Meet Our Team
Soraya Hanzus – founder & Artistic DirectoR
Soraya is a seasoned Irish dance professional - having performed in Cleveland, Chicago and New York City. She also has experience in other dance forms such as pointe, jazz and lyrical. Soraya started teaching early on in her career and served as performance instructor for the Conway School of Irish Dance. After moving to New York, she joined a professional performance company in Manhattan and also led the Irish dance program at the Performing Arts Center of Southern Westchester.
Soraya previously served as Senior Director at DiGennaro Communications where she was honored as both MVP and Rising Star. She earned her BBA from Loyola University Chicago and MBA from Fordham University Graduate School of Business. Soraya is certified in Principles of Dance Medicine by New York University Langone Medical Center. She was recognized by Kiwanis for her company’s contributions and recently contributed and was also selected as one of The Irish Echo’s 2020 40 Under 40 and 2021 Arts & Culture honorees.
Diana Minnix - advanced Beginner and Intermediate instructor
Diana started dancing at 11 years old, at the Northern Virginia school Aiobhneas En Rince. She trained and competed until going to college in 2015. Diana made her return to Irish dance after finding The New York Studio of Irish Step Dance in 2021, a few months after moving to NYC. Outside of dance, Diana works as a software engineer, and loves having Irish Dance as a creative (and fun!) outlet.
Joey Roca - INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED INSTRUCTOR
Although Joey Roca is a recent transplant to New York City, he started his Irish dance journey many years ago at the age of 13. He quickly climbed the ranks, achieving regional, national, and international competitive success. In addition to demonstrating advanced technical skill, Joey is also an experienced performer, entertaining and impressing audiences all over the world. Since early 2017, he has been a valuable asset to several prestigious Irish dance companies including Prodijig, TitanicDance, and Celtic Illusion. Touring has taken Joey to incredible places such as China and Australia. He even lived in Dublin for a while, the heart of professional Irish dance. Joey is a proud queer creative who loves to share his art wherever he goes. Joey especially loves to spend his free time exploring his favorite art form: drag. He performs Irish dance in drag as a queen named Héruma. Joey is excited to share his knowledge and expertise as an instructor at the New York Studio of Irish Step Dance!
Zoe Kelley – INSTRUCTOR
Zoe began Irish dancing in 2003 for the McNulty school of Irish Dance in the Chicago area, where she spent 10 years performing, competing, and placing at regional, national, and world levels. More recently, Zoe has worked as a research associate for several non-for-profit and non-governmental organizations both internationally and locally. She currently works as a ceramics instructor, a pottery studio manager, and an Emergency Medical Technician for the city of New York. Zoe strongly believes that Irish dancing can be a fun, challenging, and an extremely rewarding way to utilize both physical and creative energy. The advanced technical skills she has gained from dance have translated to a love for rhythm, meditation, playing instruments, and making music. In teaching at the New York Studio of Irish Dance, Zoe hopes to help her students refine their technical skills.
Tabitha ashura – ADVANCED Beginner INSTRUCTOR
Tabitha teaches our advanced beginner classes and hopes you’ll join us for some exercise and the joy dance brings!
Tabitha began dancing with Celtic Steps in Colorado at the age of 12, and then later danced with the performance troupe Celtic Rhythm in Moers, Germany. Like many of our dancers, Tabitha took a nearly ten year break before returning to Irish dance in 2019. Outside of dance, Tabitha works on strategic initiatives for a large localization firm, loves learning to cook new dishes, and is on the DE&I committee for CBYXAA.