Directors
Abby Slater, Founder & Artistic Director
Blythe Alexander, Director of Administration & Children's Program
Blythe Alexander, Director of Administration & Children's Program
Abby Slater is the Founder and Artistic Director of Symmetry Dance Company. She began her dance training in 1985 at Northeast Theatre Dance Academy under Lisa Becker Padula and April Goldberg, and later studied with Jimmy Sutton and Alexi Ramov. She started choreographing in 1998 and has directed numerous school-based arts programs, including ArtsAlive at Newton Ransom Elementary.
Abby holds a degree in Media Communications with a minor in Dance and Dance Production from East Stroudsburg University, where she was a lead instructor and coordinator of the Community Dance Program, a member of the University Dance Company, and later served as guest choreographer for over 15 years.
She also performed with Pennsylvania Dance Vision’s Repertory Ensemble.
She is certified through Yoga Ed™, completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2010, and earned her 500-hour certification at Always-At-Aum Yoga School in New York.
Blythe Alexander, Director of Administration & Children's Program
Blythe Alexander, Director of Administration & Children's Program
Blythe Alexander, Director of Administration & Children's Program
Blythe Alexander is the Director of Administration and the Children’s Program at Symmetry Dance Company. She began dancing at age five at Northeast Theatre Dance Academy and continued her training at Tiffany Falls Performing Arts Center with Kathi Jo Hubner, Alexi Ramov, and Jimmy Sutton. She teaches tap, jazz, creative movement, and created Symmetry’s “Turbo Tap” fitness class. She is also a certified Basic Level 1 Zumba instructor.
Blythe holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biochemistry and an MBA in Marketing and Operations Management from The University of Scranton. She joined Symmetry in 2013, became an instructor in 2014, and began leading the Children’s Program in 2017 alongside Artistic Director Abby Slater.
Outside the studio, Blythe works as Director of Innovation, Sales Support, and Quality Management at i2M. Her background as the oldest of six children shapes her approach to teaching with both warmth and structure.
Staff
Janel Naro
Janel has taught Contemporary, Modern, Hip-Hop, and Musical Theatre at Symmetry Dance Company since 2014. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts with a minor in Dance from Wilkes University, where she trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Fosse, and Composition with Kristen Degnan-Boonin, Sean Harris, and Kris Cross.
Before college, she studied acting at The Northeast Theatre’s Griffin Theatre Conservatory. At Wilkes, she performed in multiple productions across departments, served as dance captain for Carrie, and assisted Broadway’s Lynne Mariani in Modern Dance instruction.
Ashley Tomko
Ashley has been with Symmetry since 2012. A 2002 graduate of Northeast Theatre Dance Academy under Lisa Becker Padula, she continued her training with Kathi Jo Hubner, Alexi Ramov, and Jimmy Sutton at Tiffany Falls Performing Arts Center and began teaching in 2007.
She has participated in master classes with Savion Glover, Dorothy Wasserman, Mary Ann Strilka, and the cast of 42nd Street, and has performed in Chicago at the Diva Theatre and The Broadway Cinderella at the Manhattan Center in NYC. Ashley also danced with the “Red Rocket” Dance Team.
Michele "Mick" Wieckowski
Miss Mick teaches Ballet at Symmetry Dance Company, with a focus on both technique and personal growth. She began dancing at age 5 at the Moosic Youth Center School of Dance and was a competitive gymnast until age 13.
She trained for 10 years with Scranton Civic Ballet under Helen Gaus and Julie Ardito, and has performed for over a decade as a member of Symmetry’s Adult Company. Outside the studio, she is a personal trainer and dog mom to Cash. Her mantra is, “When in doubt, always relevé.”
Caitlyn Metz
Caitlyn has 26 years of experience in the performing arts and teaches jazz, tap, hip-hop, and musical theatre at Symmetry. She began teaching in 2008 and went on to serve as the Artistic Director and Owner of Take the Stage Center for the Performing Arts.
She holds certifications in Dance Teaching from UNLV, Performing Arts Essentials from NYU, and additional training in Stretching & Injury Prevention, First Aid & BLS. Caitlyn is a National Certified Instructor with Youth Protection Advocates in Dance and serves as an Ambassador for the National Dance Foundation.
Katherine Minella
Katherine Minella is an instructor at Symmetry Dance Company. She began dancing at age 2 at Longwood Performing Arts and trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Modern, Lyrical, and Contemporary. She was a member of Longwood Dance Company for six years and founded the Kennett High School Dance Team.
She graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from The University of Scranton in 2024 and is currently pursuing her MBA and a Master’s in Health Administration. She is also enrolled in the National Dance Education Organization to earn certification in dance education.
Michelle Mazzei
Michelle teaches Ballet, Tap, and Jazz at Symmetry Dance Company. She began her training at age 4 with Alexi Ramov and James Sutton and continued her studies at Northeast Theatre Dance Academy under Lisa Becker Padula.
She remains active in the studio community by taking adult and yoga classes at Symmetry.