meet our TEACHING ARTIST Staff / 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR
For those with no experience as a Teaching Artist and are interested in joining our team, please check our Internship Opportunity page. After one year of training as a Dance to Unite Assistant Teacher Intern, those who are a fit and are available, can progress to the Lead Teacher position in our Accelerator Internship Program, which upon completion can lead to a paid position as a Dance to Unite Teaching Artist.
“In Dance to Unite I get to be part of the change I want to see in the world. We get to open the eyes of our hearts as we come together to celebrate our differences and similarities, learning to love each and every one of them. Dance is our tool to share and embrace who we are.”
Femmel De La Rosa/Senior Teaching artist
Femmel de la Rosa has been a teaching artist for Dance to Unite for over a decade! Since 2015 when she started as an Assistant Teacher Intern, progressed to Lead Teacher and has been part of our Teaching Artists staff since 2017. She specializes in social Latin dance such as: Salsa, Bachata, and Merengue. She has a minor in dance with a concentration in choreography and improvisation from Lehman College. Also, she organizes and choreographs dance routines for talent shows in her Hispanic community and the school where she teaches English as a New Language during the day.
“Dance to Unite is by far the best part of my week. I’m so grateful to be part of an organization that allows me to share what I love and gives kids the opportunity to be part of something that teaches kindness, unity, and dance.”
Tess McCharen/Senior teaching artist
Tess McCharen has been a teaching artist with Dance to Unite for eight years! She started as an intern in 2018 and has been part of our Teaching Artists staff since 2019. Tess is a professionall dancer in NYC, who has danced for the Limón company, White Wave Dance, Larry Keigwin, and many more. She loves teaching and sharing dance with others, especially the students she has the privilege of working with. Her favorite part of Dance to Unite is seeing the growth of the students as they learn valuable life principles through dance.
"Dance to Unite is investing in the celebration of unity and a future of peace.”
Kate Engelhart/Senior Teaching artist
Kate Engelhart has been a Dance to Unite teaching artist for the last seven years! Kate was born and raised in Hunterdon County, New Jersey where she developed a love of dance from a young age. While training in classical ballet and contemporary dance at the Mill Ballet School in Lambertville, NJ, she had opportunities to dance professionally with the Roxey Ballet Company as well as participate in community outreach and diversity programs. Kate cultivated a deep appreciation for diversity through seeing dancers from around the world come together to share their art.
Kate moved to New York City to pursue a degree in Nursing and is forever grateful to have found Dance to Unite in the spring of 2018. She joined Dance to Unite through the internship program and progressed from an assistant teacher to co-lead teacher to teaching artist and trainer in the Dance to Unite Teaching Method. Kate has been the organization’s coordinator and administrator since 2019.
Kate continues her work with Dance to Unite while working full time as a Registered Nurse in Manhattan. She achieved her Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse certification and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Nursing Education. Kate hopes to combine her passions for community, education, culture, and health for the betterment and investment of youth.
“Dance to Unite is reaffirming the purpose of art/dance by bringing everyone together and telling stories of community.”
brandon weber
Brandon M. Weber is a theater and film artist who is dedicated to making works that break down the stereotypes within the ethnic diaspora. Being a New Orleans native inspired him to be multifaceted in the arts and helped him obtain a BFA in Musical Theatre at The University of the Arts. In the past, he’s worked with MTV VMA's, Telsey & Co, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Actor’s Company Theatre in New York City, and Vital Theatre Company Off-Broadway in various roles (Actor, Stage Manager, Dramaturg, Producer, Social Media Coordinator, Casting Director, Assistant Director, etc.). Currently, Brandon is the CEO of his own company called Under8ted Movement, which is focused on rebuilding the community through art. Brandon joined Dance to Unite in the fall of 2023.
"Dance to Unite is a place where young students of various cultures can explore their identity and learn about important ideas, such as collaboration and respect, while simultaneously building close connections with one another."
brandon goldstein
Brandon Goldstein is 21 and a senior at New York University studying Economics and Psychology. He was born and raised in San Jose, California, where he took Russian folk dance classes at Firebird Dance Studio outside of school for 11 years. Starting at 6 years old, Brandon has been performing at Russian centers, festivals, and homes for the elderly. He even won an international dance competition in Spain with Firebird's Armenian all-boys group dance in July 2019. After moving to New York, Brandon joined Dance to Unite in 2022 and is now starting his third year with us! Through Dance to Unite, Brandon hopes to share his ideas about how dance can bring people together and create everlasting positive relationships with people from all over the world.
“I quickly fell in love with Dance to Unite because we shared a common goal. That is to use dance as a tool for connection. Movement can be a shared language that brings people together - regardless of their background. This is the driving force of Dance to Unite. I’m so honored to be part of the cause.”
Cara Trinidad
Cara was brought up in Manila, Philippines where she trained in classical ballet, modern, and contemporary from age 4. She was a full scholar at Academy One Music and Dance Center under the tutelage of Cherish Garcia, Pamela Asprer-Espejo, and Jeffrey Espejo. This opened up the path to train and compete in both local and international settings. Some notable experiences being the Asian Grand Prix in 2012, and the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive in New York in 2015. She became a homegrown teacher at Academy One as well.
Upon graduating as Bachelor of Music in Dance in the University of the Philippines, she moved to New York and has since been teaching ballet and creative movement at multiple schools and programs in Queens. She's just completed her first full year as a teaching artist of Dance to Unite.
Cara is also an ABT® Certified Teacher, and has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Dance has been Cara’s lifelong companion. She sees Dance to Unite as an opportunity to give back through her craft - using the joy of movement to bring people together.
