TEACHERS
Our highly-skilled, caring, and professional staff has many years of dance and teaching experience. Our staff is committed to providing the best dance experience for the professional dancers and performing artists of the future.
DORMESHIA SUMBRY-EDWARDS – TAP
Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards has been apart of almost every major Tap movie or show that has appeared in the history of tap dance since the 80’s. Accolades include an Astaire Award for Best Performance in After Midnight on Broadway, Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance, The Hoofer Award from The American Tap Dance Foundation, Best Actress nomination in the lead role in the award-winning Independent film “The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang”, and appearing as the cover story for Dance Magazine. In addition Mrs. Sumbry-Edwards continues to appear as a special guest for shows and festivals around the world. She was elected to the Advisory Board as the Tap Advisor for Dance Magazine and the official Tap Spokesperson for Capezio along with her family, with features in their international advertising campaign. Mrs. Sumbry- Edwards was also the private tap instructor to the iconic Michael Jackson over the course of 11 years.
Dormeshia’s career includes acclaimed runs on Broadway and off-Broadway in shows such as Black and Blue, the Tony Award Winning Bring In Da’Noise, Bring In Da’Funk, International Tour of Bring in Da’Noise, Bringin Da’Funk (dance captain/principal dancer/understudy to the lead role), and Imagine Tap! (featured soloist). Other performances include the national tour of Wild Woman Blues and Debbie Allen’s SAMMY (the life and times of Sammy Davis Jr.). Film credits include “TAP” with Gregory Hines, Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” (Assistant Choreographer), and “The Rodgers and Hart Story: Thou Swell, Thou Witty”. Choreography credits include Michael Jackson’s music video “Rock My World”, Apollo Club Harlem (tap choreography) and the Sophisticated Ladies which is featured weekly at the world famous Cotton Club in NYC. She was spotlighted in a commercial for Tops, featured on MTV’s hit television series MADE and had a leading role in After Midnight on Broadway. Dormeshia has been and continues to be revered as one of the most dynamic performers in the industry today.
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LEANNA BARNES – HIP HOP, JAZZ, AFRICAN, TAP, CONTEMPORARY
Leanna has been dancing since the age of three. She began taking classes at Five Star at the age of seven. She’s a graduate of Teaneck HS where she was enrolled in the Dance Academy, a member of the Terpsys and Dance Ensemble. Currently on Staff at Five Star Dance Studio along with Terpsys, Dance Ensemble, and the after school dance team at Hackensack Middle School keeps her very busy. Leanna loves giving back to the c
ommunity and loves working with children. Dance is not what she does, it’s who she is. Her love, passion and gift for dance, inspires her to help others find theirs.
DOMINIQUE JAMES – HIP HOP, TAP, BALLET, JAZZ, CONTEMPORARY
DOMINIQUE JAMES was born and raised in Englewood, NJ. I began my dance career at Five Star Dance in Teaneck, NJ where I trained in modern, jazz, hip-hop, tap, and African dance at the age of 9 for four years. I then moved on to receive two years of training in hip-hop at the Harlem School of Arts in Manhattan, NY. In high school I danced with the Teaneck Terpsichoreans for 2 years. Amid graduating from high school, I received my Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from St. Lawrence University where I spent 4 years training in ballet, jazz, and modern. I taught 2 years of beginner ballet for middle school and high school girls in the community. I choreographed in jazz and hip-hop for my school’s Dance team and Hip-hop dance club, Graceful Movements. I am now a member of The Synergy Project, located out of Bergen County NJ.
KRISTAL BARKER – BALLET, TAP, AFRICAN
Kristal Barker – began dancing at the age of two at Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center and then DeVore Dance Center in Queens New York. She’s been blessed to accompany her mother (Lorna Mack) on this journey of opening a dance studio and has been with Five Star Dance Center since it’s inception in 1994. She was one of the original members of the Performing Workshop that traveled throughout the tri state for performances and competed in competitions. Trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern and African dance, she is also the Administrative Assistant of Five Star. Kristal was the Captain of of the Paramus Catholic High School Step Team where she graduated and then Dominican College with a BA in Science.
