Meet Our Faculty
Corey John Snide
Corey John Snide is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Capital District Arts Initiative. Snide started dancing in Albany, NY, competing at the regional, national, and international levels at a very young age. His earliest accomplishments were receiving two gold medals for Team USA for Tap and Contemporary dance at the age of 10. From there, his professional career took off as he started performing in the hit West End show as the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical. Having performed the role in London and Australia for a year and a half, he returned to NYC to immediately join the Original Broadway Cast of Jason Robert Browns 13, the musical leading the show alternating the role of Evan Goldman. He then continued to pursue his education and completed four years of training at The Juilliard School, graduating with a BFA in Dance in 2015. Upon graduation, he joined the regional production of Andy Blankenbuehler’s Bandstand at the Papermill Playhouse. He has since been the Dance Captain for the Broadway revivals of Cats as well as Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel (both of which cover every male track in the show). Recently, he Tapped on the FX hit mini-series Fosse/Verdon as USO Bob. He then returned to London to be the Assistant Choreographer for the most recent Cats film as well as performed in the principal ensemble. Whenever he’s not performing on stage or screen, he is constantly working on his own choreographic career, performing several of his works across NYC. He is sought out internationally as a versatile teacher and mentor. Most recently, he originated the role of Tiger (u/s Riff) in Ivo van Hove’s West Side Story. Corey’s passion for arts empowerment and collaboration is the driving force behind co-founding the initiative.
CO-FOUNDER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Jenna Snide
Jenna was born in Albany, New York, and began dancing at the age of three. She grew up studying tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, and hip hop. At the young age of 14, she began exploring her passion as an educator teaching children ages 5-17 years old with the same level of versatility she trained with. After graduating high school, it became clear to Jenna that becoming an educator in the arts was something that she was extremely passionate about. She went on to receive her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration, with a marketing concentration, at The University at Albany. During her studies, Jenna continued performing with many regional and local dance groups, all while continuing to teach young aspiring artists state-wide. Jenna was a member of the semi-pro Albany Empress AFL Dance Team during her junior year and took on the position of Captain of the UAlbany Dance Team her senior year of college. Jenna continues to study dance with several master teachers as a way to continue to provide the most up-to-date and relevant information to her students.
Being an Albany native, giving back to the Capital Region and educating young artists is something she has looked forward to doing for years. She is eager is pass on her knowledge to each student who crosses her path.
CO-FOUNDER, BUSINESS DIRECTOR
Rachale Mullally
Rachale Mullally has studied dance since age of 4 in Upstate New York. After learning under inspiring mentors at a prestigious tap studio, she decided to continue her career and earn her BFA in Dance Theater at AMDA Los Angeles. Upon graduating, she knew her teaching would be the most rewarding way to pass on this new-found knowledge and love within the art. She feels extremely inspired to have the opportunity to continue sharing her art and what she’s learned to the generations of dancers to come.
DANCE FACULTY
JJ is a fitness enthusiast specializing in sport-specific functional movement. His background in coaching reaches a variety of individuals, and he has earned certifications as a USA Weightlifting Coach and Crossfit Level 1 Trainer. He has competed at the highest level of Crossfit competition, so he understands how to get to the top and will help you maximize your body’s performance potential to do the same. While he isn’t coaching, training, or studying taxation, he can be found watching sports.
PERFORMANCE CONNECTION