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 […]
Mrs. Donovan is on maternity leave this year after the birth of her second son William! Mrs. Donovan took her first ballet class at the age of 3 and hasn’t stopped dancing since. She studied education in college and took ballet classes with a local studio and company in her free time. She first started […]
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. Most recently he has been a featured performer on Holland America Cruise lines and is looking forward to teaching tap classes here at Center Stage! In addition to Holland America, he has performed at Cedar Point […]
Erin Loesley is a Registered Acrobatique AcroDance Instructor. After dancing and taking acro (although when she was young, it was called “Jazz and Gym”) for most of her childhood in Pennsylvania, she recently got back into dance when her three children started dancing at Center Stage. With a varied athletic background from playing and coaching many sports, […]
Chris “Peanut” Saunders contemporary dance
Chris “Peanut” Saunders is a graduate of Shenandoah University as a dance major. Peanut joins us for a second year is teaching contemporary and turns and jumps classes here at Center Stage. He had performed for the last several years on Holland America cruise ships. He is thrilled to be back at Center Stage, where […]
Laura Sniegowski Schmidt ballet, tap and jazz classes
Laura Sniegowski is a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor of Science degree in American Dance Pedagogy and begins her ninth year here at Center Stage. While in the program she taught tap, jazz, hip hop and ballet at the Community Dance Center at OCU. She was a production assistant for the American […]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 […]