Where passion for dance meets exceptional teaching
Meet Our Amazing Faculty
Cathy Acerba
Cathy has owned and directed Dancexpress since 1992. She has danced and competed nationally in Las Vegas and New York. In 1990, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from West Chester University where she also minored in psychology and spanish. She has brought many dancers over the years to regional competitions, workshops, and showcases. Cathy also is in charge of the group “Showstoppers” who dance locally at nursing homes and community events. She continues to train and take class from the leading dancers and choreographers in the industry today. Cathy recently won a teacher’s scholarship to the Pulse Intensive in New York which she will be attending this Summer. In May, her competitive dance team junior and senior dancers won the high scores at 2 different dance competitions.
Grace Aglialoro
Grace has been dancing since age 2 and is currently a Senior at Saint Joseph’s University. She trained at Tricia Sloan Dance Center in New Jersey, focusing on ballet, and performed in productions such as The Nutcracker, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. She continues her dance journey in college as Co‑President of SJU Club Dance, gaining experience as both a dancer and choreographer. Grace is excited to bring her passion and skills to DanceXpress this season!
Madison Eichert
Madison has been dancing at DanceXpress since age 3 and teaching since she was 13. She trained in tap, jazz, and ballet, focusing on ballet for six years, and recently discovered a love for hip-hop through classes with Matt Steffanina, Dana Alexa, and Rosero McCoy, as well as summer intensives at Millennium Dance Complex and IDA Hollywood. Madison has competed with DanceXpress multiple times and looks forward to teaching while completing her college degree at Eastern University.
Courtney Fickes
Courtney is a dynamic performer and choreographer from Baltimore, MD, who has been dancing since age 3. She trained in all styles at Kirov Ballet Academy, Koresh Dance Company, Parsons Dance Company, and Edna Lee Dance Studio, and has performed professionally with world-renowned artists across the country. Known for her technique, artistry, and choreography, Courtney is excited to inspire young dancers to discover their passion and follow their dreams.
Tori Johns
Tori attended Manheim Township High School, where she was a member of the dance team all four years and served as captain for two. Tori has trained in numerous styles of dance at Encore Dance Center. Currently, Tori attends Saint Joseph’s University, where she is on the dance team. She is incredibly excited to be part of the Dancexpress family! Tori loves working with kids and is looking forward to building meaningful connections with young dancers.
Yasir “Yas” Jones
A Newark, New Jersey native, Yas began his dance training at age seven at the Newark School of the Arts and continued at Arts High School, earning the AileyCamp Scholarship and joining The Ailey School’s Junior Division. He later earned a BFA in Dance from Johns Hopkins University and returned to The Ailey School’s Certificate Program, performing works by choreographers including Branndi Lewis, Darrell Moultrie, and Avree Walker, along with pieces from the Alvin Ailey repertory. Yas has appeared as a guest artist with Dance Theatre of Harlem in Dougla and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Memoria. In 2025, he joined Philadanco! and is excited to share the joy and tools he has gained throughout his journey with DanceXpress dancers.
Leann Josiban
Captivated by movement, LeAnn Josiban began her dance journey at age nine. She earned her BFA in Dance, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of the Arts, where she worked with artists including Paul Matteson, Curt Haworth, and Gary Jeter, focusing on somatic movement. She further expanded her movement vocabulary studying with Wayne David, Uwazi Zamani, and Pape Ibrahima N’diaye. Always seeking new challenges, LeAnn continues to explore circus arts and pushes herself to discover fresh pathways of expression and freedom in movement.
Meg Kahler
Meg is a sophomore at Saint Joseph’s University and has been dancing since age 2. She trained at Elite Dance Academy, competing from ages 7 to 18, and has studied all styles with a focus on contemporary and jazz. In college, she continues dancing with SJU Club Dance, growing as both a dancer and choreographer. Meg loves sharing her passion for dance with students of all ages and is excited to help dancers at DanceXpress build confidence, skill, and joy in every class.
Floyd McLean, Jr.
Floyd, originally from East Orange, NJ, began his pre-professional dance training at Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts in Montclair, NJ. He has trained with residencies and intensives including The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet Hispanico, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, NYU Future Dancers/Dance Makers, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Floyd earned his BFA in Modern Dance from Point Park University, where he discovered his passion for choreography. He has performed works by choreographers such as Rennie Harris, Kate Skarpetowska, Joshua Peugh, and Christopher Huggins. Floyd is thrilled to bring his experience and creativity to DanceXpress and inspire dancers of all ages.
L. James O’Gilvie
L. James O’Gilvie was born and raised in Boston, MA. He started at Boston Ballet and after many summer at Alvin Ailey, joined Urbanity Dance. He received his BFA in Dance Performance from the Hartt School in CT, and is now starting his third season at Philadanco!
James loves teaching a range of styles but improv, contemporary, and composition. He’s heard so many amazing things about Dancexpress from his friends and co-workers, and can’t wait to join the wonderful dance faculty and community at Dancexpress!
Linda OKeefe
Linda has been a beloved part of the DanceXpress family for over 20 years, sharing her passion for dance with generations of students. She especially loves teaching the littlest dancers, creating a fun, welcoming environment where they can explore movement without fear and develop confidence on the dance floor. For Linda, every class is an opportunity to inspire joy, laughter, and a love of dance — making every day at DanceXpress a truly magical one!
Pompeia Pohland
Pompeia Pohland began her dance training at The Dance Depot in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, where she studied ballet, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and musical theatre before continuing her education at the University of the Arts. She later spent two years in Los Angeles training with renowned instructors and choreographers, then returned to the Philadelphia area to pursue her passion for teaching. With more than six years of experience, Pompeia specializes in hip hop while also teaching a variety of styles, and is dedicated to helping dancers build strong technique, perform with confidence, and reduce the risk of injury.
Taylor Ruppe
Taylor is from Philadelphia and has been dancing since age 2. She trained in tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, and contemporary at her childhood studio. While attending the University of the Sciences, she danced with the hip hop group iNERT!A and later served as its director for three years, and also performed with the hip hop and contemporary group Strictly Funk at the University of Pennsylvania. Taylor is excited to be part of the DanceXpress faculty and to share her love of dance with her students.
Kaleb K. Smith
Kaleb K. Smith (Dallas, TX) began his dance training at Dallas Black Dance Academy. Mr. Smith attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. After graduating from the Ailey school , Mr. Smith Began his first season with Philadanco that summer of 2025. Kaleb is super excited to join Dancexpress as one of the new up and coming teachers.
Julia Vacca
Julia has been dancing since age 3 and began competing at 7 with Kay’s Act 2 Dance Studio. She trained in a variety of styles and developed a strong passion for both performing and teaching. Julia is a member of the nationally ranked Saint Joseph’s University Dance Team, where she continues to grow as a dancer and teammate. She is also a certified tumbling coach through Finish Strong at Kay’s Loft, helping students build strength, coordination, and confidence. Julia is excited to share her love of dance and tumbling with students at DanceXpress.
Emmalynn Adams
Emmalynn is a sophomore at Saint Joseph’s University and has been dancing since age two and competing since age five. Trained in a variety of styles at Premiere Dance Studio, she developed an early passion for both dance and teaching. She currently teaches Hip Hop, Tap, and Contemporary and loves sharing her enthusiasm for dance with her students.