Kim Leary (Alexia) is a belly dance performer, choreographer and instructor in Central New Jersey. Kim Leary’s (Alexia) dance accomplishments include teaching both credit and non-credit dance at Princeton University.  She is Co-Artistic Director of Groove Merchant Drum & Dance Ensemble and Co-Director of her school,  The Drum & Dance Learning Center in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Ms. Leary has performed at numerous prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center, The Ohio Theatre (SOHO), CAMI Hall (NYC), DanceSpace (NYC), FIT (NYC), The Evolving Arts Theatre (NYC), The Black Box Theatre (NJ), as well as at many colleges, universities, and festivals as a soloist and with her own dance company, SaZ Dance Theatre, Jamila Salimpour's Bal Anat and Dalia Carella's DNA Project. She also teaches at Rutgers University and Middlesex County College. As an artist-in-residence in various schools throughout the state, her arts-in-education training is from Union County's CATALYST Initiative, Artsgenesis, and the Kennedy Center (DC) through the New Brunswick Cultural Center. Kim holds a certification in Training & Development as well as in Multiple Intelligences and the Arts from Kean University. She is a Level 2 Certified Dancer and has been training in the Suhaila Salimpour Format since 2000. In 2008 Kim became certified Level TWO in the Jamila Salimpour Dance Format and earned a Level One Certification in Sahra Saeeda's Journey Through Egypt Program. Kim received a dance scholarship award from Dance New Jersey and was voted New Jersey's Favorite Belly Dance Teacher in 2008 & 2010. Kim has studied dance for most of her life and has received extensive training in jazz, ballet, tap, contemporary, Middle Eastern, Turkish and Afro-Caribbean dance. Kim has spent a significant amount of time with dance masters such as Tasha, Elena Lentini, Roberta Koch and Azsmara of SaZ Dance Theatre, Sabah Nissan, Dalia Carella, Artemis Mourat, Suhaila Salimpour, Jamila Salimpour and Richard Gonzalez all of whom have had great influence on her dance. Philosophy: “Strong foundation of dance movement, belly dance technique, musical understanding and the creative process are the things that drive me. Applying all of this to any and all stylizations is my philosophy. My hope is that each time you see me dance you learn another facet of what is going on creatively for me at that particular moment. And for my students, that each explores their own path and has their own voice with a strong base and ongoing process of growth to support that.” - Kim Leary (Alexia)  Dave Merritt is an accomplished drummer of many talents and interests who has been playing drums and teaching drum technique for over 30 years. Among the various genres he has performed are blues, rock and progressive rock, traditional Celtic, Middle Eastern and West African.  He has recorded with the Celtic band - Browne Jenkyn, Catfish Blues Band at Sun Studios in Memphis as well as with his percussion ensemble, Groove Merchant. Dave is also a former snare drummer with the First Highland Watch of Pennsylvania.  He currently performs with the Paul Plumeri Blues Band and has also taught a variety of workshops and classes as an artist-in residence throughout the tri-state area.  Some credits include teaching and performing at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, Rutgers and Rider Universities; The House of Blues (Atlantic City), The Crystal Palace (Tombstone, AZ), The Black Box Theatre (Asbury Park), The Paramount Concerts on the Beach (Asbury Park) through the Monmouth County Arts Council and a variety of clubs and festivals.  Mr. Merritt has taken master classes and clinics with various drum set artists including Billy Cobham, Tommy Campbell, Rod Morgenstein, Ed Shaughnessy, Terry Bozio, Greg Bissonette and Pat Patrillo, as well as Scottish Snare Drum workshops with Sam Hall, J. Reid Maxwell, Jon Quigg and Gordon Bell. Dave learned to play the Bodhrán from Phil Smiley of the Tannahill Weavers and has taken classes / workshops with Francisco "Fuyo" Gomez to learn Conga, Victor Marshall and M'Bemba Bangoura for Djembe technique and learned Dumbek from Kim Leary, Souren Baronian, Issam Houshan, Amir Naoum and Bill Koutsouros. He continues to refine and expand his own technique on these instruments, finding inspiration and new ideas everywhere he goes.  Mr. Merritt has produced a number events with dancer Kim Leary that have been supported by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.   He has adjudicated and taught at The New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival as well as county festivals statewide. Dave is co-director of the Drum and Dance Learning Center in Lawrenceville, NJ and Groove Merchant Drum and Dance Ensemble.