Our Faculty

Zuri Goldman began his dance training at North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied with Duncan Nobel, Melissa Hayden, Gyula Pandi, and Richard Kuch among others. He also trained at the Hungarian National Ballet School and the Academy of Ballet with Richard Gibson. Zuri began performing with North Carolina Dance under Sal Aiello. From there he worked with Indianapolis Ballet, Ballet Met, Ohio Ballet, and Ballet San Jose. Zuri has also been a guest artist with Ballet Arizona and The Move. Throughout his career, Zuri danced a variety of ballets. Alonzo King created two pieces on Zuri, one of which was the pas de deux “Heaven and Earth”. A highlight of his dance career was dancing the roles of Prince and Maria (Clara) in the Nutcracker with his wife at Ballet Jan Jose. Since retiring in 2006, Zuri has taught at Pasadena Dance Theater and Cal Arts. He recently relocated to Encinitas and is enjoying working with the students at PAW.

ZURI GOLDMAN                                     Ballet, Men's Class, Pas De Deux

“Dancing has always been my love. And, to have enjoyed a career with it, a blessing.”
Noreen has been trained in the Royal Academy of Dance classical ballet (she earned Honors for her Intermediate Examination), Vaganova, Contemporary ballet from her home country, Philippines. She has performed soloist and principal roles in companies like City Ballet of San Diego, Ballet New York, Ballet Memphis, Connecticut Ballet, Philippine Ballet Theatre and Ballet Philippines (the 2 leading national ballet companies). With Daniel Mejia (Boston Ballet) as her Romeo, critics noted her Juliet: “(as) supple, fully expressive, her dancing characterized by fluidity.” Notable ballet teachers like Christine Walsh, Paul Masson, Laura Alonso, Luminita Dumitrescu and William Morgan also trained Noreen in the classics as she essayed Odette in Swan Lake, the lead in Pineapple Poll, Concerto Barocco, Allegro Brilliante, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and other original works. Tony Fabella created Beautiful Girls and Mantones de Manila with Noreen in mind as lead. Noreen has been employed with City Ballet of SD, Ballet New York, Ballet Memphis, Connecticut Ballet, Philippine Ballet Theatre and Ballet Philippines (the 2 leading national ballet companies) and has toured the US, Singapore and, was the Philippine representative to the International Ballet Competition in Paris, France.
While in New York, she landed the role of Uncle Thomas on Broadway’s the King & I (with Marie Osmond.)
Noreen was a TV newscaster and a commercial model. She is also certified in Mat Pilates as the mind-body connection is a great foundation to learning ballet and movement.

NOREEN NEPOMUCENO                      Ballet

Elyssa Dru Rosenberg the founder and director of isadoraNOW, is a dancer and educator who recently relocated to San Diego from New York City, where she was a recognized Isadora Duncan teacher and scholar. Elyssa teaches master classes and workshops in Isadora Duncan’s technique and history at schools and universities throughout the United States including New York University, Tufts University, SUNY Purchase, and the University of California, San Diego. She has performed Isadora Duncan’s work with isadoraNOW, the Isadora Duncan Dance Company, and the Isadora Duncan Youth Ensemble, and has also been privileged to perform the choreography of Ben Munisteri, Fredrick Curry, Deborah Damast, and Daniel McCusker. Elyssa’s work has been presented at the Joyce SoHo, Symphony Space, the Peridance Salvatore Capezio Theater, Dance New Amsterdam, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, Movement Research Center, the 92nd Street Y, and various cultural festivals. A fourth-generation Duncan dancer, Elyssa’s dancing has been described as “radiant” and “magnetic,” while her efforts to keep Isadora’s work relevant for a new generation have been praised as “refreshing.” Elyssa holds a Masters in Dance and Dance Education from New York University and a Bachelors in Political Science from Tufts University. Her written work includes: “The Philosopher’s Dances: The Influence of Politics on Isadora Duncan’s Creative Process,” “Body, Mind, Spirit: Choreography by Duncan, Laban and Hawkins,” “A Call to Arms: Isadora Duncan’s Military Works.” She has presented papers about Isadora Duncan’s dances and history at conferences for the National Dance Education Organization and the Society of Dance History Scholars. She is a fourth generation Duncan dancer who studied Isadora Duncan’s work with Carrie-Ellen Tron, Patt Adams, Adrienne Ramm, and Lori Belilove.

