2012 Honey Bears

Erika Martoni (Captain)

Erika lives in Staten Island, NY with her parents and younger sister Kayla. She graduated from Seton Hall University in May of 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcasting and Visual Media with a concentration in television and film production. During her time there, she was a member of the Seton Hall Dance Team for all four years, and captain for the last two. Some of her duties included choreographing all production numbers danced on and off campus, organizing fundraiser events, managing, running, and participating in the end of the year recital. She also, along with her co-captain, founded the Seton Hall Dance Team philanthropy, “Dancers Against Cancer”. In addition to the Seton Hall Dance Team, She was also a member of the first ever Seton Hall Cheer Dance Team which was started in 2010. While on the team, she danced at all women’s basketball games and all men’s basketball games held at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. She is currently a dancer for AJH Entertainment and a dance instructor at Miss Caroline’s Dance Elite in Staten Island, NY. She is also a MMA Ring Girl and Promotional Model for Phoenix Rising Fitness. This is her second  year as a Newark Honey Bear and her first year as captain. She is super excited for the upcoming season! Go Bears!

Alex DePierro (Co-Captain)

This is Alexandra’s second year as a Honey Bear, an she is now one of our captains. She has been trained in dance since the age of three. She was on the Philadelphia Soulmates jr team, was on MTV’s hit show made, and have choreographed and danced for many upcoming young artists. She attended Howell High school, and was a part of a performing arts program “FPAC” as a dance major. She now attends Rutgers University in New Brunswick with a double major in communications and psychology, and a minor in nutrition. She is also a proud sister of Zeta Tau Alpha. She hopes to pursue a career in broadcasting, or as a successful health and therapy counselor.

Victoria Pignataro

Victoria began dancing at the age of two years old at Miss Caroline’s Dance Elite located in Staten Island, NY. She auditioned and was accepted into the Moore Catholic High School Performing Arts Program and graduated in June of 2011. She has just completed her freshman year at Montclair State University where she is studying to complete a bachelor of fine arts in dance performance. This is her first year dancing for the Honey Bears and she is extremely excited and enthusiastic to be part of the team!

Lauren Fereno

Lauren Fereno, began dancing at the age of five. She is trained in ballet, pointe, lyrical, modern, jazz, and hip-hop, and has competed in numerous dance competitions. Lauren was also in the Nutcracker ballet playing the role of the sugar plum fairy. She attended Howell High School as a dance major in the Fine Performing Arts Company. She attends Monmouth University studying to become a physical therapist. Lauren is also on the Monmouth University Dance team.

Saige Madison

Saige Madison, attends Howell High School as a dance major in the Fine and Performing Arts Company. She has performed at KTU’s Beatstock, Madison Square Garden, and many other venues. Saige plans on going to college to pursue a dance career, and one day be a NETS Dancer or go on a world tour back-up dancing for an artist.

Kayla Martoni

Kayla Martoni, from Staten Island has been dancing for fourteen years. She is also an actress and member of The Screen Actors Guild. She presently is studying diagnostic sonography at New York Methodist hospital. In addition to being involved with MMA events as a ring girl, Kayla is looking forward to an exciting season with the Newark Bears!

Samantha Giordano

Samantha Giordano is from North Arlington, NJ.  She is currently a student at Hofstra University where she is a dance education major.  Samantha is a member of Hofstra’s club Danceworks which holds performances twice a year, Teaching Dance As Art which provides students with the oppurtunity to teach to under priviledged schools in the areas surroundings Hofstra, MoVoM a club for choreographing modern dance and a sister of the national sorority Sigma Delta Tau.  Samantha has 17 years of dance experience.  The previous studio she atteneded before Hofstra was Nancy Carole School of Dance in Lyndhurst, NJ where she competed and performed frequently.  Samantha is also a previous cheerleading coach and choreographer for the North Arlington Junior Vikings and the Queen of Peace CYO Griffins, as well as assistant coach and choreograph for the Queen of Peace High School Dance Team.  In the summer of 2010, Samantha went on tour with the national dance competition Dance Olympus, where she assisted professional choreographers daily in workshops and performed in faculty concerts while touring the United States for two and a half weeks.  Samantha hopes to one day become a dance teacher and a choreographer.

Rasheeda Adair

Rasheeda Adair, born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ. She currently is a dance major at Raritan Valley Community College. She holds a back round in basic ballet, jazz, modern, and hip hop. She teaches hip-hop and jazz classes at Five Star Dance Studio located in Teaneck, N.j. When asked about future goals she explains her aspirations are to obtain a dance and business management degree; which will allow her to give back to the community by opening a place that kids can take dance classes that minorities can not afford. Rasheeda goes on to say, “For it’s up to us to make a difference and show our future leaders that there is more to the world then just our surroundings and it’s okay to dream big; aim for the sky.”

Brandi HIll

Brandi has been dancing since the age of two. She lived in Newark, NJ, relocated to Roselle, NJ. She attend Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark and a active member of the dance ministry. Brandi attends Rahway Dance Theatre in Rahway, NJ and have performed at local events and at McDonald’s Gospel Fest with the “award winning touring company based in NJ” RDT company. She teaches hip hop and ballet. Her hobbies are doing my nails and playing video dance games like Just Dance and Micheal Jackson Experience.