Staff
Dance Ensemble Directors: Daryl Bjoza and Sara Swinehart
Contact: Goldstd@cpsboe.k12.oh.us / Swinehs@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Jay Goodlett goodleo@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Daryl Bjoza / Co-Director SCPA Dance Department / Co-Director SCPA Dance Ensemble / Ballet Instructor
Daryl Bjoza began his dance training on full scholarship with the San Francisco Ballet School. Subsequently, he received his dance pedagogy from that academy and his Career Technical Certification from Wright State University in Dayton. Additionally, Daryl obtained his Bachelor of Science in Human Service Management and his Masters in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. Dance wise, Daryl danced as a principal and soloist dancer with Lines Contemporary Ballet in San Francisco, Los Angeles Chamber Ballet, Long Beach Ballet, Ballet Hawaii, Feld Ballet NYC, San Diego Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Ballet de Santiago (Chile, South America), Theatre-Ballet Canadian (Canada), Cincinnati Opera, and the Cincinnati Ballet for 9 seasons. During his career, Daryl worked with many renowned choreographers and has performed in a variety of styles including many Balanchine ballets, contemporary pieces and modern works. Additionally, Daryl was director of Oklahoma Dance Theater for 2 seasons and his own Uptown Dance Company where he directed the company for five years. Daryl has choreographed for Uptown Dance Co., Next Generation Dance Co., Miami Valley Dance Co. Tulsa Opera, Cincinnati Ballet, Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, Lexington Ballet, Naples Ballet and our own SCPA Dance Ensemble. Along with his teaching at SCPA, Daryl has also taught locally and beyond at Dance Etc., Just Off Broadway, SCPA Lexington KY, Tipp Grant Artist, Dance Hall Cincinnati, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and Pro Dance. Some works choreographed for the SCPA Dance Ensemble include The Nutcracker , A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alice in Wonderland, Dracula, Jungle Book, Aesop’s Fables, and Treasure Island. This is Daryl’s 26th year teaching and choreographing at SCPA.
Sara Swinehart / Co-Director SCPA Dance Department / Co-Director SCPA Dance Ensemble / Modern Instructor
Sara Swinehart, a former member of the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble traveled around the world from the age of 8 until 17 years of age with the company raising the standards of excellence in dance for children along the way. She received a B.F.A. in dance performance from the Ohio State University, and as a New York City teaching fellow where she received a full fellowship at Fordham University in NYC. While there, Sara obtained her M.S.T. She has taught dance in New York City Public and Kipp Charter Schools for 10 years. Sara studied dance and performed works by Ronald Brown, Tere O’Connor, Pat Graney, Hubbard Street, and Eleo Pomare. Sara taught, choreographed, and served as artistic director for the dance department at the University of Tennessee and Austin East’s School of Performing Arts, Knoxville, Tennessee. This is Sara’s Thirteenth year teaching at SCPA.
Jay Goodlett / Ballet, Jazz Instructor
Jay Goodlett attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in Cincinnati for nine years majoring in dance, drama, and musical theatre. By the age of 18, Jay joined the Cincinnati Ballet and rose quickly to the rank of Senior Soloist by 2002. Jay enjoyed 17 seasons with Cincinnati Ballet retiring in 2008. In 1991, Jay began his career as choreographer and has worked with Cincinnati Ballet, The Saint Louis Opera and the Cincinnati Opera. He has choreographed and directed for numerous high schools and community theater groups as well as The Carnegie Center, William Peace University, Purdue University and Miami (Ohio) University.
Mr. Goodlett is currently a guest lecturer at Northern Kentucky University, teaches for the International Cecchetti Council of America and judges for Ohio Dance Masters. Jay directed The Snow Queen (2014-15), Ronald Dahl’s Willy Wonka JR. (2013-14), Disney’s Cinderella KIDS (2012-13) and Jack and the Beanstalk (2009-10) for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Jay and his wife Jenny (former CBC dancer) are blessed to have a performing family that includes their children Megan, Nathan and Amelia.