ELYSSA ROSENBERG                            Dance Programs Manager, Duncan

Brittany May grew up dancing at Performing Arts Workshop, Encinitas under the Direction of Leslie Craig. Brittany has attended summer intensives at State Street Ballet, Santa Barbra, and taken summer classes from Larry Rosenberg. Brittany’s thirteen years of Ballet training led her to receive her BA in dance from California State University, Fullerton. Under the department direction of Gladys Kares, Brittany began her modern training. She trained in Limon, Horton, and Graham from instructors Debra Noble, Alvin Rangel, and Lisa D Long; as well as keeping up her Ballet training with Muriel Joyce. Brittany May has performed in CSUF’s Fall and Spring Dance Concerts where she danced in contemporary ballet pieces by Muriel Joyce followed by classical repertoire from “Giselle.” Brittany Graduated Magma Cum Laude from the University Honors Program. Her senior thesis involved a research investigation on the style of Horton and how it related to Ballet dancers. She created and completed case studies that led her to acknowledge the benefits of the style on Ballerinas. Throughout her Honors project, she found her passion for teaching. Brittany currently teaches at PAW and hopes to continue dancing and performing into her future.

BRITTANY MAY                                     Pre-Ballet, Ballet, Modern

Jazmyn Phillips began her dance training as a child and her passion for movement has never wavered. In 2004, she was accepted on to the youth hip hop company, Future Shock San Diego. She trained and performed with the Shock family until she moved to Colorado in 2013 to pursue her Bachelor of Arts degree at Colorado Mesa University. After graduating in the spring of 2016, she traveled back home to search for work within her dance degree. Hip hop has a special place in her heart, but she also enjoys contemporary ballet, jazz and tap.

JAZMYN PHILLIPS Hip Hop

Catharine Grow Goldman grew up in Encinitas where she began her training at the age of 7 with Janice Lee’s School of Ballet. She began her professional career in 1995 with the Milwaukee Ballet Company. In 1996, Catharine joined the Cleveland San Jose Ballet Company (now Ballet San Jose) where she performed principal roles such as Long Tall Sally in Dennis Nahat’s Blue Suede Shoes, Maria in The Nutcracker, the Rancher’s Daughter in Agnes de Miles’ Rodeo, and the Lover (An Episode in His Past) in Antony Tutor’s Lilac Garden. She also danced soloist roles in Balanchine’s Who Cares? and Theme and Variations, Dennis Nahat’s Celebrations and Ode, Giselle, Swan Lake, and Twyla Tharp’s Baker’s Dozen. Catharine had the privilege of performing Sylvia throughout Italy, France, and Germany with her husband and fellow dancer, Zuri Goldman. Her film credits include Tango Dancer in the movie “Rent”. In 2004 was certified in the Gyrotonic Expansion System and in 2006 in Gyrokinesis. She loves training clients of all kinds, but especially enjoys working with young dancers. Catharine retired from the stage in 2010.

CATHARINE GOLDMAN
Ballet, Pointe, Gyrotonic

BFA Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. MFA UC Irvine.

Current Facutly: UCSD, MiraCosta, Palomar, Coronado School of the Arts and San Digueto Academy.

Past Facutly: SDSU, CSUSM, Malashock Dance, California Ballet

Past dancing: San Diego Dance Theater, Malashock Dance, McCaleb Dance, ImagoMoves, Keith Johnson and Dancers

Current dancing: Artistic Director of SCW/the group

As a dancer and dance educator, I continue to look for ways to bridge worlds within myself: the me of today who is interested in work that is discovering itself as it is danced and also to honor the younger me who began dancing because of the beauty of technical precision and the joy in the sensation of practicing and performing choreographed steps. Dane is a place I call home. In class and performance I hope to share with others what dance provides me; a better, more generous way of relating to the world around me. My work is, at its core, about our commonness and how we engage with the now. It is both deeply spiritual and not spiritual at all.

SADIE WEINBERG                            Modern, Improvisation, LITVAK Dance

DANIELLE OSIBOV Ballet, Beginning Pointe

Ana Mendoza graduated from Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey (ESMDM), in 2012, with her BFA in Dance Education specialize in Ballet. She also got certified by American Ballet Theater in 2013.

Miss Lozano has worked with numerous important teachers and choreographers, attended courses including Festival de Danza, Córdoba Veracruz, summer intensives with Ballet de Monterrey, intensives Contrology with Seminario del Ballet Del Nuevo Siglo. She performed soloist roles in Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, as well as jazz and contemporary works. Ana currently trains in CSDC and Millennium and choreographs solos for competition girls in San Diego area.

While living in San Diego Ana has performed with San Diego Ballet, City Ballet of San Diego, Celeste’s Lanuza Company in Fringe Festival and perform in Sara Serena’s video chasing dragons. She is very excited to join the PAW family.

ANA MENDOZA                                  Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz

Janica Smith began her ballet training at Capitol Ballet Center in Sacramento, California, under the direction of Stuart Carroll and Sharon Newton and went on to study at San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre’s, as well as City Ballet of San Diego’s Summer Intensive programs. She then joined City Ballet in 2002, under the direction of Steven and Elizabeth Wistrich, where she was featured in many works by Wistrich, as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara in The Nutcracker, Kitri in the full-length Don Quixote, Tinker Bell in Peter Pan, Carmen in Carmen, Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, and Nikiya in La Bayadere. Smith also performed Principal roles in George Balanchine’s Rubies, Apollo, Divertimento No. 15, Agon, La Source, Concerto Barocco, and Serenade. In 2012, Smith join Smuin Ballet in San Francisco, directed by Celia Fushille, where she was featured in pieces by Michael Smuin, Helen Pickett, Trey McIntyre, Amy Seiwart, and Adam Hougland. Smith also participated in the 10th International Ballet Competition and Contest of Choreographers in Moscow, Russia and New York City in 2005 and after her retirement in 2014, Smith became a Certified Pilates Instructor and is currently working towards a Nursing career.

