We are fortunate to have a wonderful staff of dance teachers, voice coaches, and office personal, who bring a positive, family oriented vibe to the studio.
Sherri Shortell Director / Owner
Sherri Shortell is the Director of Center Stage Dance and Performing Arts Center and the Center Stage Dance Company. Sherri has been teaching and performing in the Washington Metro area since 1979 after studying in New York and Connecticut. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, the White House, the Smithsonian Institution, and Wolf Trap […]
Laurel’s love for dance began at an early age and has continued to grow. She started her career as a studio dancer and began choreographing and performing her own competitive numbers at age 17. She later went on to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Dance. During college, Laurel had the opportunity to study […]
A Washington, D.C. native, is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Choreographer for NYC’s LMproject. She earned her degree from Dean College School of Dance. Alisa has directed and/or choreographed several shows in regional theatre including “Newsies”, “A Chorus Line”, “La Cage Aux Folles”, “Mary Poppins” (original Broadway choreography), “Spring Awakening”, “Big Fish”, “Legally Blonde”, “The […]
Amanda Cook is a Street Styles dancer/choreographer from the Washington DC area and is teaching our hip hop classes! She is a people person and is always looking for new creative ways to help others learn dance. She grew up as a competitive dancer in all styles but later found her love for Hip Hop. […]
Laura Halick voice instructor, drama/musical theatre instructor
Laura Halick is with us for a twentieth year at Center Stage. She is our vocal coach, our non competition drama/musical theatre instructor and also works with our competition musical theatre teams on vocals. Mrs Halick also runs her own private voice studio, thriving with children, teenagers and adults who come from all over northern […]
Michael Hibbs is a graduate of Oklahoma City University as a dance performance major and a Center Stage alum. Michael is currently performing on Oceania Cruise Line but will be back between contracts for master classes and coaching. Michael has been a featured performer on Holland America Cruise lines. Prior to that, he danced at […]
Bella Leonard is a current George Mason dance major originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She trained at the Alabama School of Fine Arts as a dance major in 2022 and decided to further her training at George Mason. She has attended several summer intensives including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey, Point Park International Summer Dance, Alabama […]
Phillip Smith-Cobbs ballet, boys ballet and boys conditioning
Philip Smith-Cobbs moved back to Northern Virginia several years ago after dancing with Atlanta Ballet for five seasons. At the age of eight, Philip began training with Classical Ballet Theatre in Herndon. He also attended summer intensives at Richmond Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and School of American Ballet. After graduating from high school, he continued […]
Zoe Varacalli is a dance instructor at Center Stage currently specializing in tap, with a vast portfolio of different dance styles such as jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and modern dance. Cultivated at Encore Performers and an alumni of the Fairfax Academy, Zoe has deep roots in the Northern Virginia area. They are also certified with […]