Carolyn James, Secretary, was raised in the northern suburbs of Illinois and has studied dance (tap, ballet and jazz) since age five. Ms. James received her Bachelor’s of Science in Fashion Merchandising from Northern Illinois University (NIU). During her tenure at NIU, she excelled in modern, ballet and African dance classes.  Ms. James joined the dance troupe Orchesis and served as President for one semester. Following graduation, she moved to California to pursue her dream of working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.  Since her arrival in the city of bright lights and “take twos,” Ms. James has worked on productions such as “Boys Town” and the features “Heels” and “Crossing Frontiers” as a production assistant. She is currently working in the entertainment industry and remains an advocate of the arts, and, specifically, FUSION Dance Theater and FUSION Performing Dance Academy.

Lisa Levingston, Treasurer, from an early age has embraced two passions: numbers and the arts. She worked as a restaurant booker in high school and progressively worked her way through college in the capacity of  accounts payable and receivable positions. Lisa maintains a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting from CSU Dominguez Hills. In addition, she is a licensed financial planner and tax preparer in the state of California. Lisa is elated to contribute to the success of FPDA and part of the creative  collaboration of music, body, and interpretation of story through the movement of dance.

Susan Bynum, has been passionately involved in the dance community for over 25 years.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Film Production from University of Memphis and she pursued graduate work in Screen Writing at Loyola Marymount University. She is an an avid supporter of the arts in many forms, particularly dance and drama. Ms. Bynum has studied ballet, jazz and tap and has taught inline skating.  She feels fortunate to have experienced many forms of dance in places such as New York, Chicago, London, Miami, San Fransisco, Paris, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

In addition to her commitment to the dance community, Ms. Bynum currently volunteers for the Los Angeles Animal City Shelters and she has done extensive public speaking and training for the City shelters. She also has a background in teaching autistic children.  She is currently a jewelry designer residing in Los Angeles.

Maura Gomez, an El Sereno native, graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Cal State Los Angeles She has over 12 years in sales and marketing for a variety of industries.  In addition, she has embraced an entrepreneur spirit and plans to launch her line of authentic Mexican cuisine that will be distributed nationally. Maura whole-heartedly supports FPDA's vision.

Raelle Dorfan, born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Raelle immigrated to California in 1999, where she graduated from UCLA World Arts and Culture Dance Department, Summa Cum Laude. After training under the Royal Academy of Dance ballet program & continued studies at the Pretoria Technikon School of the Arts, where the program included Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Flamenco, Modern, Pilate's, Singing, Musical Theater & African dance, Raelle continues to pursue her passion for the arts - producing, performing, choreographing and teaching at various schools and studios in and around the Los Angeles area. Raelle has performed at various venues such as the Levitt Pavillion, Hermosa Beach Playhouse, Japan American Theater, LA Convention Center and UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Raelle was education director of RKDC's residency program at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center and is currently associate to the director of Cadence Arts Network, an agency representing renown dance companies and world music ensembles. Raelle is thrilled to be comea board member of Fusion Performing Dance Academy, where she believes hard work is the essence, and dreams will be born!

Advisory Board

Michael Schantz

Ricky Reidling

Hank Castillo

Allen Desterhaft

Class session for August-October 2010 made possible by support from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

©2009 Fusion Performing Dance Academy. All Rights Reserved.