Studio Owner / Director

Gina Marie Zambito-Grote was destined to dance! She knew from the age of four that dancing was her passion, and she always envisioned sharing that passion with others. Gina was born and raised in Highland, New York, and knew she wanted to build a business in her hometown. Her mother and father gave her the opportunity to follow her dreams when they signed her up for dance. The death of her father was a pivotal point in her life. The memory of his unconditional support is a constant source of inspiration for her daily drive in all that she does. She has a degree in performing arts with a concentration in dance.

In the summer of 2010, she proudly announced the opening of her own studio, Gina Marie’z Academy of Performing Arts, LLC. In November of 2017, Gina Marie’z relocated to a new 6,000- square foot state-of-the-art facility! GMZ has a wonderful, safe, and family friendly atmosphere. By providing four large, beautiful studios, GMZ can accommodate many different ages and levels of ability where students can be inspired to learn. She believes anyone, anywhere, any age…can dance!

Throughout her teaching career, Gina’s unique staging and style of choreography has been recognized regionally and nationally. Her students have earned Regional Title awards and ranked in the top percentile of prestigious dance competitions.

Gina continues to give back to the community that has watched her grow and supported her for the past 30+ years. Her Performing Company Members have showcases at local events and fundraisers for charitable causes.

Assistant Director, Dance Educator & GMZ Company Office Administrator 

Cassie Masterson has been a part of the dance world since the age of three. She danced for 21 years and has been teaching for over 13. Cassie has had the privilege of learning from award winning teachers and choreographers during her dance career. Thanks to their teaching, encouragement, and support, she has achieved overall special and high score awards in multiple dance competitions.

Cassie has had the privilege to perform at Hershey Park, Eisenhower Hall, Disney’s Magic Kingdom, and the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony. Cassie graduated from Dutchess Community College in 2014 with an Associate’s Degree in Performing Arts.

She always loved helping the little ones and started assisting dance classes in 2007. She loved thinking outside the box to help them learn moves in a way that was fun and easy to understand. Now, Cassie is so proud to have watched some of her students become assistants themselves, and then teachers! Watching her students grow, transform, and develop their own styles of teaching makes her job mean even more.

Dance Educator

Dana Soto was born and raised in Bronx, NY. Dana began dancing at the age of 7 at The Columbus Boys and Girls Club and continued her training throughout New York State. Dana has studied many styles of dance, including Modern, Jazz, Salsa and Hip Hop, hip hop being Dana's specialty. Dana has studied different urban styles of hip hop including Breaking, Tutting, Popping and Locking. After relocating to Newburgh New York, she joined her local dance/step-team, "Newburgh Allstars," where she learned the fundamental backgrounds of hip hop. She competed throughout New York State at competitions including Ritz Theatre, BET's Blaze the Stage and America's Got Talent. 

Dana has a degree in Performing Arts from Dutchess Community College with a concentration in Dance. She continued her education at SUNY-New Paltz and later received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. While in college, Dana continued with her love for dance by dancing and performing with SUNY New Paltz's hip hop dance team,"Culture Shock". Prior to graduating, Dana was hired as the main hip hop teacher at Gina Marie'z Academy of Performing Arts, LLC where she choreographed countless award winning competitive dances. She also taught many years of recreational hip hop classes to children and adults of all ages. Dana now focuses on her career in Social Work and Mental Health services by serving the families within her community. Despite this change in career, her love for the hip hop culture will always be a predominate part of her life.

Dance Educator

Aubrey began dancing when she was 3 years old. Growing up, she attended numerous auditions and summer intensives run by New York City Ballet. She has trained at Saugertes Ballet Center for most of her life, and has dedicated over 15 years as a principal dancer performing with the Ulster Ballet Company and their annual production of A Christmas Carol at UPAC.

After completing the Performing Arts Program at DCC, she went on to dance with Tina Thompson’s SKIN dance company based out of Brooklyn NY before moving back upstate to have a family and dance locally. 

Now a proud mama of 2, she is passionate about sharing her lifelong training with the next generation of dancers. She has experience teaching ballet to children and adults of all ages and skill levels; as well as Lyrical, Jazz, and Modern, and Contemporary Dance. She is thrilled to begin another season with Gina Marie’z and can’t wait to share her passion with you all! 

Dance Educator

Grace Volpe started dancing the age of 5 and soon after, she fell in love with it. Since then, she has been continuously training in Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip-Hop-, and Tumbling. Grace started competitively dancing at 7 years old. Throughout the years, Grace has received many awards for her performances, including overall high score and special awards. Recently, she has completed the Independent Training Program at Broadway Dance Center and has also received her certification for Personal Training with the National Association of Sports Medicine.

From a very young age, Grace knew she wanted to be a dance teacher. She has spent many years assisting and learning how to run her own classroom in a fun and productive way. Grace has a strong passion for fostering a love of dance and artistic expression in her students of all ages. She prioritizes creating positive and inclusive learning environments that promote growth and confidence. She is so grateful to be a part of each of her students journeys as dancers. Currently, she is not only teaching dance, she is attending SUNY New Paltz for her degree in Psychology.

Dance Educator

Alyssa has been dancing since she was 4 years old. She has trained in Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Acro, Broadway, and Modern. Not only did she fall in love with dancing, but she fell in love with the stories she can tell through dance; thus, choreography became her passion. Not wanting to part from dance, Alyssa decided to take dance classes and join a dance club while studying at the University of Florida; She earned dual degrees in Digital Film and Television Production and Theatre Arts. These classes allowed Alyssa to broaden her depth of knowledge in dance styles and this club taught her how to effectively choreograph for large groups of people with varying dance experiences.

