Theatre Arts Lab x Theatre on Main
Permission to Play • Space to Grow
Because You’re More Than Your To-Do List!
You spend your week being productive. Responsible. Available to everyone else. Theatre on Main Street is where you get to be expressive instead. Our drop-in ballet, tap, modern, and musical theatre classes give you structured technique, creative choreography, and a community that celebrates showing up for yourself. No long-term commitments. No judgment. Just the pure satisfaction of moving, creating, and remembering what it feels like when your body and spirit are fully alive.
Our Story
Our pioneering small theatre company has rapidly evolved into a comprehensive performing arts center, serving as a studio of artistic excellence and education in our suburban community. Recognizing the need for diverse artistic experiences, we've expanded our offerings to include a rich tapestry of classes and workshops that bring professional instruction in the performing arts to local adults and teens in our Theatre Arts Lab.
Through the Theatre Arts Lab, we are committed to bringing quality performing arts classes taught by trained educators and professionals in the performing arts. Many of the students in these classes have appeared in our MainStage productions, as we are driven to provide performance opportunities for students wishing to take their craft to live theatre audiences. Through creating strong educational foundations in the performing arts, an important mission of our theatre is to nurture and develop local talent, and employ those who strive to take their artistic journey outside the studio.
Meet Your Instructors
Jessica Jaber
DIRECTOR
Ballet, Pointe, PBT, Stretch
During her Royal Academy of Dance teaching certification, Jessica knew she wanted to create a studio where adults could begin dancing or keep dance as part of their lives—a welcoming space where people with busy, unpredictable schedules could drop in for class whenever time allowed. After decades in dance, Jessica believes deeply in both the joy of self-expression and the real health benefits movement offers for physical and emotional well-being. Her training includes classical ballet under master teachers from English and Russian disciplines, and she completed her RAD Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies under the mentorship of Paul Lau, co-founder of the Hong Kong Ballet Company and School. She’s also a licensed Silver Swans and Progressing Ballet Technique teacher. Jessica has performed with Kozlov Dance International, was the Director of an RAD youth program in Westchester for over 7 years, and trained extensively in modern, jazz, tap, musical theatre, and ballroom. As a member of Actor’s Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, she understands the artist’s life—the irregular schedules and need for spaces that honor both discipline and accessibility. That understanding shaped the studio she built.
Mara Davi Gaines
INSTRUCTOR
Musical Theatre & Open Tap
Mara is an actor/singer/dancer who has worked in New York and regionally since 2004 Her Broadway credits including A Chorus Line, The Drowsy Chaperone, White Christmas, Dames at Sea, and The Play that Goes Wrong. Mara has taught master classes in Broadway repertoire and tap dance across the country while touring with various shows. She has always been drawn to the song and dance of classic musical comedies and golden age movie musicals and she she aims to bring style, storytelling, sweat, and smiles to each dance class.
Montana Nogrady
INSTRUCTOR
Tap
Montana graduated with honors from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2018, earning her BFA in Dance. During her time there, she performed works by choreographers including Douglas Becker, Meredith Rainey, Sidra Bell, Jesse Zaritt, and Robert Burden, among others. Her dance journey began locally at Step by Step in Cornwall and the Darlene Wilson Institute of Dance in Newburgh. As a member of Orange County Ballet Theatre, she performed annually in The Nutcracker and spring productions featuring classical repertoire like Swan Lake, Pas De Quatre, Le Corsaire, and La Bayadére. With Step by Step, she’s taken the stage at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, as well as international festivals across England, Scotland, Spain, and Italy. Montana has also worked as a choreographer for Step It Up’s Summer Stage, creating movement for productions including Hairspray, Shrek The Musical, School of Rock, The Addams Family, Guys and Dolls, and Chicago: High School Edition—where she also performed as Kitty and a featured dancer. She has choreographed SpongeBob and Pippin at Goshen High School, and performed in Godspell, Billy Elliot, Cats, and 42nd Street at Theatre on Main Street. She brings both classical training and theatrical versatility to her teaching.