Mr. Goodlett was also featured in Cincinnati Magazine’s profile page. Jay related that “I’m a total Cincinnati arts native son. Even before I went to the School For Creative and Performing Arts, I was a page in The Nutcracker as a 7-year-old. And I married a ballerina, Jennifer Leinberger Goodlett. We met at Cincinnati Ballet.” After retiring from the Cincinnati Ballet, Mr. Goodlett wanted to make a difference. In the story, he related that “I retired from the ballet in 2008 and spent a year looking around. Part of me was thinking, I need to get out of the arts. Am I doing something that changes anything? For a performer, the arts can be a really self-serving thing. And it’s long hours. Literally, I was about to take an insurance job. I picked up the phone and it rang in my hands, and it was the Children’s Theatre.” The Children’s Theater is no doubt very grateful Mr. Goodlett did not take that insurance gig!
Elizabeth Ramsey Modern Dance Choreographer in Residence / Jr dance ensemble director
Originally from Toledo, Ohio, entered her fifth season as a dance artist with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company this year. She graduated from Wright State University summa cum laude with a BFA in dance, and was also a member of DCDC's second company for three years. She has attended several prestigious training programs, most recently traveling to Tel Aviv, Israel, learning and training in the Gaga Technique under the dancers of the Batsheva Dance Company, and Ohad Naharin himself. Her choreography has been featured in various productions all over the state of Ohio, including Toledo School for the Arts' "Limitless," Wright State University's Spring Dance Concert, the University of Dayton Dance Ensemble's Spring Concert, and a collection of DCDC company performances around the Dayton area. Most recently, her work has been set on the Dayton Dance Initiative, a collaborative project featuring dancers of DCDC and Dayton Ballet, as well as the School of Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also experimented in dance for film, including her choreography for the WSU film department in a work titled "Anesthesiaphobia," which premiered at the Dayton Art Institute in 2015.
Countess V. Winfrey Guest Teacher /Jr dance ensemble director
Countess has been an active teaching artist for over 9 years. She has experience in teaching dance through arts in education to K-12 students, and has taught recreational and Master classes in modern, ballet, and contemporary. Ms. Winfrey has had the opportunity to teach nationally and internationally, including The University of Memphis (Tennessee), the Grier School (Pennsylvania) , the International Association of Blacks in Dance (conference held in Dayton, OH), Bethune-Cookman University (Florida), Shanghai Normal University (Shanghai, China), Master classes in Russia and Kazakhstan (through the Dance Motion USA Tour) and more. Additionally, she was a Visiting Artist at the Ohio State University for the Spring 2021 semester. Her experience in curriculum development for community arts education has broadened her ability to create programs that will impact students’ ability to connect movement and education from a wholistic perspective.
Nashville native, Countess V. Winfrey, currently serves as a performer, teaching artist, choreographer, and rehearsal director for The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. She began her dance training at the age of 11 at Wharton Arts Magnet Middle school and continued her training at Nashville School of the Arts, before pursuing dance as a minor at the University of Memphis. Ms. Winfrey joined Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s pre-professional ensemble in 2012, which then led into a professional dance career with The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Ms. Winfrey has danced professionally with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and with ClancyWorks Dance Company based in Washington, D.C. She has had the opportunity to perform internationally in Kazakhstan, China, and Russia (including having performed in two sold out performances at the world-famous Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia). She has performed works by Ulysses Dove, Donald McKayle, Ray Mercer, Dwight Rhoden, Ronald K. Brown, Debbie Blunden-Diggs, Abby Zbikowski, Dianne McIntyre, and Donald Byrd. Ms. Winfrey will be entering her 7th season dancing with the professional company and her 9th year with the organization.
Patricia Rozow / Former Department Chair, Emeritus Director of Dance Ensemble.
Patricia Rozow began her dance training with the Irene Fokine School of Ballet in Ridgewood New Jersey. Her first professional job was with the Harkness Ballet in NYC. From there, she attended the top ranked Ballet College, Butler University, Indianapolis, on a full Dance Scholarship. Patricia graduated cum laude with a Fine Arts degree and subsequently was employed as a principal dancer with Ballet West in Salt Lake City UT.
Her career then led her to join the Cincinnati Ballet as principal dancer, where she danced for 11 years. While in Cincinnati, Patricia danced classical roles including, Swan Queen, Sugar Plum, and Giselle. She was mentored by Frederick Franklin and draws much inspiration from his artistic integrity. Patricia received her teaching certification from Xavier University and her Career Technical Certification from Wright State University. Patricia has been recognized as one of the top 100 of 2010 by the Princeton Global Network. This is Patricia’s 30th year with the SCPA!
Retired from SCPA 2020