SUSAN SCANNELLA

Executive Director

Ms. Scannella has served as the Executive Director of Dance Alive since April 2023 and is excited to be a part of our Capital Campaign “Soaring to New Heights” to build the new home of DANB.  She recently returned to Gainesville after 3 years in Coastal Alabama where she was the Production Manager for “Legends In Concert” year-round show overseeing a cast of Tribute Artists, live band, singers and dancers. She has also been a Production Tour Manager for over 10 years for “Legends” limited engagements throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Ms. Scannella received her dance training from Pofahl Studios in Gainesville, Florida with founder Mary Ellen Pofahl, and daughters Judy Pofahl Skinner and Kim Pofahl Tuttle. They provided performance experience and exposure with the Gainesville Civic Ballet and summer study in NYC.  After earning a B.F.A in Theatre from the University of Florida, Ms. Scannella pursued a professional performance career dancing for 20 years in production shows in the Bahamas and Atlantic City. While in NJ, her performance experience was diverse as performing with Atlantic Contemporary Ballet to dancing with Gene Kelly to ice-skating in a dance & ice show!  She was a Ron Lewis dancer, a soloist, featured dancer, line captain, a company manager, choreographer, and dance studio owner.

Post-professional career, Ms. Scannella returned to Gainesville and performed as a Guest Artist with Dance Alive National Ballet and was also an Adjunct Lecturer teaching jazz dance for UF’s School of Theater & Dance.  She received a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts internship where she was Twlya Tharp’s assistant for a residency that became a performance series of new works in Washington D.C. and New York. They reconnected for Ms. Tharp’s hit Broadway show “Movin’ Out” as Ms. Scannella served as her personal assistant for the Chicago pre-Broadway opening and in NYC, where the show opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.  “Movin’ Out” earned 10 Tony nominations and won 3 Tony Awards with Ms. Tharp winning a Tony Award for Best Choreography.