Matthew Zimmerman

Owner/Director

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Matthew absolutely loves the art of dance. After growing up in the country and trying a free ballet class at the age of eight, he knew this was going to be his life.  Matthew was dancing professionally in companies right out of high school and enjoyed every step of it, but always found himself teaching along the way and finding more joy out of teaching than preforming. During the 2020 Pandemic, Matthew had time to think about which way he wanted to go on his dance journey. It didn’t take him long to decide that teaching was what he wanted to do. Since then Matthew has been dedicating his time even more to his students to give them what they need to make it to the next level.

Matthew’s teaching style revolves around keeping the love of dance alive. He believes there is a way to push any level dancer in a positive and beneficial way. Anytime you are in class with him you can expect to learn something new but also leave the room smiling.  Every class starts with a workout to keep the dancers in shape for the physically demanding art of dance. After having the core muscles groups warmed, class will go into technique then end with choreography. Every class will be geared toward the level of dancers in the room.

Matthew trained at the Horizons Dance Conservatory for six years and previously with Melanie Wright School of Dance and Berks Ballet Theatre. He is trained in all genres of dance, but his passion is in ballet and contemporary. Matthew attended the Pennsylvania Regional Ballet and the Joffrey New York City Jazz & Contemporary Intensives on scholarships. He was a company member with West Chester’s Brandywine Ballet for three seasons and performed with Sharp Dance Company, Brandywine Contemporary, Ballet 180, and Nova Dance Company. Matthew has also performed a solo he choreographed “Head vs Heart” at Kun-Yang Lin’s Inhale performance (2018) which was a standout and was labeled “a Dancer on the Rise”.  His Duet “Cellophane” , performed with Emily Young at Koresh Artist Showcase (2021), came with great reviews.  Matthew’s competition pieces consistently place in the overalls and have received numerous judges’, costume, technique, and choreography awards. His Mini group “Rule The World” won 1st and American Dance Champions at Showstoppers Northeastern Finals (2022).

Matthew is always working on choreography and thinking of new things to try so he can give it to his dancers. His pieces always highlight the strength and athleticism in dance but also the soft and fluid parts too. With most of his background in ballet, his dancers can expect a technically challenging and physically demanding piece. Even though his imagination is always going he makes sure to set the choreography on the type of dancers he has in front of him. Matthew’s number one goal is to make sure the dancer feels confident in the choreography but that it pushes them just enough so that they can achieve it and become even better dancers at the end.

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‍ ‍. Sophia Yocum

Assistant Director

Sophia began her dance journey in Hershey, Pennsylvania, then continued her training at The Peabody Institute Preparatory Program and Open Door Studios in North Carolina. She also trained and performed with FireWALL Dance Theater in Pittsburgh, while getting a BFA from Point Park University. Sophia has received various professional scholarships to attend summer intensives, including the Koresh pre-professional intensive. She was also inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts in recognition of her artistic achievement and dedication to dance. As an instructor and choreographer, Sophia has spent the past several years teaching dancers of all ages and levels in ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, acro, turns and leaps, musical theater, and more. Passionate about helping students grow both technically and artistically, Sophia strives to create an encouraging environment that builds confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of dance.

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‍ ‍Donielle Bailey Horst

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Donielle Bailey Horst holds Dual MFA degrees in Choreography & Creative Writing, has a BFA in Modern Dance from University of the Arts and is pursuing her Doctorate in Dance Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has lectured at Messiah University (Resident Guest Choreographer), Albright, Alvernia, Jacksonville, and The Institute of Classical & Modern Dance (Mumbai, India). She has presented her practice-based-research, “Unlocking the Unknown Via a Methodology of Play,” at the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and the Lancaster Learns Conference. Her writing, “Watch Over Me,” has been published in Isele Magazine. Donielle’s Pilates Practitioner journey spans over 20 years. She is Fletcher Pilates Mat Certified, Powerhouse Pilates Mat Certified, and her Reformer Certification took place under Jessica Roberts, a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT). She currently instructs at Well & Wild Pilates in Kutztown, PA and she reformer pilates at Club Pilates. Donielle is the owner of Horizons Dance Conservatory (19 years) where she implements a heuristic approach to dance education. View her current research practice at www.doniellebaileyhorst.com and become immersed in a collaboration of words, thoughts, & actions.

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‍ Erika Ostrow

Erika began her training at Baltimore Ballet School, focusing on the Vaganova technique. She continued her training at Tami Gees Studio of Dance and Russian Ballet Academy of Maryland, branching out into Jazz and Contemporary. Following high school she moved to New York City to pursue a career in dance. She attended the Joffrey Ballet School’s Jazz and contemporary program, under the direction of Angelica Stiskin, Michael Waldrop, and Bradley Shelver.