Our Faculty & Facility
Our Mission Statement
Our mission here at Gina Marie'z Academy of Performing Arts, LLC is to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice and increase support for high quality, comprehensive physical education and dance. In addition to this mission, we believe that creating a vision of purpose is critical to defining and building a strong, efficient organization.
Gina envisions a society where all individuals have the knowledge, skills and confidence to participate in physical activity and dance and can do so in a manner that promotes healthy lifestyles. We will accomplish this by establishing professional standards that define high quality and sustainable programs that contribute to the development of healthy lives for students of all ages.
Learn more about our owner, Gina Marie Zambito-Grote, and and the dedicated faculty at Gina Marie'z Academy of Performing Arts LLC.
Contact us today to tour our state-of-the-art facility in Highland, NY.
Gina Marie Zambito-Grote
Studio Owner / Director
Gina Marie Zambito-Grote was destined to dance! She knew from the age of four that dancing was her passion, and she always envisioned sharing that passion with others. Gina was born and raised in Highland, New York, and knew she wanted to build a business in her hometown. Her mother and father gave her the opportunity to follow her dreams when they signed her up for dance. The death of her father was a pivotal point in her life. The memory of his unconditional support is a constant source of inspiration for her daily drive in all that she does. She has a degree in performing arts with a concentration in dance.
In the summer of 2010, she proudly announced the opening of her own studio, Gina Marie’z Academy of Performing Arts, LLC. In November of 2017, Gina Marie’z relocated to a new 6,000- square foot state-of-the-art facility! GMZ has a wonderful, safe, and family friendly atmosphere. By providing four large, beautiful studios, GMZ can accommodate many different ages and levels of ability where students can be inspired to learn. She believes anyone, anywhere, any age…can dance!
Throughout her teaching career, Gina’s unique staging and style of choreography has been recognized regionally and nationally. Her students have earned Regional Title awards and ranked in the top percentile of prestigious dance competitions.
Gina continues to give back to the community that has watched her grow and supported her for the past 30+ years. Her Performing Company Members have showcases at local events and fundraisers for charitable causes.
Cassie Masterson
Assistant Director, Dance Educator & GMZ Company Office Administrator
Cassie Masterson has been a part of the dance world since the age of three. She danced for 21 years and has been teaching for over 13. Cassie has had the privilege of learning from award winning teachers and choreographers during her dance career. Thanks to their teaching, encouragement, and support, she has achieved overall special and high score awards in multiple dance competitions.
Cassie has had the privilege to perform at Hershey Park, Eisenhower Hall, Disney’s Magic Kingdom, and the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony. Cassie graduated from Dutchess Community College in 2014 with an Associate’s Degree in Performing Arts.
She always loved helping the little ones and started assisting dance classes in 2007. She loved thinking outside the box to help them learn moves in a way that was fun and easy to understand. Now, Cassie is so proud to have watched some of her students become assistants themselves, and then teachers! Watching her students grow, transform, and develop their own styles of teaching makes her job mean even more.
Kristy Levandoski
Dance Educator
Originally from Marlboro, NY, Kristy grew up dancing for a competition dance team. After graduating High School, she attended Montclair State University receiving a bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in dance. Kristy also attended New York University graduating with her master of arts in dance education with a New York State Certification PreK-12.
She founded the full-time school day dance program at Frederick Douglass Academy VIII Middle School in East New York, Brooklyn. After getting married in 2016, Kristy and her husband decided to move back into the Hudson Valley to be closer to family and friends. She joined Monticello High School as their dance educator, developing that program to new levels. After her time in Monticello, Kristy decided to leave her position and move on to new adventures receiving her 200 hour yoga certification, teaching dance at GMZ and taking care of her two sweet children at home.
Kristy believes that guiding her students to find their true identity and self confidence is just as important as having beautiful technique. She has developed a dance curriculum that encompasses all levels of learning with a focus on self expressions, creativity, tenacity and educating the whole person. Kristy teaches jazz, ballet, hip hop, and contemporary with focus and attention to detail along with cross training through yoga.
Aubrey Contini
Dance Educator
Aubrey began dancing when she was 3 years old. Growing up, she attended numerous auditions and summer intensives run by New York City Ballet. She has trained at Saugertes Ballet Center for most of her life, and has dedicated over 15 years as a principal dancer performing with the Ulster Ballet Company and their annual production of A Christmas Carol at UPAC.
After completing the Performing Arts Program at DCC, she went on to dance with Tina Thompson’s SKIN dance company based out of Brooklyn NY before moving back upstate to have a family and dance locally.
Now a proud mama of 2, she is passionate about sharing her lifelong training with the next generation of dancers. She has experience teaching ballet to children and adults of all ages and skill levels; as well as Lyrical, Jazz, and Modern, and Contemporary Dance. She is thrilled to begin another season with Gina Marie’z and can’t wait to share her passion with you all!
Dana Soto
Dance Educator
Dana Soto was born and raised in Bronx, NY. Dana began dancing at the age of 7 at The Columbus Boys and Girls Club and continued her training throughout New York State. Dana has studied many styles of dance, including Modern, Jazz, Salsa and Hip Hop, hip hop being Dana's specialty. Dana has studied different urban styles of hip hop including Breaking, Tutting, Popping and Locking. After relocating to Newburgh New York, she joined her local dance/step-team, "Newburgh Allstars," where she learned the fundamental backgrounds of hip hop. She competed throughout New York State at competitions including Ritz Theatre, BET's Blaze the Stage and America's Got Talent.
