Instructors & Staff

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Mrs. Liz has been living in Brevard County, FL since 1952. She began her dance training at Jim Trevelen's School of Dance and Ebsen School of Dance and Royal Studios in Orlando. Her summers were spent studying in New York City at Ballet Russe and June Taylor School of Dance. She received her Dance Masters of America Teaching certification in 1958, which is the same year the Dussich Dance Studio began its inception. Along with the study, she began the Brevard Dance Company and initiated the Lecture Demonstration Dance Program in Brevard County Schools and has trained and coached many professionals dancers and teachers through the studio as well as through Florida Dance Masters. Currently, Mrs. Liz is the membership chairperson for Florida Dance Masters and is the author of the FDM Ballet Syllabus and Dictionary. Mrs. Liz still teaches many of the adult classes here at the studio. 

Mrs. Anna Bevilacqua Spangler was born and raised in Brevard County and started dance at the age of 2 and began teaching at the age of 16. She has had the opportunity to study with Ray & Rhee Gold, Jo  Rowan, Gus Giordano,  and Bob Kimball & Luigi. She is a graduate of Merritt Island High School and Brevard Community College, (Now Eastern Florida State College).  She attended Oklahoma City University for two years with studies in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Voice, Piano and Musical Theater.  While in Oklahoma, she was a member of the AMERICAN SPIRIT Dance Company and performed on stage with Tony Award Winner, Pearl Bailey.  After Returning to Florida, Anna danced as a Mexican Dancer for Walt Disney World at Epcot for one year and performed with local theaters in several plays.  She also has helped with school choirs in setting and conducting musical productions for school and local performances.  Anna officially returned to Dussich Dance Studio in 1999, teaching Preschool, Combo, Jazz, Tap and Musical Theater.  In 2016, she stepped down from her teaching role to become Office/Business Manager at Dussich.

Mr. Al was born in Maine but grew up in New York. He attended college in Maine, where he majored in Science and was introduced to dance. While in college, he studied modern dance with a former member of Martha Graham's Dance Company and performed with the college dance company. After college, he moved to Florida and began studying ballet and jazz and performed with a group that later became Ft. Lauderdale Civic Ballet. In 1960, he moved to Melbourne but retired from performing dance in 1962. Five years later, he was contacted by Dussich Dance Studio to assist with teaching the Swan Lake Pas De Deux for their annual recital. After this, Mr. Al began teaching at Dussich and in 1972, he became co-owner. He joined the Dance Masters of America and continued his studies of dance with Ron Daniels, David Howard, Patsy Swazy, Gus Giordarno and many others. He performed for many years with the Brevard Dance Company but retired for the second and final time in 1986, becoming the Business Manager for the studio. Today, Mr. Al still assist with Business Management responsibilities at the studio and is also the annual dance recital emcee.

David began dancing at the age of 15 at the World of Dance studio in Fayetteville, NC. He attended numerous summer dance intensives as well as competed nationally, winning two national titles in Contemporary/Lyrical. He continued his study of dance while attending the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where he minored in Dance and was also a Varsity Cheerleader. After college, David accepted a position as the Assistant Cheer and Dance Coach for Methodist College, while also choreographing for pro-amateur football and hockey dance teams. David appeared on Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance and qualified passed his Atlanta audition.  In 2009, David relocated to Florida and has been teaching in the area ever since. He has also assisted the Merritt Island High School Dance team as a coach and choreographer. David has been teaching at Dussich Dance Studio for the past 5 years, as well as traveling nationally and internationally to teach master classes and judge dance competitions for companies such as DX Events, Varsity Brands, CCC, Jamfest Japan, FutureCheer UK and the prestigious USASF Dance Worlds.

Ms. Ashley began dancing at Dussich Dance Studio at the age of 5. From 1991-2003, her love for dance grew in the study of ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and pas de deux. At the age of 12, the excitement of being on a dance team took hold and during all of middle school and then moving on to Varsity dance team in high school, where she won many county, state and national titles in Jazz and Pom. After high school, she began studying acting and broadcasting. She received an AA in broadcast and a BS in Broadcasting while acting and hosting many TV shows, including Sports Zone for Orange TV and CW’s Movie Show. During college, she joined the adult hip-hop/jazz open team at Dance Mania, where they swept every competition.  After college, she returned home and took over the Merritt Island High School Dance Team as head coach from 2009-2012. During her time with the team, she opened her own dance studio, Modern Motions and taught all levels of creative ballet, jazz, hip-hop and tap. After becoming a mother to 2 baby boys, she decided to put her focus on them. Now she is happily married with 5 children and can’t wait to use all my skills to help students at Dussich Dance Studio continue to grow and develop their passion for dance!

