ENTHUSIASM – ENERGY – CREATIVITY – MOTIVATION can certainly be used to describe Donna Farinella’s unique approach to dance teaching. She holds a B.A degree in dance from Douglass College of Rutgers University. She is one of the most accomplished dance educators in America and an exceptional spokesperson. A cover story on Ms. Farinella appeared in the August 2006 issue of Dancer Magazine, a nationally published and widely respected dance magazine. An interview with Ms. Farinella also appeared in the American Diary portion of the Royal Academy of Dance Gazette, a worldwide publication detailing the activities of the Royal Academy of Dance Programs. Ms. Farinella has been teaching dance since the age of thirteen when after each of her own dance classes she would run home, gather up the neighborhood children and conduct lessons in her backyard. As a teacher, choreographer, and director, she strives for excellence in everything she does. She employs teachers of only the highest caliber and dedication who share her vision of excellence in the classroom. Under her direction, she and her staff spend hours and hours in the dance studio motivating and encouraging students to be “the very best they can be and not settling for less.” This has earned Dance World Academy students a national reputation for dancing with nearly flawless precision, exciting energy, outstanding technique and radiant enthusiastic faces. Her students have received thousands of awards in the most prestigious competitions in our country today. In 2006, she took 13 award winning Dance Company members to St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia for a ten day Performance and Study tour to promote cultural exchange and friendship. In September of 2008, Dance World Academy represented the United States at an International Cultural Festival in Shanghai, China. During Thanksgiving of 2009, the Dance Company traveled to Berlin, Germany to represent the United States in a dance festival celebrating the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This past summer, the Dance Company performed in London and Paris!

Ms. Farinella has taught, judged and lectured at workshops and dance competitions throughout the United States, most notably for Dance Educators and Dance Masters of America, the two top dance teacher organizations in the United States. Her students have performed and won on the Nationally televised STAR SEARCH, the “American Idol” of its’ day. They have performed for former President Reagan during his presidency, appeared on television on Glee, Dancing With The Stars, Ellen, Good Morning America, CSI:NY, Cold Case, The Today Show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nickelodeon’s Don’t Just Sit There, and danced on the soap opera The Guiding Light. They have performed at Disney World on Disney’s televised Christmas Special. They have performed or are currently performing professionally at Lincoln Center, in Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, at Radio City Music Hall, in theme parks which include Opryland, Hershey Park, Busch Gardens, Disneyland and Disney World, Tokyo Disney, at the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey and countless other regional theaters, on cruise ships, in National Touring Companies and on Broadway in “On the Town”, “The Illusionists”, “Newsies”, “Wicked,” “42nd St,” “Fosse,” “Contact,” “Footloose,” “Annie,” “Les Miserables,” “Sweet Charity,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Cats,” “The King and I,” “How To Succeed In Business,” “Chicago,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Promises Promises”, “South Pacific” and “Aida.” Dance World Academy alumnae, Christopher Gatelli, has choreographed numerous Broadway and off-Broadway shows including “The King and I”, “South Pacific,” “Thirteen,” “Batboy: The Musical,” “Altar Boyz” and “tick, tick … BOOM!” and “Newsies” and has currently been nominated for two Tony Awards and won for “Newsies”. Miss Farinella’s students can be seen in entertainment and artistic venues all over the world. Many are currently working with companies like Alvin Ailey and have formed their own contemporary companies. Alumnae, Austin Diaz, is making headlines around the world performing with famous modern dancer, Sidra Bell and creating his own work with partner, Jonathan Campbell and their dance company, “Madboots” which performs at the prestigious Jacobs Pillow this summer. Miss Farinella’s students also have been accepted into the most respected college dance programs in the United States, including New York University, many on full and partial scholarships because of their excellent dance training.

Aside from directing and encouraging her caring teaching staff, Ms. Farinella continues to teach and choreograph at Dance World Academy full time. Her innate creativity has led to the birth of the clever gimmicks, themes, costumes and production numbers that you will see in this performance. In 2008-2010, Miss Farinella and the Dance World Academy faculty taught a talented and gifted dance program for the Passaic Public School System.

DANCE EDUCATORS OF AMERICA
THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF BALLET
ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE –
one of the most prestigious ballet organizations in the World.