Meet Our Friendly and Experienced Staff

Ashlen Udell currently holds her Masters in Music Education from Northwestern University, her Bachelors in Music Education from Montclair State University (MSU) and has earned her PK-12 teacher certification in Dance Education from MSU. Ashlen has studied at The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in NYC, the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan as a modern dance major and has completed master classes with many professional dance companies including Trisha Brown, Pilobolous and Freespace Dance. She also choreographs and performs in local community theater and high school musical productions. At Jo-Ann's Dance Studio, she teaches combination, ballet, moderne and jazz classes. Ashlen is also a music educator at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School where she teaches instrumental music lessons and conducts the 8th grade Concert Band, Wind Ensemble and Flute Ensemble. Prior to moving to the middle school, Ashlen taught general music and choir at the elementary level in the Bridgewater-Raritan School District and Berkeley Heights School District. An accomplished musician Ashlen also performs locally in various musical pit orchestras. Throughout the year, she is on administrative staff of the Young Pianists Competition of New Jersey and the Shandelee Music Festival. 

Alexander Catalina was born and raised at Jo-Ann’s Dance Studio. He spent most of his life taking moderne, jazz and hip hop classes at the studio. When he was not in the studio, Alex could be seen on the stage, appearing in many musicals such as Grease, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Wizard of Oz, and Beauty and the Beast. Alex teaches our combination ballet/tap classes for our younger students. He has been an instructor for the past 2 years and an assistant instructor for the 5 years prior to that. Alex assists with our moderne, jazz, preschool and combination classes. Alex has also worked at The Center School as the Assistant Choreographer for the past 3 years. He has helped choreograph Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz. Alex is also a certified POUND instructor, and teaches the class through the studio’s Vertical Freedom program. He enjoys taking classes in Pole and the aerial arts through Vertical Freedom.  

Ms. Julia began taking dance at age 6 and studied ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop, tap, and acrobatics. She began competitive dance at age 8 and won regional and national awards. Based on her dancing at competitions, she was selected to perform with Team Rave NY. Ms. Julia then went onto to Raritan Valley Community College continuing her studies of dance. She received her BA degree in dance at Rider University where she studied dance history, choreography and laban movement. She also studied ballet and modern through Princeton Ballet School. While attending Rider she did student teaching at Princeton Ballet School and began her teaching career at a local dance studio. She continued inspiring and teaching at various dance studios, after school dance programs at private and public schools, Play S.A.F.E dance program in New Brunswick, and a Teaching Artist for Dance Power of American Repertory Ballet. Ms. Julia is currently a dance educator in Franklin Township Public School District at Pine Grove and MacAfee Road School, teaching grades Pre-K - 5th grade. She has a passion for dance and love for working with children.

Nicole Sutherland has been at the dance studio since 1990 where she studied Ballet, Pointe, Jazz and Moderne. Nicole has also worked as an assistant to a variety of classes at all levels since 2005. She began teaching classes of her own in 2019. Currently, she teaches both Ballet and Pre-Ballet while also taking Moderne classes. Nicole has degrees from Union County College in education as well as Montclair State University in History Education. She currently teaches middle school social studies in Elizabeth, New Jersey to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Previously, Nicole also taught high school history to grades 10, 11 and 12. When not teaching or taking class at the studio, Nicole also takes aerial yoga classes at the Vertical Freedom studio.

Melissa studied at Jo-Ann's Dance Studio for 15 years; Over that time she was trained in Ballet, Pointe, Moderne, Tap and Jazz. She was also apart of Le Centre Dance Ensemble which compeited yearly for the studio in the 90's. After graduation she majored in Nursing and minored in Dance Education at Middlesex County College. Then she went on to Pinelands School of Nursing to persue her LPN degree, which she received in 2010. She has worked at two major hospitals, Centre State Medical Center, and Hunterdon Medical, in various fields on different units. Melissa found her way back to the studio a few years later when she brouht in her daughter to register for classes. Her daughter has been dancing here for five years and is currently taking, Ballet, Moderne, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater and Aerial silks. Melissa takes various classes at Vertical Freedom with Aerial being her current favorite. Melissa started out as a substitute dance instructor, for any teacher that needed it. She was an assistant in our Pre-school and Combo ballet/tap and ballet/jazz classes and just enjoyed every miniute of it. Now Melissa teaches our youngest dancers in pre-school and combo and couldn't be happier. Melissa says her favorite class to teach is the pre-school classes, because they have so much imagination. 

Katie has been a part of Jo-Ann's Dance Studio since she was just 10 years old, joining as a student. Katie studied Tap, Musical Theater, and Moderne at the studio and began assisting classes in 2014. She returned to the studio after attending college out of state to teach and direct the Tap and Musical Theater productions at the studio. She has a passion for dance and teaching students of all ages and abilities.