About Us

Our Story

In 2003, my daughter was soon to be 3 and I felt that God was calling me to open my own studio, A place where children would be able to dance and move in a safe space. A place where parents didn't have to worry about the movements that were being learned.

Pazaz Christian Dance Academy was established in 2003 and currently has an enrollment of over 140 students. The Academy fosters technical and spiritual dance training and strives to uphold excellence in the arts.

Each class begins with prayer and is conducted by a trained and loving staff member who is dedicated to training up exceptional dancers and strong spiritual leaders in the dance world. We view our performances as a platform to present a visual and artistic witness to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Toni Bazala, Artistic Director

Our Mission

Pazaz Christian Dance Academy's Mission is to serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through dance. We will strive for a level of excellence that will bring glory to our Lord. Emphasis will be placed on the pure heart of the worshiper as we minister the gospel and share our love for Jesus. Pazaz is in the process of training up strong Christian leaders in the dance world.

Our goal is to continue the refinement of technique and to execute all dances with modesty and sophistication. To be in the world testifying through dance, but not of the world which uses God's gift to tear down His people. We will let the beauty be that of our inner self (I Peter 3:4) and serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13) as we learn together what is good, (Job 34:4) that the Lord gives us wisdom (Proverbs 2:6) in using every good and perfect gift that is from above (James 1:17).

Faculty

Toni Bazala, Founder & Artistic Director

Ballet, Pointe, Adaptive Dance, YAGP Coach

  • Toni started her dance training at the age of three. She studied with many renowned instructors, such as David Howard, Patricia McBride, Jonathan Phelps, Patricia Sorrell, Cherie Noble, Richard Cook, Marcia Dale Weary, Darla Hoover, Gennadi Vostrikov, and Robert Steele, and has performed with various groups throughout the Eastern United States.

    Toni danced professionally with Harrisburg Ballet for two years before moving to the Pittsburgh area. She has completed the Teacher Training Seminar at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and has become a certified Instructor with the American Ballet Theater Teacher Curriculum.

    Toni is currently a team leader for the Adult, Teen, and Youth Dance Teams at Word of Life Church in Greensburg, PA. Toni and her husband have three wonderful children, Michael, Kaitlyn, and Jacob.

Michelle Fetter, Teacher & Office Asst.

Tap, Jazz, Zumba, Office Assistant

  • Michelle is originally from Binghamton, New York where she began studying dance the age of 8. She has studied classical ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, voice and drama. She later added pointe, hip-hop, ballroom, modern, contact and contemporary dance.

    From 2004 to 2010 she owned and operated her own studio in Binghamton, New York. Her students attended many competitions on both the regional and national levels. Michelle’s choreography and original costume designs have received many high score, special recognition and superior achievement awards. She has choreographed over 300 original pieces of choreography, including 3 original full length ballets.

    Michelle is a student member of Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway, in New York City. She has studied with renowned teachers Jeff Shade, Frank Hatchett, Suzi Taylor, Mimi Quinlin, Leslie Browne and many others. For the past several years she has attended Project Dance New York with Pazaz students and staff. In 2019, along with Miss Toni and other Pazaz staff, she Co-Produced Project Dance Pittsburgh as the Administrative Director for the event.

    In 2017 she obtained a certification by Zumba International to teach Zumba B1 and Gold. In January 2020 she joined the office staff as an administrative assistant, and she is very excited and pleased to expand her role at PCDA. Also in 2020, she has become AFAA certified (American Fitness & Athletics Association) for group exercise. This new training specializes in group movement, safe stretching, injury prevention and fitness education, along with adult and pediatric CPR/AED and first aid training.

    Michelle lives in Greensburg with her husband Joe and their 2 sons Nick and Brandon. They are members of Word of Life Church in Greensburg.

Dinah Mason, Teacher

Ballet, Pointe, Certified PBT Trainer

  • Dinah Mason is a graduate of Point Park University with a B.A. in Dance. She studied Vaganova (Russian) ballet under Petrus Van Muyden, the Primier Danseur of the Paris Opera. Dinah founded and ran her own dance school for 23 years which closed at the end of 2008.

    Through the many years of teaching, Dinah developed a unique and pleasingly friendly teaching philosophy. Dinah has danced for more the 50 years and her love for the art form is one of the gifts she passes on to her students. She is very pleased to be a part of Pazaz Christian Dance Academy.

Rachel Petrill, Teacher

Contemporary, Hip Hop, Tumbling

  • Rachael has studied dance for over 20 years. Exploring, many different styles, what she loves above all is dance’s ability to communicate story & emotion and form connections. In college, she founded & directed a dance division of the theatre department while majoring in education.

    Along with years of jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, & hip hop, she has also taught & explored swing, modern, salsa, tango, Bollywood, & African. She hopes to someday make the marriage of special education & the performing arts common practice.

