Samuel Pott founded Nimbus in 2005 drawing on a deeply held personal belief in the value that the arts can play in bringing together people and communities. Under his direction the organization has grown each year adding performances, new repertory and new community initiatives and projects. Known for creating structured and musical dances that evoke deep-rooted emotional connection, Mr. Pott’s choreography has been shown in New York City, throughout New Jersey, and across the country at venues including the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM Fisher), New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. His collaborations have included work with many esteemed contemporary artists working in new music, including composers Daniel Bernard Roumain, Samson Young, Judd Greenstein, Aaron Parks, and Qasim Naqvi; visual artists Nicola Lopez and Trudy Miller; and video artists Isabelle Duverger and Laia Cabrera.

A highly sought after master teacher, Mr. Pott has taught dance at the elementary, high school, college, and professional levels and has served on the faculty of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He was named to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Arts in Education roster of artists. In 2012, he founded the School of Nimbus, grounded in the belief that dance can serve as a meeting point for diverse communities for growth towards common values and goals. The School makes high-quality dance training available to youth throughout Jersey City regardless of financial background. Mr. Pott founded and directs NimbusPRESENTS, a Jersey City performance series featuring local and national performers. Mr. Pott has received Choreography Fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in 2008 and 2017 and was named a Distinguished Teaching Artist by the Council in 2012. Mr. Pott was one of 25 arts leaders nationally selected for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters’ (APAP) inaugural Leadership Fellows Program. He serves on the Dance Advisory Council for New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for ArtPride NJ and is a co-founder of the Jersey City Arts Council.

Marie Zvosec is a graduate of The Juilliard School, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and Sarah Lawrence College. She has been seen performing with Buglisi Dance Theatre, TAKE Dance, Bennyroyce Dance, Hilary Easton + Company, Douglas Dunn and Dancers, Shannon Gillan and Elisabeth Motley, Elizabeth Keen, and with the Metropolitan Opera in in productions by Zhang Yimou and Mark Morris. For Brooklyn Opera Works, she directed Hansel and Gretel (2014), A Brooklyn Cabaret (2015), Dido and Aeneas (2016), Echo et Narcisse (2017), Venus and Adonis (2018), and All Wounds Bleed (2019). Choreographic commissions include works for Ohio Dance Theatre, Adelphi University, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Bennyroyce Dance, Springboard Danse Montréal, Blackbird/Oiseau Noir Dance, Moxie Contemporary Ballet, and Randolph College. She was a fellow at BAM’s Professional Development Program and was a full scholarship awardee for Teaching Artist Training at National Dance Institute. She was Chair of the Dance Department at Brooklyn Music School and at Randolph College, Director of the Helen McGehee Visiting Artist in Dance Program, and is a faculty member at Adelphi University, where she teaches technique, partnering, and composition.

Sarah Lane, born in San Francisco, California, began her dance training in Memphis before  continuing in Rochester, New York, where she performed with the Rochester City Ballet. Her  talent quickly garnered national recognition: she earned scholarships and top awards from  prestigious programs including the Boston Ballet Summer Program, North American Ballet  Festival, and Youth America Grand Prix. In 2002, she was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in  the Arts and won the Silver Medal at the Jackson International Ballet Competition. Lane joined  American Ballet Theatre’s studio company that same year, and rose through the ranks to become  a Principal Dancer in 2017. 

Throughout her career with American Ballet Theatre, Lane performed an extensive repertoire,  including leading roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Manon, La  Bayadère, and The Nutcracker, among many others. She also originated roles in several  productions, such as The Tempest, Whipped Cream, and Seasons. Her honors include the  Princess Grace Award and the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts. Lane gained  mainstream attention as the dance double for Natalie Portman in Black Swan and has appeared in  numerous fashion magazines and media outlets. 

Now an international guest artist and teacher, Lane has performed with companies worldwide  and taught at numerous institutions. She is a certified ABT NTC teacher, Gyrokinesis instructor,  and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She holds a BFA, completed the Harvard Crossover into  Business Program, and has written for notable publications like The Wall Street  Journal and Dance Magazine. She is also the founder and director of Dance for Paws, Inc., a  nonprofit supporting animal rescue through dance-driven initiatives.

