Staff Information

Brian Sexton, TCRG & ADCRG: Founder of the Academy. Brian is Certified Irish Dancing Teacher(TCRG) and Adjudicator(ADCRG) with  An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha(Irish Dancing Commission) in Dublin Ireland. Brian has been dancing for over 35 years, 20 years teaching Irish Dancing and an adjudicator for 12 years. Brian started dancing at the age of 6 in New York and has won hundreds of first place awards and championships held at Feis(Competitions) throughout the United States, Canada and Ireland. At the age of 8, he won the prestigious James A Hayden Award at the United Irish Counties Feis in New York over 2,000 competitors competing that day.  At the age of 11, he won the North American Junior (u/16) Irish Dancing Championships held in Hamilton, Canada. Brian lived for over 7 years in Dublin Ireland where he received his Bachelors Degree in History, Economics and Psychology from Trinity College Dublin. While in Dublin, he trained with the top Irish Dancing Teachers while preparing to take his Irish Dancing teachers exam. He currently is teaching in 3 locations in New Jersey. His students have won numerous awards and championships throughout the United States and Canada and have competed in the World Irish Dancing Championships held in Ireland every year. The students have performed at many prestigious events including the Irish Festival at PNC Center, Natalie McMaster Concert, NJ Network Channel 12, etc. The Students have also appeared Live on the CBS Morning show.  Brian is asked to adjudicate at the different Competitions throughout the US and Canada and has judge the North American Irish Dancing Championships held in July each year.  Brian is also a Traditional Irish Musician. Brian is also a Psychology Professor at two universities in New Jersey. 

Evelyn Gardell Teaches the Ballet and Musical Theater Dance Program. Evelyn Gardell trained with many famous teachers at American Ballet Theatre School in NYC and at Princeton Ballet (now American Rep.).
       She performed with both companies in ballets such as Swan Lake, Giselle, etc. with international stars. Evelyn also performed in musicals at Jacob's Pillar Dance Festival, cable TV, and dinner theater. She has been a member of American Academy of Ballet and has successfully entered students in the Performance Awards. Evelyn has also been a competition judge.
       She directed and taught at The Ballet Center in Spring Lake for 25 years. She trained with and taught with the legendary Madame Swaboda who was on staff at American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Russe, Joffery, and Harkness House all in NYC.
       Evelyn was a very popular Musical Theatre teacher in Middletown Arts Council's first summer performing arts school.
       Ms. Gardell is the director and choreographer of Performing Arts Ensemble, a nonprofit ballet and theater dance company, which is a member group of Monmouth County Arts Council. She has choreographed musicals for many groups, brought dance into schools for school children, and directed performances at Count Basie, The Strand, The Algonquin, Monmouth College, Disney's Magic Kingdom, Hershey Park, and Epcot.
       Evelyn believes dance is a performing art and tries to instill imagination and love of art in little ones and gives students a real technique to carry the serious ones into the dance world.
       Among the many teacher workshops Evelyn has attended, David Howard's for teachers at STEPS in NYC was the most recent. This workshop brings together famous teachers, Broadway choreographers, and physiotherapists from all over the world.
       Evelyn also studied dance at Mt. Allison University in Canada and holds a degree in education from Monmouth College. She is married with two children who dance.

Eva Lucena-Gruby  - Spanish Dance Instructor : Eva has had an illustrious career, studying at first in Granada, Spain where her family hails from and then London and New York. She has toured throughout these 3 countries, first with Sebastian Castro Dance Company, then with Maria Alba Dance Company. For the last 7 years, she has been Executive Director of Alborado Spanish Dance Theater well known throughout the Eastern seaboard for its diversity in presenting regional, classical and flamenco dance of Spain.  She embodies all these regional differences in her teachings, thus educating the young dancer on their heritage (if Hispanic) and to the wealth of expression found in the dances of Spain (to the community at large