Michelle Kibel, Teacher

Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Baton, Hip Hop Seedlings

  • Michelle has studied baton since the age of three. She has competed in numerous competitions all over the United States, both in group and individual performances. She was captain of her squad in both junior and senior divisions, as well as in college. She has twirled many different types of batons, including hoop, flag and fire.

    Michelle has studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Pointe at Pazaz and continues to grow by leaps and bounds. She is very excited to share her passion for dance with the dancers at Pazaz.

Aimée Voegtle, Teacher

Ballet, Pointe, YAGP Coach

  • Aimée has been dancing since she was seven and has been teaching dance in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania for more than twenty five years. She received her early training and teaching experiences at Anderson Young Ballet Theatre (AYBT) where she performed leads in such ballets as Cinderella, Coppelia, Giselle, Nutcracker, The Red Shoes, and Sleeping Beauty as well as many original works.

    As a company member she attended many Regional Dance America Dance Festivals. During this time she also worked with the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre as a trainee, performed in the 10th Pan American Games Opening Ceremonies as a professional dancer, and competed in several ballet competitions including the Association of Arts and Letters National Competition in Dance.

Emily Doran, Teacher

Adaptive Dance

  • I have been dancing since 2000 at Word of Life Church and I started dancing at Pazaz in 2010. I have experience as a dancer in ballet, tap, jazz, and my personal favorite, Hip Hop. My teachers taught me everything. Thank you Miss Toni for giving me an opportunity like this one and I can’t wait to start. Miss Jenny prepared me to be a dance teacher. It has always been my childhood dream to be a dance teacher. I dance for God and I appreciate God for everything He does for me. As a Godly dance teacher, I want to inspire and help and support others in the joy of dancing for the Lord.

Ellyse Betler, Teacher

Primary Ballet

  • Ellyse began dancing at the age of 3, and joined PCDA in 2011. Since then, she has been blessed to perform, study, and strengthen her skills as a dancer at Pazaz. Ellyse has also attended summer intensive at Pittsburgh Ballet House, competed at YAGP, danced at Project Dance Pittsburgh, and was accepted into the Rock School Ballet summer intensive (although was unable to attend).

    Ellyse graduated as a homeschool student in 2022, and is very excited to be majoring in Elementary Education at Westmoreland County Community College. She also enjoys teaching and loving on children at her church (Cornerstone Ministries) and counseling at Pine Springs Camp.

    Ellyse loves reminding others of God’s unconditional love for them, and how precious they are as His children. She is excited to be able to pour these truths into her students, while teaching them to dance with joy before an audience of One.

Yael Smith, Teacher

Ballet, Pointe, YAGP Coach

  • Yael began her ballet training when Pazaz first opened in 2003. Over the years, she has attended workshops held by CPYB, Vertical Movement, and Ballet Magnificat. Yael has performed on Times Square in New York City 3 years in a row with PCDA and studied with many professional artists at the Project Dance, New York Workshops. Yael was homeschooled for 7 years by her parents.

    In May of 2016, she became a homeschool graduate. She currently attends Westmoreland County Community College for Office Administration and is the audio/visual technician at The Way Church. She loves to worship God using the gift He gave her, dance! She is very excited to teach others how to dance for Jesus!

Clara Panichelle, Teacher

Seeds of Joy, Homeschool Tap

  • Clara started her training at the age of 8. She has been at Pazaz for the last 10 years growing in her ability of Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, and Acro. Clara has also received training from Ballet Magnificat staff from attending the Summer intensive in Jackson Mississippi two years in a row and the Fall intensive once. Clara has served as a student helper for the last ten years, as well as being a student director with the HomeTown Arts Troupe the last three years. Clara grew up in a homeschooled family where her parents taught all six kids. Graduating in 2023 she continues her education at Westmoreland Community College working towards a degree in Liberal Arts. In the fall of 2021, Clara joined Keystone Contemporary Ballet Company as a Student Trainee and in the summer of 2023 was promoted to Apprentice. Clara volunteers and helps as much as she can at church and many local events. Clara has always loved dance and has enjoyed teaching her nieces and nephews ballet just for fun. She is excited for the next chapter in her life and to see how God will use her in the future to bring glory to His Kingdom.

Chloe Hunker, Teacher

Homeschool Jazz

  • Chloe began her dance training in 2012 at Studio B in Alice Springs, Australia. While there, she competed at local and national levels, achieving a national top 10 soloist award in 2014. In 2015, she trained at Light Of Life Performing Arts in Seven Valleys, PA, then started at Pazaz Christian Dance Academy in 2017. Chloe has also attended summer dance intensives at Ballet Magnificat! and Ballet Hartford. She joined Keystone Contemporary Ballet in 2022, and has had the honor of performing with them in Time Square at Project Dance.

    In June of 2023, Chloe graduated with high honors from Commonwealth Charter Academy. She is excited to teach at PCDA and show others the love of God through dance!

Tanya Schwab, Office Administrator

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