Ana (She/They) joined the School of Nimbus in the Fall of 2023 as the School Administrator, bridging her experience in community engagement and the arts. She received her dance and fine arts training in Southern California at the Maple Conservatory of Dance and the Orange County School of the Arts in the Classical & Contemporary Dance and the Visual Arts program. She went on to graduate with a degree in Latin American Studies at Oberlin College and pursued her passion for community organizing on immigrant rights issues. Originally from Nicaragua, she is a long-time Spanish/English community interpreter and works with a variety of grassroots and non-profit organizations, unions, and foundations, with work spanning from labor rights to housing, LGBTQ+ issues, and abolition work. Contact: school@nimbusdanceworks.org

Alina Slotwinski is thrilled to join the School of Nimbus: Summit as the School & Community Engagement Coordinator. She previously spent four years working under Nancy Turano at the New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble, where she managed school registration, student recruitment, social media campaigns, scheduling, and daily financial operations. In 2024, Alina also served as the Wyse Finance Intern at the American Dance Festival. Alina is a recent graduate of Purchase College, SUNY, where she earned a BFA in Dance and a BA in Arts Management. During her time at Purchase, she spent a semester abroad studying at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth, Australia. As a performer, Alina has had the privilege of dancing works by master choreographers including George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Christopher Rudd, and Kate Skarpetowska. Contact: Summit@nimbusdanceworks.org

Michael Lupino (He/Him/His) is the Production Manager at Nimbus, overseeing production operations across Nimbus Dance, the School of Nimbus, and the Nimbus Arts Center. With over a decade of experience in the dance industry, Michael has a diverse background that spans performance, choreography, and technical production.

While earning a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance, Choreography, and Theory from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2023, Michael worked extensively in lighting and stage management at UNC Charlotte. During this time, he worked as a lighting technician for all university venues, gaining expertise in stagehand, electrician, and stage manager roles. He also stage-managed nine dance productions, honing a versatile skill set that spans the full spectrum of production needs.

Since joining the Nimbus team, Michael has only compounded his experience, managing all productions moving though the Nimbus Arts Center as well as touring with Nimbus Dance. Having worked in virtually every aspect of production—dancer, choreographer, stagehand, lighting designer, stage manager, and more—Michael brings a comprehensive and hands-on approach to managing complex performance environments.

With a passion for both the creative and technical aspects of dance production, Michael plays a vital role in making Nimbus Dance Works a hub of artistic excellence and innovation.

LeighAnn Curd, (she/her) is from Orange County, New York, began teaching and choreographing at the age of 16, working with young children in ballet, tap, and jazz at The Marya Kennett Dance Center. Ms. Curd went on to the Boston Conservatory to take classes in pedagogy and choreography, further expanding her teaching and creative abilities. Since joining Nimbus Dance in 2017, Ms. Curd has taught classes at every single level, from Mama, Papa and Me to Adult, at the School of Nimbus. She has also had the opportunity to teach and set work in many schools throughout Jersey City through Nimbus’ outreach programs. This is LeighAnn’s 8th year as a Teaching Artist with Nimbus and currently teaches Acro, Contemporary, Nimbus Dance, Nimbus Repertory, and Improvisation and is the Director of the Nimbus Youth Ensemble and Pre-Professional Program. Ms. Curd also serves as Company Dancer and Rehearsal Director of Nimbus Dance.

Shayla Hutton is a dancer and teacher from British Columbia, Canada. Ms. Hutton became an Assistant Teacher to multiple classes at the young age of 16 at the Canadian School of Ballet. In 2012, Ms. Hutton moved to New York City to further her training at the Joffrey Ballet School. Shortly after, she joined the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group and began to assist Artistic Director, Davis Robertson with multiple classes and choreographic processes throughout North America. In 2017, Ms. Hutton began teaching at the School of Nimbus, La Prima Dance Academy (Long Island, NY), as well as multiple outreach programs that Nimbus Dance offers throughout New Jersey. Over the years at the School of Nimbus, Ms. Hutton has taught Ballet levels I-V, Tap levels II-IV and Mama, Papa & Me. She also has taught creative movement, Zumba and hip hop classes for various outreach programs throughout New Jersey. Ms. Hutton is excited to be back teaching at the School of Nimbus this year.