JANICA SMITH Ballet

A lifelong student of dance, Jenny earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Dance from Catholic University of Daegu, South Korea. She began with the California Ballet Company in 2001 as an apprentice and became a Corps de Ballet in 2003, earning "Dancer of the Year" honors for the 2005-2006 Season. During her tenure with the California Ballet until May 2010, she performed in a wide array of roles ranging from Corps to solo to character roles that highlighted her variety of skills. In 2010, she relocated to Tokyo, Japan and while there she studied under a variety of teachers and choreographers from the Dresden Semperoper Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet Frankfurt, Leipziger Ballet, and Nederlands Dans Theater. Jenny has choreographed and staged two original neoclassic works both in Tokyo, Japan and San Diego, CA. Her ‘Devil’s Trill’ and ‘Surreality’ were recently featured in California Ballet Company’s production of “Beyond the Barre”. She is currently a teaching faculty member at California Ballet Company and other local studios. She relishes every opportunity to work with students of dance to achieve their greatest in the discipline and art of classical ballet.

Jenny E. Asseff is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through level 7 and partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

JENNY ASSEFF
Ballet

Cathy Keifer began her ballet training at the age of 3 in Fort Worth, TX. As a young teen, she studied with Harold Christensen at the San Francisco Ballet School on a full scholarship, with David Howard at the Harkness House in NYC on a full scholarship, and at the School of American Ballet, also with a full scholarship! At age 16, Cathy moved to France to train with Rosella Hightower at the Centre de Danse International. While there, she performed in Giselle with Adam Luders of the Royal Danish Ballet and Mania Gielgud of the London Festival Ballet. Cathy danced with the San Diego Ballet under the direction of Dame Sonia Arova, Thor Sutowski and Keith Martin. She was also a dancer with the San Diego Opera under the direction of Titio Capabianco and performed with Beverly Sills in The Merry Widow and Placido Domingo in Il Travatore. Cathy currently teaches all levels of ballet at the San Diego School of Ballet and the California Ballet School as well as the adults of PAW!

CATHY KEIFER                                     Ballet

Rebecca Elster Graduated from the University of California Santa Barbra in 2017 with dual degrees in Dance and Education. There she was trained in a wide range of styles including Vaganova technique (ballet) and many forms of modern dance. She has had the opportunity to perform works by Andrea Miller, Anna Halprin, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Yvonne Rainier, Jose Limon and many others. She particularly enjoyed touring internationally and getting to perform in London, Athens, Cypress, and Italy as well as in New York and California. Rebecca is very happy to be back at her ‘childhood dance home,’ teaching Ballet and Modern at the Performing Arts Workshop.

REBECCA ELSTER                              Creative Movement, Ballet, Modern

Liv Isaacs-Nollet was born and raised In San Diego where she trained under Maxine Mahon at California Ballet School and with her mother, San Diego’s iconic modern dance founder, Jean Isaacs. She went on to receive her BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase and worked in New York with Hernando Cortez’s Cortez and Company. Upon returning to San Diego, Liv began her 14 year career as a company member with Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater. She continues to work with the company restaging repertoire, creating dances, teaching and making guest appearances. Liv is also a certified Pilates instructor and has two darling daughters who are seven!

LIV ISAACS-NOLLET                                      Open Modern

 

Photograph by Bruce R Stanley.

Emily has been turning in circles ever since she learned to walk. After falling in love with classical ballet as a young child, she turned those circles into pirouettes at Performing Arts Workshop in Encinitas. Emily was lucky enough to attend Columbia College Chicago where she earned her BFA in Dancemaking and was supported, shaped, and radically challenged in her training and ideas about what dance was and could be. She has had the immense pleasure and honor of studying under Darrell Jones, Laura Wade, Bonnie Brooks, Carrie Hansen, Peter Carpenter, Dardi McGinley Gallivan, David Dorfman, Larry Rosenberg, Lisa Gonzales, Richard Woodbury, and Kate Corby among others. Emily has since come back to takeover and run Performing Arts Workshop armed with a love for community, a fascination with form/function, and a fervent desire to make as much room for and access to the work as possible. Emily is also the Director of the GETDOWN/PICKUP company, collaborates frequently with the Roger Anderson Chorale Consortium, and is a joyful company member of LITVAKdance under the direction of Sadie Weinberg.

Emily Miller

Director

Currently teaching Ballet and Pointe