Our staff
Miss Jacqueline began dancing at the age of 3 for an area recreational school. She joined the Harrisburg Dance Conservatory, joining the Company under the tutelage of Forry Gehret. Due to injury, she was forced to leave dance. She then turned to Martial Arts which she studied for over 20 years. She returned to dance here at Richie's as a member of the Adult Jazz class several years ago.
Miss Jacqueline is an attorney specializing in Employment and Labor Law (HR). In 2017, she and her husband, Brian Sill, bought Richie School of Dance and are excited to be the current owners of Richie's! Family is very important to Miss Jacqueline, and she enjoys spending time with Mr. Brian, her daughters Britteni and Kayla, her step-sons Percy, Michael and Patrick, and the family dogs.
Jacqueline jackson-degarcia, owner
Miss Erin began dancing at the age of 2 in her hometown of Wyomissing, PA, at Marilyn’s School of Dance, where she was a faculty assistant during her high school years. From 1994-96 she was also the assistant for Barclay ballroom dancing lessons for school-aged children, held at the Wyomissing Institute, after years of taking those lessons herself. Miss Erin attended Elizabethtown College, where she was a member of the college dance team, E-Motion, for four years, serving as both Treasurer and Vice-President. She earned her degree in Political Science from Elizabethtown, and is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honors Society. In 2000, she moved to Harrisburg and worked as a Legislative Aide to the Senate Majority Leader in the Senate of Pennsylvania until the birth of her son in 2006.
Miss Erin began working at the desk at Richie’s in 2015 and was offered the position of Studio Manager in the summer of 2018. She is so happy to have found her way back to dance. She enjoys spending time with her husband Pat, their son Max and daughter Emmy, who has been dancing at Richie’s since she was 3.
erin henderson, studio manager
Angela Harp is the Artistic Director of Richie School of Dance. She received this promotion in the Summer of 2017 after a long-standing association with Richie’s. She was a student of Richie’s beginning at the age of 4, a student demonstrator from 1993- 1997, a faculty assistant from 1997-1999 and an instructor from 1999-2000. She returned as a full-time Instructor/Choreographer after college from 2007-2017. Miss Angie is a graduate of Slippery Rock University with a BFA in Dance Performance, Choreography and Education. She is a former member of the Central Penn Piranha Cheer and Dance Team. Her professional credits include: Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom and Holland America Cruise Lines.
Miss Angie’s choreography has won many awards at the Regional and National Competitive Level, including “Most Entertaining,” “Best Choreography” and “Best Showmanship”. She continues to train in her profession by attending conventions, workshops and classes including Tap Ties Dance Festival, Hollywood Vibe, Dance Teacher Summit and Broadway Dance Center in NYC.
Miss Angie teaches Junior, Pre-Teen, Teen and Elite Company Dance Teams, as well as Company Lyrical. She pushes her students to reach their personal best with a focus on proper technique and showmanship. Her main focus is creating a family environment, while encouraging a passion and love for the arts.
Outside of the studio, Miss Angie enjoys spending time with friends and her family, including her husband Sean and her two daughters, Vincenza and Gianna, who is following in her mom’s footsteps as a dancer at Richie’s.
Angela Harp, artistic director & TEACHER
Miss Cheryl has the honor of being the very first student at Richie School of Dance in 1971 and except for a few years, she has been with RSD her entire life. Teaching dance, Baton, Tap, Yoga and LaBlast dance fitness has been her steady second job her entire life.
Most of her decades as an instructor at Richie’s were spent teaching the Advanced classes and Intermediate V Tap and Baton. She loves the memories of choreographing and staging the big Tap and lighted Baton numbers for the Intermediate V classes. Baton twirling has been a love since she was a majorette in high school and she taught many local band fronts over the years, including several state championship majorette squads.