Sarah Barragán was born in Ohio where she started her dance training with the Dayton Ballet School, and received the Josephine and Hermene Schwarz Award as a member of DBII. She later continued her studies at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. Sarah has performed with the Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera, Chautauqua Festival Ballet and Colorado Ballet. Sarah holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of California, Irvine and a B.S. in Ballet Performance from Indiana University. She has 20 years of teaching experience with students going on to dance in major companies internationally as well as in broadway productions. Sarah is thrilled to continue teaching at the School of Nimbus because she believes that movement sciences play a significant role in development by empowering learners of all ages, and high-quality interdisciplinary education should be accessible to all learners. Sarah is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, and received Affiliate Teacher awards from 2010-2020. Sarah has completed 500 hours of yoga training and is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique.

Youran Lee is a Korean-American dancer, choreographer, and educator that specializes in Hip Hop/Street Styles-based choreography. Her training started at 9 years old in various genres, including Jazz, Ballet, Tap, and Contemporary. Her professional journey, however, started in 2019, when she was a student with Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester program. Since then, Youran has danced on stage with K-pop boy band BTS, choreographed for Nickelodeon show “Show Me How You Batman”, danced for a Virgin Voyages cruise ship, performed at the Lincoln Center, worked as an associate choreographer for a music video for Broadway’s The Wiz, and more. She is currently represented by CESD Talent Agency. 

Youran is a faculty member at several professional studios in NYC, including Broadway Dance Center, Peridance, PMT House of Dance, Modega, and PJM Studio. She is excited to be back teaching at Nimbus after 2 years away and hopes to spread her love for dance & choreography to the students!

Porshia A. Derival (she/her/hers) is a first-generation Caribbean American who was born in New York City. (Brooklyn).  She started her training at H+ | The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory in 2011, where she trained in the foundations of Hip-Hop dance (Party/ Social Dance, Popping, Boogaloo, Locking, Rocking, and Breaking), and studied cultural & social anthropology, critical thinking, biomechanics, and more.  In addition to her extensive training at H+, she has also learned and trained with Hip-Hop leaders and legends Excel Garner, Robin Dunn, Kim Holmes, Lisette Bustamante & Chonique Sneed, Akira Armstrong, Mr. Wiggles, Spex, A-lexx Benard, Tweetie, Elite Force Crew, and more.

Just two years into her training, Porshia was appointed to the esteemed position of Executive Director at H+.  Since being hired, she has attentively overseen the organization's creative affiliations with corporations which include Coca-Cola, Target, Scotch Porter, and many others.  In conjunction with her legendary contributions to H+, she also represents H+ at the UN Economic and Social Council, sits on the selection committee for the New York Dance and Performance Awards/The Bessies and was the honorary host for the 2022 Bessies Reception,  is a member of the Board of Trustees for Ladies of Hip-Hop, and is the NYC ambassador for the #SHE_BUILDS Global Initiative.

Porshia  has shared her expansive knowledge of dance and leadership in numerous publications like, The Dance Enthusiast, and “Own Your Vulnerability” by Elizabeth Barry in 2016.  Her goal as a Haitian-Trinidadian woman is to guarantee Black women throughout the Hip-Hop dance discipline a place where they can be authentically themselves. To act, live, and love unencumbered by restraint, fear, or criticism from others.

Audrey Lipson, from New Jersey, began her training at The Ballet Barre under Suzanne Sarlitt. When she was 13, she began training at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet Theatre with Franco De Vita, where she performed ABT repertoire and works by Alexei Ratmanksy. A graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, where she studied ballet, Horton, Graham, West African, jazz, and contemporary techniques, Audrey had the opportunity to dance works by Pedro Ruiz, Natalie Lamonte, Brice Mousset, Joanna Kotze, and Phil Orsano. Her performances and projects have included a short dance film by Wilma Casal with Wolf and Swan Company, shows with Doubletake Dance Company from Spring '22 - Summer '23, and a work by Jainil Mehta in Roxey Ballet's 2023 River Dance Festival. She was Brice Mousset's rehearsal assistant for the 2023 Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive, and currently assists his classes at Peridance and the Ailey School. Audrey is a Company Member with Nimbus2. This is her 2nd year at the School of Nimbus and is the 2024 recipient of the School of Nimbus Teacher of the Year Award.

