Meet Miss Cortney! Some would call her our "in house vocalist and Harry Potter Specialist".

Cortney Chyme Costanzo is a Buffalo based entertainer and can be found studying and performing with various ensembles throughout Western New York. Cortney received the bulk of her dance training at Miss. Bev's Dance Studio in Niagara Falls. As a competitive dancer she has received many accolades including the "Triple Threat" award at The Kiwanis Dance Competition in 2005. In 2003, she and some of her closest dance friends were selected to be members of the Footloose Dance Competition's Xtreme Dance Team where they traveled to the Bahamas to learn from choreographer Mandy Moore. Her post High School studies took her to The College at Brockport where she auditioned and became a member and Captain of the Brockport Dance Team.

After graduating with her Bachelors degree in Mathematics Education she attended Buffalo State College to complete her Masters Degree in Educational Technology. She currently teaches High School Math at Williamsville East High School where she is the Class of 2020 adviser and, the adviser and, director for the Williamsville East High School Band Against Bullying performance team, which has won three consecutive first place titles under her direction.

Cortney is also involved in many performance groups around the Buffalo area. She currently performs with Devi Bollywood Dance and Buffalo Aerial Dance at local events and festivals. She is a standing board member of Dance Day of Buffalo and was the host of their "Tidings of Tap" fundraiser held last December. When she isn't dancing, she is likely singing. She lends her voice to many groups and ensembles such as The Derek Mediak Band, The Bees Knees, The Steve Balesteri Band (Uptown Sound), The Lewiston Choraleers, and individuals Zach Carr and Sara Rogers. She is also a former member of Harmonia Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Choir and The Foxy Diamondz.

Cortney has had the opportunity to perform at some of the most exciting events Buffalo has to offer such as The Worlds Largest Disco, The Witches Ball, Buffalo Goes Gatsby, The Steampunk Festival, Nicola Tesla Festival, The Erie County Fair, Jim Kelly's Kelly for Kids Fundraiser just to name a few. To follow Cortney's events feel free to check out her website CortneyChyme.com

Her singing and dancing background lend nicely to Cortney's work as an actor performing with local filming groups for short independent films, music videos, and the annual Buffalo 48-Hour Film Project. She can be seen as a live Disney princess actor for children's Birthday parties with A Dream Is A Wish Entertainment, formerly Crowns and Gowns of WNY. You may have also seen her online in a Buffalo Bills Parody Video, "Christmas Lights" music video by Nate Cronk or her NOCO commercial that was aired on Channel 2 WGRZ this past year.

When Cortney isn’t performing, she is lending her immeasurable skills, and experience as a dance teacher at Adell’s School of Dance, and as a performance coach for the award winning Matt’s Music Vocal Performance Competition team.

To quote a wise fictional man, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -Albus Dumbledore

Meet Miss Cara! We are so happy to have her as part of our ASD Family!

Miss Cara holds a Bachelor of Science 
in Biology, and Doctor of Chiropractic from D'Youville College.

She has over 20 years dance experience and this is her 5th year with us at ASD! Cara has competed in many local competitions and one national competition receiving various awards.

Favorite Quote: If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.

Destinee Joseph

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Meet Miss Destinee!

Meet Miss Katie!
Did we mention how awesome our instructors are? Miss Katie
holds a B.S in Psychology from the University at Buffalo and has twenty- seven years of competitive dance experience and over ten years teaching experience specializing in tap, acrobatics and lyrical/contemporary. She has won numerous awards for her unique and creative choreography.

Miss Katie has performed in Malta, Germany, Switzerland and Austria with the international tap company Tap Reloaded with tap dancers from around the world. She has traveled to Freeport, Bahamas to perform as a member of the Footloose National Xtreme Team, performed at the Miss World Icon Pageant, Buffalo Sabres Ryan Miller's Catwalk for Charity, as back up dancer for Goo Goo Dolls' Robby Takac at Music Is Art Festival and the very talented Miss Cortney's Vaudeville style show, The Cortney Chyme Showcase.