Amell Garrison
Since their childhood, Amell Garrison has used dance to heal and express themselves. She has included new skills in her interdisciplinary creative practices such as writing, poetry, music, graphic design, film, and screen-dance. When faced with traumatic events and a developed disability, re-imagining the dance world as a nourishing, healing, and accessible space is what brought Amell to pursue a dance career.
“In a world that's growing more diverse by the day, I think it’s especially important for students to foster their cultural competency at a young age. I am excited to be a part of this rewarding experience of helping create a more harmonious future for the next generation with Dance to Unite!”
trisha senthilkumar
Trisha Senthilkumar is 19 and a junior at NYU studying Global Public Health and Biology on a premed track. She can speak 5 languages and has been able to form many deep connections with people of different backgrounds. As an aspiring physician, her goal is to work with underserved diverse patient populations, a passion inspired by being an EMT in Brooklyn. She was born in India but raised in New Jersey. She joined a competitive dance team in middle school and has been performing many different styles at competitions and shows. Her favorite experience has been dancing during half-time at the Brooklyn Nets basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Since she was 4, she has been using dance as a vehicle for creative self-expression while connecting to herself and others. She has been teaching dance to children with special needs for 4 years throughout high school and helping them develop self-confidence brings her joy. After moving to New York, she has been looking for a way to continue this passion and was hence excited to come across the inclusive community fostered by Dance To Unite!
“As someone who grew up with classes similar to Dance to Unite, I know how important it is for children to have the opportunity to express themselves through movement while celebrating the values and morals that make us human and connect to others. It is an honor to embrace their imaginations and playfulness, and I end up learning so much more from them in the end.”
eryn woo
Eryn Woo is an actor, singer, and dancer based in NYC. Originally from SC, Eryn Woo grew up training and doing community theatre all around her hometown. She has been dancing since she was 7 and has training in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and musical theatre. Eryn has served as a teaching artist at the South Carolina Children’s Theatre and Spartanburg Little Theatre during their summer programs. She is a graduate from Pace University (BFA FTVC) and Broadway Dance Center’s Independent Training Program. You can catch Eryn all around the city teaching at Pure Barre studios across Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“I love Dance to Unite because it’s the perfect blend of my life passions- dance and helping to make the world a better place and promote peace/ unity.”
whitney derman
Whitney was raised in New Jersey where she focused on learning many styles of dance through her home studios as well as high school/ college dance teams. Her strongest dance style is jazz/ musical theatre, but she has training in many other disciplines including ballet, contemporary, Bollywood, hiphop, acrobatics, and more. She first started teaching dance classes in 2015- gaining a passion, not just for dance and performing, but for choreographing and teaching. Her experience includes both dance classes for children, as well as adults! Whitney started as a Dance to Unite teaching artist in the Fall of 2024, and is excited to use this platform to help her students shine and grow as dancers and people.
“It is an absolute joy to be a part of the Dance To Unite community! I am surrounded by such dedication and care for these students. This and my own students’ care and trust for one another inspire me to be the best instructor I can be to create and teach lessons that will stay with these young people, challenge them, and promote positivity and understanding in their lives. I feel so lucky to get to do this work!”
juliann craft
Juliann Craft is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer based here in New York. She has been teaching dance for four years and earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May. Juliann has taught students from ages three to seventeen and values creating warm, encouraging classroom environments for these students to thrive in. While most of this instructing experience comes from an independent dance studio setting, Dance to Unite is her first time instructing in an after school program. She strongly believes in Dance to Unite's vision and uses inspiration and strategies from her experience with Brain Compatible Dance Education to create lessons around the thirteen values. Juliann is passionate about movement, knows that a moving body leads to a healthy mind, and truly believes in Dance to Unite’s ability to promote critical thinking, community, and the joy of movement. She feels very grateful to have this opportunity to guide your children through this school year and see them grow into beautiful dancers and beautiful people.
“I’m honored to be a steward of Dance To Unite’s inspiring mission, using the joy of dance to cultivate invaluable physical, mental, and social skills in children while building a sense of unity and empowerment.”
Beth Frank
Beth has danced all over the US, Canada, Mexico, and Japan as part of 3 Broadway touring productions, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and Bandstand. While on the road, she led multiple student workshops as a Broadway Connection teaching artist. Outside of performing contracts, dance classes, and auditions, Beth can be found teaching Pure Barre classes in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens (7 years strong!) or enjoying one of NYC’s many delicious Thai restaurants with her husband.
“Growing up in a similar environment, I know how transformative it is to feel seen and heard. Joining Dance to Unite would give me the opportunity to be part of something greater—a movement that not only inspires through dance but also changes communities and, eventually, the world.”
joshua garcia
Joshua Garcia was born and raised in the Bronx, growing up in a low-income neighborhood where opportunities often felt out of reach. Like many of the children around him, he faced struggles that demanded resilience, determination, and unwavering faith in his dreams. Through love, blood, sweat, and tears, Joshua continued to push forward. Dance became his outlet, his voice, and his guide.
Over the years, Joshua has been fortunate to build a career in dance, performing on various platforms, including Shanghai, China, the Apollo Theatre, Rockefeller Center, the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and many more. However, his journey has never been about personal success alone—it’s been about giving back. Joshua has worked with nonprofit organizations throughout New York City, teaching dance to students of all ages and abilities, including those with autism. He has seen firsthand how dance can uplift, inspire, and create a sense of belonging for individuals who may feel overlooked.
Beyond dance, Joshua aims to bring additional value to Dance to Unite by advocating for individuals who feel silenced, amplifying their voices, and creating spaces where everyone can thrive. With his background in sociology, he designs life skills workshops that focus on teamwork, communication, self-expression, and navigating societal challenges. Joshua also leverages his experience as a paraprofessional to implement programs that make dance and other activities more inclusive for students with disabilities.
For our Teaching Artists: click below to access our password protected Teacher Resources