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Daniela Tomasiello
Randolph, NJ

My Bio: I began my formal dance training at age 3 and was a competition dancer for 12 years. I say "dancer" and not "on a competition team" because while I did have a team and a studio which I was a member - I found myself through dance when I traveled alone and took the stage without knowing much about the people in the audience. I absolutely loved traveling with my mom for the weekend; helping to set up for the event, watching other studio's all day long and then, taking the stage myself "for critique only" of course! Yes applause is encouraging, trophies and scholarships are rewarding but absolutely nothing beats going out to dinner with some of the best of the best in our nations dance education and hearing your critiques in person! Back to my professional highlights: while in high school I had the opportunity to dance back up for N*SYNC during a performance Giants Stadium. It was also during those years that I discovered my love for choreography - I set numbers for Junior Broadway productions of "Peter Pan", "Annie", "Guys and Dolls" and "The Music Man". I attended Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University for a BFA in Dance. While at MGSA, I performed in repertory works by Doug Varone, Trisha Brown and Randy James, danced at the Cool New York Winter Dance Festival with the Julia Ritter Performance Group and was a member of the touring company University Dance Works. I have modeled in movement studies for dance photographer Paul H. Taylor and with percussionist Glen Fitten. In 2006, I was featured in 3 issues of SHAPE magazine. Post college I became a founding member of the modern dance company Lauren Handleman Dance Collective. We have performed at White Wave, Dance New Amsterdam, Hatch, Steps Performance Lab and Wax Works and the George Street Playhouse of NJ. On the opposit end of dance entertainment: I was a cheerleader/ dance captain for the NJ Rev It Up Girls. And I am definitely looking forward to the NFL cheerleader auditions this spring! I have been teaching master classes in Modern dance for Headliners Performing Arts Competition since 2005. Someday, they will get an incredible artist to fill my place - until then, I'm easy to transport, cheap and people like me. After 20 years of improvising all over the house, collecting music and concept idea's, I finally sent my own students into the world of dance competitions this past season; and proudly came home with high scoring routines and even some awards for choreography! Currently, I'm happy to be both teaching weekly and choreographing for 2 studios. If you so happen to attend Headliners this year and I'm off from the retail world that weekend, you might find me in the Judge A chair! Someday, I would love to be working with the rest of my family on a full time basis- but I'm too busy still building upon my own dance education and developing my voice. I'm also trying to find more outlets to perform in before I succumb to the directors chair forever.