Kristie Schillaci is the founder and director of The Floor Dance Company. She began her dance training in Oneida, NY under the direction of Sandie Fukes and Wende Warne at the United Academy of the Performing Arts. She received her ballet training from Ms. Delia Foley, under the RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) standards for Ballet. Ms. Schillaci graduated from SUNY Brockport in 2003 where she studied dance and theater. She began her teaching career at Nazareth Academy, where she was a Dance Educator for grades Pre-K – 12 and the Artistic Director and Choreographer for the Nazareth Academy Theater program. In 2010, she shifted her career to The Aquinas Institute of Rochester, where she currently teaches dance curriculum to students in grades 6-12, and is the Director of The Aquinas Dance Company for both Middle School and High School students.

Ms. Schillaci is proud to work alongside the owners of Adrian Jules Custom Clothing as their volunteer coordinator / choreographer for their runway shows for Fashion Week of Rochester. She prides herself on staying involved in the community by supporting and collaborating with incredible local organizations such as The Center for Youth and Endless Highway.

Ryo Munakata started classical ballet training at the age of five at Etoile Ballet Studio studying under Misako Kawamura, Sergiy Savoschenko and other renowned instructors. He began entering in dance competitions at the age of ten and expanded his horizons by taking modern ballet lessons with Yuko Takahashi at 13.

Since 2010, Munakata studied at American Ballet Theatre’s (ABT) summer intensive program in New York City by recommendation of dance instructor, Hilary Cartwright. He trained at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT from 2014-2016 and Manhattan Youth Ballet from 2015-2016.

Munakata joined Minnesota Ballet as a company member from 2016-2018 and Ballet West as a company member from 2018-2019 where he performed Rubies and Diamonds in Balanchine’s Jewels. He returned to Minnesota Ballet for the 2019-2020 season and has joined Rochester City Ballet for the 2020-2021 season. In 2018, Munakata was a finalist in the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS and a semi-finalist in the 2019 International Ballet Choreography Competition in Beijing, China.

Andrea Rockefeller grew up in Webster, NY where she trained and danced competitively. She attended The Ohio State University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and a Minor in dance. While in Columbus, Andrea danced with Xclaim Dance Company, participating in student outreach programs, inspiring children in diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds through dance. Andrea has Masters degrees in Psychology and Mental Health Counseling and has spent the last 8 years working with children and adults with developmental disabilities. Andrea is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of NY and a Cofounder of Peace Project Mental Health Counseling, providing therapy for children through young adults. Andrea has over 10 years of experience teaching and choreographing for dance studios and is a certified Rhythm Works dance instructor, bringing her passions together and allowing her to adequately train dancers with specialized needs.

Solange Rodrigues is a recent graduate from SUNY Purchase College, Class of 2020, with a BFA in dance, and a concentration in composition.  Born and raised in Rochester, NY, she grew up training at Little Red Dance Studio.  At Purchase, she performed works by José Limȏn, Trisha Brown, and Melanie Gambino. While studying a semester abroad at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, she performed in a work by Kuik Swee Boon.  She has choreographed several pieces within the conservatory at Purchase, as well as the Conservatory of Theater Arts production of Langston Hughes’ Blood Wedding.

Rita Santos is a native of Philadelphia, PA and began her ballet training at Dance Elite under the tutelage of Eva Szabo and Maxim Ponomarenko. She went on to receive a scholarship to train at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet with Margarita de Saá and John White of the National Ballet of Cuba and attended summer intensives with Richmond Ballet and Nashville Ballet. As a professional, Rita danced with The Sarasota Ballet of Florida and Nashville Ballet. She received her Vaganova teacher training certificate from John White and has been teaching for over 7 years. In addition to her dance career, Rita holds a BFA in Costume Design from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has had the opportunity to work on costumes for Pennsylvania Ballet and BalletX. 

Savannah Sexton was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. There, she grew up studying and teaching dance for the past 25 years at Just Off Broadway. She also trained with various Ballet companies and traveled to NYC, NY and Los Angeles, CA to train in Jazz, Contemporary and Hip Hop. Taught in the style of Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Acro/Tumbling, Tap, Contemporary and Hip Hop, Savannah loves to use her technical training and versatility while choreographing. She enjoys the art of storytelling through dance and music. Savannah has won many Specialty Awards, First Overalls, and National Championships with her choreography and teaching skills. She went to the University of Cincinnati for college and was a proud member of The UC Dance Team in 2010-2013. The team won Silver and Bronze medals at the National Dance Association championship in the style of Pom and Hip Hop. One of Savannah’s biggest accomplishments during that time was representing the United States of America at the ICU Worlds Championship, winning USA two Gold medals in the style of, both, Hip Hop and Pom. Since college, Savannah has continued to keep up with her dance studies through numerous studios in California, as well as teaching, choreographing and performing in Cincinnati. She has worked with many artists in the industry, including Bootsy Collins. In addition, Savannah is known for her fun and upbeat skills as a DJ. She currently works for Encore Events in Rochester, NY and enjoys sharing her passion for music, DJing several events and weddings. Savannah is new to the city of Rochester, NY and is excited to share her expertise and joy for entertainment. 

Olivia Burke is an award-winning professional dancer and choreographer who has trained in all genres of dance. Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, she began her training at a young age under the tutelage of Megan O’Brien. This was when her love of tap dance emerged. She has traveled the country extensively, working with many amazing tap artists such as Anthony Morigerato, Aaron Parkhurst, Jason Samuel Smith, and Ayodele Casel. She has assisted Anthony Morigerato, Jason Janas, and Aaron Parkhurst at several highly distinguished dance conventions, and is a member of Jason Janas’ professional tap company Co.MITT. Last summer Olivia was hand-selected to be part of STEPS on Broadway Theatre/Jazz Summer Study working with dance masters Eliza Ohman, Lloyd Culbreath, Billy Griffin, and many more. She is also the co-creator of BRIDGE Dance Intensive and has taught and choreographed all over Central New York. Olivia is also the co-founder and artistic director of The Tap Experience at Revolve Dance Alliance in Clay, New York.

Madison Lynch is a professional dancer, award winning choreographer, actor, designer, philanthropist and a graduate of CalArts, currently located in NYC. Although her work is primarily based in New York, she is a bi-coastal artist, and continues to book commercial jobs with Movement Talent Agency in Los Angeles, California. Madison has most recently worked for commercial clients such as Calvin Klein, NIO Electric Vehicles, and Airheads Candy. She has also worked as a stunt double with her acrobatic training and as a model for photographers across the country. Her dance resume includes work by Wayne MacGregor, Merce Cunningham, Peter Chu, Nina Flagg, Spenser Theberge and is currently training with Stacey Tookey. Madison has won several national titles and has even been spotted on So You Think You Can Dance. Madison enjoys teaching and choreographing at various studios and dance conventions nationwide, and recently began judging for competitions. In her freetime, she’s working to develop a fashion brand of her own, and a short-term goal to showcase her line in New York Fashion week. She is also a philanthropist, working towards de-stigmatizing mental health and suicide prevention in association with AFSP, and Bend Not Break Foundation. Madison launched national campaigns titled #dancersforsuicidepreventioin and #artistsforsuicideprevention which can be found on various social media platforms. She strives to break the barrier between non-artist and artist, by making dance and performance translatable to all.