Judges

Gabriella Ricolt is an accomplished dance educator, choreographer, and studio owner with over 11 years of leadership in the competitive dance industry.

She began dancing at the age of 3 and was a competitive dancer from age 7, developing a strong foundation in performance, technique, and artistry. She was part of the Miami Arts Charter dance program, as well as Doral Academy Preparatory Schools performing arts division where she trained under industry leaders in varied styles gaining knowledge of dance in all its forms. Additionally she trained with the Joffrey Balllet’s Summer Dance programs as well as participated in and successfully completed several Florida Dance Educators workshops.

Gabriella is highly versatile in her instruction and teaches all styles of dance, working with dancers across a wide range of ages and skill levels. Her choreography has been widely recognized in competition, earning 15 Choreography Awards and 10 Entertainment Awards.

In addition to her studio work, Gabriella founded an elementary school dance team, further expanding opportunities for young dancers to train, perform, and grow in confidence.

She is honored to serve as a judge and is committed to providing thoughtful, constructive feedback that supports each dancer’s growth and success.

Kym began her dance training at the age of three and has trained extensively in ballet, jazz, musical theatre, lyric, and contemporary. She has been a dance educator for more than 35 years studying in Boston, New York, and California and has a wealth of experience in varied dance genres. She has proven herself in the competition industry through her award winning choreography and competitive success of her students. They have won many prestigious awards, nationally and internationally, and have obtained professional careers as dancers with Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise ships, So You Think You Can Dance, New England Patriots Cheerleading, and on Broadway. Growing up she was involved in the pageant circuit and has coached many students participating in the Miss America and Miss Teen USA Pageant program. Kym’s greatest joy is teaching and instilling her
love of dance into students of all levels and ages and as a judge seeing each performer come alive on stage!

Tonya Ferrucci began her dance training at the age of three and has studied under the late Bette-Ann Monti Rossi for the past 30 years. Her dance training is both extensive and impressive and she was well known in the competition world winning many prestigious regional and national awards. She has trained in Boston, New York, and spent a brief time in California pursuing her dancing career. She was the owner and director of APAC Dance, Inc., one of the most successful studios in the New England area. Her students have won many prestigious regional and national awards including Petite Miss Dance of New England; Petite Miss American Dance Awards, Junior Miss Candance North America, dance-off champions and many national dance scholarships. Her students were gold medal World Dance Champions for the United States in Reisa, Germany. Her unique choreography has been the recipient of many regional and national awards as well. Tonya loves sharing her passion of the artform dance to the next generation of artists.