Dana has a degree in Performing Arts from Dutchess Community College with a concentration in Dance. She continued her education at SUNY-New Paltz and later received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. While in college, Dana continued with her love for dance by dancing and performing with SUNY New Paltz's hip hop dance team,"Culture Shock". Prior to graduating, Dana was hired as the main hip hop teacher at Gina Marie'z Academy of Performing Arts, LLC where she choreographed countless award winning competitive dances. She also taught many years of recreational hip hop classes to children and adults of all ages. Dana now focuses on her career in Social Work and Mental Health services by serving the families within her community. Despite this change in career, her love for the hip hop culture will always be a predominante part of her life.
Warren Curtis
Dance Educator
Warren’s career as a performer has included the Broadway 1st National Tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, numerous companies of West Side Story, 42nd Street, and A Chorus Line. Regional credits include North Shore Music Theatre, The Berkshire Theatre Festival, The Maltz-Jupiter Theatre, Maine State Music Theatre, Opera North, The Fulton Theatre, Westchester Broadway Theatre, and The Cape Playhouse. Off-Broadway, he originated roles in Hazel Flagg at Theatre Row, The Reluctant Royal at the National Opera Company, and The Poisons for the International Fringe Festival. He has also performed in numerous concerts and industrials for ABC Daytime and Mac.
He received his dance training as a scholarship student at Steps in New York City, studying under Peff Modelski, Michael Vernon, Tony Stevens, Charles Goddertz, and Derick Grant, among others.
Warren teaches throughout the Tri-State area and adjudicates for national competitions. His teaching philosophy is to impart a solid technical foundation in order to give students the capability of full artistic expression. Emphasis is placed on correct alignment,
proper use of turn-out, principle of forward motion, movement efficiency, musicality, and oppositional energy.
Warren is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.
Kala Rizzo
Dance Educator
Kala found dance at the age of 12, and never stopped from then on! She danced and competed all throughout high school and has now completed that journey. Kala has high hopes of going to college for dance education and achieving a job teaching dance in public schools in the future! She started her journey in tumbling and has branched out to so many different styles including Lyrical, Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, and more.
Teaching dance and helping kids express themselves, while learning to do amazing things that can only be done once they put their minds to it and work for it, is the absolute best feeling in the world for her. That is exactly what dance has done for her and it truly has made Kala into the person she is today. To Kala, friendship, love, and community have always been important, and all of those factors are exactly what make up GMZ. She is excited to keep supporting this wonderful, inspiring family in more ways than ever before.
Kylei Dolder
Dance Educator
Originally from Milton, Kylei started dancing at age three and started competing in dance competitions when she was five. From there, Kylei completed her dance education by studying under multiple choreographers and artists, allowing her to work with winning teachers and choreographers throughout her dance career. She achieved numerous scholarships to dance studios, dance programs, and dance classes. Kylei has danced at the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony, Hershey Park, Disney World at Orlando, Universal Studios in Orlando, Quassy Park, Renegades Stadium, Roya Gala at UPAC, Abilities First, numerous local parades and events, and much more. She has worked with affiliates from Paul Taylor Company, Alvin Ailey, Dancers INC., Figures in Flights, Broadway Dance Studio, Man in Motion, and other notable affiliates. Kylei has won several competitive and special awards at dance competitions, including "Excellent Execution", "Personality Plus", 1st place in her dance style, age category, overall age range multiple times, and much more. She danced and competed with Gina Marie’z from 2011-2015, spanning her high school career and influencing her education. In 2014, she won a full scholarship to Figures in Flight, a modern dance school that studied under 1st and 2nd generation contemporary dance styles, including stylistic techniques created under Lester Horton, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, and Jose Limon.
After graduating from Cosmetology and High School in 2015, Kylei attended SUNY Dutchess from 2015 to 2017 while completing her General Studies education and participating in the performance arts program showcase. From there, Kylei participated in the SUNY Oswego’s dance team in the Fall of 2017 before moving to Canton, NY, to complete her education as a registered nurse in the Spring of 2018. Kylei graduated from her registered nursing program in 2021 and earned her nursing license in New York. Kylei is currently a student at SUNY Plattsburgh to complete her bachelor’s program in Nursing, hoping to specialize in school-aged and adolescent populations in psychiatry.
Within her nursing education, she found that her dance education had positively impacted her career as a nurse, lending information learned in class about professionalism and performance that has benefited her patients and her education. She utilized her dance education in nursing through dance movement, physical and psychiatric therapy, and range of motion physical therapy to help strengthen patients after complicated illnesses. Kylei has taken on new adventures to benefit her education and students through teaching dance at Gina Marie’z, utilizing the information learned through all her education to create a blend of holistic and scientifically informed dance movement and curriculum derived from the history, technique, science, and art of dance form and movement. Kylei is excited to continue her journey in dance, informing and teaching a new generation of dancers to appreciate and enrich their skills in the education and art of dance.
Share On: