Our
STAFF
DIRECTORS
Angela Thompson
Owner, Executive Director
Miss Angie has been dancing since she was five years old, and teaching for over 25 years. Over the years, she has had many wonderful opportunities studying dance under her mothers dance studio Terry Fyke Studio of Dance. She is proud to call that same studio her own since 2018, with Stilla Dance. She has had the opportunity to perform on many stages in her lifetime, most notably several stages at Disney World! In January 2021, she had the lifelong goal to take her performance team to perform on the Disney World stage under her direction!
While Miss Angle has studied all styles of dance, tap quickly became her passion! As teacher and director she has won several choreography awards over the years, as well as many other awards at local competitions. She continues to study many styles of dance with local master teachers, as well as continuing her dance education online.
During the day, Miss Angie works as a freelance Graphic Designer, and owns/operates a t-shirt printing company. She lives with her husband "Mr. Tim" and her daughter Emily.
"I believe that you are never too old to start something new, or to continue to pursue your passions in life!"
Cara Weinman
Artistic Director
As artistic director, Miss Cara continues to conceive, develop, and implement the artistic vision and focus of our studio. She oversees all that happens within our classrooms such as; handling recreational and team class placements, our curriculum (what is taught in class), steering our dancers in the right direction for success, and continuing to lead our artistic vision for the studio.
Cara Weinman is originally from Dayton, Ohio where she began dancing at age 3 with South Dayton Dance Theatre focusing over the years in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, and tap. At age 16, she attended the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center in New York City on scholarship and fell in love with NYC. Cara stayed in NYC to pursue a degree receiving a BFA in dance from SUNY purchase college where she studied ballet, modern, and other styles intensively under world renowned teachers/choreographers. After college, Cara danced with professional modern and ballet companies throughout NYC, and taught dance full time at Ballet Academy East, and Brooklyn Dance Project to name a couple. Cara has been teaching dance for over 15 years and loves teaching all ages and styles! She has recently moved to the Rochester area from New York City where she lives with her husband and three young daughters.
Jena Morey
Director
INSTRUCTORS
Ashlyn Abbey
Miss Ashlyn began dancing at the age of 2. She’s been trained in a variety of styles including tap, jazz, ballet, ballroom, lyrical, and hip-hop. She continued to dance in her college dance troupe, Orchesis, through her time at Grove City College where she pursued a Masters in Elementary Education with concentrations in the Arts and Special Education. When she’s not at Stilla, she spends her days teaching 2nd grade! She is also on her school’s musical directing team. Ashlyn also has a love for musicals and has been in, costumed, and choreographed many shows including Madagascar, Fame, Beauty and the Beast and You’re A Goodman Charlie Brown. She was also the president of her college’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega. Ashlyn loves working at Stilla where she can combine her loves of working with children, and dancing in such a positive, supportive environment!
Gabby Cronk
Gabby has been dancing since she was four years old. She has trained in many styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, modern, pointe, lyrical, and more. Gabby has attended many conventions where she learned from choreographers around the country. She also danced competitively for seven years. Gabby is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Fine Arts in dance at SUNY Brockport.
Lexie Duma
Lexie Duma has been teaching dancers ages 1-80 in the Buffalo and Rochester areas since 2019. She has been trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, and contemporary. Ballet is her favorite, by far! Lexie has been dancing since she was 2, including during college, where she was a member of the executive board of her dance group, coordinating recitals both virtually, in-person, and hybrid. Lexie has her degree in Inclusive Childhood Education with a minor in psychology from St. John Fisher University, and is currently working on her Master's Degree through SUNY Brockport. She loves the littles, so families of young dancers, keep your eyes peeled! When Lexie isn't dancing, you might find her climbing mountains in the Adirondack region, reading a book, or in her classroom. She is a 4th grade teacher in Penfield! Lexie is excited to join Stilla Dance and work with such a wonderful community of people!
Mary Day
Mary Day is a graduate from the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts as a dance major. Mary has been a choreographer, professional dancer and competition director since 2017. Mary has received several Technique Awards, Industry Dance Nominations, National Titles and many more. Lyrical, contemporary and tap are her most proud accomplishments. She has received the “Al Gilbert Award” for the excellence in the field of tap. Mary has also brought her contemporary group “Amen” to World Of Dance in Los Angeles. Mary Day has been in music videos, danced for Missy Cochran on the Las Vegas Strip, and assisted Rockette, Stacy Paydo. Mary has worked for Spotlight Dance Cup and Starbound Dance Competition as a stage manager. She has also judged for AXIS Dance Competition. Mary is very well rounded in all genres, ages and levels, she is no stranger to the competition world. She can’t wait to share her passion with the dancers at Stilla!
Michelle Harrington
Michelle has been teaching ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and modern in the Rochester area for over 10 years. She began her ballet training at the Timothy M. Draper Center for Dance Education, where she performed corps de ballet work with the Rochester City Ballet in the Nutcracker, Cinderella, Firebird, and Balanchine’s Serenade. Michelle attended the University of Arizona where she earned her BFA in dance, performed in various jazz and modern works, as well as Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, and performed Panorama with the Martha Graham Dance Company. After college, Michelle returned to the Rochester City Ballet to perform in Balanchine’s Serenade and Jamey Leverett’s LumaVoce. She also performed Levertt’s contemporary ballet Majestic Mountains at the Jacob’s Pillow’s iconic outdoor theatre. Michelle continued her professional career performing with Ballet Memphis working with choreographers such as Steven McMahon, Trey McIntrye, Matthew Neenan, and Julia Adam. She performed soloist, demi-soloist and corps de ballet roles in Ballet Memphis’ full length ballets Nutcracker and Peter Pan, contemporary works by Rafael Ferreras and Brandon Ramey, as well as on tour with Steven McMahon’s Wizard of Oz. Upon retiring from professional ballet, Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Adolescent Education from SUNY Geneseo. Michelle’s passion lies in creating an uplifting and encouraging environment, with the goal of helping students discover their own strength and power. Michelle is so excited to join Stilla Dance and share her joy of dance with new students!
Joanna Rodreguez
Joanna Rodriguez is a dancer, choreographer, and educator who brings classical ballet and modern dance training—and the lived experience of parenting four children—to her work. After training at a pre-professional ballet school in the Chicago suburbs, she earned a B.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography from Hope College in Holland, MI, where she received a Distinguished Artist Award scholarship and the Florence Cavanaugh Award for exceptional achievement in dance.
Joanna has been teaching dance since 2006, first in West Michigan, and then in Rochester starting in 2015. This is her third year at Stilla Dance, where she teaches a variety of ages & styles, from babies to adults. As a teacher, Joanna is passionate about meeting students where they are and finding their “just right challenge.” She emphasizes correct alignment, functional conditioning, and safe stretching techniques to help dancers meet their full potential.
In addition to teaching, Joanna continues to perform, choreograph, and produce independent dance projects in Rochester. In 2025, she received funding to produce her work through the Statewide Community Regrant and Aid to Localities grants through Genesee Valley Council on the Arts. She is passionate about using dance as a catalyst for connection, imagination, and transformative change.
Mission Statement
Stilla Dance is a studio based in Scottsville, NY. At Stilla Dance, our goal is to inspire and nurture creativity in each student we have the privilege to teach. We offer a wide range of dance styles for ages 2 to adult including: Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Adult Fitness classes.