Welcome!
The 2024/2025 season marks our 45th year of providing the best dance and martial arts instruction in the Lake County area. With class offerings for preschoolers age 3 through adults age 60+ , our mission is to teach classes that combine strong technique in all forms of dance and martial arts with fun. We have a beautiful, spacious facility, an excellent, well-trained staff that cares about your progress, a wide range of choices in class days and times for all levels, and the most affordable and flexible payment options in the area. Whether your interests are preprofessional or recreational, you have come to the right place!
Faculty
Dianne Savelli (Founder/Owner/Director)
began her training in Pennsylvania with Arita Lee Blair. She is a graduate of Allegheny College and has a master's degree in education from Lake Erie College. She is trained as a Cecchetti ballet teacher and passed the Dance Master of America teacher tests. She has also taken master classes from teachers in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. She is proud to have had the opportunity to study with Cleveland tap legend, Dave Morgenstern, and to have taught for Betty Gray at the old Studio Theatre. She has served as Artist-in-Residence for the Cleveland School of the Arts and has done choreography and/or directed shows for most of the major community theatre groups in the area, including the Willoughby School of Fine Arts. She established the tap and jazz programs at Cleveland City Dance. She has seen her students continue with dance careers in colleges such as Point Park College, Oklahoma City University, Akron University, Miami of Ohio, and Kent State. She has also seen her students continue with careers in the Pennsylvania Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Ballet Nevada, and the Radio City Rockettes, as well as Broadway shows and most of the major televised award shows.
Dianne is exceedingly proud that all three of her daughters have made dance their career. As a wife, mother of five children, and grandmother of six, Dianne understands your concerns about finding the right studio for your family.
Juliette Savelli (Assistant Director)
began her training with her mother, Dianne. She was trained in classical ballet in the Professional Division of the School of Cleveland Ballet. She also studied at the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Center in Chicago and has studied with master teachers in New York. Juliette's abilities to teach and choreograph are second to none, but her dedication to the instruction of accurate and safe technique is evident in all of her classes. She is exceptional in providing our preschoolers with a fun, yet structured, first encounter with dance. Juliette is also certified to teach Zumba. Together with her twin, Jennifer, she creates a fun, high energy class!
Sarah Savelli
known for her "intricate footwork yet easygoing sensuality" (Dance Magazine 2007), has a style that is distinct and exciting. She began her dance training with her mother, Dianne, at an early age in Cleveland and has since grown to be among the most respected tap dancers of her generation. As a proactive force in the dance field she has consistently created opportunities to keep Tap in the public eye. Sarah has been commissioned twice by Playhouse Square, the second largest performing arts center in the country to create, choreograph and present her original work "Tap Into Peace"; a show with the incredible music of Stevie Wonder as its inspiration and soundtrack. "Tap Into Peace" made its debut at City Center's Fall for Dance. In December of 2006, Sarah performed a One-Woman show at Symphony Space in New York and for the past three years has co-produced "Tappy Holidays!" in New York, Montana and Cleveland. Sarah served as Artistic Director and Choreographer for Rhythm ISS..., an all female Chicago based Tap Company she co-founded in 1995. The group was hailed by Dance Magazine as a quintet of women tappers impressive as much for their exuberant spirit as for their blistering footwork. Sarah has lent her talents to tap companies and productions such as Manhattan Tap (Heather Cornell, Artistic Director), Beauteez n the Beat (Roxane Butterfly, Artistic Director) and Especially Tap Chicago (Bruce Stegmann, Artistic Director). Most recently, she performed in Savion Glover's "STePz" at the Joyce Theater in NYC.
Jennifer Savelli
has danced professionally for 20 years and has taught all forms of dance at studios across the country sharing her vast knowledge and love for the performing arts. She is a member of the permanent Guest Faculty at the Rock School in Philadelphia and has taught at Akron University and Pennsylvania
University's Dance Arts Company. She also has served as Director and Choreographer for Princess and Radisson Cruises. Jennifer likes to encourage the importance of being proficient in and respectful to as many forms of dance as possible in order to have the freedom and flexibility to make the choices desired for a long career in dance.