Miss Katie has volunteered in the community at Niagara Falls High School's Camp Wolverine, 79th Street School, Venture Forthe and our very own ASD Alumni Hannah Mergi's Turning Pointe Foundation teaching dance.

Fun Facts:
• Favorite Quote: “Believe." From the bracelet my mother gave me after the last time she would ever see me dance on stage. "Why do we fall?" So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.

• My favorite song changes like the wind. It depends entirely on my feelings and events in my life.

• My favorite form of dance to do myself is tap, while my favorite form of to teach is lyrical/contemporary.

• My closest friends, that I am honored to call family, have come from dancing all these years. There is no greater experience than that.

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Lexi Leffler

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Meet Miss Lexi!

Leah Mosher

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Meet Miss Leah!

Meet Miss Kristy!

Miss Kristy started dancing at the age of three and received her studio training from Miss Bev's Dance Studio. While training there she received numerous awards at both the regional and national level competitions, including BEST OVERALL DANCER at the Canadian Kiwanis Competition for all four years of high school. She went on to receive her BFA in Dance at SUNY at Buffalo, where she graduation Suma Cum Laude.

While at UB, she was a member of the Zodiaque Dance Company and performed in numerous musicals including OKLAHOMA, WORKING, MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN and STARMITES. She was also a student choreographer for DANCER’S WORKSHOP for three years and YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHER’S SHOWCASE her senior year. During her collegiate years, Kristy performed in musicals at ARTPARK including ANYTHING GOES, SHOWBOAT and GREASE.

After graduating, she went on to dance professional for one season at BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG. Shortly after, she was cast in WEST SIDE STORY with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre in Nashville, TN. Performing as a featured dancer in that show, she also served as the dance captain and assistant to the choreographer.

Miss Kristy then returned to WNY and continued her dance career performing in shows that included A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO FORUM (Kavinoky Theatre), FAMILIAR STRANGERS (MusicalFare Theatre), COMEDY OF ERRORS (Shakespeare in Delaware Park) and the smash hit ZOOMA ZOOMA, THE MUSIC OF LOUIS PRIMA (MusicalFare Theatre at Studio Arena). 
She then decided to turn her focus to choreographing. She has choreographed for many local theatre companies including Theatre of Youth, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, Irish Classical Theatre, Second Generation Theatre and MusicalFare Theatre. She is a six-time BUFFALO ARTIE AWARD nominee for OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAHY, winning for MY FAIR LADY (MusicalFare Theatre) in 2011 and BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY (MusicalFare Theatre) in 2015.
Miss Kristy has been the dance educator at Williamsville North High School for the past 16 years. She runs their dance program and serves as the director and choreographer for their spring musical. She has also choreographed for West Seneca West High School, Iroquois High School, Tonawanda High School and Mount St. Mary’s Academy.

Miss Kristy and her husband Chris are the proud parents of two kiddos, Joseph and Ryleigh. She loves being a dance mom to Ryleigh and a Tae Kwon Do mom to Joe. They sure keep her busy but she loves every second of it.

Favorite Quote:
“Dance with your heart and your feet will follow”

Favorite Type of Dance: 
To perform—Musical Theatre and Tap. 
To Teach—Tap (It’s the Miss Gracie in her)

Favorite Song to Dance To:
Whatever song her kids want to dance to. This changes frequently, last week’s choice was anything by the Beatles.

Favorite Dance Memory:
Dancing in WEST SIDE STORY with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre. This was a co-production with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. We danced to the sound of a 100-piece orchestra playing the beautiful score of Leonard Bernstein. It was also during the September 11th attacks. As performers, we were able to make the world a better place each night for just a few hours for thousands of people.

...

Becky Susice

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Meet Miss Becky!

Becky started dancing at the age of three with over 25+ years of experience. Her training first began at Miss Bev’s dance studio. I have competed in several local competitions and have won numerous awards. Miss Becky became part of the ASD family when the doors originally opened in 2008. Her teaching career began with assisting many classes, for many years in all different varieties of dance. This will be her 2nd year of teaching at ASD

Favorite quote: “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory”.