Veronica Nogrady
INSTRUCTOR
Ballet
Veronica began her dance training at Powers Dance Arts Centre in her hometown of Cornwall on Hudson. She’s performed with numerous Hudson Valley companies including Orange County Ballet, Poughkeepsie Ballet Theatre, Ulster County Ballet Theatre, and Ballet Arts Company. A graduate of The Hartford Ballet Teacher’s Certification Program, Veronica danced with Hartford Ballet’s Studio Company and went on to perform as a Guest Artist at Simsbury Light Opera Company, a Principal Dancer and faculty member with Atlantic Contemporary Ballet Theatre, and with Capital City Opera and Ballet Orlando. She’s been choreographing Goshen High School’s musicals since 2007, and her work has been presented at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and internationally in London, Scotland, Barcelona, Italy, and Greece through her students’ performances. Veronica currently teaches at Step by Step, Hudson Valley Conservatory, and Seven Star School of the Performing Arts, bringing decades of professional experience to dancers at every level.
Krista Katelnich
INSTRUCTOR
Contemporary/Modern
Yoga for Dancers
Krista believes dance is for every body, every age, and every story. With over 25 years of experience spanning Alaska to California to New York, she brings a unique blend of artistry and healing to her teaching. She holds a BA in Dance and Education from Hope College and an MA in Northern Studies (Cultural Identity & Expression) from University of Alaska Fairbanks. As a certified Yoga Alliance Instructor (RYT-200) and newly certified Ways of Seeing Practitioner in Dance/Movement Therapy, Krista integrates technical rigor with deep body awareness and compassionate teaching. Her classes balance real technique with authentic self-expression. Whether you’re returning to dance after decades away or stepping into your first contemporary class, Krista meets you exactly where you are—with clear instruction, genuine warmth, and the belief that movement is a birthright, not a privilege. Training highlights: Hope College, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Stanford, Jodi Randolf Dance (Ann Arbor), Zohar (Palo Alto), Creative Dance Center (Seattle), and advanced coursework in Dance/Movement Therapy, Laban Movement Analysis, and embodied neuroscience.
Justin Sherwood
GUEST
Adv Beg/Int Ballet & Pointe
(Special Session Guest Teacher)
International dancer and choreographer, Justin Sherwood, trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London England, which encourages individuality and innovation in its curriculum, shaping Justin’s extremely versatile and eclectic career. He is a recipient of the Choreographic Award of Prominence by the Central St. Marten’s School of Art and Design and Cochrane Theatre in London and has choreographed critically acclaimed productions across the U.S., Hong Kong, and Albania. As a performer, he is in his 16th season with the Metropolitan Opera, having appeared in numerous productions on their stage, including working with some of today’s best Film and Broadway directors like Julie Taymor, Robert LePage, Anthony Minghella, and Mary Zimmerman. In addition to his ballet and contemporary experience, Mr. Sherwood is also a gifted gymnast, having performed with crossover companies, incorporating elements of acrobatics and dance. As an educator, Justin is an ABT® Certified Teacher, completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, and teaches at many recognized dance schools and resident companies.
Anne David
INSTRUCTOR
Ballet
Anne David started studying ballet at three years old. Her mother, who danced with NYCB, was her first teacher. She continued her studies with Anne Hebard in Kingston, NY, before moving to the city to go to LaGuardia School of Performing Arts. In the city she also studied with Willy Burmann at Steps. She received a full scholarship to attend MUDRA, the school of the Béjart Ballet in Belgium. There she studied with Jan Nuyts, her most influential teacher. Anne has performed as a student and amateur adult with The Catskills Ballet and The Ulster Ballet, performing many principal roles. She is excited to join the Theater Arts Lab and looks forward to sharing her life-long passion for ballet with others.