As a performer, Jennifer was a member of the Pennsylvania Ballet for four years and a Radio City Music Hall Rockette in Las Vegas under the Dirction of Maurice Hines. Broadway shows include Guys and Dolls, The Boy From Oz, Dance of the Vampires, and Fosse. First National tours include Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, and Fosse. Off-Broadway City Center Encores! productions include Bells Are Ringing, Applause, Kismet, and No Strings. Movies: CHICAGO, and most recently in the short "Not Your Time". She has performed in several television award shows including The Kennedy Center Honors (honoring both Chita Rivera and Steve Martin), The Tonys, The Academy Awards, The MTV Movie Awards, and The VMA's with J.Lo and Ja Rule. Also, the PBS series Broadway: The American Musical. She recently got to workshop Bruce Lee: Journey To the West with Dou Dou Huang. You can see Jennifer in Roundabout Theater's upcoming Revival Anything Goes!
Come join us for Zumba! In addition to her many credits, Jennifer is a certified Zumba instructor. She loves teaching it to everyone of all ages and levels. No previous dance training necessary... it's fun, fabulous, and a great way to trick your body into a fantastic workout! Whether or not you've ever Salsa's or Samba'd.. you'll soon be dancing your new moves at weddings and fun celebrations alike! Come try class and you'll be hooked!!
Robin Channell Klein
has been a teacher at Savelli's for over fifteen years. She holds an Associate of Arts Degree from Lakeland Community College and has attended Dance Master of America's Teacher Training School for four years. She is versatile in teaching all ages and styles of dance. She is also involved as a teacher for the West Geauga School District's theatre program. Robin serves as a mentor to the newer teachers at the studio and provides them with ideas and techniques to enhance their performance.
Angela Almasy
started her dance training at Savelli's at age 3. She enjoys teaching all forms of dance at the studio. Angela has served as dance captain and choreographed for the SD123. She also taught dance classes at the Carol Landis Dance Center and the Idea Center at Playhouse Square and the All Ohio Dance Festival. She has performed at New York's Symphony Space in "Tappy Holidays" and the Chicago Human Rhythm Project as a member of the Cleveland Tap Collective under the direction of Sarah Savelli. Angela is also a graduate of the University of Akron and a registered dietitian. In addition, she earned her Master's degree from Kent State University in public relations.
Carrie DeRooy
began her dance training at a young age and came to Savelli’s in 3rd grade. She was a member of Savelli’s Triple Threat Dancers for five years. Carrie has performed Tap into Peace at New York City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival as well as Cleveland’s Playhouse Square. She has also performed at the Chicago Human Rhythm Project and Tappy Holidays in both Cleveland and New York. Carrie was a member of the Saravelli Sextet, a tap group directed by Sarah Savelli, for two years. While attending the University of Akron, Carrie danced in numerous performances while she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Dance. She recently earned her Master’s and Specialist degree in School Psychology at Cleveland State University. Carrie has had the opportunity to teach for the Reach Out and Dance (ROAD) program, an outreach program of the Cuyahoga Youth Ballet which provides children in the Akron and Cuyahoga Falls public schools the opportunity to learn the art of dance. This is Carrie’s 8th year teaching at Savelli’s Dance in Mentor. She is also teaching at Nan Klinger’s Excellence in Dance studio in Cuyahoga Falls. Carrie loves to share her love and knowledge of dance with students of all ages.
Jessica Knisely Schneider
began teaching at Savelli's in 2006 after joining the studio in 2004. She has danced at Northeast Ohio Dance Festival, numerous competitions and conventions and was a member of the Saravelli Sextet. Though she enjoys teaching Tap and Jazz, Hip Hop is her specialty. Jessica's award-winning hip hop choreography is always age appropriate and entertaining. She earned her B.A. degree in English at John Carroll University and currently works at Post Up Stand which is a local printing company in Maple Heights.
Carolyn Bondra
started training at Savelli’s at age 3. She was a member of Savelli’s Triple Threat Dancers from 2002- 2008. Carolyn went on to be a Cheerleading captain and a Dance Team captain at the University of Mount Union where she choreographed and performed. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and is excited to share her love of dance with her students.
We are very proud of our alumni who have gone on to professional performance careers. For students who are not interested in performing, but are interested in a career or even a part-time job teaching, we have an assistant program that gives all the training they need to become terrific, well-paid teachers at our studio as well as other studios in the area. This wonderful opportunity is provided free of charge to all qualified students who are interested.
