Student Spotlights

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Dear Mrs. Liz, Al, and all of the Dussich family,

Thank you, all of you, for the constant support I have received throughout the years. Without this organization of wonderful people, I would not be the dancer/person I am today. Nor do I think I would have the aspirations and motivation push myself as far as I need to in order to achieve wh...at I want in life. Dancing has always been my escape from the pressures that life lays upon me, but can potentially become more overwhelming than the rest given the environment I'm in. It's happened many times and places throughout my life, but never when taking at Dussich. Every time I set foot onto that floor, I feel as comfortable as I would while dancing around my living room/kitchen/bedroom/bathroom. The place simply makes me feel at home. What I'm saying is, among having excellent teachers and a well planned curriculum, the environment was exactly what I needed as an adolescent to keep me on the path I've chosen. If it wasn't for Dussich Dance Studio, you can be sure I wouldn't be the well rounded, happy, dancing person that I am today. Again, thank you so much for all you have given me!

Yours Truly,
Patrick VanBuren (currently Soloist with the Cloumbia City Ballet)

Patrick  VanBuren started dance training in his hometown of Merritt Island, FL,  with Liz Bevilacqua, at Dussich Dance Studio. Throughout those years, he  was Florida Dance Masters Junior Mr. Dance and Mr. Dance title holder,  and a Finalist at YAGP. 

Patrick  danced with the Orlando Ballet as part of their second company,  Columbia City Ballet and Ballet San Antonio as a soloist, and Montgomery  Ballet and Fort Wayne Ballet as a principal dancer. He is also a  principal guest artist with Brandon Ballet. Among his greatest honors  and experiences, was being selected to compete in the 2010 USA  International Ballet Competition, considered to be the “Olympics of  Dance.” 

Patrick  is certified to teach by the ABT National Training Curriculum. He has  served as the Assistant Director of the Ballet Conservatory of South  Texas, Ballet Master of Montgomery Ballet, and as an instructor in the  upper school of Fort Wayne Ballet’s Auer Academy. 

Mr. VanBuren joined The Florida Ballet 2021.

Kira Received a scholarship to the Harid Conservatory Ballet School. After graduation, she went on to dance with the North Carolina dance Theater and Montgomery Ballet.

Stephanie graduated from Palm Beach University and performed with Lululemon Athletica and Klein dance Company and is now the owner and instructor of Tight Tummies Pilates.

Robert Hill continues with his vision for Orlando Ballet to make ballet relevant to today’s audiences. Mr. Hill blends modern entertainment with classical ballet and his choreography has been critically acclaimed as energetic, graceful and theatrically beautiful. Under his direction, artistic collaborations have developed with other organizations such as Central Florida Community Arts, Opera Orlando, Garden Theatre, Creative City Project, The Abbey, The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and Cirque du Soleil.

Mr. Hill has been a principal dancer with ABT, The Royal Ballet, and the New York City Ballet. As a guest artist, he has appeared with numerous companies including the Scottish Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, and the Australian Ballet. Mr. Hill’s interpretation of the title role in John Cranko’s Onegin, opposite Julie Kent as Tatiana, presented at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center by ABT, was selected by the New York Times as one of the “Ten Best Moments in Dance” in 2002.

Mr. Hill is especially grateful to the loving dedication he received in his initial training with Liz Bevilacqua and Al Packard of The Dussich Dance Studio, and with Phyllis Papa of the Atlantic City Ballet.