Catherine is a dance artist and teacher from New Jersey. She trained at the Academy of Dance Arts under Nick & Shayne Mishoe before furthering her studies at SUNY Purchase College, graduating summa cum laude with degrees in Dance Performance and Arts Management. She has worked with choreographers such as Rosalind Newman, Lamine Thiam, Peter Leung, Sung Hoon Kim, Autumn Eckman, and Jenelle Figgins. Catherine has taught and choreographed for studios and high schools in central Jersey, as well as numerous Nimbus community outreach programs in Jersey City. She has also explored dance as a form of outreach with JUNTOS Collective and researched it as a tool to rebuild with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA). She has completed 600 hours of training and is a certified classical Pilates instructor through RealPilates.

Madison Meredith is a dance educator, performing artist, choreographer, and Registered Yoga School (RYS) 200 certified yoga teacher in the greater New Jersey area. Madison received a Master of Education in Dance Education with a K-12 Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. She also received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University with minors in Psychology and Education as a Social Science. Madison's full-time student teaching was completed at Union City High School under the mentorship of Emma Russo and Cristen Pennello. She has trained extensively in tap, modern/contemporary, hip hop, jazz, ballet, and musical theater. Madison has performed works by Tony award winner John Heginbotham, Emmy nominated choreographer Chloe Arnold, and other acclaimed artists such as Opus One Contemporary Dance, Chuck Wilt of UNA Productions, Lynn Neuman of Artichoke Dance Company, Caitlin Casson, John Evans, Reggie Oliver, Robin Passmore, and Marissa Stahl. She has performed at the 92Y Future Dance Festival 2023, White Wave Dance Festival, Mark Morris Dance Center, the Hudson Guild, CHI Movement Arts Center of Kun-Yang Lin Dance in Philadelphia, PA, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, and University of the District of Columbia in the 2017 DC Tap Festival Showcase. Madison’s professional choreographic works have been presented at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn, NY, the Adrienne Theater in Philadelphia, PA, and the Koresh Artist Showcase in Philadelphia, PA. She has also set choreographic works for MOVE Central Jersey, Gloucester County Institute of Technology dance department, Union City High School dance department, Swedesboro-Woolwich Little Theater. In addition to teaching at the School of Nimbus and for Nimbus's Community Programs, Madison in on staff at Mark Morris Dance Center, Be You Dance Center, Washington Rock Dance, All For Dance, and has teaching partnerships with Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Fresh Theater Arts, and BOLD Arts.

Rose Fair began training at the Joel Hall Dancers & Center then later joined the Chicago Urban Jazz-based company, the Joel Hall Dancers.  Other dance studies include Luigi Jazz Dance Centre, Academy of Music & Movement, Katherine Dunham Technique Seminar, and Deeply Rooted Community Ensemble program. She recently graduated from the Two-Year Certificate and Teacher Training Programs at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.  Rose has also performed with Duwane Pendarvis & Company Dance Theatre (Horton-based), Tamboula Ethnic Dance Company (Haitian Folklore), Khalidah Kali’s North African Bellydance Experience, and various freelance projects.  She has taught dance in programs and schools across Chicago and NYC. Rose is ecstatic to share her passion for dance with youth and strives to inspire her students to explore their potentials.

Gary McCall graduated with a B.F.A. in Dance from New York University Spring 2023. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he grew up training in contemporary and jazz dance at his local studio, and participated in numerous community/educational theater productions. Gary has performed in works by Trisha Brown, Bill T. Jones, and Sidra Bell, and has danced abroad in Berlin to further his study in dance composition and improvisation.

Gary has participated in several choreography residences/showcases including “Digging In Group” at Green Space, Steps Beyond Foundation Choreography Lab, and “Pilot” by Agora. His piece “Why am I not having fun?” presented at Radio City Music Hall for the Tisch Commencement Ceremony.

Gary joined Nimbus Dance in 2023 and recently premiered as “The Brother” in Samuel Pott’s Firebird with the New Jersey Symphony. Gary has served on the School of Nimbus Faculty since 2023, teaching onsite and offsite. Gary holds a Mat Pilates certification from Gramercy Pilates.

