KATHRYN W. AUSTIN, PhD, MA, RDE

Educator, Writer, Advocate for Dance and the Arts, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Dance Faculty

Centre for Dance & the Performing Arts, Owner and Director

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Is a nationally-recognized dance educator who has used her businesses and talents to serve the Central Florida community in Florida for the past 36 years. Dr. Austin has over 45 years of teaching experience in the private sector, University, public school system and community education as well as frequent guest teaching, lecture demonstrations, artist-in-residencies, and conference presentations to her credit. She is a recipient of the NDEO Outstanding Dance Educator Award for the Private Sector and a former Teacher of the Year in Osceola County. Austin is an active member of several state and national dance organizations, a past member of the NDEO Board, and the Chair of Dance and the Child International-USA. Dr. Austin is a frequent presenter and guest speaker at conferences throughout the United States, in addition to her teaching and writing, and was actively involved in speaking and mentoring through webinar and ZOOM formats in the immediate response to COVID. Dr. Austin is a freelance choreographer having worked for professional and community theatres, Nickelodeon, Universal Studios - Florida, the Orlando Magic, the Florida Motion Picture Association, and various musical theatre productions. Austin is an adjunct Professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University, where she teaches Dance History I and II and Pedagogical Concepts of Teaching Dance I and II. She is active in her home church, the First United Methodist Church of Winter Garden, where she serves as Liturgist. Austin is the mother of three grown children and a devoted mentor to many more.  

 

PhD in Comparative Studies, Fine & Performing Arts

M.A. in Dance & Theatre (UH-Manoa)

B.F.A. Dance Performance (FSU)

National Dance Education Organization

Florida Dance Education Organization

Dance & the Child International

Dance & the Child International USA, Chair

British Association of Teachers of Dancing, Fellow and Life Member

National Registry of Dance Educators

International Association of Dance Medicine & Science

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ELLEN BROWN

BA, trained at Centre for Dance & the Performing Arts since the age of 3 and was a student teacher during her high school years. She went on to graduate with distinction from Duke University, with a double major in Dance and Psychology. Ellen then moved to New York City where she danced professionally in a variety of companies and festivals for 7 years. Now back in Winer Garden, Ellen founded a concert dance company, 3rd Space Dance and also teaches again at her home, CDPA. She has been a full time instructor here for the past 4 years.​​​

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CHEYANNE SCOTT

 is a Winter Garden native and trained at CDPA from the age of 3. At CDPA, she studied all genres of dance and competed in Scottish Highland dance in addition to being in the CDPA Perfroming Ensemble. She was an assistant and student teacher during her time at CDPA and has always had a wonderful rapport with CDPA students and families. Cheyanne has been a very active CDPA alumna as a teacher and also a performer in the annual producation of In His Name...We Dance and other alumni dances. She graduated from West Orange High School and moved to New York City to further her dance education, graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy with a Conservatory degree in Dance Theater. Cheyanne moved home in February of 2018 and went back to school at Southern Technical College for Medical Assisting. She graduated in 2022, and looks forward to continuing her career in the medical field by obtaining my Bachelor's degree in Nursing. 

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LISA BACKOVSKY

came to CDPA as an adult looking to continue her highland dancing in 2005.  She stepped into teaching soon after, and has been a teacher at CDPA for 17 years.  She is certified by the British Association of teachers of dance as a Highland dance teacher. She was a college cheerleader, and a cheer coach in the  Orlando area over the years, and loves sharing her cheer skills as the cheer dance teacher.  Outside of CDPA, she has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, and is currently a senior sales manager at Margaritaville Resort. She is also proud mom to Tre and Austin!

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MEREDITH COOK

is a dance educator holding a B.A. in Dance Performance and a Master’s in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado, as well as certification in the Cecchetti Method of Ballet. She has taught at Jewett School of the Arts, Ballet Conservatory Dance Centre, and Lakeview Middle School, and has been grateful to serve as a staff member at CDPA for the past two years. Meredith is passionate about helping dancers grow in skill, confidence, and artistry. She is also a proud mama to her sweet 14-month-old daughter, Amelia.

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EVA G. DE LUIGI

is a professional ballet dancer, choreographer, and dance educator with more than 20 years of international experience in classical and contemporary ballet. Trained in Vaganova method at the Maria Gorkin Academy in Switzerland, and Venezuela at the Ballet-Arte. Eva performed as a principal dancer with the renowned Teresa Carreño Theater in Venezuela, touring internationally and performing leading roles in productions such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, The Firebird, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Balanchine’s Serenade, and many more.

Since making Orlando her home in 2002, Eva has continued to perform with organizations including Orlando Ballet, Central Florida Ballet, and Universal Studios, while dedicating her career to teaching and mentoring dancers of all ages and levels. She has been a member of the CDPA community since 2004, helping shape and inspire generations of young dancers through her expertise, creativity, and passion for the art form.

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