Meet the Dream Team

Lara Ganz is the founder and artistic director of Dream Studio Dance in Red Hook, NY and has been teaching dance for 20+ years. Lara began her dance training in Miami, Florida where she attended New World School of the Arts, training under Freddick Bratcher, Allegra Kent, Ted Kivitt, Daniel Lewis, Cuca Martinez, and Risa Steinberg. As a young dancer, Lara spent summers at training programs including UNCSA, Ballet Concerto, and the Jose Limon Company Intensive. 

Lara went on to attend Bard College, where she continued dancing while earning her BA in Organic Chemistry. She then went on to earn her JD from Vermont Law School with a concentration in environmental law, and after practicing for five years Lara decided to return to her passion of dance full time. In 2004, she opened Dream Studio Dance and Movement LLC in Rhinebeck and founded Veritas Dance Company in 2005.  

Over the past two decades, Lara has created 30+ original evening length works and produced over 25 live performances within the school and the Veritas Dance Company. The Veritas Dance company has presented work at local theaters including the LUMA Theater at the Richard B. Fisher Center for Performing Arts and UPAC, and have been invited to perform at the Vanaver Caravan Dance Fest, the Summer Wellness Festival, and Mohonk Mountain House. 

In addition to teaching and directing at Dream, Lara has taught as an adjunct professor in ballet at Vassar College and completed the first degree of the ABT National Training Curriculum. Dream Studio students and alumni have gone on to attend college dance programs at universities such as Barnard College of Columbia University and SUNY Purchase, and many have been accepted to prestigious summer programs including ABT, NYSSA, UNCSA, AAB, Hubbard Street Chicago, Kaatsban, Boston Ballet, Harid Conservatory, Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Mark Morris Dance Group, The Martha Graham School, David Dorfman Dance, the Cunningham Trust, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Bates Dance Festival, and more.

As Dream Studio enters its 20th Anniversary Year, Lara looks forward to continuing to teach and inspire the next generation of dancers, including those who wish to pursue dance as a career and those who simply dance for the love of it.

Aaron Barela was born and raised in Phoenix and got his BFA in Choreography from Arizona State University. His eclectic taste and unique flair for combining genres has earned him opportunities to teach and choreograph for organizations such as the 92nd St Y, Broadway Dance Center, Ballet Hispanico, Gibney Dance, and Aerial Dance Chicago. Aaron Barela Dance, his professional company, operated for 10 years and their work reached thousands of students and audience members throughout the country. He recently relocated to the Hudson Valley from NYC and is excited to join the Dream Studio family.

Susan has taught dance for 30+ years including at Dream Studio since it opened. She specializes in ballet, pointe, and jazz. Her favorite class is teaching company class Saturday mornings, because everyone comes to class fresh and ready to start the day!

Paris is an alumna of Dream Studio. She was also a member of Veritas Dance Company for 3 years. Paris has been teaching since 2021 and teaches Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, and Jazz Competition Team. She especially loves teaching the youngest dancers as she is able to introduce them to a love of the art of dance. Paris holds a degree in Psychology from SUNY New Paltz and she is currently working on her masters in School Counseling.

Erika has been dancing for more than 25 years, she began training with Lara and Susan in Ballet and modern in her youth at a local dance studio. She has been teaching at Dream Studio for over 12 years. She currently teaches ballet and jazz as well as jazz team. Her repertoire encompasses knowledge and training in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip hop, and modern/contemporary. Erika attended American Academy of Ballet summer intensive, and was accepted to Joffrey Ballet School summer programs. She was a member of the Ithaca College Dance Team which competed at the national level and performed in multiple Dance Companies at Ithaca College. She loves teaching dance and being a mentor.

Miranda has been dancing for over ten years and was thrilled to have the opportunity to begin teaching hip hop. Hip hop has always felt like home to her—a place where she can let go, tell a story, and fully be herself. Dance has brought Miranda confidence, connection, and immense joy, and her favorite part is sharing that energy with others and watching them light up when they move.

Madison Winters is an alumni of Dream Studio. She started dancing when she was 3 years old and has studied the styles of ballet, contemporary, modern, hip hop, tap, jazz, pointe, kick line and Irish step. Maddie has attended Rhinebeck Dance Center, Solas An Lae, The D’amby Project, and Dream Studio. She has had the opportunity to dance at Tap City and was a member of Veritas Dance Company from 2017-2018. Maddie received her dual bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood/Childhood Education at SUNY Oneonta. While getting her degree, she performed with the Terpsichorean Dance Company, a student-run company, for all four years of college, training in hip hop, contemporary, jazz, kick line, and tap. Maddie loves working at dream studio because she gets to do what she loves and help other students do what they love.

Juliet Beer is an alumna of Dream Studio and has been student of Lara’s since she was 3 years old. She has studied the styles of ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, character, and tap. For 5 years Juliet danced as a member in the Veritas Dance Company where they performed around the Hudson Valley. Juliet has also attended and been accepted into prestigious summer intensives and schools such as Alvin Ailey, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Boston Ballet, Walnut Hill’s Boston Ballet Pre-Professional School, Kaatsbaan, and the John Cranko Schule. She got the opportunity to be trainee at the American Repertory Ballet Company in Princeton, NJ where she trained under Aydmara Cabrera. Juliet is now training to become a professional dancer and enjoys sharing her love of dance with her students.

Alayna Fisher began her dance training at Dream Studio, where she studied from the age of 2 through 14 and was a part of the Veritas Dance Company. She went on to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts High School, concentrating in ballet, before earning her BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase College. During her time at Purchase, she also became a certified Pilates instructor, integrating her passion for movement and body awareness into her teaching.

She has had the privilege of working with renowned artists including Susan Jaffe, Christopher Rudd, Jared Redick, Doug Varone, and many more. Her performance experience spans a wide range of repertoire, from original contemporary, and contemporary ballet works to beloved classical and Balanchine ballets.

Alayna is ready and excited to be a teacher this year with the Dream Studio Dance family!

Laura Haney is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Pilates, BeMoved®, and The Ellové Technique® instructor. She attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA, and was a company member of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Company, and BodyVox. Laura was also a featured performer in the First National Tour of Fosse and a cast member of the Broadway musical A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden, in addition to commercial/industrial, freelance, and cruise ship work. Laura has been teaching for over 25 years, was director of the dance program and student company at Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, OR, and has presented for numerous events across the country. Laura is passionate about wellness and injury risk reduction for dancers and is a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science and a specialist with Doctors for Dancers.

Aubrey has been teaching aerial silks at Dream Studio for 6 years ranging from absolute beginners to advanced students preparing for college and adults who are intrigued. Her training began in NYC 10 years ago and she fell in love with the art form, studied under several masters, and began teaching. Aubrey has performed for various companies throughout the years across the east coast aiming to bring the circus arts to as many people as she can. Aubrey has a BFA in Musical Theater with a focus of vocal performance and Acro movement. She decided to continue her education in Physical Therapy as a licensed PTA and is currently working towards her Doctorate degree (DPT). She has a background in teaching through Rondout Valley School district and Highland Central Schools teaching various subjects, music, and other skills to students and other teachers. Performance, music, and movement has always been part of her life. Aubrey loves to show her students how to defy gravity, know their anatomy, and perform with confidence. Onward and upward!