EDE Center for Dance
Dance Classes for Preschool through Adult
Contemporary, Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Creative Movement, Ballroom, Student Companies
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Mary Devitt, EDE Center for Dance Director, from Sterling Heights, Michigan began teaching at local dance schools at the age of 16. Mary attended Oakland University on a dance scholarship where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and was the recipient of the Jacob S. Decker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Mary has had extensive training in Dance Kinesiology, Creative Dance for Children and Dance Pedagogy. In addition to teaching dance, Mary has performed with The Eisenhower Dance Ensemble as well as in roles in Aida at the Detroit Opera House and in Motor City Lyric Opera’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Mary has taught master classes at colleges and universities across the United States and has been on Faculty at Oakland University since 2006.
Stephanie Pizzo, EDE Associate Artistic Director, is a native of Clinton Township, Michigan where she began her training with Orchid Diane and Denise Boucke and continued on with Evelyn Kreason. She danced with the Michigan Ballet Theatre, Oakland Dance Theater and Harbinger Dance Company. She has a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Dance from Oakland University. As a student, she received the Jacob S. Decker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance and a scholarship from the American College Dance Festival to study with the Ririe Woodbury Dance Company in Utah. In 2009, she received a Distinguished Alumni or “MaTilDa” award from the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University. As a founding member of EDE, Ms. Pizzo currently teaches company class, rehearses the company, and choreographs. She has staged works by Laurie Eisenhower on numerous companies and universities including Desert Dance Theatre, Scottsdale Community College, Collin County Community College and Alma College. She has set her own choreography at Illinois Wesleyan University and numerous works on Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Ms. Pizzo is a special lecturer in dance at Oakland University and also enjoys teaching ballet at the Detroit Skating Club to National and International Competitive Figure Skaters.
Alicia Cutaia, originally from Rochester NY, earned her BFA with honors from Point Park University with a double major in Ballet and Jazz. Her previous training includes Lou Conte Dance Studio’s scholarship program, North Carolina Dance Theater, and River North Dance Company. She has worked with and performed pieces by many renowned choreographers, including Lou Conte, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Daniel Ezralow, Choo-San Goh, Alan Hineline, Harrison McEldowney, Kevin O’Day, Frances Patrelle, David Storey, Margo Sappington, and Christian Holder. Ms. Cutaia previously danced with Hubbard Street 2 and Giordano 2. She has choreographed for Revolve Dance Theater in Pittsburgh and for Oakland University. Her choreography was selected to be presented at Karen Peterson’s 5th “Emerging Choreographers Showcase” in Miami, as a finalist in the Jazz Dance World Congress “Leo’s Choreography Competitive Event,” and as a part of Three10 Moment’s “Art of Movement” in Pittsburgh. Ms. Cutaia currently teaches at the EDE Center for Dance and has previously taught at the Lou Conte Dance Studio and Oakland University. She conducts Master Classes and Intensives around the country. She has also designed costumes for Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Thodos Dance Chicago and the EDE Center for Dance.
Meghann Hazelton is a graduate of Oakland University with a B.A. in Dance. She has danced with Oakland Dance Theatre, and the OU Repertory Dance Company; performing in works by Laurie Eisenhower, Thayer Jonutz, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, among others. In 2010, Meghann was honored with the Distinguished Dance Student “Matilda” Award. Meghann has taken classes in choreography, creative dance for children, dance pedagogy, and kinesiology. She has studied the Cecchetti Method of ballet and successfully passed student examinations 1-6. Ms. Hazelton plans to earn her Cecchetti Teachers Certificate. Meghann has been teaching for 12 years and is excited to be starting her 4th year at the EDE Center for Dance.
Rebecca McLindon, who grew up in Baton Rouge, LA, began her training with Donna Blanchard and Stacie Mellor Theard. She continued her studies in dance at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) under the direction of Katie Langan. While at MMC, Rebecca was able to work with choreographers David Parsons, Edwaard Liang, Anthony Ferro and Geoffrey Doig-Marx, as well as perform with the Marymount Manhattan College Dance Company. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, earning a BFA in dance with a modern concentration. Upon graduation, Rebecca relocated to Chicago to work with Giordano 2. While there, she studied on scholarship at Lou Conte Dance Studio and apprenticed with River North Dance Company. Ms. McLindon has performed several times at DanceChance Chicago and has also performed works by Robert Battle, Frank Chaves and Monique Haley.
Kathaleen Moylan is a graduate of Oakland University with a B.A in dance. As a scholarship student, she took classes in kinesiology as well as dance pedagogy and danced with Oakland Dance Theatre, OU Repertory Dance Company and as an apprentice with the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. She has performed works by Laurie Eisenhower, Alexandra Beller, Sean Curan, Gregory Patterson and Stephen Koester. In addition, she has participated as an instructor for Eisenhower Dance Ensemble’s “Artists in the Schools” residency project in the Rochester Public Schools.
Katy Ploch graduated from Oakland University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts. She has trained in dance for over 20 years in various styles. While at OU, she trained with Laurie Eisenhower, Mariah Malec, Christine Naughton Shawl, Kristen Berger, and Greg Patterson. Katy received the Matilda award for Outstanding Student Service through the Music, Theatre, and Dance program at Oakland. She has also choreographed several pieces for Oakland’s dance company, Oakland Dance Theatre. Miss Ploch is a CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) dance alum and since graduation in 2003 has choreographed many pieces for the dance program at Churchill High School. This will be Katy’s fifth year teaching at the EDE Center for Dance.
Barbara Schoen was raised in Macomb, Michigan and started her dance training with Rene Wood at the age of three. In 2001, she began training at the EDE Center for Dance, where she performed with the Center Dance Ensemble. After graduating from high school, Ms. Schoen attended the trainee program at the Conservatory Program of Fort Wayne Ballet under the direction of Karen Gibbons-Brown. While there, she trained with Jeremy Blanton, Tracy Tritz-Hartman and Eleanora Pokhitonova Hartung. In 2008, she joined Fort Wayne Ballet as a corps de ballet member.
Morgan Williams’ dance training began at the Joel Hall Dancers & Center and the Hyde Park School of Ballet in Chicago when he was twelve years old. He attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts, where he studied under Randy Duncan, Guillermo Leyva, Deborah Goodman, Natalie Rast and the late Anna Paskevska. Mr. Williams has received scholarships to attend summer intensives at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Deeply Rooted Productions, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He has performed works by Eddy Ocampo, Randy Duncan, Troy Powell, Nick Owens, Joel Hall, Kevin Iega Jeff, Gary Abbott, and Joseph Holmes. He has danced professionally with Dance Kaleidoscope and Joel Hall Dancers, and performed as a guest artist with MOMENTA, Alma Dance Company, Kenyetta Dance Company, Willingham Project and Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre.
Emily Zatursky was raised in Killingworth, Connecticut where she received her early dance training with Starship Dance Theatre, Eastern Connecticut Ballet and New Haven Ballet. After graduating high school in 2007, Emily attended The Hartt School at the University of Hartford where she graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance. Emily has spent summers dancing with American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet School and Alonzo King Lines Ballet School. Emily danced with Full Force Dance Theatre during their 2010-2011 season. Emily has danced works by Antony Tudor, Jose Limon, and Emery LeCrone.
