Meet Our Staff

~ A Note from our Director ~

Hello! I’d like to personally welcome you to Expressions Performing Arts Center! I am excited to have you meet our friendly teachers and staff. They are each so talented in what they do, and love creating a warm and welcoming environment for all students and their families and friends alike. I can’t say enough how blessed I am to have the opportunity to share our Expressions studio with such top notch individuals! They truly go above and beyond in their teaching, guidance, knowledge & skill growth, support and caring for our students and families within our Expressions walls, as well as throughout our local communities and beyond. Let me introduce you to our Expressions Staff — just a small glimpse of what enthusiastic and positive people we have waiting to meet you! ~ Vanessa Smith (Director/Owner)

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Emily Goodling is very excited and eager to be a part of the Expressions teaching team! Emily has over 20 years of dance training including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Musical Theater, and Hip-Hop. She primarily studied at Greater Dover Dance Academy, but has varying dance education from other local dance studios.  She has also taken various master classes including flamenco, and character dance. 

Emily holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and offers an eclectic work background. She currently works as a full time Sales Manager for a resort. She offers over 6 years of theater background including local shows, and choreography for various musical theater performances/show choir skits.  Dance and theater are her true passions in life —“There is no better feeling than dancing away your cares!“

   Miss Emily is passionate about encouraging, and helping others which is why she thoroughly enjoys teaching dance. For her, dance allows her students to showcase their personality. Her goal is to encourage students to reach their highest potential. In her spare time, she loves spending moments with her dog, Ryder. Reading and drinking coffee are some of her favorite past times as well.

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Miss Catherine brings over a decade of competitive dance experience and a deep-rooted passion for Acro to her teaching at Expressions. She began assisting classes at age 13, where she quickly developed strong foundational skills in Acro and a love for sharing movement with others. Certified through the Acrobatic Arts program, Catherine has been teaching Acro at Expressions for the past two years. Her classes focus on blending flexibility, control, and strength with dynamic power tumbling, creating a well-rounded, safe and supportive learning environment for dancers of all levels.

Outside of the studio, Catherine is a proud cat lover, and in class, you’ll often catch her lighting up with energy and a smile when it’s time for one of her favorite skills—walkovers!

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Vanessa Smith began her love of dance at the age of 2 and has continued to love being a part of the dance world for the past 40+ years. She is trained in all major styles of dance including Jazz, Hip-Hop, Musical Theater/Pantomime, Lyrical/Contemporary, Ballet, Modern, and Ballroom/Theater Arts — but her specialty and most favorite of all is Tap (classical, hoofing, and street). Growing up she performed competitively both locally and throughout the east coast from Florida to NYC as a soloist and as a member of various award-winning elite dance groups while under the instruction of David Blight, Candice Miscavage and Chrissy Howe at the David Blight School of Dance, in Wilkes-Barre, PA. While there, Vanessa started teaching and choreographing recreationally and competitively at the age of 14. Also during her time at the David Blight Studio, she ran the award-winning competition program at their former Pittston location and has been teaching dance for almost 30 years throughout Pennsylvania ever since. With her background in dance and her classroom and teaching skills learned from her Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Bloomsburg University, Miss Vanessa continues to apply her love of teaching and caring for her students in the dance world from littles to adult, believing dance is something to be loved and enjoyed by all!

When not at the studio, you will find Miss Vanessa either helping local competitive gymnasts with their technique and floor choreography skills, enjoying the role as choreographer for Susquehannock High School’s Spring Musicals, or most importantly — enjoying family time at her Southern York County home with her husband and children. She can’t say enough how blessed she feels to call Expressions Performing Arts Center and community her second home and family!

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~ Wanting to join our Expressions Staff Family? Send us an email at info@expressionspac.com to set up a meet and greet. We look forward to meeting you!~

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