Our Teachers and Staff
Brittani Palermo, Owner/ Teacher
Bio Coming Soon…
Ava Basset, Teacher
Ava grew up dancing at Premier Dance Center. She graduated from Our Lady Of Mercy School For Young Women in 2022. Ava is currently an undergraduate student at Nazareth University double majoring in Dance Studies and Digital Marketing Strategy. She has plans to pursue a Masters in Dance. Ava is also Pilates Mat Certified.
Ava was a Soul Elite assistant for the dance convention Soul De Soul for 5 years. She was given the opportunity to teach a convention class in the Mini room at Soul De Soul Dance Convention. Ava has been selected to participate in dance residencies at Nazareth University, including ones with the Limon Dance Company, BDT (Boston Dance Theater), and GALLIM Dance Company. She is also currently the student marketing intern and MAD Weekend assistant for Nazareth University Dance Program.
“I feel blessed everyday that I get to teach dance and create choreography on such incredible students. I love connecting with each student and pushing myself creatively to produce the best work I can. Teaching and choreographing are my passions and I plan on continuing to pursue both into the future.”
Jessica Bagne, Teacher
Jessica is a Premier Dance Center alumni of 2006, this was the same year she began teaching at Premier, and developed a passion for teaching children. Jessica could be found teaching Jazz, Musical Theatre, Lyrical & Acro genres. Jessica has taught countless hours at PDC and Creative Kids Dance & Yoga. Her choreography has won many awards over the years, including Tremaine’s Best of Show award.
“I look forward to many years of sharing my love of dance with children of all ages. Most importantly I strive to provide a fun, positive, educational classroom for our students!”
Megan Kamler, Teacher
Megan began dancing at Marilyn Schneider School of Dance and then moved over to Premier Dance Center where she continued dancing and was also Dancer Of the Year 2001.
Megan joined Rochester City Ballet in 2011 after receiving her training at the Timothy M. Draper Center for Dance Education and the University of Arizona where she earned her BFA in Dance. She received additional training at the National Ballet School of Canada summer intensive on scholarship and the summer intensives of Ballet Austin and the Ellison Training Program in New York City. After graduation Megan was asked to perform in an 18 city tour in China with the Art.if.act Dance. Megan has had many rolls in the Rochester City Ballet since she jointed in 2011. She was named one of the Artistic Directors of the Rochester City Ballet in 2023
In addition to her roll at RCB, Megan just received training to be a Pilates instructor and is excited to be able to extend her teaching further.
Youri Spindler, Teacher
Youri is a dynamic classical ballet dancer based in Rochester, NY. He began his training under Diane Lewis at the Hochstein School of Dance and continued his studies at the Draper Center for Dance Education, Nutmeg Conservatory, and Next Generation Ballet. He joined the Rochester City Ballet in 2013 where he performed in many ballets including George Balanchine’s Serenade, The Nutcracker, Jeff Tyzik’s Images, Cinderella, and The Ugly Duckling. In 2016, he became one of the first American dancers to train in post-Revolution Cuba with Laura Alonso at Centro ProDanza, and performed with Ballet Laura Alonso in Havana. In 2017, he joined the New York State Ballet. Notable NYSB appearances include The Marriage of Figaro (Figaro), The Nutcracker (Russian Soloist, Arabian Soloist), Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter), Romeo and Juliet (Paris), Dracula (Arthur Holmwood), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander), Grand Pas de Deux from Paquita, and soloist roles in Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, and Gershwin and Gatsby. Youri’s teaching style is influenced by the Cuban method, which emphasizes athleticism, precision footwork, alignment and control.
Office Staff
In addition to our teaching, we have our office staff that keep the studio together each day. From left to right Michelle Munnings, Brittani Palermeo, Robin Arbore and Judy Tunney