Faculty Bios

At Perfect Pointe, we know that it doesn't matter how good a dancer a teacher is if they can't impart that information to their students. Our faculty are selected for their ability to adapt their teaching to the needs and learning styles of their students and for their caring and nurturing attitudes, in addition to their long years as dancers.

As part of our commitment to excellence in dance education, we cover the cost of, and encourage participation in continuing education events such as Dance Master's of America's Teacher Training School for all of our faculty. This keeps their skills fresh and inspires them with new and creative teaching ideas.

Also see information about our excellent support staff, who provide critical assistance to our faculty and keep the studio running smoothly.

Ms. Kendra Slatt

Studio Owner / Director

Ms. Kendra Slatt has been studying the art of dance since the age of five. She holds a B.A. in Dance and a B.S. in Business Administration/Marketing from the State University of New York at Buffalo. During her time at UB she studied ballet, tap, jazz, modern, pointe, partnering, classical Indian dance, choreography, dance kinesiology, dance history, teaching methods, and technical theater production in addition to her business classes. She has performed several leading roles with the Hornell City Youth Ballet and was a member and performer with the University at Buffalo's "Dancers' Workshop." Miss Kendra is an active member of Dance Masters of America and a graduate of their advanced Teachers' Training program, certifying her to teach all levels of Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Modern dance. She has previously taught at numerous studios in Western New York and the Washington, DC area prior to opening Perfect Pointe and has also choreographed for numerous musical theater productions. She continues to expand her dance expertise through various workshops and seminars by the National Dance Education Organization, Dance Masters of America and other prestigious dance organizations.

Ms. Renee Rufo

Lead Instructor

Ms. Renee Rufo grew up outside of Philadelphia and began dancing when she was eight years old. In high school she was asked to start teaching classes at her local studio; she then went on to college at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA where she earned a minor in dance. Ms. Renee is a proud Member of Dance Masters of America and has been certified by exam to teach all levels of tap and jazz. She also has experience teaching ballet and in fact, taught Perfect Pointe's first ever Beginning Pointe class! By day, Renee is a government contractor for the Environmental Protection Agency. When she isn't busy working or dancing, she enjoys a good book, a long run and hanging out with friends.

Ms. Jaime Hartley

Lead Instructor

Ms. Jaime Hartley received her B.A. in Dance from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. She was a student at the American Dance Festival and the renowned Laban Centre in London. She has performed with Meredith Monk, the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and has worked professionally with many well-known dance personalities such as Trisha Brown, the Paul Taylor Dance Company and Pilobolus Dance Theatre. After earning an M.A. in Dance Education from American University she is now enjoying furthering her career in dance education and her love of children with Perfect Pointe. Ms. Jaime is a member of Dance Masters of America and certified by exam to teach all levels of Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Tap.

Ms. Catherine Osborne

Lead Instructor

Ms. Catherine began dancing when she was only 2 years old in her mother's studio. As a girl she studied ballet, jazz and lyrical and continued her dance training at Ohio Wesleyan University earning a BA in Spanish with a minor in dance. While working on her MA in Spanish in Lima, Peru, Ms. Catherine studied and danced with the company Pata de Cabra. Since then she has taught jazz, hip hop, lyrical, salsa and Hatha Yoga as well as choreographing for the University of Virginia's Spanish Theatre Troupe. Ms. Catherine is a member of Dance Masters of America and certified by exam to teach all levels of Jazz and level I Ballet, Modern and Tap. In her non-artistic life, Ms. Catherine is Assistant Adjunct Professor of Spanish at George Washington University while working on her Doctoral thesis.

Ms. Elizabeth Makrokanis

Lead Instructor

Ms. Elizabeth Makrokanis has been studying dance since the age of 3. She began dancing competitively at the age of eight, and continued studio training in Northern Virginia until leaving for college at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. While at Emory, she was a principal dancer in the University's Dance Company and captain and chief choreographer of the Emory Eagles Dance Team. Elizabeth minored in dance with a focus on the history of dance. After completing her BA in political science, Elizabeth moved back to Northern Virginia and now works as a government contractor when she is not dancing. She has performed at many exciting venues including the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, the Patriot Center, and RFK Stadium and taught competition level classes in tap and jazz for several years. Ms. Elizabeth is a member of Dance Masters of America, certified by exam to teach all levels of Tap and Jazz as well as beginner and intermediate levels of Ballet and Modern.

Ms. Erica Rebollar

Lead Instructor

Ms. Erica Rebollar is a teaching artist with over 10 years of experience. She holds an MFA in Dance/Choreography from UCLA's World Arts and Cultures department. Erica has taught at UCLA, San Pedro Ballet School and DC Dance Collective. At UCLA, she created the curriculum for and taught ballet, modern, and choreography to under and post graduates while assisting undergraduates in their final BFA concert. She was a guest artist at Brigham Young University's dance department, teaching and setting her choreography for their Spring Dance Concert as well as a tour throughout India. Erica has taught at NYC public schools through Children's Aid Society and Arts To Grow. She taught a full curriculum of "World Dance" in CAS's Summer Dance Camp. She is currently an ESL instructor besides her full-time love of teaching at Perfect Pointe!

Ms. Dachia Williams

Lead Instructor

Ms. Dachia Williams is a middle school Physical Education and dance instructor by day and Perfect Pointe's new Hip Hop and Jazz III instructor by night! Dancing since the age of 3, Ms. Dachia began teaching at her local studio during high school and went on to obtain her B.S. in Kinesiology and her K-12 teaching certification in Health and Physical Education from Penn State University. While her passion lies in hip hop, she has a broad range of experience teaching jazz, ballet, lyrical and hip hop to all ages and is enjoying continuing to grow her dance expertise through various continuing education opportunities.

Ms. Katie O'Connell

Lead Instructor

Ms. Katie O'Connell began her dance training at age eight beginning with ballet and adding jazz, tap, and modern. She began assisting in classes during high school and dreamed of pursuing dance in college. She graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Dance and continued to teach dance camps during her summers off from school. While at Elon she studied ballet, jazz, fosse technique, rhythm tap, modern, african, improvisation, & choreography. Her first choreography project at Elon was adjudicated at the American College Dance Festival. She joined the Perfect Pointe staff in September of 2010 after teaching at her local studio in Maryland. Ms. Katie has attended various teaching workshops through the Harkness Center for Dance in NYC and with local dance companies in the Baltimore area. On the rare day she's not in sight of the studio she can be found performing locally with DanceAntonini.