MOSS PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY
ESTABLISHED 2002
Moss Performing Arts Academy is the first and only all-inclusive performing arts academy in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati area. This includes:
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In-House Performance Space at our Moss Playhouse
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5 State-of-the-Art Studios
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4 Private Voice & Piano Studios
Classes offered in:
Dance
Voice
Acting
Theatre
Piano
Acro/Tumbling
Personal Fitness
Stage Tech
At Moss, we offer personalized program tracks with the mission of creating college ready industry professionals. We have had over 50 students accepted into performing arts programs in over 35 colleges - many of which have gone on to work in the industry. The performing arts build a foundation of confidence, imagination, comfort in public speaking, strength in problem solving and adaptability to deal with any career. Moss offers classes for the recreational student as well as the student preparing for a career in the performing arts.
Scroll down to meet our instructors.
OWNER / VOICE / DANCE
Ms. Amy has been dancing since the age of two when her aunt opened a dance studio - she hasn't stopped since! At age 16, she got her first professional job as a dancer/singer in a Summer Stock in California. She attended the University of Utah and studied Dance and Musical Theatre. She studied with the Sacramento Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West and the Minneapolis Dance Theatre. Ms. Amy got hired on with Disney where she performed as a "Kid of the Kingdom", in the Diamond Horseshoe Revue, Mickey's Toon Town as well as the very first Disney Cruise Line. She also traveled with Disney to Tokyo, where she performed for over a year. While she loved performing, she discovered her true passion was teaching.
OWNER / VOICE / DIRECTING
Affectionately called "Mr. Joe", he has loved the performing arts from a very young age. He attended James Madison University where he sang with the "Madisonians" - one of the top college choir groups in the country. His resumé could go for days, but he has had the privilege of performing at Kings Dominion, Kings Island, for the USO, on Regency Cruise Lines, with the touring company of West Side Story and finally Disney with the Diamond Horseshoe Revue and the Hoop De Doo Revue. His passion continues to show as he teaches private voice lessons and helps direct our various shows.
DANCE / ACTING / DIRECTING / MUSICAL THEATRE
Graduating from WKU with her BFA in Musical Theatre, she first went on to perform and choreograph at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. From there, she moved to NYC to pursue her dream and landed the national tour of 42nd Street, where she danced in the ensemble and understudied for the lead, Peggy Sawyer. She has returned home to pass on her passion and knowledge of what it takes to make it in the industry. Jocelyn teaches dance (hip-hop, tap, jazz, musical theatre dance), acting, choreographs for our dance teams and is our theatre director for all of our shows.
DANCE / FITNESS / MUSICAL THEATRE
After growing up dancing at Moss, Holly went on to receive her BM in Musical Theatre from Baldwin Wallace University. After graduating, she signed with an agency and auditioned professionally in New York City, working in multiple regional theaters around the country, including the Original National Tour Production of Freaky Friday. A NASM-certified personal trainer, Holly teaches fitness and strength for dancers as well as dance and musical theatre classes.
M.A. / DANCE /
MUSICAL THEATRE
Emma Moss is a performer, choreographer, teacher, and arts administrator. She began her training at Moss at age three and hasn't stopped dancing since! Upon graduating high school, she attended Wright State University to study dance before finishing her degree at Northern Kentucky University where she attained a BFA in Theatre Performance with a Dance Focus. While in college, she choreographed two full length concert dance pieces, which were chosen by a panel of experts to be performed in multiple shows including NKU’s Spring dance concert, Emerging Choreographer’s Showcase, and at the American College Dance Association. She also choreographed a main stage play, Marisol, as a junior in college, and also performed in multiple shows throughout her college career. Her credits include Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Liza), The Little Whorehouse in Texas (Ruby Rae), Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Brother/Ensemble Dancer), Beauty and The Beast (Ensemble), Jesus Christ Superstar (Dance Ensemble), and more. Since graduating in 2020, Emma has obtained a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky’s renowned program. She looks forward to continuing to grow the programs at Moss and connect with all the amazing kids she gets to teach each year!
DANCE / ACRO
Kody started dancing at the age of one at The Dance Company in Johnson City, TN. Throughout her studio days, she traveled, performed, and competed all over the US. She began teaching around the age of ten with her mom and studio owner, Kristy Pratt. She made the University of Tennessee Dance Team in 2008, and won Nationals in 2009. She experienced performing professionally in many different genres including commercial dance (NFL Monday Night Football opening in 2009), football and basketball sidelines and halftimes, and the vigorous nationals jazz and hip hop routines. She stayed on the dance team until 2010, when she decided to pursue a degree in Musical Theater. She danced and starred in productions of The Music Man and Kiss Me Kate, and was named Dance Captain in Kiss Me Kate at the Clarence Brown Theatre. She was also the choreographer of the CBT's production of A Christmas Carol and Master Harold and the Boys. She went on to choreograph Mary Poppins and Rock of Ages for Encore Theater Company when she moved back to Johnson City, TN and eventually took over as the owner and artistic director of The Dance Company. She loves all styles of dance, but specializes in teaching and choreographing jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, tap and tumbling. She moved to NKY with her husband and 2 children, Jonah and Zoey.
