Teacher Qualifications

“It’s what I always wanted to do, to show the laughter, the fun, the joy of dance.”

Martha Graham

           

Mrs. Amy Daniel, Lead Dance Instructor

 

            Mrs. Daniel began her professional dance training at the Academy of the Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Mary Day. In addition to Ms. Day, her instructors included Igor Swetzoff, Oleg Tupine, Mme. Scholar, Mr. Norbert Velzak, Edward Caton, Giles Fontaine, and Anna Benna. She performed and toured with the Washington Ballet for four years.

In Atlanta in the 70’s, Mrs. Daniel studied with Fiona Farrie at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center and performed and taught with the Lay Foundations of the Callonwolde Dance Department.

Upon moving to Birmingham, Mrs. Daniel received her dance degree in 1976 from the University of Alabama. She performed extensively with the Ballet UAB and Steven Grebel in productions of Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Balanchine’s Serenade, Cinderella, and Raymonda in addition to many repertory works. While at Ballet UAB, Mrs. Daniel was able to work with Michael Folkine, Frederick Franklin, and Gennadi Vostrokov.

Mrs. Daniel has taught ballet and choreography throughout the South, including Perimeter Ballet Academy, the Children’s Dance Foundation, Etgen-Atkinson School of Ballet, Tuzer Ballet, North Atlanta Dance Academy, Praise In Motion, and other various private ballet schools. She has also staged musicals for churches she has attended as well as performed in several productions. Mrs. Daniel co-founded the Dance Ministry of Perimeter Church, choreographing works of various function.

 

Mrs. Daniel resides outside of Atlanta with her husband, Keith.

 

Miss Dana Ciccotello

           

            Dana Ciccotello graduated Magna Cum Laude from Greater Atlanta Christian School in 2005, and is an incoming freshman at Agnes Scott College.  She is a pre-professional dancer with the Atlanta Ballet, and has been dancing ballet for the past fourteen years.  Dana has trained with the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania, Rotaru International Ballet School, and most recently the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education.  Dana has studied under such renowned teachers as Cherie Noble, Thom Clower, Arthur Leeth, Helen Starr, Angela Whitehill, and Fernando Bujones.  Dana has performed in professional productions with the Louisville Ballet touring company and the Atlanta Ballet.  She has performed in many full-length ballets including Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Snow White, Firebird, Cinderella, Pictures at an Exhibition, Peter and the Wolf, and Swan Lake.  Recently, Dana performed the Heliotrope Fairy Variation in Cinderella and the Flower Fairies at the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

Miss Mary Branick Ujda

Gaelic Commission Dancing Teacher

 

            Mary Branick Ujda began dancing at the age of 5 with the Healy Irish Dance School of San Francisco.  She performed and competed at the Open

Championship level throughout the Western region, and was part of several award-winning teams at the Western Region Oireachtas (qualifying competitions for the World Championships in Ireland).

            While studying at the University of Notre Dame, Mary performed with the traditional Irish music group, Seamaisin.  Later, while teaching high school overseas, she introduced Irish dance to her students through various clubs and workshops.

            After coming to Atlanta, Mary joined the Drake School of Irish dance and studied with Karl Drake for 5 years before earning her TCRG* in 2005.  She is a member of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA), the IDTANA-Southern Region, and An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha (the Irish Dancing Commission) in Ireland.

            *TCRG stands for Teasgicoir Choimisiuin Le Rinci Gaelacha, or Gaelic Commission Dancing Teacher.  It signifies that a teacher has passed the exams administered by the Irish Dancing Commission of Ireland to achieve certification.