Miss Cheryl retired from the Commonwealth of PA as the Deputy Secretary for Drug and Alcohol Programs with 35 years of service. She is currently the Director of Government Affairs for a large drug and alcohol treatment provider. Almost all the current and past instructors at Richie’s were her students at one time and she even has a few grand-students, having taught the mother and then the daughter. Richie School of Dance is home and the instructors and students over the years are her dance family. She also loves Tap dancing and is excited to be teaching the Teen Tap class.
Cheryl Dondero, TEACHER
At the age of 4, Miss Melissa began dancing at Richie School of Dance, and became a student demonstrator at the age of 13. During high school she was also a Majorette for Central Dauphin High School. Miss Melissa began teaching at Richie’s during her college years and has taught Pre-Ballet I through Beginner II. She currently teaches Pre-Ballet II.
Miss Melissa enjoys spending time outside of the Studio with her family and friends, and watching her daughter follow in her mom’s footsteps as she takes classes at Richie’s.
Melissa Dinger, TEACHER
Miss Jill began dancing when she was 5 years old. She studied dance locally and became a part of Richie School of Dance as a teenager. She was both a feature majorette and competitive twirler during her years at Central Dauphin High School. Miss Jill joined the teaching staff at Richie's in 2007. Currently, Miss Jill teaches the Tuesday Intermediate I/II class and Adult Jazz.
When she isn’t dancing, Miss Jill enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, two children and their dog.
jill healey, TEACHER
Miss Justine Diggs-Cunningham began dancing when she auditioned for the 2014-15 Harrisburg Stampede Crush Dance Team, which she was a member of for one season. Soon after that, Miss Justine joined the Keystone Dance Project, which was created and directed by Moncell Durden. In 2015, she auditioned for the Jazz to Hip Hop Program at the School at Jacob’s Pillow, which she attended and was one of 12 females that were chosen. Miss Justine received a professional advancement award for completing this program. In 2016, she and her dance partner, Eric Durden, Jr., were chosen to be a part of the American Lindy Hop Association through the Frankie Manning Foundation, and are now ambassadors for that program.
She currently trains and dances with Funk Fugitives, which is affiliated with Hood Nation from Philadelphia. Miss Justine teaches Beginner Hip Hop, Hip Hop Junior, Hip Hop Teen, the Junior and Teen Recreational Hip Hop competition Teams and the Lil’, Beast and Teen Hip Hop Crew Company competition Dance Teams.
Justine DIGGS-CUNNINGHAM, TEACHER
Hannah Kraenbring has been dancing since she was 4 years old and is a 2023 graduate of Goucher College, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Dance and a minor in Studio Art. Before college, Hannah trained at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She has studied Ballet, Modern, West African dance, improvisation and composition. She created four dance works at Goucher College and attended American College Dance Association conferences. Her dance film, Unseen Footage, was selected to be shown in the American College Dance Association Screendance Festival in 2020. Most recently, Hannah was a Young Artist Intern at Bearnstow in Mount Vernon, Maine. She choreographed and performed pieces of one whole, a series of solo improvisational scores that accumulated throughout her summer in Maine. Hannah is a multimedia artist who enjoys blurring the lines between art forms.
Her approach to dance is informed by various artistic practices including photography, sculpture, painting, and collage. She teaches dance from a body-mind perspective and is excited to continue exploring this with her students.
Miss Hannah teaches Ballet/ Lyrical/ Contemporary to the Thursday Intermediate I/II, Intermediate III/IV, Intermediate V and Teen classes, as well as Levels 1, 2, 3 Classical Ballet, Teen Soft Shoe Ballet, Pointe Barre, Center Floor Pointe and 2 special sessions of Modern held each year.
Hannah Kraenbring, TEACHER
Miss Jen began dancing at the age of 3 at the Susan Yushko Academy of Dance and became an assistant dance teacher at the age of 17. This Studio is credited for founding one of the first national dance competitions, “All American Talent Awards,” which Miss Jen was a participant in. She was also a majorette during high school and majorette captain her senior year. Following her graduation from high school, she attended St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing and became a Registered Nurse after graduation. She practiced nursing from 1991-2012.
