Juli Horne Kell has over twenty years of experience in dance instruction. She incorporates her ten years of experience as a professional performer, and choreographer, into her instruction. As one who feels strongly about the positive effects of the arts on a developing mind, Juli utilizes all the tools that she has learned in her professional career to ensure that her dancers have an opportunity to learn, grow, and showcase their strengths. The award-winning performances of her dancers are a testament of her dancers’ desire to commit, be part of a team, and make each individual better than she was the day before. Time is precious, and Juli pledges to be relentless about not wasting time, when that time can be used for instruction. Many of her students have continued to pursue dance in their collegiate studies. Former students have performed professionally for: Broadway, National and European tours, television series, cruise ships, theme parks, The Sixers Dancers, The Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders, The Philadelphia Kixx Dance Team, commercials, and modeling jobs. Her professional credits are extensive, but her focus has always been, and will continue to be, on her dancers.
Credits:
Cedar Fair Entertainment: Dance Supervisor, Choreographer, and Performer
Busch Gardens: Dance Captain, Performer
Carnival Cruise Lines: Featured Performer
Lehigh Valley Ballet Guild/ Pennsylvania Youth Ballet: Performer and Master Class Instructor
Ms. Berks County Scholarship Organization: Choreographer
Judge for many dance competitions in Pennsylvania
Guest instructor/Choreographer for many schools in Bucks County, Northampton County, and Lehigh County
Instructed at: Nardi Dance Center in Easton, PA for 11 years. Miss Cindy’s School of Dance in Quakertown, PA for 14 years
Director of Juli Kell’s Dance Zone at Serenity Health and Fitness Center in Red Hill, PA for 3 years
Kristy Countryman With fifteen years of instructional experience, Kristy has had the pleasure of teaching students of all ages. Since the age of three, she has trained in ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern and hip hop. As a teen, Kristy received a prestigious award called “Excellence in the Field of Ballet”, as well as accolades in performance, technique and many high score awards. Kristy also toured around the country with Hoctor’s Dance Caravan as an assistant while receiving training from Master Instructors and Choreographers. In addition to her internship at Broadway Dance Center, NYC, she has danced professionally with Norwegian Cruise Lines, Philadelphia Kixx Dance Team, and Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.
Miss Erica brings 14 years of dance experience to the JKDC family. With a focus on ballet and tap, Erica has trained in modern, pointe and jazz. In addition to many performance opportunities, she has performed at the United Nations Secretariat Building in NYC, performed for the 76ers, and was a member of the Pennridge Dance Team. When she can find the time in her busy schedule of raising her son and two step-daughters, Erica continues to further her abilities by taking adult dance classes at Cedar Crest College. She come to JKDC with a 200 hour Yoga certification from The Yoga and Aryuveda Center in Bangor, PA. A former student of Miss Juli, Erica takes joy in sharing her love of dance with others.
Miss Nicole has been teaching dance and gymnastics for about 8 years. With a solid background in jazz, tap, modern, ballet, hiphop, contemporary, lyrical, pointe, and gymnastics, she has over twenty years of experience in dance and thirteen years of experience in gymnastics. She began her dance career in Bucks County, studied with Koresh Dance Company In Philadelphia, PA, and continues to further her education by taking classes at Broadway Dance Center in NYC and attending master classes and conventions, such as The Pulse, whenever possible. She has competed in many competitions, earned many accolades, and has performed in Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade several times. She looks forward to sharing her knowledge with new students, and is thrilled and proud to be a part of JKDC.
Miss Olivia has over 20 years of dance experience with emphasis on ballet, tap, and jazz through various local studios in Philadelphia, Quakertown, and the Upper Perkiomen Valley. In 2009, she began dancing under the instruction of Juli Kell and began teaching at Juli Kell’s Dance Center in 2011. Miss Olivia has studied ballet extensively at the collegiate level and still enjoys taking master classes in all styles of dance whenever possible. She has also performed for the Millersville University Dance Team in 2013, as well as the Precious Metal Dance Team for the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks in 2017. Miss Olivia is excited to be back with the JKDC family that instilled her love and passion for dance, as she hopes to do for her own students. Miss Olivia is also a member of Tap Ties.
