Jackie Spittler
Studio Owner & Dance Instructor
Jackie is the Owner and Artistic Director of The Dance House. She has her Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theater from Wagner College and her Master of Arts in Education from Monmouth University. Jackie has been dancing for 30+ years and has taught dancers of all different ages and styles. She has choreographed many competition routines for TDH that have won 1st Place Awards, Entertainment Awards, and Golden Tickets. One of her dances even competed against the Abby Lee Miller Dance Company and got a few seconds on air in Season 5 of Dance Moms! Jackie has performed regionally in many productions, earning her Actors Equity Association membership. Locally, she performs with Phoenix Productions at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank. Favorite credits include Damn Yankees, A Chorus Line, Oklahoma, Chicago, The Producers, Legally Blonde, West Side Story and 42nd Street. She was a 2002 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Nominee and a 2005 & 2006 Apprentice at the Broadway Theater Project. Jackie was also a former title holder for Miss New Jersey in 2009 and has coached many TDH girls for Miss New Jersey’s Outstanding Teen Pageant. Jackie prides herself on creating true triple threats – performers who dance, act and sing. She is so excited for this next chapter of The Dance House!
Amanda Wrensen
Dance InstructorAmanda caught the dance bug right away! At an early age, she danced competitively and took classes at a R.A.D. certified dance school. Amanda spent her summers at Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School, and Broadway Dance Center. By age 16, Amanda was accepted into Joffrey Ballet’s trainee program, which she attended for 3 years, studying under the best and most well known choreographers and teachers in NYC. Soon after, she began to teach and choreograph. Amanda continues to take classes at Broadway Dance Center to keep one foot in the door and continue her dance education. Since being at The Dance House, Amanda has choreographed many award winning pieces and Golden Ticket winners - but her greatest achievement is her love, connection, and ability to bring out the best in her students.
Susie Stewart
Dance InstructorSusie Stewart grew up in California and has been dancing since the age of 5. She trained under Meredith Baylis, one of Joffrey Ballet School’s prominent teachers. Susie danced for local theatre shows, performed with Telly Savalas, was a Power 106 FM promotions dancer and performed in the Michael Jackson Super Bowl halftime show in 1993. She grew up competitively figure skating, and also was a cheerleader at Cal State Northridge. Susie owned a dance studio in La Canada, California before moving to NJ with her family. Alongside coaching her daughter’s Holmdel Hornets cheerleading teams for multiple years, she started The Dance House in 2009. TDH has since grown into a successful recreational/competitive dance studio! She has created numerous 1st place dances, received multiple choreography and entertainment awards, golden tickets, and was asked to bring one of her routines to compete against Abby Lee Miller’s Dance Studio. Her dance, “Me Me Me” finished 3rd against the Dance Moms team in 2014 in Manahawkin, NJ. In 2018, Susie stepped away as owner of The Dance House, but has continued on as a teacher and choreographer at TDH. Her three children are currently attending universities across the country, and she is living in Holmdel with her husband.
Marcy Ryan
Dance InstructorMarcy began dancing at the age of eight when her family opened a dance studio in her hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma. Her performance career started at an early age in the Nutcracker Ballet at the University of Oklahoma. She was one of the youngest dancers to be selected for college level musical productions at the University of Central Oklahoma, performing in A Chorus Line, Chicago, and as Liza in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Marcy attended the University of Oklahoma where she majored in Communications and continued studying Ballet and Modern under the direction of Mary Margaret Holt and Ko Yukihoro. She was selected as UDA Dance Star and was a part of the NCA Nationals Dance Team for OU. Post graduation, Marcy taught extensively and was a dancer for the professional arena football team, the Wranglers. Additionally, she worked for Odyssey Dance Competitions touring the US for 5 years as the National Director for the competition brand and had the opportunity to work with a lifelong dance mentor, Jackie Sleight. A job with Dance Spirit and American Cheerleader Magazine moved her to NYC and led to new opportunities on the East Coast. Most recently, Marcy began training in Pilates in 2019 and completed 600 hours of training under the Pure Body/Rebel Pilates program. Pilates foundations are incorporated into Marcy’s dance classes to help build the dancers strength and enhance the technique experience. She strives to teach dancers to have a solid technical foundation that will help them in all styles of dance. Marcy is so excited to be teaching her 11th year at The Dance House!
Gina DeFabritis
Dance InstructorGina’s passion for dance began at 4 years old. She competed with a studio in Monmouth County for 13 years, studying all genres, with an emphasis on tap. She placed “Highest Scoring Overall'' on the regional and national level and won various awards for her tap and jazz performances. Gina was also a part of many theater productions and won a Basie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. Gina went to Rutgers University to pursue her undergraduate degree, where she danced, choreographed and competed with the Rutgers Performing Dance Company. After graduating Rutgers, she continued her training with Continuum Dance Company in NYC and frequently takes Master classes at Broadway Dance Center. Gina has been teaching young dancers since 2012, and continues to spread her love of dance to The Dance House!
Logan Forster
Dance InstructorLogan has been dancing since the age of 3 and danced competitively for 13 years. She is currently attending the University of Southern California where she is pursuing a minor in dance at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. She is also a director of the USC Xpressions Dance Company. Logan is a TDH alum and has been teaching at The Dance House for the past four years, specializing in Jazz and Contemporary.
Meghan Sultzer
Dance InstructorMeghan is a dancer, singer, actor, choreographer, and dance educator. She is a graduate of Wagner College, holding a BA in Theatre Performance. During her studies, Meghan attended many summer stock programs furthering her training. She has since been seen on both stage and screen and is excited to share her passion for performing with young aspiring artists. She currently resides in Fair Haven with her husband and two budding ballerinas, Nora and Emily.
CAITY GESUELLI
Dance InstructorCaity recently graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management, along with a minor in Sport Studies. She was a four year member of the Penn State Lionettes Dance Team. Caity was also selected to compete at UDA Nationals all four years with the Lionettes and was a Big Ten Second Team Member in 2021. Caity now works for Groove Dance Competition as an Assistant Director and as their Merchandising Representative where she helps design all of the apparel that is sold at each Groove and Reverb event.
Olivia Miranda
Dance InstructorA founding member of Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater, Olivia graduated from Ailey/Fordham with a B.F.A. in Dance and English (2018). She previously danced with Ballet Hispanico's BHdos and has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Colby Damon, Graham Lustig, and Riccardo de Nigris. She has performed at Lincoln Center and the historic Apollo Theater. Olivia has presented and performed choreographic works at Asbury Park Dance Festival, Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Dixon Place, Rider University, The Tank NYC, and Bell Works.