SHATINA (THOMAS) EDWARDS – AFRICAN
Shatina (Thomas) Edwards born in Queens, New York started dancing at the young age of two years old. Her journey began at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center in Jamaica, Queens, New York where choreographer/dancer Ben Vereen, choreographer/dancer Michael Peters and Baba Chuck Davis of the African American Dance Ensemble and New York based DanceAfrica and other greats call HOME. Her dance training at “the Studio” consists of African, ballet, jazz, modern and tap.
While fulfilling her dream to become a dancer, she furthered her training by applying and graduating from Fiorella H. LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts (aka Fame). Straight out of high school she began dancing for Reggae Classic Ini Kamoze and Hip-Hop Legends KRS One and LL Cool J.
During her 40+ years of dancing she has been trained by great dancers and choreographers such as Kevin Iega Jeff, Artistic Director of Jubilation Dance Company to Obediah Wright, Artistic Director of Balance Dance Theatre. She owes her West African Dance training and knowledge to Master Drummer and Dancer M’Bemba Bangoura and Master Dancers Malang Bayo, Mouminatou Camara, Assane Konte, Youssouf Koumbassa and Marie Basse Wiles just to name a few. She is a former member and has performed nationally and internationally in countries such as Jamaica, WI, Monterrey, Mexico and Toronto, Canada with Tri Shades of Gold Dance Company, Harambee Dance Company, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company, G’Bossikolo Dance and Drum and Maimouna Keita West African Dance Company. She has appeared at The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Dance Africa, the United Nations, Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theatre, International Arts Festival, and Bronx Zoo Summer Activities as well as at numerous colleges, universities and churches. Shatina has served as the Assistant Director and principal dancer with KowTeff African Dance Company along with, committee member and principal dancer with Umoja Dance Company, NJ.
To date as she travels and continues to study her craft she now performs as a professional independent artist.
GABRIEL ROXBURY – DRUMS
FATIMA LOGAN-ALSTON – AFRICAN, HIP HOP
Fatima Logan-Alston, a native of Durham, North Carolina, is a dancer, choreographer, cultural artist, and educator committed to engaging communities in cultural and historically thematic experiences. Logan-Alston earned a BFA in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA) and a Masters in Liberal Arts at SUNY Old Westbury. She has been in residency at Hunter College and Hostos Community College through the CUNY Dance Initiative and a Guest Instructor at Queens College, University of Iowa, and Barnard College Logan-Alston is the Artistic Director of Vashti Dance Theater, which she founded in 2011. Since that time, the company has presented her work at national and international venues, such as Brooklyn Academy of Music (Fisher), the International Association of Blacks in Dance, Durham Arts Council, and The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture. She also works with community partners such as the Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute and as a Teaching Artist with Alvin Ailey Arts in Education and Community Programs.
DEANDRE COUSLEY, a Queens NYC native, began training at thirteen years of age following his acceptance to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, also known as LAG, in 2010. He was a proud Merit Awarded recipient of The National Young Arts Foundation of 2013 before he graduated from LAG in 2014. Deandre has also done numerous summer internships, learning from artists like Desmond Richardson, Sidra Bell, and Earl Mosley, to name a few. Immediately following LAG, he attended Steps on Broadway’s Professional Training Program on a full scholarship. During that program, he honed his technique and artistry in classical ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and modern techniques such as Graham, Limon, and Horton. After Steps, Cousley started working as a freelance dancer and has been fortunate enough to travel to multiple countries outside of North America, like Bosnia and Herzegovina, to perform/teach. He has a colorful performance history, from dancing in operas to being in music videos. He has even performed live in evening-length dance works. Cousley works as a commercial dancer with artists like Lauren Jauregui from the group “Fifth Harmony” and Tony/Grammy award-winning artist Billy Porter. He has graced many beautiful stages, like “The Peter B. Lewis Theater” and “The Sally Levy Opera Center in Saint Louis.”
(Because of Deandre’s love of movement and body, he found himself at the Swedish Institute of Health and Science. There, he would further his knowledge and understanding of the body Movement and recovery.)
