Our Dance Instructors

Meet Our Dance Instructors

Tawn Marie's Dance Centre is a well-established and reputable dance studio. With many years of experience, our instructors play an important role in shaping future champions by teaching them different forms such as jazz or ballet; they also maintain their student's knowledge with frequent lessons on various styles like hip hop! 

Tawn Marie Lombardo

Tawn Marie began dance training at age six. Since then, she has studied tap, ballet, jazz, and lyrical dance with many wonderful teachers. After dreaming for many years of opening her studio, Tawn Maries Dance Centre was opened in 1996.


Since then, she taught thousands of students from all over CNY. Tawn’s students have won hundreds of regional and national titles. Tawn has won over 200 choreography awards. She was the recipient of the Woman in Leadership Award from Channel 5. 

 

In 2003, Tawn Maries Dance Centre was featured in Dance Teacher Magazine as one of the top 50 studios in the US, and in 2014 and 2015, It was chosen as the 20th Top Studio in the US by BDancewear.com! It has also won the title of Top Junior Studio in the US in 2014 at USTD Nationals, and her student was crowned Miss Dance of the US in 2014.

 

The studio is also active in community events and performed “A Christmas Fantasy,” for the city of Syracuse for many years. Currently, Tawn is a national adjudicator for competitions and has choreographed for national dance teams. Tawn is certified to teach by Dance Masters of America #8.

Tami Zerrillo

Tami attended SUNY Fredonia and received a B.A. in Performing Arts Management. At college, she was Vice President of the Orchesis Dance Company.


After college, Tami worked as a performer in “This is Oktoberfest” at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, before joining the National tour of Vee Corporation’s Sesame Street Live. Tami performed as various characters, including, Elmo, Zoe, and Yellow Palette, before becoming a Performance Director. 

 

Tami worked as a Performance Director for tours of Sesame Street Live, Dragon Tales Live, as well as Bear in the Big Blue House Live. Tami continues to work as a freelance choreographer and has recently choreographed and directed Sesame Street Live shows for Beaches, All-Inclusive Resorts in the Caribbean, and Sea World Gold Coast, Australia.


Tami joined the staff here at Tawn Marie’s Dance Centre in 2004 and is thrilled to be working alongside her sister Tawn!

Sarah Dodd

Sarah Dodd is a professional dancer who grew up training and competing in CNY. Sarah went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from the University at Buffalo with a BFA in Dance under the direction of Tom Ralabate. She then moved to New York City and became a company member of Smashworks Dance Collective. In her 4 years with the company, they have performed numerous evening-length works which have toured to California and St. Louis and partnered with the Girl Scouts of America to teach confidence-building dance workshops with troops in the Tristate area. In addition to her company engagements, Sarah has performed works by Jackie Nowicki, Tyler Gilstrap, and David Dorfman at venues such as Panorama Music Festival and the Summer Dance Series in Bryant Park.


Sarah's style and choreographic voice are a dynamic dialogue between the versatile genres of dance she has studied in. In her teaching, she focuses on helping her students use their technique as a tool in which to express their artistry with clarity, efficiency, and purpose. Sarah is also certified in Pilates through the Kane School and incorporates the modality into her warm-ups and applies her anatomical understanding throughout the class to keep dancers moving safely. In moving back to her hometown, Sarah can't wait to share the knowledge she's gained in the industry with the next generation!

Sherri Campagni

Sherri Campagni began her dance training at the Center of Ballet and Dance Arts in Syracuse, New York. To further her studies, she spent the summers with the Milwaukee Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and NYSSSA.


Currently, a professional dancer with Neglia Ballet; Artist Sherri has performed lead roles in classical and contemporary ballets, including Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, and Don Quixote.

Kelly Porcaro

Kelly Porcaro has taught competitive gymnastics in the Syracuse area for 20 years. She has enjoyed the last three years as the acro teacher at Tawn Marie’s Dance Centre. Kelly is a professional member of USA Gymnastics and is safety certified by USAG.

Cherish Furcinito

Cherish trained in her early years at Tawn Marie’s Dance Centre and Center of Ballet and Dance Arts under the direction of Tawn Campolieti and Deborah Boughton respectively. She won many competitions regionally and nationally and assisted at several conventions. She received a full scholarship to The University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye and attained her BFA in dance. She worked with artists such as Katie Swords, Meredith Rainey, Michael Sheridan, Mark Caserta, Justin Allen, and Sidra Bell.


She also preformed for Nigel Lythgoe and Jeff Thacker’s So You Think You Can Dance Dizzy feet Gala in California under the direction of Mandy Moore and Nick Lazzarini. She also performed for Capezio’s 125th Anniversary in New York City. She loves to create meaningful art through movement. She is passionate about teaching and seeing her students grow in all ways as artists and humans. 

Jessica Kurz

Jessica, Born and raised here in Syracuse, New York, She began dancing at the age of 3. At age 5 she starting dancing with TMDC under the direction of Tawn and staff continuing through her high school career! During that time Jessica was on the competition team, competing at regional and national levels, traveling with the studio to Florida to dance for Disney’s Magic Music Days!


She also extended her training during through out the years and summers traveling to NYC, Buffalo, Rochester and more taking many different classes in tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and modern giving her the opportunity to train under many artists and widen her skills and abilities throughout. After graduating she moved to Florida to work at Universal Studios Orlando, working and traveling with Marc Mero’s Think Poz tour performing and teaching to children of all ages.


Jessica returned to Syracuse in 2014 and started teaching/substituting on both recreational and competitive levels with local Studios in the Syracuse area. During this time she started performing with the Syracuse Silver Knights dance team traveling to local event and teaching as well. Jessica is excited to be starting her 1st season here with TMDC and can’t wait to share her love and passion with you all!

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