 Former dancer with the New York City Ballet and Billy Elliot in the Broadway National Tour of Billy Elliot the Musical, Ethan Fuller was a scholarship student at the School of American Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet’s Summer School. He is a recipient of the the Mae. L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise, the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award, and the National YoungArts Foundation Silver Medal. Mr. Fuller teaches in the Balanchine tradition, focusing on technical precision, musicality, celerity, and grace.

Ms. Tabatha is said to have started dancing from the moment she could walk. Coming from a legacy of dancers, Tabatha has studied all forms of dance. In 2005, she received a scholarship to attend the Broadway Theatre Project, where she studied with Ben Vereen, Patrick Page (The Lion King) and Paige Davis (Chicago). In 2006, she graduated from Cocoa Beach High School, where she was the choreographer for the Cocoa Beach High School Dance Team. That same year she also was a finalist for the Orlando Magic Dance Team. After her tryouts, she went on to dance and sing for PGT Entertainment on Regent Cruise Lines from 2006-2009. 

Tabatha graduated from Eastern Florida State College with her Associates in Childhood Development, as well as completed certifications in Childcare Center Management, Early Child Development Intervention and Infant, Toddler and Preschool Specializations. She returned to Dussich Dance Studio as a teacher in 2015. 

She is the proud mother of two, Thomas and Elizabeth.

Debbie Manlove trained under Caroline de Lone and was a member of the Harrisburg Civic Ballet Company, a local semi-professional company in Pennsylvania. She majored in Dance at the Philadelphia Dance Academy, which was affiliated with the Combs College of Music, under the direction of Nadia Chilkovski, a dancer from Martha Graham’s first company. In her 50 years of dancing and teaching, she has taken from numerous teachers, including from NYC Ballet’s first cavalier in their first production of the Nutcracker.  Miss Debbie began teaching at age 16, at the West Shore Rec board. She also taught at the local YWCA, before opening her own studio, Manlove School of Dance, which she own and operated for 22 years.  Since relocating to Florida, she has been a substitute instructor here at Dussich Dance Studio, but most recently has joined our faculty as the Creative Movement Instructor, which is a dance class for our dancers with special needs that is rewarding both for the dancers and Miss Debbie!

Catherine Alexander is an ABT ® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT ® National Training Curriculum. Completed Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Teachers Seminar (2013). Completed Vaganova Seminar, Univ. of South Florida (1989, 1990). Completed 2 years of study in Vaganova Technique with visiting instructor, Marat Daukaev of the Kirov Ballet, St. Petersburg, Russia (1994, 1995). Continued education in Vaganova Technique with Victoria Schneider, Florida Dance Festival Intensive (1995). Summer study in Bournonville technique with Diane Bjorn, Royal Danish Ballet. Summer study in Balanchine technique with Patricia McBride, former Principle, NYCB. Summer study of Zena Rommett floor barre technique, with Robert Atwood, Steps, NYC. Over 30 years of experience as a ballet and pointe instructor. Skilled in curriculum development for a comprehensive ballet program. Staged ballets from the classical repertoire including Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. Choreographed over 50 original works. Extensive administrative and financial management experience. Organized Community Dance Day at Brevard Community College (1992). Past President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary of Florida Dance Association (1990-1994).

Kellie Farris-Chaffins has been dancing for 16 years and counting, most of which have been at Dussich Dance Studio. She has studied ballet, pointe, partnering, and ballroom. She is a childcare teacher at Merritt Island Christian School and married with a son, who is seven. She received her AA degree and is in the process of working towards her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education.

Kellie says that dance has always been her passion in life, and she is beyond excited to be able to start a new chapter helping the next generation to learn dance.

Kaelin Lopez is a graduate of Edgewood Jr/Sr High School and Eastern Florida State College. She has attended the University of South Florida and was also on the cheerleading squad. She coaches at Coastal Elite Cheer and Gymnastics and is currently the Assistant Coach at Edgewood Jr/Sr High School Cheer and Dance Teams. She is currently enrolled at the University of Central Florida pursuing her Bachelors in Elementary Education.

Lee Sakellarides studied Jazz at Luigi’s Dance Center & Tap at Broadway Dance Center in New York City. She studied Ballet (Cecchetti Method) and Modern at Indiana University and Tap at Jordan School of the Arts. While attending Butler University, she studied Tap plus Ballroom & Disco. She has been the Theater Department Choreographer and Taught show choir in Middle, Junior & Senior High schools throughout her career. She has choreographed for community theater and for full length stage productions of Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story, Footloose, Chorus Line, Fame, Lion King, High School Musical, Aladdin and Mary Poppins, just to name a few. She is also a singer, playwright and backstage technician.