VOICE / MUSIC
Josiah is a graduate of Western Kentucky University where he received a BFA in Musical Theatre. He has studied voice for nearly 10 years in addition to studying vocal pedagogy while at WKU. He has worked as a Music Instructor for The Carnegie as well as the Music Director of the Woodford Theatre Emerging Artists program. Some of his favorite performance credits include William Barfée (The 25th...Spelling Bee), The Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz), Willard (Footloose) and Sebastian (The Little Mermaid). Additionally, Josiah is the co-author of two research studies, which he presented at the 2016 Fall Voice Conference and the 2017 Pan American Vocology Association Symposium.
DANCE
Amanda has over thirty years of dance experience in a variety of dance styles. She has been teaching at Moss since 2006. Growing up, she studied ballet, tap and jazz and was a cheerleader at McNicholas High School. She attended Eastern Michigan University where she received a Bachelors in Dance Studio Management and Arts Management. While in college, she began studying modern dance and worked with choreographers Joann McNamara, Julianne O'Brien-Pederson, Holly Hobbs, Bill Evans, and Becky Jung. Amanda is a certified Zumba instructor and helps choreograph many of the numbers for our various dance teams. She has been a member of the Guardian Angels' Follies since 2015, as a singer and dancer, as well as being part of the production staff as a choreographer (2016-current) and co-director (2018). At Moss, Amanda teaches ballet and modern, as well as directs the Mini Competition Team.
FITNESS / STAGE TECH
Dan is one of our Stage Fit trainers and the Director of Research and Development. He has a Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences and is currently a student physical therapist at UC. He is a Special Populations Specialist for the NSCA as well as a certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, also with the NSCA. Dan wanted to give performing artists the same education and training resources that are given to other athletes.
TUMBLING
Hanna has been in the tumbling world since the age of three! Starting in gymnastics, then turning solely to cheerleading at the age of twelve and into college, her combined competitive gymnastics and cheerleading experience is seventeen years. Hanna studied Early Childhood Education at NKU.
VOICE / PIANO
Arah is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University where she studied Music Education. During her time at NKU, she taught both voice and piano lessons, and directed NKU's Gospel ensemble, "Anointed Voices". Arah has studied voice for over six years and has been singing professionally for three. Arah is an active member of the Black Music Educators Association and the National Association of Negro Musicians. She has used her talents in a variety of performances, including Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Dreamgirls.
DANCE
Sam Keller started dancing at Moss in 2004 and shortly after joined the very first Mini Team. She spent six years as a teacher's assistant while in middle and high school. During her time at UC, Sam majored in Marketing and began teaching dance classes and working at the front desk. After graduating, she has discovered that she truly loves teaching. She is a part-time assistant at Sonshine Preschool and has become a certified Yoga instructor. Sam loves being at Moss and teaching all levels of students!
DANCE / THEATRE
Mollie Tagher is currently attending Northern Kentucky University to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre with Minors in Dance and Exercise Science. A former student of Moss, she continues to perform in collegiate theatre and dance productions in the Greater Cincinnati area. With a NASM personal trainer certification, Mollie is also one of our personal trainers at StageFit while also teaching some of our musical theatre and dance classes.
DANCE / ACRO
Madison Walter is a dance teacher, performer, and choreographer from Indianapolis. After she graduated from the University of Alabama with a BA in Dance and International Studies, she moved to the Cincinnati area to pursue a career in non-profit work. Madison has worked both professionally and pre-professionally with Exhale Dance Tribe, Hubbard Street Dance, Dance Alabama!, Alabama Repertory Dance Theater, and Indiana Ballet Conservatory. She has also competed on an international level in the Youth America Grand Prix. She teaches dance and acrobatics at Moss and is passionate about creating a classroom environment that promotes resilience while feeling safe and empowering.
DANCE
Kirsten Carle started at Moss when she was 8 years old and through her years at the studio was involved in dance team, voice training, and theatre workshop. Kirsten has taken classes in New York City and Disney World, performed at Disney World and with the Cincinnati Opera, and completed intensives with the Radio City Rockettes. In college, Kirsten majored in Health Sciences while regularly helping at the studio by teaching classes and working at the desk. Kirsten is currently a student at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy and loves being at the studio!