ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Miss Nikki became a household name on Long Island when she started Baby Ballet Long Island after seeing a lack in education for ballet at a young age. With the continued success of the program she decided to establish a home for Baby Ballet Long Island and to open up to include older ages and other genres of dance and to bring in other like minded teachers. And so Dancehouse Studios was born.
From an early age she spent her days in the studio with her Mum, who runs her own dance studio in England. The 14 years she studied there she learned, not only solid technique and performance skills but also team work, confidence and respect.
"My Mum has a great teaching ethos and instills an inner drive to succeed without rivalry or competition between others, which I loved and respected and hopefully pass on to my own students."
The solid training she had as a child helped her take her love of dance to the next level and gained a place at the prestigious Northern Ballet School, Manchester. After graduating NBS with teaching certificates with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and the Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dance (ISTD), she enjoyed a very successful dance career all over the world working for Costa Cruise Lines, Legends, Showstoppers, Thursford Christmas Spectacular, Moore Entertainment and Paul Holman Associates to name a few.
After settling in New York, the birth of her daughter Rose was her inspiration to get back into the studio.
"I could see how much she enjoyed music and movement from such an early age so I went back to my teaching roots and decided to put together a program for her and other babies and toddlers to enjoy under the name of Baby Ballet Long Island."
The success of Baby Ballet Long Island made Miss Nikki a sought after teacher, with Moms and children. SO why stop at ballet and toddlers? Dancehouse Studios was born in 2020 to house classes under the same ethos she started Baby Ballet with.
"I hope that through my passion for teaching children, I can pass on the joy that I have had for the art for practically all my life. Dance teaches a lot of things; confidence, body awareness, team work, musicality, to persevere, discipline and that practice does make a difference, but it is also something that you can just feel, enjoy and love. Even at an early age you can see the little ones developing all the above skills. They are skills that they will use in their every day life throughout their lives."
- Miss Nikki A.I.S.T.D, R.A.D STC
Teachers
Miss Nikki
R.A.D.STC and A.I.S.T.D
'The Boss' at Dancehouse Studios
Head of Ballet and Tap
Trained at the Northen Ballet School on a full time 3 year graduate course. Certified teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance and the Imperial Society of the Teachers of Dance in ballet, jazz, tap and national dance.
Enjoyed an 8 year career as a professional dancer taking her all over the World.
She is now enjoying passing on her passion and knowledge of dance as the founder of Baby Ballet Long Island and Dancehouse Studios
Jessica Grey
Teaches:
Musical Theater, Acro and Adult Barre
Jessica is a NYC based performer who has been sharing her love of theatre and dance with kids and teens for over ten years. She earned her B.F.A. in theatre and B.A. in dance at Adelphi University, then went on to study dance further with companies including the Radio City Rockettes and the Verdon/ Fosse Legacy.
Jessica has been seen performing across the country with Sesame Street Live!, with Universal Studios in California and right here on Long Island at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport!
CJ
Teaches:
Shuffle/Hip Hop
Chris “CJ” Gonzales is an adventurous and disciplined creative with specialty in hybrid shuffle and hip-hop dancing and a passion for sharing these forms of movement with people of any age and background. His love for dance combined with his dedication to the craft and the students he teaches to make him an exceptional instructor.
Chris credits his experience (in not just shuffle dancing and hip-hop but various modern styles of movement) to his many years of being immersed in the dance and music cultures of NY, integrating his self-teaching capabilities with the personal advice and instruction of dancers nationwide, and collaborating with a number of highly-influential professionals in the U.S. and beyond. And while shuffle dancing itself is a historically-rich style of movement that has been considered underground for decades, he has taken part in the recent popularization of it, amassing a considerable following on social media while helping the shuffle community continue to grow outside of where this dance style originated.
Chris expresses much joy and excitement in teaching dance to others and hopes to help them feel more confident, energetic, and free through it. You can see his recent work @__cjgonzales__
