MEET OUR TEAM

Cheryl Passalacqua

Managing Partner - Stage 8 Dance Brands

Cheryl Passalacqua has over 20 years’ experience in the dance industry as an Event Producer, Choreographer, Coach and Instructor. 

She is a former University of Louisville Ladybird where she consecutively won 3 National Championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004.  Cheryl finished her college career as a dancer at Hawaii Pacific University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Justice Administration in 2005.  Cheryl’s dance journey started 32 years ago as a studio dancer and transitioned into a dance team member 24 years ago.

Understanding both industries has been something that Cheryl feels has set her apart from others.  She has choreographed for numerous dance teams in the US winning countless State Championships and numerous National Championships.  Currently, Cheryl is the official choreographer for Team Finland and the Juniors of Team Russia.  From 2000-2020, Cheryl worked as a UDA Instructor for their elite and college camps and later became a UDA State Director for KY, IN, TN, MI and OH.  In 2010, Cheryl created The Groove Experience for the Varsity All Star office in Knoxville, TN which later became the largest All-Star dance brand in the US.

Janna Thomas

Dance Connection Director

Janna’s passion for dance began with her training at the age of 2. Since then, she competed with Larkin Dance Studio, trained at Broadway Dance Center in NYC, was a captain of the University of Minnesota Dance Team during their inaugural double National Championship season and proudly represented the United States as a member of the gold medalist Pom and Jazz National Team. 



Beyond her participation as an athlete, she has over 10 years of experience instructing, choreographing and judging domestically and internationally. Janna is a former UDA Head Instructor of College and International camps, as well as a choreographer of camp routines, parade routines for the Macy’s Thanksgivings Day Parade and routines for top award-winning High School and Collegiate programs. She has judged numerous High School, Collegiate and All-Star competitions in the US, National and Continental Championships in other countries and served on the Pom panel for the ICU World Championships. Previously, she was a USASF certified legality official, a judge at many USASF sanctioned events and a member of the USASF National Advisory Board. 

Liz Rifino

Judging & Scoring Coordinator

Liz studied on scholarship at Broadway Dance Center in New York City where she trained extensively in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, hip hop and theatre dance. After several seasons with the NJ Dance Theatre Guild Ballet Company, she attended Rutgers University where she was captain, choreographer and eventually the coach of the University’s Dance Team. She went on to work for Universal Dance Association, performing and teaching across the United States and abroad.

Her performance and choreography credits include The Jerry Lewis Telethon, Disney’s Christmas Parade, the Citrus Bowl Halftime Show and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She continues to consult for many outstanding international programs and National Championship Teams such as the University of Minnesota, University of Delaware, and Los Alamitos HS.

As the developer and certifier of the ICU Dance Judges and Coaches Training Courses she has worked with many outstanding international programs and has judged for numerous championships throughout the world. 

Stacy Rowe

Marketing Director

Stacy has owned her own dance studio and cheer gym in Clayton, NC, since 2001. Stacy was 2014 USASF Dance Coach of the Year and has coached many dance teams over the years to World championships. She has earned several Bronze, Silver, and Gold World Championship placements. 
 

Stacy has spoken at various conferences including Varsity University, USASF Dance, and CDIP. She has a passion for teaching others to build their business and grow their programs to the best of their ability. Stacy is a jack of many trades and currently is the Director of Marketing for Stage 8 Dance Brands. 

She is a wife of 22 years and a mother of two teenagers. Her hobby is writing novels, she has written several award-winning novels under her author name S.R. Fabrico!

She brings the studio owner and coach perspective to Stage 8 Dance Brands.

Molly Williams

Marketing Coordinator & Lead Ambassador

Molly is a life-long dancer who competed in the all-star circuit for 15 years. After graduating high school, Molly studied as a B.F.A. Dance Performance major at Northern Kentucky University. During her time there she was cast in several pieces choreographed by top choreographers in the show “Dance ‘18.” Studying at NKU expanded her dance knowledge to include specific styles such as Fosse jazz and African under the tutelage of Mercedes Ellington, Tracey Bonner, Missy and Andrew Hubbard of Exhale Dance Tribe, Jay Goodlett of the Cincinnati Ballet, and more. 

Molly finished her studies at The University of Pikeville, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration. During her time in Pikeville, she stepped back onto the competition floor, competing with Dance Etc. and winning the Bronze medal in Open Jazz in 2021. She first became a part of the Stage 8 Dance Brands family in 2022, when she was named an ambassador for the company. After a year in this role, she became the Lead Ambassador and continues to lead the Stage 8 Dance Brands ambassadors to love the company as much as she does.

Molly is also a dance instructor and coach and spends her evenings at the studio teaching dancers of all ages. She is a choreographer for her all-star teams and soloists, and has traveled across the state of Kentucky choreographing for many school dance teams.

She is so thankful for the many doors dance has opened her, most especially working for Stage 8 Dance Brands. She prides herself in not only having experience as a competitor at Stage 8 events, but also as a coach, ambassador, and event staff.

Erin Diener

Erin began her dance journey at the age of three, training in a studio and competing as a member of her high school’s nationally ranked dance team throughout all four years. After graduating, she continued her dance education at the University of Tennessee, where she pursued a degree in studio art.

In 2012, after becoming a new mom and feeling distanced from her dance passion, Erin began training under Neighborhood Barre founder, Katy Richardson, and began teaching barre. A few years later, she opened an NB studio in Maryville, which she later sold to transition into her role as an NB corporate master trainer. Throughout the years, Erin has utilized her knowledge in fitness and body mechanics to teach barre and dance conditioning to various groups, including dance teams, military service members, and corporate wellness programs.



Erin resides in Knoxville, TN, with her husband and three children. As the lead instructor at the flagship Neighborhood Barre studio, she dedicates her days to empowering her students through barre and dance technique.