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.
Katrina “Kat” Rowe
Kat is a native of Cleveland, OH. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance at Slippery Rock University (SRU). She has been dancing since she was 3 and competitively since she was 8. Katrina has competed with her home studio Jordan Center dance (JCD) till she graduated. Through JCD, she has won multiple awards, scholarships, and regional titles. Katrina has worked with choreographers such as Chris Babcock, Seth Stuart, and Mary Spaniola Gold. She has also worked with Verb Ballet in their production of Peter Pan. At SRU she has performed in multiple shows for the dance department. She is also a member of JamRock hip hop. Katrina is very excited to continue her dance training as well as share her passion and love for the art with her fellow classmates and students.
Brooke Lane McCarthy
Brooke is a native of Pittsburgh PA. She grew up dancing at Pittsburgh Youth ballet Company and continued training at Pennsylvania Ballet Conservatory during her 4 years of high school. Brooke has participated in many ballet competitions, such as Youth American Grand Prix, ADC IBC, Universal Ballet Competition. As a performer she has performed lead roles in many ballets such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and Coppelia. She also performed in Balanchine’s Circus Polka, Balanchine’s Who Cares?, and Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht ballet. She attended several summer intensives at Chautauqua School of Dance Intensive, Saratoga City Ballet Intensive, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater Intensive. Brooke is currently a senior pursuing a BFA in dance at Slippery Rock University (SRU).
Joseph Digney
Joseph Digney is an upcoming Junior 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!
Antonia Ng
Antonia has been dancing for 15 years and trained in ballet, contemporary, jazz, acrobatics, lyrical, and modern. She is from Dubois, Pennsylvania and is currently attending college at Slippery Rock University, majoring in pre-med.
Throughout her years as a competitive dancer, she was blessed to have received multiple scholarships and awards, including those from CLI Conservatory. She has participated in numerous intensives and master classes, while also having participated in live performances such as the Nutcracker and Giselle.
In her free time, she enjoys shopping, painting, and spending time with friends. She is so excited to continue to meet and get to know everyone!
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.
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.