MaryEllen Sharrer has been dancing for over 28 years, which includes 10 years of dance instruction. She has studied under some of the best teachers and choreographers in the world such as Mia Michaels, Scott Jovovich, Matthew Neenan, Ronen Koresh , Mandy Moore and many more. Her diverse training includes Jazz, Modern, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Pointe and Ballet, each of which she has studied extensively. She attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia for four years and graduated with her BFA in Ballet and minor in Jazz. Miss MaryEllen also joined Nashville Ballet’s Summer Intensive program. During her time their she worked with their company members learning their different pieces for their season and their teaching techniques to their younger students. After Nashville she moved back to her hometown in Pennsylvania, where she wanted to teach others the passion of dance, a feeling that has been instilled in her over her years of performance. She continues to grow and expand her knowledge of dance by taking dance classes in NYC along with dance conventions each year such as The New York Dance Teacher Summit, Jump, and The Pulse, which enables her to learn from the very best in the world and pass those experiences on to the future generation of dancers. She is very excited to be apart of our faculty and to be able expand the world of dance through her students eyes.
Miss Lauren has been dancing for 18 years and did cheerleading for 4 years. She has experience in ballet, pointe, jazz, hip hop, tap, and contemporary. Her specialty and passion has always been gymnastics. Lauren is certified in Acrobatic Arts. While in high school Lauren joined a dance team and competed at competitions and also took dance classes in New York to strengthen her skills. She enjoyed traveling to Disney World to dance in Hollywood Studios. She has also danced at the Harlem globe trotters game and at the Lehigh Valley iron pigs game. After she graduated she joined the Precious Metal Dance Team for the Lehigh Valley Steel Hawks. Lauren earned her license in cosmetology and enjoys working for her family’s business. She has four dogs and a love for animals. She looks forward to teaching her students the skills and techniques she’s learned over the years.
Steve Kell is currently teaching music in the Philadelphia School District. He studied music at James Madison University and Kutztown University , and has a B.S. in Music. He studied, and instructed, ballroom dance in Lake Wylie, SC, and has taught many group sessions for all ages. He specializes in beginner/intermediate ballroom dance classes for people who would like to become acquainted with ballroom in a non-intimidating environment. Steve has performed across most of the United States as a singer/actor/dancer in a variety of settings, including traveling tours, theaters, rock bands, ceremonies, and theme parks. Organizations include: Theatreworks USA, AIM Productions, Media Five Entertainment, Insight Talent Agency, Busch Gardens, Cedar Fair, and Spirit Cruises. He is also a member of Actors’ Equity Association, MENC (for music educators), and is certified to teach music k-12 in Pennsylvania.
Jami Horne Gallo is currently a second grade teacher in the Catasauqua Area School District. With over twenty years of experience as a professional educator, she has also taught special education, third grade, and fourth grade. She has a Masters of Education in special education, and a second Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principal Certificate. While in college, she was a member of the Millersville University Dance Team and Cheer-leading Team. She has studied many forms of dance since the age of three, and has taught dance classes in the Quakertown area. Jami incorporates her dance background with her extensive childhood development education to create programs that focus on the whole child. Additionally, she helps with creating, and editing, our newsletters, and other forms of communication, at our center. Since Jami has two daughters who were both students at Juli Kell’s Dance Center, you may find her helping at the front desk as well.
Darlene Horne has been managing the office for dance schools for over thirty years. Registration, accounts receivable, accounts payable, costumes, supplies, organizing competitions, organizing trips, recital and show tickets, etc. You name it, she has done it—often all at once, and sometimes without a computer! Her attention to detail made a large studio seem to run automatically: Costume and supply orders were accurate, and received in a timely manner, trip reservations and itineraries left little need for logistical questions, and recitals went off without a hitch. Darlene has a multi-decade record of consistently ensuring that the only thing that dancers have to worry about is their dance! No stress!! Darlene has two wonderful daughters and three amazing granddaughters with whom she loves to spend her time. She has donated her time to coaching, cheering, soccer, and school fundraisers. Time after time, she has enjoyed watching the dancers grow into the amazing dancers, and adults, that they are today.
Janice Swan has forty years of office experience in a medical environment. She has answered phones, made appointments, filed, managed medical billing, managed medical transcription, and had direct contact with patient care. She has worked for Pulmonary and Allergy Associates, P.C., and was Clerical Supervisor at North Penn Hospital (now Lansdale Hospital). In addition to her medical office credits, Janice has twenty-three years of part-time experience with dance studios: billing, answering phones, planning trips, chaperone for trips, registering students, scheduling classes, etc. She was secretary, and vice president, of St. Isidore’s Home and School Association where she was responsible for many fund raising events. As St. Isidore’s woman’s club secretary, she was responsible for trips, cover dish dinners, carnivals, and Christmas bazaars. She has volunteered for midget football for approximately eleven years, and helped to run the snack stand. Janice is the proud mother of four and grandmother of one; with another on the way!
More Bios Coming soon…
Miss Aleksa (Dance Teacher)
Miss Kait (Dance Teacher)
Hayley Martin (Dance Teacher)
Samantha Hess (Office)