Dianna is from southern Oregon, and trained in Ballet, Tap, Gymnastics, Jazz and Hula, and began teaching at age 13 through high school. She went onto University of Oregon, where she graduated with a B.A. in Dance/Choreography, with a minor in Spanish. She then went to UCLA to complete an M.A. in Dance/Choreography and an M.F.A. in Theater Arts - Producer’s Program, with an emphasis in Arts Management. In 1986, she was invited to work as Company Manager for Joffrey II Dancers, which toured the lower Eastern United States for a year. She then went on to company manage other companies, including Corner Stone Theater Company, and other arts organizations. Dianna then went to work for JPMorgan Chase for a total of 12 years. Finding it necessary to return to her cultural training, Dianna opened The DanceSource in 1996, in small venues throughout Forest Hills, NY, and later merged with Ballet Arts of Forest Hills in 2006, becoming the Director and Owner of the DanceSource. We are proud to offer a very diverse range, and strong technique of dance forms for all who wish to dance.

Danita Shaheen is a dancer and choreographer who began her training with the Capital Ballet in upstate New York. Danita is classically trained in Balanchine technique under the direction of former New York City Ballet soloist David Otto and the Capital Ballet Company. She has done intensive training with Boston Ballet, River North Dance Company, Burklyn Ballet, Bates Dance Festival, and Max Stone. She graduated magna cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College’s BFA program and has been performing professionally in New York since 2006. She has had the honor of working with Ariel Rivka Dance, Dance Cat-alyst, Salma Allam and Dancers, The Cantigas Woman's Choir, Grace Rising Dance, Tamara Saari Dance, Jacobs Campbell Dance, Gehring Dancetheatre, Banana Peel Dance, dancesbyremi, Ryan McNally, Kaleidoscope Dance Theater, Double Take Dance, MAD About Dance , H.T. Chen and Dancers, AERA, Beth Soll & Company, Andrea Gise and Dancers, Laura Ward/ Octavia Cup Dance Theatre, and Nina Buisson Contemporary Move. In addition to performing, choreographing and teaching, Danita is also the founder and Artistic Director of Dance Riot Rep., and the President of the Alternative Arts Association, a multimedia arts organization and registered 501(c)3-www.alternativearts.org.

Arlee Chadwick first joined the Dance Source in 2006. She has enjoyed teaching tap and jazz over the years. She has performed for kids all over the world as a dancer and a puppeteer. She was most recently seen as "Rose" in the off Broadway production of That Golden Girls Show! a Puppet Parody at the DR2. She also pulls strings as a resident company member at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in Central Park and the Puppet Mobile. She has appeared as a puppeteer in first national tours of The Little Prince, My Little Pony Live!, Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train Live!, and the world premiere of Noel MacNeal's Mouse King, and as "Dorsal" with John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean and Reusable the Musical at the NY Aquarium and Bronx Zoo also by John Tartaglia.

Katie was born and raised in Queens, NY of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent. Her development in dance began at the age of 3 at The DanceSource (Rego Park, NY) with Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz & Gymnastics. Katie was later accepted to Repertory Company HS for Theatre Arts as a dance major, where she trained extensively in several styles including Modern, Musical Theater, Hip Hop, African and Latin dance. Yearning to further her education in dance on a more advanced level Katie ventured to some of Manhattan's most prestigious dance schools including Broadway Dance Center, Peridance, & Steps on Broadway. It was there where she was exposed to styles such as House, Whaacking, Vogue, Breaking, Popping & Latin Jazz. Upon graduation, Katie received a dance scholarship to study as dance major at Dean College Dance Conservatory in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Vaishali Chaudhuri is a successful Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer with more than a decade of teaching in the New York region specializing in the ancient temple dance of India, Bharatnatyam. She has choreographed for Off Broadway shows and is the recipient of New York City council's and Mayor's citation for contribution to Indian dance and arts in the New York region.

Sonya Devi is a NY based dancer trained in various styles such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Bollywood and Ballet. She is a Bharatanatyam disciple of Smt. Sadhana Paranji, and also received intensive training at the Kalatharangini School in Kerala, India. She is a Kathak disciple of Pt. Satya Narayana Charka where she's performed in the Ramayana Dance Drama at The Metropolitan Museum of Art annually since 2008. Sonya studied the following styles at Queensborough College as a Dance Major: Modern, Afro-Cuban, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Musical Theater and also Acting. Sonya has been teaching dance since 2007. She joined the award-winning AATMA Performing Arts as a company dancer in 2014 & instructor in 2016. Her Bollywood students have performed for the NY Knicks at Madison Square Garden and in the production,"Once Upon a Time" at Union County Performing Arts Center. Some of the venues Sonya's performed at are: The Met Museum, NBA Halftime, Niagara Fallsview Casino, NJPAC, Ananda Ashram, Proctor's Theatre, and on Time Warner QPTV India Talks!.

