DMD YOUTH COMPANY
ARTISTIC DIRECTION

Get to know our DMDYC directors.

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DIRECTORS

  • DMDYE Artistic Director

    Detroit Metropolitan Dance Artistic Director, Stephanie Pizzo, joined the company as a founding member in 1991. At various points in her dance career with DMD, she served as Resident Choreographer, Associate Artistic Director, and Co-Artistic Director. Ms. Pizzo now leads the company into her 6th season as Artistic Director. She focuses on collaborating with the highest quality national and international artists and creating strong ties within the metro Detroit community through the art of dance. Her recent dance for film work, The Five Tangos, inspired by the music of Astor Piazzolla and created in collaboration with the Detroit Institute of Art and Zazu Creative Studio, featured each contemporary tango danced in an iconic Detroit location.

    Ms. Pizzo also believes in educational programming and youth mentorship as key tools to develop community connection. She works to use the art of contemporary dance both as a means to present beautiful, athletic, and engaging repertory and as a vehicle to reflect on and explore issues of social significance. She has set her choreography at Illinois State University, Texas A & M University, and Wesleyan University, along with having staged numerous works by Laurie Eisenhower on companies and universities throughout the United States. Her work has been presented in Tel Aviv as part of Detroit Metropolitan Dance’s production of The Light Show, at international dance festivals in Poland, and most recently on the Inside/Out Stage at Jacob’s Pillow. A native of Clinton Township, Michigan, Ms. Pizzo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Oakland University. In 2009, she received a Distinguished Alumni or “MaTilDa” award from the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance. She served as a special lecturer in dance at Oakland University for 12 years. Ms. Pizzo set new choreography for Texas Christian University and Texas A & M University in February, 2022.

  • Originally from Miami, Florida, Meagan Cubides began her formal dance training at the Miami City Ballet School and later attended New World School of the Arts High School. In 2019, she graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, where she had the opportunity to perform works by choreographers such as Alvin Ailey, Francesca Harper, Jamar Roberts, Adam Barruch, and Sidra Bell, among others.

    During college, Meagan danced professionally with Ballet Hispánico Dos during their 2017–2018 season. She also trained at renowned summer programs including Arts Umbrella Dance, Bodytraffic, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Ballet Austin.

    Following graduation, Meagan danced with Visceral Dance Chicago for four seasons. She is currently in her third season with Detroit Metropolitan Dance and also serves as a teaching artist for the School of Detroit Metropolitan Dance. In addition to her performance career, Meagan is a certified personal trainer at the Detroit Athletic Club. 

  • Katy Hall graduated from Oakland University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She received the MaTilDa Award for Outstanding Student Service through the Music, Theatre, and Dance program at O.U. She has also choreographed several pieces for O.U.’s dance company, Oakland Dance Theatre. Ms. Hall is a CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) dance alum and has choreographed many pieces for the dance program at Churchill High School since her graduation in 2003. In 2014, she attended the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum conference where she received her certification. She has been teaching for the School of Detroit Metropolitan Dance since 2006 and also serves as the Special Events Coordinator, Youth America Grand Prix Director, and Student Ambassador Program Director.

  • LejlaRaven Martin (she/her) was born and raised in Utica, NY. She furthered her dance training at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Massachusetts under the direction of Michael Owen, with many performance opportunities, including The Nutcracker, spring performances at The Joyce Theatre, and student-choreographed works. After high school, she attended Point Park University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2024, earning her BFA in dance. LejlaRaven’s time at Point Park included working with and performing works by Martha Graham, Christopher Huggins, Jess Hendricks, Candace Brown, Julia Erickson, and others.

    LejlaRaven is thrilled to enter her third season with Detroit Metropolitan Dance as a company member. In her time with the company, she performed and worked with Maxine Doyle, Joshua Peugh, Stephanie Pizzo, BAIRA, Yoshito Sakuraba, and Laurie Eisenhower. Along with performing, she also teaches at the School of Detroit Metropolitan Dance and is the Director of the First Company for the Youth Ensemble this year. In addition to teaching at studios in Michigan and Upstate New York, she is expanding her work in choreography.

  • Isabella Marina Varon is a professional dancer and dance educator based in Detroit, Michigan. She has been a company artist with Detroit Metropolitan Dance since 2023, where she has worked closely with and performed works by a diverse range of choreographers, including Maxine Doyle, Tess Voelker, Yoshito Sakuraba, Christian Denice, Tamisha A. Guy, Rauf Yasit and James Gregg, Joshua Peugh, and Norbert De La Cruz III.

    Most recently, Isabella performed principal roles in Rinaldo, directed by Louisa Proske at the Detroit Opera House, as well as in works by Sharon Eyal at Springboard Danse and Scott Jennings at the b12 Festival in Berlin.

    Isabella earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College in 2020, with a concentration in ballet. Her training includes prestigious summer programs with American Ballet Theatre and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

    Beyond performance, Isabella is passionate about dance education and mentorship. She regularly teaches ballet and contemporary techniques to pre-professional students across the Metro-Detroit area and provides college preparation guidance for aspiring dance majors. Her teaching experience spans colleges, intensives, and festivals nationwide. Isabella is currently on faculty at Viva Dance Company and Spotlight Dance Works. She is also the Off-Ice Training Director at the Detroit Skating Club and was the Associate Artistic Director of Young Dancers Initiative from 2022 to 2025.

  • Katy Hall earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Oakland University in 2007. Since graduating, she has choreographed numerous works for Oakland University's resident dance company, Oakland Dance Theatre. A graduate of Churchill High School's Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) Dance Program, Katy has maintained a strong connection to her alma mater by teaching master classes and choreographing for the program since 2003. In 2014, she completed the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum and became an ABT Certified Teacher. Since 2006, Katy has been a faculty member at the School of Detroit Metropolitan Dance, where she teaches ballet, contemporary, jazz, and tap. For more than 13 years, Katy has served as a Student Company Director for the Detroit Metropolitan Dance Youth Company (DMDYC), formerly EDDYE. Throughout her career, she has mentored numerous soloists, with students earning Top 10 placements at prestigious competitions including Youth America Grand Prix and Universal Ballet Competition. In addition to teaching, Katy serves as the school's Special Events Coordinator, DMDYC Competition Director, and Student Ambassador Director. She is passionate about developing technically strong, confident, and artistic dancers while fostering a supportive and inspiring learning environment.

  • Emily “EmM” Moreira is originally from Richmond, Virginia and a graduate of James Madison University, where she earned her degree in Dance. During her time at JMU, she held various leadership roles and worked with numerous renowned artists and companies including, Lucinda Childs, Norbert De La Cruz III, DanceWorks Chicago, Ballet Hispánico, and Eisenhower Dance Detroit. EmM also studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, where she performed a work by Rubén Graciani at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. After graduating, EmM began her professional dance career performing original works by Stephanie Martinez, Norbert De La Cruz III, and Yusha Sorzano, as well as performing with the Charlottesville Opera.

    During her time at Detroit Metropolitan Dance, EmM has performed works by Yoshito Sakuraba, Stephanie Pizzo, Christian Denice, and Laurie Eisenhower. She is excited to return for her second season with the company!

Past Guest Choreographers:

2023-24

Seyong Kim
Judy Milner
Meagan Cubides

2022-23

Áine Dorman
Lillie Hamilton
Alex Hlavaty

2021-22

Jonathan Jackson
Kaitlin Arena **Recipient of the RDA Emerging Choreographer Award and Scholarship
Madeline Aldana
Alex Hlavaty