About the Directors........

Mariah S. McLeod is a Pittsburgh native, attended Bucknell University and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Point Park University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance.  Other contributions to her education include The American Dance Festival where she studied with Robert Battle, David Dorfman, Mark Haim, Betty Jones, and Nicholas Leichter.  In addition to co-founding The Dance Conservatory of Pittsburgh, Mariah has taught dance and movement at many studios in the Pittsburgh area as well as The Dance Alloy, Point Park University International Summer Dance Program, The University of Pittsburgh, Chatham College Summer Arts Program, and The Ballet Academy of Pittsburgh.  She has also taught Pilates at The Pilates Center of Pittsburgh and The Mt. Lebanon Recreational Canter. She is currently a principle dancer with H2O Contemporary Dance and can regularly be seen performing with them.  Mariah has performed works by Joanna Mendl Shaw and Kevin Wynn and also appeared as an independent artist with The Pittsburgh Dance Connection and Ampersand Dance, and performed in numerous Labco New Works and Black Box Concerts, and The Pittsburgh Heartball.

Danielle K. Pavlik began her training in New York under the tutelage of Jan Christ and Gwenn Capodeci.  As a pre-professional she performed in local theater productions such as Guys and Dolls, Grease, Pippin and 42^nd Street.  After graduating from Point Park University with a BA in Dance, Danielle co-founded the Pittsburgh based professional company,   H20 Contemporary Dance where she currently serves as Artistic Director. Five years later she opened The Dance Conservatory of Pittsburgh with H20 Principle dancer, Mariah McLeod. Through both endeavors Danielle has developed a pre-professional program where eligible high school seniors are given the opportunity to apprentice with H20 and has created professional opportunities for the DCP Repertory Company.  Danielle studied Pilates at Power Pilates Studios in NYC and continually participates in continuing education for the benefit of her students. Danielle has choreographed and/or performed through H20 as well as an Independent Artists for non H20 events such as LABCO New Works, LABCO Black Box Series, IndieChor, Heart Ball, Choreographers Continuum,  Hot Pink Pittsburgh, International Summer Dance, Pillow Project’s Second Saturdays, Gallery Crawl 2008, Point park University Adjunct Concerts and more.  She has donated her talents to Howe Elementary, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Castle Shannon Community Summer Camp and FACES After School Program.  Danielle is currently a member of Point Park University’s adjunct faculty where she teaches Jazz for Dance and Musical Theater majors and Point Park International Summer Dance faculty where she teaches Modern and choreographs.  This past season Danielle participated in The American College Dance Festival as a representative of Point Park faculty teaching Contemporary Jazz.

  The Faculty and Guest Artists....... 

Sarah Everhart is happy to be a member of the DCP faculty.  She also teaches ballet at Point Park University and Pittsburgh Musical Theater, and is on summer faculty at Carnegie Mellon University’s PreCollege Program.  Sarah began her dance training at Ashland Regional Ballet in Ohio where she eventually performed as a soloist and Ballet Mistress.  She also trained with Ohio Ballet and Washington Ballet.  Sarah graduated summa cum laude from Point Park University with a B.A. in dance where she was also awarded with the Pittsburgh Ballet Guild Scholarship.  Her choreography has been seen throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania and has won several awards and recognition.  Sarah lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and daughter. 

Dana D’Alesandro LaSota,a native of Pittsburgh received her Masters of Science in Developmental Movement and Motor Control in 1998. She has worked with a variety of populations (i.e. special needs children, elderly, young adults…) through creative movement, modern dance, body awareness and aquatics. After the birth of her second child she moved from a full-time faculty member to a part time clinical instructor, at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dana is a co-founder of Pittsburgh’s professional modern dance company Labco Dance. Over the past 10 years she has continued to choreograph, perform and teach for Labco Dance as well as serving on its Board of Directors. Dana is also founder and conduit for the Pittsburgh Dance Network.   As a young dancer Dana lived and performed in New York City working and touring with Anahi Galante Dance Theater, Luis Lara, Jeremy Nelson and Stephen Petronio Company. Since Dana’s roots are from Pittsburgh she also worked and performed with Kevin Maloney Dance Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, Susan Gillis, the Dance Alloy and other local artists.   Dana has enjoyed the inspirational students at DCP and is proud of how they have opened their minds and body to move from deep within.   Although dance and education play a large role in Dana’s life her biggest accomplishment yet is being mother to Antonio (8) Sam (6), Nicolettta (4) and Freddie (2).

Gretchen Lewis graduated from Mercyhurst College in 2005 with a BA in Dance, Teaching/Choreography Concentration and a Minor in Dance Therapy.  She is a member of H2O Contemporary Dance and the DCP faculty as well as an educator for various schools in  the Pittsburgh area.  Gretchen has had the opportunity to perform for and with many renowned choreographers and dancers.  Working with the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers allowed her to travel the world while doing what she loved performing.  She also had the privilege of performing a premiere piece choreographed by Pilobolus’ Mark Santilliano, with the Cypress String Quartet .  Gretchen has also performed works by Dance Alloy, Philadanco, and Luis Montero.  This past September Gretchen married her High School sweetheart and is happy to be working and performing in the Pittsburgh Area. 


Stephanie Stempler was introduced to contemporary dance at The Dance Conservatory of Pittsburgh when it first opened in 2003.  Eager to continue her dance education after high school, she went on to study at Kent State University for two years where she was a member of the Honors College and Kent Dance Ensemble.  In 2007, she transferred to the Conservatory of Peforming Arts at Point Park University where she performed with the Pittsburgh Playhouse in Student Choreography Project, The Snow Queen, and Bill T. Jones' Ursonate.  In the summer of 2008, Stephanie studied in New York with Doug Varone and Dancers and the Paul Taylor Dance Company.  She will graduate in December of 2009 with a BFA in Modern Dance.  Stephanie has performed with H2O Contemporary Dance for Two seasons.


Pearlann Porter graduated from Point Park University with a Bachelors in Fine Arts Degree in Dance in 1999.  She spent the following years teaching contemporary jazz at her alma mater, and establishing herself as an innovative independent choreographer in Pittsburgh before ultimately pulling together a group of friends and former students to create The Pillow Project in 2004.  She continues to serve as the company's Artistic Director and is the proud manager of The Space Upstairs (the company's home residence in Pointe Breeze above Construction Junction).  In addition to her work on (and off) The Pillow, Pearlann is a dance arts consultant and serves on the advisory board for the Cultural Arts Center in McKees Rocks.