At 12, Angelina Haque began her study of Indian Classical dance in Moscow (Russia) under the founder of the first Classical Indian Dance group in former Soviet Union, Galina Das Gupta. Angelina Haque performs with Bahar Dance and Janaki Patrick’s Kathak Ensemble. She specializes in Mohiniyattam and Kathak. Angelina performed at The 300th Anniversary of Buddhism in Russia; for celebrities, including Svyatoslav Roerich and Dalai Lama, and at such prestigious stages of Russia, as Hermitage Theater and Tchaikovsky's Concert Hall, participated in From The Horses Mouth, Celebrating Indian Dance in America production in New York, April, 2017.

Born in Italy and raised In Queens, NY, Anastasia grew up with Russian and Italian culture and can speak both languages. She has been taking dance classes since age 5, from ballet to jazz to hip hop. She has a passion for dance and is constantly learning new dance styles.. Although she works full-time, dance remains an integral part of her lifestyle. The fundamentals of dance have taught her discipline, endurance, attention to detail, and striving to improve, she applies these disciplines to her work and in teaching younger students at The DanceSource.

Edward Reyes, 'Coach', Gymnastics Instructor @ The DanceSource. A graduate of Hunter College CUNY, he teaches dance, fitness, and breath work to youth and adults. Originally from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Edward has also performed on- and off-stage/screen throughout the New York tri-city area and the Southern U.S., and his work has been featured in TimeOut magazine, Webster Hall, and The Thespis Theater Festival. Thanks to Ms. Dianna Petty and The DanceSource for the opportunity to teach the exciting sport of Gymnastics!

Hip Hop, Street Jazz, Musical Theatre, Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical, Latin Jazz, Pilates At the age of 10, Susana started her dance studies in Madrid (Spain). She studied with world famous dancers & instructors in London, Rome, Paris and New York. In 2013, she completed her Dance degree at the European University of Madrid (Spain) in Choreography, Teaching and Fitness for Dancers. She received a certificate of excellence in the International Student Visa Program at Broadway Dance Center (New York) in 2014. Professionally she has danced in Television and on stage in the Musical ensemble of "Lope de Vega Musical", "La Fuerza del Destino", and "Cabaret". She was a Cheerleader with the Real Madrid basketball team. In New York, she was as a member of the Urban Dance League (Hip Hop) and performed in the Highline Ballroom and danced with Maria Torres (Latin Jazz), Sheila Barker (Jazz) and Ashlee Dawson (Fusion) dancing in Carnival, Symphony Space and Madison Square Garden. Susana started teaching at the age of 18 and loves to work with children & adults alike. She is looking forward to sharing her passion for dance with all the students of DanceSource..

Angel Haque began her dance career at a young age. Beginning with ballroom dance from the age of 3 in her hometown of Moscow, Russia and later transitioned into hip hop. Once she moved to Singapore, she expanded her interests from only hip hop to ballet, contemporary, and jazz as well. She took upon several leadership roles at her dance schools in Singapore and was trained by visiting dance companies from America. Angel moved to New York in 2013 and began attending The DanceSource. She studied here for four years before taking on a substitute teacher position at The DanceSource.

Athena Gil is an aspiring visual artist. She has been drawing since she could pick up a pencil and she currently attends Laguardia Arts High School. She is planning to become a professional illustrator for large animation industries. In preparation for her future she decided to explore other fields of art such as teaching.

Kelly graduated from Montclair State University in 2014 with a B.F.A. in Dance, a B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in Arabic. After working as an entertainer abroad last year, at Miraggio Spa Resort in Greece, she moved to New York City, where she continues to work as a freelance dancer, dance teacher and choreographer. She likes to stay well-rounded in the realm of dance and in life in general, and she thinks it is important for her students to grow in this way as well. When she teaches, she likes to combine fun and discipline for a productive and unforgettable class journey. She is currently offering Yoga at The DanceSource for our Arts Dance Music Camp.