Who We Are
SKIP COSTA is the National Director & Owner of NEW YORK LOS ANGELES DANCE CONVENTIONS & COMPETITIONS (NYLA DANCE) as well as the Founder and Artistic Director of SKIP COSTA.COREmovementPROJECT.NYC, NYLA DANCE National Youth Performance Project, the Southeast Dance Festival, and the off-Broadway theater experience ROCK STARS NYC combining live rock music and dance. He has been a featured dancer with Mark Dendy Dance (Choreographer of Broadway’s TABOO), David Rousseve/REALITY, The Kennedy Center’s Washington Opera, The New Orleans Ballet Association, Maida Withers DCC and Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. He has choreographed Off & Off-Off Broadway dance projects at Times Square Theater, The Tribeca Playhouse, The Richard Ellner Theater, and the American Theater of Actors as well as for the American Dance Guild, The Elan Awards(honoring Jerry Mitchell and Anne Reinking), DRA, Urban Artworks 7, DancenowNYC, Jennifer Muller/The Works HATCH Series, DUMBO Arts Festival, RedEye Theater(MN), New Dance Group, Coming Together, University Settlement, 92nd Street Y, The Best of BDC, and various NYC studio showcases.
He has taught & lectured for numerous high schools, colleges, & universities within the US and has taught/performed with his dance company within the US, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe. In Manhattan, he was on permanent faculty at Broadway Dance Center, Steps, Peridance Center, Ballet Arts, NDG, and Dance Space(now Gina Gibney Dance). He has also served as Acting Director of the Uptown Performance Series at The Bridge For Dance, which was highlighted by The New York Times.
During the summer, he teaches in NYC as well as directs the Southeast InterARTS(tm) Festival in Louisiana for young professionals. He has also directed/choreographed/produced an independent dance video “Dancing Alone”.
Currently is on the dance faculty at Southeastern Louisiana University and serves on the National Board of Directors for ACDA. He has an MFA in Dance & Choreography from The George Washington University.
ASHLEY LEWIS has been dancing for 20 plus years and did competitive dance for 11 years winning various awards and titles. In 2009 she became a member of the New Orleans Saintsations and proudly represented the New Orleans Saints for 5 years. In 2010 she performed at Superbowl XLIV in Miami, FL when the New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl. Ashley was also named the 2013 Pro Bowl Cheerleader where she performed in Hawaii with other Pro NFL Cheerleaders as well as famous pop-rock band Train. She has traveled not just locally but all over the world performing in areas such as Mexico City, Iraq, Kuwait, Djibouti, Bahrain, and Shanghai.
Ashley was also cast with Elite Casino Marketing in Biloxi, MS as a performer at the Hard Rock Casino for their 2016 summer vaudeville show called Show Risque.
Ashley is a graduate from Southeastern Louisiana University where she was also a dance instructor teaching several college dance courses. Ashley is now a current performer at the Walt Disney World Theme Parks & Resorts performing at meet and greet locations, dining locations, and special events. She is also a part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios most iconic show “Fantasmic”.
work in the commercial Dance world performing on national Tv shows, commercials, music videos and live stage performances with arstists such as Flo Rida, Pitbull, JLo, Marc Anthony, One Driection, Keith Urban, Ke$ha and J Balvin to name a few.
She is thankful to have had the experience to perform for large audiences on shows like Ellen, The Voice, The Today Show, Teen Choice Awards, Conan Obrian, and Premios. These experiences have made
it exciting for her to share her expertise with young dancers interested in turning their hard work and passion into a career, She is currently teaching fitness classes while guest teaching/choreographing part time.
Molleigh Wallace is a Mississippi native who started her professional career at the age of 19 with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line where she spent 3 years touring the Mediterranean, United Arab Emirates, Canada, New England & the Caribbean! Since then she has called both Las Vegas & Orlando home.
Molleigh has performed & worked side by side with SYTYCD stars Laci Schwimmer and Carlos Garland, with musicians Jermaine Dupree, Ceelo Green, Diplo, Skrillex, David Guetta & more! She has also been a dancer at the Latin Billboard Awards alongside Alejandro Fernandez & performed in a halftime show with icon Marc Anthony.
While in Vegas, she was a soloist in the famous pirate show Sirens of TI at Treasure Island & PinUp with Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair at the Stratosphere!
Some of her other credits include Vegas! The Show at Planet Hollywood, Actora’s Equity Member & Dancer on Cinderellas Castle Stage at Walt Disney World, three seasons with the NBA’s Orlando Magic Dancers, a Beauxbatons in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter & many other offerings at Universal Studios Florida.
Molleigh can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store and is very excited to join the NYLA Family for the 20th Anniversary Season!
Amiti Perry received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of North Texas and her Master of Fine Arts in Choreography from The Ohio State University. For over 13 years,she lived, worked, performed, directed, taught, and created dance in New York independently, collaboratively, and in multiple dance companies. Since 2012, Amiti has taught as an adjunct professor at UNT for the past 10 years. In addition to teaching multiple and various technique and theory courses, she has performed in faculty works, premiered original choreography,and served as rehearsal director for visiting guest artists, including Bill Evans and Vincent Hardy.
Amiti has choreographed over 50 musical theatre and dramatic productions over 25 years. She served as resident choreographer for productions at Theatre at The Colony and Odysseus Chamber Orchestra and is currently serving as Dance Director at East Dallas Arts and Lakeview Preparatory School in Dallas, TX. In 2006, Amiti founded æmp:dance/amiti perry + company, with whom she has created,presented, and performed multiple works in New York City and continues to present as a company in Texas.
Cassie Zaremba Cassie Zaremba has been dancing for twenty-three years and teaching dance for fourteen years. In high school Cassie competed in dance competitions and went to many dance conventions where she got to take classes from choreographers such as: Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Brian Freidman, Cris Judd, Dave Scott, Gil Duldulao, Tyce Diorio, and many more.
After high school Cassie moved on and danced at a collegiate level at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg where she received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography with Honors.
In her undergrad Cassie was part of the Repertory Dance Company and choreographed for multiple dance concerts. She danced on tour with the USM’s music department the opera, The Merry Widow. She was also a part of a dance troupe called Hattiesburlesque, where they spread the message that all women’s shapes and sizes are beautiful.
Cassie studied abroad in London, England for dance where she trained at Pineapple Dance Studio, Rambert’s Dance Company, and The Royal Academy of Dance. After college, Cassie moved to Orlando, FL and became a cast member at the Walt Disney World Company. While in Orlando, Cassie worked with Florida Community Arts: School of the Arts outreach program, where she taught master classes around the Orlando area. Cassie relocated to Houston, TX and began teaching at various dance studios in the city where she became director for competition teams. During her time there she has received choreography awards at multiple dance competitions, and became certified in Acrobatic Arts and Alexia Flexibility. Cassie enjoys returning to NYLA to teach class and watch the improvement of dancers technique and performance each year.
Charity Baroni was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. She moved to Los Angeles in 2008 and thrived in the entertainment industry as a professional background dancer and performed and toured with artists such as Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift all around the world. She has and also performed in music videos with Beyoncé, live performances with Flo Rida, the Grammies with Katy Perry, and more.
She learned and experienced a lot during her time in LA and journeyed back home to Nashville to share her professional experiences in her teaching and mentoring other dancers. Through all of her experiences she has learned how to hold onto truth, boldness, light and fun and does this especially when sharing her passion of dance and life with others!
