Franz in Coppelia. Todd currently teaches and choreographs extensively throughout the Northeast and overseas.

Steve Rooks, Guest Artist (Modern Technique & Repertoire) began his dance training in Washington, D.C. after graduating with honors from Dartmouth College. He continued his training in New York City as a full scholarship student at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. Mr. Rooks danced and toured with the Ailey Repertory Ensemble and the Martha Graham Dance Company—at the latter, he performed for over a decade and achieved the rank of Principal Dancer.

Mr. Rooks is currently Chair of Dance and Resident Choreographer at Vassar College. He has also taught as a guest teacher with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Martha Graham Dance Company, the American Academy of Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Mexico, Pehnyo Productions in Barbados, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and the International Summer School in Sydney, Australia. He has choreographed a number of pieces, including “Cool River,” which premiered at Lincoln center in 1996, and which later became part of the Graham Company repertoire. He was a 2004 winner of the National Choreographic Competition at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and created two solos for the 2004 Youth American Grand Prix Ballet Competition. He has been awarded Vassar Research grants to travel to Latvia, Zambia, and most recently Finland, where he choreographed “Plate Tectonics” on 24 international dancers. As part of the Masterworks Festival, Mr. Rooks was commissioned to create ballets for a number of contemporary composers including Clarice Assad, Piet Swerts, and David Skidmore—all accompanied by a live orchestra.

Mr. Rooks has served as an adjudicator for the American College Dance Festival. His solo “Vista” was performed by Aran Bell of American Ballet Theater at the 2014 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Four contemporary solos were created for submission to the 2016 Youth American Grand Prix and the 2017 Cecchetti International Ballet Competition in Florence, Italy. In 2017, Mr. Rooks was Artist-in-Residence at Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts in Mumbai, India. A solo work “Dashanan” was created during that residency and had its World Premiere at the St. Andrews Auditorium in Mumbai.

Mr. Rooks would like to thank Jesus Christ for all that has happened to him.

Elizabeth Cox, Guest Artist (Beginner & Intermediate Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary) began her early training at the School of Performing Arts in New Milford, Connecticut under the direction of Arlene Begelman and Robert Maiorano. She later continued her studies at Fineline Theatre Arts in New Milford and worked exclusively with Broadway veterans Elizabeth Parkinson, Scott Wise and Mary Ann Lamb. She spent summers dancing at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, North Carolina School of the Arts and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Professionally, Elizabeth has danced as an ensemble member in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall and for the renowned modern dance company, Momix. She can be seen in Darren Aronofsky’s, The Black Swan, and on the cover of the 2009 ‘Green Issue’ of the New York Times Magazine. As a freelance artist, Elizabeth assists Broadway veteran Mary Ann Lamb throughout the tri-state area and has worked on various projects with Adam Battlestein’s Catapult Entertainment, which appeared on season eight of America’s Got Talent. In 2015, Elizabeth was named one of Connecticut’s top ’40 under 40’ by Connecticut Magazine for her dance and teaching achievements.As a teacher, Elizabeth has taught for the past six years at Fineline Theatre Arts in New Milford and at studios in Westchester and Rockland counties. She is certified to teach beginner/intermediate mat pilates through Power Pilates, NYC. Elizabeth is excited to share her enthusiasm and knowledge to the next generation of dancers.

Marsha Ismailoff Mark, Honorary Guest Teacher was Artistic Director of the Marsha Ismailoff Mark School of Ballet, the Committee for Ballet Miniatures, and the Malenkee Ballet Repertoire Company for over 30 years until she retired in 2001, passing on her legacy to Ms. Johnston. She produced numerous ballet productions, among them memorable full-length productions of the Nutcracker and Coppelia which included renowned principal dancers to mentor her students. Mrs. Mark studied with Russian Ballet Masters George Volodine and George Balanchine and her biography is included in the 1995-96 edition of Who’s Who in American Women, Who’s Who in the World, and Who’s Who in Russia. In 2001, Ms. Johnston, theCommittee for Ballet Miniature, the Malenkee Ballet Repertoire Company, and the students, presented her with a Degas statue placed in the Cyrenius H. Booth Library rose garden for her dedication to the community.

“Mrs. Mark has touched many children’s lives throughout her career, and her creativity was an inspiration to all who attended her school. My desire to become a teacher was greatly influenced by the deep sense of heritage that she instilled in me through her teaching and mentoring. The opportunities and experiences she provided shaped me as an individual, a dancer, and a teacher. I am privileged and honored to be carrying on this tradition.” ~ Jennifer Johnston

Shamil Yagudin, Former Guest Teacher “taught at the Bolshoi School in Moscow and was Principal Coach and Ballet Master holding advanced degrees from the Institute of Theatrical Arts in Moscow and the Moscow Choreographic Institute. He held the prestigious title of People’s Artist of the Russian Federation. His life’s work was the international development and preservation of classical ballet; he was a master in the studio, and coaching was what he loved most. He respected every dancer he taught and was dedicated to perfecting their art to the best of their aspirations. He touched thousands in the classical ballet world, and I was blessed to have him as a mentor and a friend. Shamil has passed on in spirit, but his love of ballet, his teachings, his knowledge, and the friendships he made in his journey of life will remain as a testament to his life’s passions through the legacy he passed on through others.” ~ Jennifer Johnston

“I will never forget the many classes I took with Shamil. He always expected the best from every one of his students, and though he was strict, I always knew he pushed me to perfection out of love of the art and respect for my ability to contribute to its future. I hope to always infuse my teaching with both the passion and push for artistic perfection with which he inspired so many of his dancers.” ~ Tory Gozzi