Aleah Bednarz
Aleah has been dancing since she was seven years old. As a student, she is trained in tap, ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, hip hop, and acrobatics. She also has successfully passed grades I-IV in Cecchetti ballet. She is an award-winning dance competitor, receiving many special awards from judges, scholarships, as well as regional titles.
Her devotion has turned to teaching and training students in the same disciplines. She is the newest owner of Butler School of Dance and will continue to develop and cultivate her technique, methods and training by attending educational workshops, obtaining multiple certifications and joining professional organizations. She recently passed her Dance Masters of America teacher’s exams and is a certified instructor by test in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern and Acro. She is also an active member of Dance Masters of PA Chapter 10.
She is also the coordinator for our competition team. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including First Overall placements, Judges’ awards, and choreography honors in various competitions. With a passion for storytelling through movement, she is known for creating dynamic, emotionally resonant routines that captivate both audiences and adjudicators.
In her free time, Aleah enjoys spreading her passion for dance. She is the current choreographer for the Summer Dramatics Program. She also coaches the BAMFL dance team.
Alison Carey
Alison has been teaching the Adult Tap Class at Butler School of Dance for the last 4 years. She studied dance for 10 years as a child and teenager and then started dancing again when she became involved in productions at the Butler Musical Theater Guild. Alison participates in theater productions all over the Butler Area performing the roles of music director, orchestra pianist, stage manager, actor, singer and dancer. Alison received her degree in Music Education from Westminster College in 1993. She has been teaching music in the Karns City Area School District for over 30 years. She lives in Butler with her husband, Jeff, and her two dogs, Finley and Millie.
Hanna Srour
Hanna started her dance journey at age 2 in ballet, tap, and jazz. She later became involved in musical theatre. She earned her bachelor’s in theatre with a minor in dance and concentration in directing at East Stroudsburg University in 2024. During her time at ESU, she participated as a member of the Contemporary Dancers team. She attended the American Dance Festival as an intern in 2022, and was offered a scholarship to the American Dance Festival in 2023 for her choreography. She performed as both dance captain and the role of Serena in the show Legally Blonde, and even had the enormous privilege of performing in her dream role as Veronica in Heathers for her senior show. While she adores theatre, dance is her greatest passion, so she is very thankful to be here at the Butler School of Dance!
Joseph Digney
Joseph Digney is an upcoming senior Musical Theatre major with a minor in Dance at Slippery Rock University. He is originally from Marysville OH, where he was a competitive dancer for over 12 years. He has trained in a variety of styles, but he specializes in Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop and Lifting/Partner Dance. He also was involved in show choir and is an alumni of the nationally ranked “Marysville Swingers Unlimited”. He has choreographed several musicals, as well as being the head choreographer for Ben Logan High School’s showchoir “Standing Ovation”. Since being at college he has performed as a professional performer in companies in Texas, New Jersey, and Delaware, and he is excited for his new journey here at Butler School of Dance!
Kennedy Thomas
Kennedy has been dancing since she was 11 and is passionate about sharing her love for dance with others. She has experience teaching tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and hip hop. She enjoys helping students build confidence, technique, and a love for movement. Kennedy recently earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Education from Slippery Rock University. During her time at Slippery Rock, she was on the hip hop dance team Jamrock and was a co-captain for her last 3 years on the team. Her ultimate goal is to work with dancers as an athletic trainer, helping them stay healthy and perform at their best. She is excited to inspire and support the next generation of dancers inside the studio.
Liliana Kish
Liliana began dancing along with gymnastics at the age of two and has spent the past 18 years developing her passion for the performing arts. Throughout her training, she has studied a wide variety of dance styles, including tap, jazz, ballet, acrobatics, modern, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, ballroom/latin, musical theater, improvisation, and pom. She also completed Cecchetti grades 1-6, building a strong technical foundation. Over the years, Liliana has competed at both regional and national dance competitions, gaining valuable performance experience and a deep appreciation for artistry, discipline, and teamwork. During her middle school years, she attended Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School as a dance major, where she further expanded her technical training and performance opportunities. In high school, Liliana was a member of her school’s dance team and later served as team captain. In this leadership role, she choreographed routines and mentored more than 40 dancers, helping to foster both technical growth and team unity. Her performance experience not only involves dance, but also acting/musical theater. As an instructor, Liliana is passionate about creating a positive and encouraging learning environment where dancers can build confidence, develop strong and clean technique, and discover their own love for dance. She strives to inspire each student to reach their full potential.
Neena Huber
Neena grew up in Buffalo, NY, where she danced for over a decade, competing in styles such as jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary. Outside of competition, she trained in styles including ballet, pointe, and tap with artists such as Robert Creighton. At the same time, she gained experience assisting classes in hip hop, jazz, tap, and toddler classes, where she discovered her passion for teaching and choreographing! Since moving to Slippery Rock for college, Neena has attended professional development opportunities, including seminars with artists such as Grady Bowman and Shakia Barron, and studied technique under artists such as Jason Noer, Erin Kouwe, and Lindsay Viatori. Neena is currently a junior at SRU, studying psychology and dance performance.
Sydney Gondringer
Sydney Gondringer graduated with highest honors, earning a B.F.A. in Dance and a minor in Business Administration from Mercyhurst University, where she attended on both academic and dance scholarships. She was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and was recognized on the Dean’s List throughout her education.
Her fundamental training encompasses a wide variety of dance techniques, including ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, tap, and musical theatre. Sydney has performed many notable roles, including Odette in Swan Lake, Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, an evil stepsister in Cinderella, among many others.
Sydney is very excited to be a part of the Bodiography Company for their 2026–2027 season. She has performed with Virginia National Ballet, Seiche Dance Collective, Ballet Eddy Toussaint, SoMar Dance Works, and The Mercyhurst Dancers, as well as appearing in the works of renowned choreographers Maria Caruso, Kenneth Nickel, Gina Patterson, and over twenty contemporary works.
She is certified in the Society of Russian Ballet Distinction Level Pre-Elementary and in Maria Caruso’s Fitness and Strength Training Program.
Chantell Bednarz
Most nights will find Chantell behind the desk at BSD, the ever-reliable assistant, the heartbeat of the place. She’s not just the one answering phones and managing schedules, she’s the welcoming face, the problem-solver, the costume-finder, and sometimes even the pep-talk giver. Whether juggling registrations or answering questions, she wears more hats than a Broadway wardrobe rack and somehow makes it all look effortless.