Miss Jen returned to dance at Richie’s as an adult student in 2009 and became a faculty assistant in 2010. At the start of the 2014-15 dance year, she joined the staff as a full-time teacher. Miss Jen teaches Beginner I/II & Beginner III, and works at the Lower Paxton desk on Friday evenings.
When she isn’t dancing, Miss Jen enjoys spending time with her husband Mike and daughters Shannon and Christi, who are both Richie alumni and teach at Richie’s as well. She is an avid animal lover, especially to her 5 cats.
jen zehner, TEACHER
Miss Molly began dancing at the age of 3 at Richie School of Dance and has been there ever since. She started student assisting in 2016 and became the Faculty Assistant in 2019, assisting with the Intermediate V and the Junior, Pre-Teen, and Teen Company classes. Miss Molly was a part of Elite Company, Teen Company, Advanced Jazz Competition Team, and both the Beast and Teen Hip Hop Crews. She has attended the Messiah University Summer Dance Intensive as well as the Penn State University Lionettes Dance Camp. She continues to attend master classes and conventions to further her dance education. Miss Molly teaches Intermediate I/II Tap and Jazz on Thursday’s, Intermediate V Jazz, Teen Jazz and assists Teen Tap. On the competition side, she teaches the Junior TAP and TAP Company competition Teams, as well as co-teaches the Level 3 Jazz and Production Number competition Teams.
Miss Molly currently attends Lebanon Valley College and is a student in the 5-year Speech and Language Pathology program. She is also a member of the LVC Dance Team, where she will continue her dance education.
molly klose, TEACHER
Miss Sherri began her career in 1980 as an adult dance student at Richie School of Dance, and has taught all levels of dance over a period of 43 years. She loves teaching technique by challenging her students and helping them realize they are capable of doing more. Besides attending various dance seminars in New York City, she has also twirled flag as a member of the Middletown Area High School Alumni Marching Band. Miss Sherri has enjoyed boating on the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay along with her husband. They also enjoy snowmobiling in places like Yellowstone National Park, Maine, and New Hampshire.
Miss Sherri teaches Intermediate III/IV Tap and Jazz as well as Intermediate V Tap.
sherri mcGeehan, TEACHER
Ilenia Purpura, Teacher
Miss Ilenia began dancing in Italy at the age of 7, developing a strong passion for dance, especially Contemporary dance. Throughout her training, she studied with inspiring teachers who shared with her their love and passion for dance. Over the years, she gained experience both as a dancer and instructor. She also had the opportunity to perform with a professional dance company in Italy and take part in several theatrical productions.
After earning her dance teaching certification, Ilenia began teaching in 2021, working with students ages 3 to 16. Her experience includes pre-dance, Contemporary dance, choreography and preparing students for performances.
After moving to the United States, Miss Ilenia is excited to continue sharing her passion for dance. She hopes to create a positive and encouraging environment where students can learn, build confidence, express themselves, and most importantly, enjoy dancing. Miss Ilenia teaches Pre-Ballet I.
Miss Shannon began dancing at the age of 3 at McCann’s School of Dance but joined Richie School of Dance in 2008 and has been studying here ever since. Miss Shannon is a former member of the Elite Company Dance Team. Each year, she attends numerous conventions and master classes to further her dance technique and skills. Miss Shannon began as a teacher assistant in the Fall of 2012 and has continued to do so until she became a dance teacher in the Fall of 2017. She currently teaches the Levels 1, 2 and Advanced Jazz competition Teams, and co-teaches the Level 3 Jazz Team and Production Number Team.
Miss Shannon is a 2019 Central Dauphin High School graduate and 2024 Penn State Harrisburg graduate. In her spare time, she enjoys participating in her church youth group and being a worship assistant during church services, is involved in Girl Scouts and loves spending quality time with her friends and family.
shannon zehner, TEACHER