It is one of Alyssa’s greatest pleasures teaching the next generation of dancers at Gina Marie’z. Her goal in each of her classes is to have her students fall a little more in love with this amazing art form, as well as endurance sport, and have them excited to show up the week after.

Dance Educator

Kala found dance at the age of 12, and has just never stopped from then on! She danced and competed all throughout high school and is now finished with that journey. Kala has high hopes of going to college for dance education and achieving a job teaching dance in the future! She started in tumbling and has branched out to various different styles including Lyrical, Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, and more.

Teaching dance and helping kids express them selves while learning to do amazing things is the absolute best feeling in the world for her, and is exactly what was done for her and it truly has made her into the person she is today. To Kala...friendship, love and community have always been important to her and all of those factors are exactly what makes-up GMZ and she is so excited to keep supporting this wonderful inspiring family in more ways than ever.

Dance Educator

Cameryn has been a competitive dancer and performer since she was 2 years old, training in contemporary, lyrical, jazz, ballet and acro dance styles. Cameryn has danced with various companies such as Russian Ballet Company for their Nutcracker, NYAB, AAB, and the Dance Conservatory. Cameryn participated in a dance video, filmed right in Central Park, NYC. She has done numerous performances at Barclays Center, halftime, and prime time performance for the Brooklyn Nets. She has also worked with many instructors, including Brian Friedman, Gianna Martello, Shannon Atkins, Lacey Shwimmer, Jaclyn Walsh, and Sheila Barker.

Several teachers and choreographers have praised Cameryn for being easy and exciting to work with. Her dedication, love for dance, and ability to communicate well, make her a joy to be around. Cameryn dreams of a thriving career in the entertainment world, which includes acting for television or movies, modeling, and performing on Broadway. Her ability to share a story through movement is like no other. Her determination, joyful nature, and strong work ethic give her the confidence to turn her aspirations into reality.

Dance Educator

Kerstin is excited to join the team here at GMZ. Growing up a competitive dancer in the Hudson Valley, Kerstin started dancing at the age of 5, earning numerous scholarships, titles and special awards from a variety of competitions and conventions. Miss Kerstin has performed at many festivals, nursing homes, West Point Cadets Ceremony, Walt Disney World, the NYS Special Olympics and invited to dance at the 2004 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She has studied under Mignon Furman with the American Academy of Ballet and was a Radio Disney Player Performer in her youth.

Her love for teaching took over and she has spent the last 15 years sharing her expertise across the east coast as an Instructor, Choreographer and Co-Director. Kerstin’s choreography has been recognized regionally and nationally. She is a well-known adjudicator and convention instructor for numerous event producers and continues to share her dance expertise with students who have pursued dance as a profession.

Aside from dance, Kerstin has a Bachelor's Degree in social work, NYSLPN, and has a TCI certification. Kerstin is also BLS/CPR/First Aid certified. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her dog and teaching her UPK students.

Dance Educator

Delaney has been a dancer and performer since the age of 2. She’s been trained in hip hop, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, and acro dance styles. She has had many opportunities such as being in “A Fairy Tale After All” movie, dancing at Barclays Center for the Brooklyn Nets Halftime Show and Lady Liberty’s. Gina Marie’z has helped Delaney with being able to win multiple scholarships, title awards, overall scores and many high achievements.

Being able to express her love for dance with others is something she loves. Falling in love with dance at such a young age is so special that she’s had the opportunity to do so. She loves to share the joy of dance with other dancers and performers. Dance is what has formed Delaney into the striving young lady that she is today. Without dance, she would be a completely different person. She plans on continuing dance after High School with turning her dreams into a reality. Delaney cannot give enough thanks to Gina for making her studio such a loving and welcoming community.

Dance Educator

Rocco Notaro started his dance career at a very young age, his training began in his home state, NY, with some of the best on broadway and the commercial dance industry. Rocco brought himself to the next level training in all styles from ballroom to gymnastics. He jumped right into the competition/convention world at 7 and never looked back. In Rocco’s competing years he’s earned himself an array of awards, scholarships, regional/national titles, and more! Quickly hustling with multiple internships and commercial jobs, his name widened throughout the dance industry.

After graduating high school and moving on from competing, he took the time to get rewarded with a scholarship to a major performing arts college in Los Angeles, CA, and found himself as an audition finalist for a dance tv show. You can see his work through multiple commercials, concept videos, and Disney/Universal parades! Not too soon after Rocco dove head on back into the competitive world yet again touring with multiple largely known dance competitions, working backstage and choreographing for opening numbers and master classes. Rocco now travels the country as a master teacher/choreographer, setting intense award winning pieces for young up and coming dancers.

Finally in 2022 Rocco decided to make his dream career a reality and created his very own competition, Industry Dance Challenge.

Dance Educator

Mr. Agon has been breakin' since his teens. He has a Bachelors of Music from SUNY Purchase, and has completed the BBoy Dojo Teacher Training, and Shakti Yoga Teacher Training. He has been teaching in the Hudson Valley since 2008. He is a member of Shadow and Earth crew, and has been involved with the East Coast break community, stage performances, music videos, and event production throughout the years. His teaching style combines Yoga and Breakin' to meet the students where they are at, introducing them to strength, flexibility, and creativity through music and movement.