Mika Greene (she/they) is originally from Portland, OR. Growing up she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and acro. She attended Marymount Manhattan College where she received her BFA in Dance with a concentration in Modern. Over the years at School of Nimbus, Mika has taught Ballet I, Modern II-III, Tap I-V, and Acro II/V. Mika is the director of the JC SummerArts, the School of Nimbus’ Performing Arts Summer Camp, is Nimbus’ Community Programs Manager, and is the Associate Director of Nimbus2.

Saphire Oshun grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey, and began performing on stage at just 5 years old. Musical Theatre quickly became her passion, and in addition to singing, acting, and dancing, Saphire has released original songs on Apple Music and Spotify. Her play Club Chakra was featured in a staged reading at the Jersey City Theater Center. She has also written several plays for JC Summer Arts and was part of the NJ Play Lab’s Storyteller Studio Cohort (2023-2024). Saphire studied Musical Theatre at High Tech High School in NJ and earned her BFA in Musical Theatre at the University of Miami.

She started teaching Drama at 17 while working at Camp Liberty in Jersey City and now teaches theatre in Brooklyn through Treehouse Shakers’ Branching OUT program. Sharing her experiences and knowledge in theatre is heart-fulfilling work, and she is thrilled to be teaching Acting at Nimbus for both the fall and spring semesters this year.

Violet Hartman is a graduate of the DeSales University where she earned her B.A. in dance. Upon graduation Violet has taught and performed various styles of dance including ballet, modern, ballroom and contemporary dance, as well as creative movement for children and beginner tap. Violet is a current scholarship student at the Taylor School, where she attends morning classes and studies the Taylor style and repertory. Violet has performed as a guest artist with Alison Cook Beatty Dance and continues to perform freelance with other Artists in the greater NYC area. Violet is thrilled to be returning to the Nimbus Teaching Staff! 

Bio Coming Soon.

Mary Ann Massa grew up in NJ and trained in all styles of dance. Mary Ann graduated from The Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College in 2019 with a BFA in Dance. During her time at Purchase, she had the opportunity to perform works by George Balanchine, Norbert De La Cruz lll, Gregory Dawson, Michelle Thompson Ulerich, and Stuart Loungway. Additionally, she got to perform a duet at the Kuan Du Arts Festival in Taiwan in 2017. Mary Ann was a professional dancer with New Jersey Ballet, Thang Dao Dance Company and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She is now dancing with Continuum Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Reve and freelancing in NJ/NYC. Mary Ann has taught all over NJ/NY for the past 7 years and hopes to share her knowledge and love for dance with her students.

Taylor Sambola is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana where she trained locally. Taylor has studied at The School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre New York, Ellison Ballet, Miami City Ballet, The Rock School, Houston Ballet and Orlando Ballet. In 2011 at the age of 16, Taylor moved to Miami and studied as a Trainee with Miami City Ballet before moving to New York to continue her ballet training year round with Ellison Ballet. She later trained with The Rock School for Dance Education, where in 2013, she competed in Youth America Grand Prix. Taylor joined Orlando Ballet 2 for the 2014/2015 season under the direction of Robert Hill and Dierdre Miles Burger. She continued as a second company member for two years before being promoted to a Corps De Ballet member in 2016. Later joining New Orleans Ballet Theatre and Sarasota Ballet. During her time with these companies, she has performed a range of roles in both legendary and cutting edge repertoire including; Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake”, Balanchine’s “Serenade”, Tharp’s “Nine Sinatra Songs”, Robbins’s “Fancy Free”, Sir Wright’s “Giselle” and “Summertide”, Dame Ninette’s “Rakes Progress”, Val Caniparoli’s “A Cinderella Story”, Jessica Lang’s “To Familiar Spaces in Dream” and Arcadian Broad’s “WonderLand: Mad Tales of the Hatter” and “Beauty & the Beast” Taylor is currently a freelance artist based in NYC and expanding her portfolio beyond a ballet company. As a model and actress, she has made appearances in TV/film as well. Her credits include “Tall Girl 2” for Netflix and the upcoming Amazon Prime series “ETOILE”. Mrs. Sambola-Broad is a certified Pilates Instructor since 2011. She was one of the youngest to receive her certification in NYC. She enjoys sharing her love for Pilates and injury prevention with dancers! In the spirit of expanding beyond ballet, Taylor is the Social Media Director for ADC|IBC, one of the worlds largest Youth International Ballet Competitions, Using her keen artistic eye to capture the next generations talents to share with the world.