Sara Battaglia
Director & Teacher
Ms. Sara started dancing around the age of 8 and shortly after became a competitive dancer learning skills in jazz, tap, lyrical, acro, ballet & pointe. She always had a love for ballet so soon followed that passion. She trained with Sarasota Ballet and School of Russian Ballet, taking intensives with Atlanta Ballet & Orlando Ballet. Throughout high school, she danced in the performing arts program performing performing notable roles such as Swanilda in Coppelia and the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker. Following high school, Sara went to further her dance education at the University of South Florida, where she learned all dance styles but focused on ballet & modern. During her time at USF, she also danced with School of Russian Ballet and Brandon Ballet. Sara graduated with her Associates in Arts and hoped to continue to her Bachelors but unfortunately a hip injury occurred. Since, Sara has taken ESE courses, became YPAD certified, took Autism trainings, and hopes to continue training in other ways. She is taking courses online currently with Kidding Around Yoga, and will be attending Acrobatic Arts & Progressive Ballet Technique Certifications in 2020. She also took a tap training course with Aubrey Cheek and continues to attend Florida Tap festivals. Sara has taught at studios all over Florida and is excited to focus on D4D. She enjoys speaking to other dance teachers about making their studio a more inclusive environment and has presented at the Florida Dance Teacher conference. She hopes to instill her values of inclusion, acceptance and giving back to her dancers, as well as create a safe, welcoming environment where children and their love for dance can grow.
Amanda Ross
Assistant Director & Teacher
Ms. Amanda started dancing at Karl & Dimarco School of Theatre and Dance at the age of three, where she continued her training for 16 years. She has experience in multiple dance styles, but focuses on ballet and tap. She has danced as a Swan in Swan Lake and received her most recent ballet training from Ms. Sara. Amanda graduated in Spring 2020 with her Associates in Arts degree from St. Petersburg College and is continuing her education there as she plans to pursue a Bachelors in Special Education. She is a NASM certified personal trainer, YPAD certified, and was an intern for Traveling Tutus. In addition to continuing her training in both dance and working with children of all abilities, Amanda has also taken a tap teacher training course with Aubrey Cheek and enjoys attending various tap festivals in the area. Dance has always been a huge part of her life, with her passion for helping students with different abilities being the result of pushing through her own learning challenges and anxiety, something that has allowed her to accept and appreciate the differences of others. She loves being a part of Dancing for Donations because of its inclusive, welcoming environment and it being a place where dancers of all abilities can dance together as well as share their love of dance!
Tedra Mason
Acro & Combo 1
Ms. T joined Dancing for Donations as a teacher & assistant summer of 2018. She is a first grade teacher in Hillsborough County and has experience working with children of all ages. She has experience in ballet, pointe, jazz, acro/flexibility training, and cheer leading. She trained with Ms. Sara at North Port High School and Universal Dance Academy. Ms.T hopes to become Acrobatic Arts certified in the next year and continues to educate herself through adult classes. Ms. T will be attending the Acrobatic arts training in July of 2020. She has loved to dance since a young age and is excited to get back to what she loves after a few years!
" I love to work with children and am excited to step into a dance teacher position to help your children grow not only as dancers and learners but as leaders with perseverance, courage, and compassion."
" I love to work with children and am excited to step into a dance teacher position to help your children grow not only as dancers and learners but as leaders with perseverance, courage, and compassion."
Maggie Sullivan
Ballet & Musical Theatre
Ms.Maggie began her ballet training with Kristin and Peter Degnan at the Degnan Ballet Center. She studied jazz and modern dance under Tim Early and Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch at the Performing Arts Institute of Wyoming Seminary, and Lynne Mariani and Kris Cross at the Wilkes Conservatory. She continued her studies at Mercyhurst University, on scholarship, under the direction of Tauna Hunter, where she received a B.A. in Dance Pedagogy, choreographed a number of works presented at the Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center, was the student coordinator of the Liturgical Dance Ensemble, served on the Leadership Team, and was an Ambassador for the university. She received several awards during her undergraduate career, including the Jenni-Lyn Watson Spirit of Dance Award, the Palmer Service Award, and the Etoile Student Leadership Award. She has danced professionally in soloist, corps, and character roles with Connect The Dots Dance Company in Washington DC, District Dance Company in Germantown, MD, and Metropolitan Ballet Theatre in Gaithersburg, MD. She founded and previously directed the Holy Redeemer High School Dance Team in Wilkes Barre, PA and the Youth Program at Dance Loft on 14 in Washington DC, as well as served as iterim artistic director of Connect The Dots Dance Company in Washington DC and of Little People's Creative Workshop in northern Virginia. She is currently a trainee with Florida Dance Theatre in Lakeland, FL where she has performed in several classical and contemporary works. Maggie has been a teaching professional for over a dozen schools and studios in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, and Florida, working with students ranging from toddlers to adults in conservatory, competition, and recreational settings. When Maggie is not dancing, she is in the wings photographing dancers for En Pointe Photography.