Cousley graduated in December 2022 and received his license in March 2023. He has added a New York State licensed Massage Therapist to his work. Cousley is modeling, performing, teaching, creating, and working with “Masterz at Work Dance Family.”
KALENA BROWN – MODERN, JAZZ
KALENA BROWN was born in the Bronx, NY and raised in New Jersey. She is an Alumni
from Penn State University with a dual degree in Dance and Psychology (BA). She
began dancing at the age of 5 years old. She has studied and trained in various genres
of dance such as West African Dance, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and modern dance and
attended Five Star Dance Center. She was a part of the Repertory Company at Center
for Modern Dance (CMDE) in Hackensack, New Jersey. She also
attended Dancemaker, the NYU Tisch Dance Program for high school students and also
the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Professional Division Summer Intensive
Program where she studied with some of the most prestigious choreographers and
teachers such as Keith Alexander and Quenia Ribeiro. While at Penn State Kalena was
a part of the Afi-Mojah Dance Company and also attended the American College Dance
Festival Association (ACDFA). She has completed many different dance intensives and
teacher workshops at the Martha Graham School in New York City and also attended
and danced at the Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, to broaden
her dance portfolio. Kalena danced and choreographed for Forza Malizia Dance
Company in NYC. Kalena also danced with Vashti Dance Theatre, and continues to
teach and choreograph throughout the New York/New Jersey area. She has
choreographed many different musicals such as Footloose, FAME, Lion King Jr. and
more. Over the years, Kalena has also taught dance at 92 nd Street Y (Center for Arts
Learning & Leadership), Dance Theatre of Harlem (Dancing Through Barriers), Lennox
Hill Neighborhood House (RealArts Summer Camp) just to name a few. Currently,
Kalena is a professional full-time dance teacher and choreographer in New York City
and also teaches dance and choreographs for local studios. Kalena continues to train
and work on her craft as a dance educator and performer.
BRITTANY SHANNON – TAP
BRITTANY SHANNON was born and raised in Bergen County, NJ. She graduated from Teaneck
High School in 2006 and received a BA in Finance from Hofstra University in 2010. She
obtained a Master’s of Health Administration Degree from Capella University in 2022. Her dance
training started at the age of five in Teaneck, NJ at Five Star Dance Center and continued to
mature in Englewood, NJ at Dance Plus… A Whole Lot More studying the genres of Ballet, Tap,
Jazz, and Hip Hop. There she was also accepted into their award-winning competitive dance
team which focused on the genre of Hip Hop. While attending Teaneck High School, Brittany
studied dance as an elective course for four years and was a part of the Teaneck
Terpsichoreans, where she was not only a dancer but a student choreographer as well. In 2006
she was chosen to be a part of THREAD, a performing arts group that traveled to Ghana for a
cultural exchange. At Hofstra University she was a dancer and the Vice president of Imani
Dance Ensemble for three years. As an educator, she taught at Showtime Dance in Wayne NJ,
and served as an assistant choreographer and then house choreographer for the Teaneck
Terpsichoreans from 2011-2022. Additionally, she held a teaching position at Dance Art
Creative Center in Teaneck, NJ for eight years. Brittany has drawn on all of her experiences to
become the dancer and educator she is today. Her goal is to guide and encourage her students
by teaching the values of discipline, self-confidence, and perseverance that are key to not only
dance but all aspects of life.
JARED BAILEY – HIP HOP
JARED BAILEY was born in New York and raised in Teaneck, NJ. Jared began taking classes at Five Star at the age of ten, following his love of dancing and Hip-Hop. Each year he added more classes to his schedule including Tap, Modern, Jazz, African and Ballet. During his time at Five Star Jared was also enrolled in the Teaneck Terpsichorean. During his senior year of High School Jared was also a student teacher at Five Star, and Center For Modern Dance Education. After graduating, Jared continued dancing as part of the Montclair State University Dance Company. Most recently Jared had been part of the Hive Dance Studio in Rahway, NJ and was accepted to their Be Team – advanced training team. Jared loves working with kids and hopes to inspire more kids to dance.
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