Gotta Dance teacher lands role with Disney in Tokyo
ALBION – Amy Sidari encourages her students and staff to follow their dreams. One of her instructors, Adrianna Grieco, took Sidari’s advice and landed a role as a professional dancer in Tokyo with Disney.
Grieco, 22, worked two full years as a dance instructor at Gotta Dance by Miss Amy in Albion. She was hired while a student at Brockport State College. Grieco in May graduated with a bachelor’s degree in dance and health sciences.
“Our small town has had the opportunity to reap her gifts and now they will see dreams come true, too,” Sidari said about Grieco.
Sidari connected with Grieco after reaching out to dancing department at Brockport State College. Grieco was the first Brockport student to work as an instructor for Gotta Dance.
Sidari said Grieco proved to be dedicated, talented and loving with about 100 students in the two years at Gotta Dance. Grieco led tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and strength and technique classes. She worked with dancers from age 4 to teen-agers.
“I loved it here,” Grieco said about her time with Gotta Dance. “If this (Disney) doesn’t take me farther, I’ll definitely be back.”
Grieco is an Albany native. She auditioned for seven hours in Toronto for the role of an aerial dancer for the Disney show. She leaves in January for three months of training with her co-workers. Then it will be six months of performing multiple shows each day. Besides dancing, Grieco will be lip-syncing songs in Japanese.
“I’m very, very excited,” she said at Gotta Dance last week.
She stopped by the studio on East Bank Street to see Sidari and some of her students one last time before she heads out for Tokyo.
“Amy is like a second mother,” Grieco said. “She treats you like family.”
Sidari said two other Brockport dance students are currently working as instructors at Gotta Dance.