Valeria Carrasquillo
Combo 1
Ms.Valeria started dancing at the age of 3 at Ballet Juvenil Danzarin in Puerto Rico. While dancing at the studio as a student, she learned ballet, jazz, hip hop, and flamenco. At the age of 13, she auditioned for a spot at the Joffrey Ballet Chicago Summer Intensive and got accepted. Throughout summer, she learned different types of dance including contemporary, tap, modern, and character. At the age of 13, she become a company member at the Ballet Juvenil Danzarin. Age the age of 14, she moved to Tampa where she trained at the All American Dance Factory and All American Classical Ballet School. After a few years, she began training at Karl & Dimarco School of Theatre and Dance. After high school, Valeria began to pursue a degree in higher education at the University of South Florida where she is working towards a degree in Biomedical Engineering and hopes to work with prosthetics. Her goal is to make a prosthetic that is both flexible and strong enough for athletes (especially dancers) to use. She is currently still in progress to complete her Bachelors of Science. She is very excited to be with the Dancing for Donations team and teach amazing kids the love for dance.
Novella Bailey
Class Assistant
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Novella is a senior in high school who, following her high school graduation, plans to get her Bachelor’s degree. She has been dancing since the age of 6, beginning ballet at a local dance studio in Alabama. After moving to New York, she began dancing at The King’s Dancers where she continued to perform ballet and delve into learning hip hop. Two years later, she moved down to Florida where she looked for a dance studio in pursuit of increasing her dancing knowledge. She successfully auditioned for Florida Preparatory Ballet School, adding acrobatics to her dance repertoire. Following the Ballet School’s closure, Novella began dancing at The Dance Center in Brandon where she continues to dance now. She is happy to be working with Dancing for Donations and assisting young dancers in learning and loving dance.
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Student Assistants:
Arabella Winters
Student Assistant
Arabella is a 7 year old dancer and helper. She started her dance training at D4D one year ago this September and has already progressed so much! She is currently taking Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, and Acro and is on the performance team. Her true love is ballet and hopes to someday progress enough to be a principal dancer in a ballet company when she's older. She absolutely loves all her teachers at D4D and her friends that she's made there. Arabella loves being an assistant because she says she loves helping the little kids learn and has fun being Ms. Sara and Ms. Amanda’s helper.
Jaelin Blackwood
Student Assistant
Jaelin is 10 years old, and started dancing 14 months ago and has no intention of ever stopping. All her training has been with D4D and she is currently taking lyrical, ballet, acro, and is the on performance team. She continues to progress nicely in each class and loves the challenge of acro. Jaelin is very excited and looking forward to her 1st competition this May. She loves all her teachers and the friends she's made, all they have experienced together as a dance family, and learning new techniques, moves, and routines. Jaelin truly enjoys assisting with her little brothers tumbling class and helping all the children. Not only is it fun for her, but it gives her a sense of leadership and hopes the children look up to her as a role model, as she does to all her teachers. Jaelin looks forward to the day she'll be on stage with the graceful beauty in which Ms. Sara has shown to her.
Jaylee Grassel
Student Assistant
Jaylee is 9 years old and started dancing at 2. After dancing several places, trying cheerleading, & gymnastics, she found her home at D4D. At 6 years old she found just the spot she was looking for with Dancing for Donations, just as they were starting up with a handful of kids. Jaylee fit in, learned quickly and loved her dance instructors. She's in the middle of her 3rd year and is taking Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Acro, Hip Hop, and is on the Performance Team. She loves to help others, little or big and of all abilities. She loves everything her studio stands for and loves dancing out in her community. Her passion for dance has grown so much through the years. She's also been an active Girl Scout as part of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida for the last 4 years. She sees herself staying with Dancing for Donations and becoming a dance teacher and always helping others with her studio.
Dancing for Donations is YPAD certified! This means our teachers are trained in making the dance environment for your child safe and age-appropriate. Teachers are also CPR certified & background checked. We hope to make the dance environment the most ideal environment for every child.
We are a Wingman for Dance studio! We love the morals and values Wingman teaches and are excited to start implementing their ideas into our program.
"Behind every dancer who believes in themselves, is a teacher who believed in them first." ~Anonymous
