From conducting Broadway musicals in such venues as the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles to leading summer orchestral performances for thousands of concert-goers across Central New York, Travis understands and facilitates the important connection between audience members and orchestral musicians.

As a guest conductor with the Syracuse ...

From conducting Broadway musicals in such venues as the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles to leading summer orchestral performances for thousands of concert-goers across Central New York, Travis understands and facilitates the important connection between audience members and orchestral musicians.

As a guest conductor with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Symphoria, and The Syracuse Orchestra, Travis has led performances of a wide variety of repertoire, including Pops, Classical and Film music. He has also collaborated with well-known composers, including conducting the world premiere of Academy Award-nominated composer Patrick Doyle’s score for the silent film “IT” at the 2013 Syracuse International Film Festival.

Currently, Travis is interim Dean of the Carroll College of Arts and Sciences at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY, where he was the founding conductor of the Le Moyne College Symphony Orchestra. He studied violin performance and conducting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and also holds an BMA from Le Moyne College and PH.D. in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky.

Holly Adams is a SAG-AFTRA performer with classic and conservatory training and a graduate of the International Dell’Arte School. Her professional career covers two decades and four continents! Known for her skills as a physical actor, her stage and film roles include Zombies, Aliens, and Shakespearean nymphs, witches, ...

Holly Adams is a SAG-AFTRA performer with classic and conservatory training and a graduate of the International Dell’Arte School. Her professional career covers two decades and four continents! Known for her skills as a physical actor, her stage and film roles include Zombies, Aliens, and Shakespearean nymphs, witches, and warriors. Favorites include film features Gotham Blue, Anomie, and Here Alone; shorts Your Loving, Virginia as Virginia Woolf, Ovid, and Taps. Some stage favorites: Love, Loss and What I Wore; My Father’s Dragon; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Macbeth; A Christmas Carol; Hotspur in Richard II; Richard III in Kynge’s Games; as well as numerous physical theatre pieces.

Ariella received her early dance training at Dance Centre North which included summer intensives at New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Ballet & Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Ariella furthered her dance education at the Purchase College SUNY Conservatory of Dance. While there she performed works ...

Ariella received her early dance training at Dance Centre North which included summer intensives at New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Ballet & Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Ariella furthered her dance education at the Purchase College SUNY Conservatory of Dance. While there she performed works by George Balanchine, Betty Jane Sills and former Martha Graham dancer Stephanie Tooman. She was selected to perform with American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company with work by Stanton Welch. Ariella found her true love in teaching while assisting Francis Patrelle’s Pre-Professional classes at Ballet Academy East in NYC. Ballet Academy East became Ariella’s new home where she taught for 18 years. Working alongside world renowned dancers and teachers (Elizabeth Walker, Olga Dvorovenko, Cornell Crabtree) she also received teacher training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Ariella was also on faculty at the Eglevsky Ballet directed by Maurice Brandon Curry and was children’s ballet mistress to Francis Patrelle’s Nutcracker. Ariella loves bringing her passion for dance and teaching to her hometown. Ariella is currently on staff at Dance Centre North.

Larry Crabtree is originally from Syracuse, N.Y., where he received his training at the Center of Ballet under the direction of Deborah Boughton. Larry was a Principal Dancer/Assistant Director/Ballet Master for the Anglo-American Ballet based in New York City for over 20 years, under the artistic direction ...

Larry Crabtree is originally from Syracuse, N.Y., where he received his training at the Center of Ballet under the direction of Deborah Boughton. Larry was a Principal Dancer/Assistant Director/Ballet Master for the Anglo-American Ballet based in New York City for over 20 years, under the artistic direction of Catherine Kingsley (ARAD).
He was a member of the Peter Pucci Plus Dancers-NYC, Shore Ballet-NJ, New Jersey Ballet, and New York Theatre Ballet, among others. He has toured nationally and internationally appearing at such venues as Lincoln Center, Joyce & Joyce Soho, The New Victory Theater, Edinburgh Festival, and throughout the United States,
Switzerland, Mexico, as well as dance appearances on nationally televised programs. As a teacher, Larry has been at Dance Centre North since 2006 and has been an Adjunct Faculty member at Le Moyne College, Syracuse University, a faculty member for Circle in the Square Theater School (NYC), the STEPS Studios (NYC), and New Jersey Ballet (NJ). Larry is the original Director/Choreographer of CNY Arts – Dasher’s Magical Gift and has had his choreography presented at the International Building Conference, in numerous Le Moyne Gifford Family Theatre/ Boot-n-Buskin productions, and for various musical/movement for actor collaborations in NYC, locally, and in Vermont.

David Slocum, a creative and experienced dance instructor, has been teaching and sharing his love for dance for over 25 years throughout Central New York. With a background in Ballet, Jazz, and modern-based contemporary dance, David has performed both classical and contemporary works with the Central New York Ballet, Dance ...

David Slocum, a creative and experienced dance instructor, has been teaching and sharing his love for dance for over 25 years throughout Central New York. With a background in Ballet, Jazz, and modern-based contemporary dance, David has performed both classical and contemporary works with the Central New York Ballet, Dance Centre North, and Upstate New York Ballet. He has contributed pieces to countless community concerts and dance festivals and has created award-winning choreography for many dance studios in the area. David was also awarded an Individual Artists Grant from the New York State Council of the Arts for an original work to commemorate National Dance Week. David has instructed classes at workshops for Dance Masters of America (D.M.A.) and the National Association of Dance Affiliated Artists (N.A.D.A.A.) and was certified through the Dance Educators of America Teacher Training Program. David has helped many students apply and be accepted into the New York State School of the Arts (N.Y.S.S.A.), Joffrey Ballet programs, as well as universities and colleges including The Ailey School at Fordham University, Columbia University, Rutgers University, the State University of New York at Buffalo, Marymount Manhattan College,
and Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Diana Torba earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Political Science from Barnard College, Columbia University. Her Bronx-based company, St. Michael’s Warriors, regularly performed across the East Coast, and on two international tours.  Upon returning to Syracuse, Diana founded SpeakDanceCNY, which regularly performs original dance works. Often ...

Diana Torba earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Political Science from Barnard College, Columbia University. Her Bronx-based company, St. Michael’s Warriors, regularly performed across the East Coast, and on two international tours.  Upon returning to Syracuse, Diana founded SpeakDanceCNY, which regularly performs original dance works. Often collaborating with various musical artists, Ms. Torba’s choreography paves new ways to electrify audiences with professional dance in CNY!

The dedicated and professional staff at Dance Centre North, develops and reinforces the talents of all our students, and encourage graceful, strong dancers with skills that extend beyond the stage. In this nurturing environment students enhance their cognitive skills, attention, memory and sensory awareness, as well as mature physically, ...

The dedicated and professional staff at Dance Centre North, develops and reinforces the talents of all our students, and encourage graceful, strong dancers with skills that extend beyond the stage. In this nurturing environment students enhance their cognitive skills, attention, memory and sensory awareness, as well as mature physically, emotionally and socially. Dance, taught by the DCN staff, is approached individually and also as a team effort in that the final product presented requires each and every member to be at their personal best. The combined efforts of each student make the progress and performances exemplary!