DEL DANCING PHONICS
Meet the Team!
From the first spark of an idea to the final videos, meet the educators and artists who brought DEL Dancing Phonics to life!
The People Behind The Project!
DEL Dancing Phonics brings together expertise in dance, literacy, storytelling, illustration, and filmmaking. We’re grateful to the extraordinary collaborators whose creativity and care shaped every part of this project:
Meet the Performers!
Kayla Spalding
performer
Kayla Rachelle Spalding is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York City. As an actor, dancer, and choreographer, she is passionate about the ways our bodies move, communicate, and connect us to the world through storytelling. She believes movement is a powerful force for curiosity, education, discovery, and self-expression, especially for young audiences understanding the world around them. Through her work, she loves bringing stories to life and inviting others to discover new ways of seeing and experiencing life. She is so deeply grateful to be part of this wonderful project!
Photo by James Jin Images
Scarlett London Diviney
performer
Scarlett London Diviney is a 15 year old native New Yorker. This fall she can be seen playing the role of Young Peola in Imitation of Life, a new musical by John Legend and Lynn Nottage at The Shed in NYC. She recently wrapped the pilot for Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club. Her credits onstage include The Lion King National Tour (Young Nala) and X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at the Metropolitan Opera. On film, Scarlett can be heard singing in both of the Wicked films, with additional onscreen credits including No Limits, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Cupids. She has performed the National Anthem for the New York Giants, New York Mets, and at the Little League World Series. @scarlettlndn
Photo by William Sherman
Meet the Education and Creative Team!
Melodee Walker, PhD
Phonics and Literacy Content Director
Dr. Melodee Walker is an enthusiastic believer in bringing curiosity and creativity to the learning process. Melodee is an educational consultant and experienced special education teacher with more than twenty years of teaching, research, professional development design, and advocacy experience. After completing her doctoral studies at the University of Texas at Austin, she held professional appointments at Boston University and the University of Connecticut. She specializes in designing and delivering customized professional development and advocacy support on learning differences and on reading instruction practices linked to improved student outcomes. She has also supported professional development nationwide in implementing multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), data-based individualization (DBI), and high-quality reading instruction. She’s especially excited about her collaboration with DEL to bring joyful, engaging and memorable learning to classrooms via cross-disciplinary magic!
Erin Lally
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, WRITER, DANCE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Erin Lally (BFA, MA) is Executive Director of the Harkness Dance Center and Director of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at 92NY. With over two decades of experience, she leads dance performance, education, and professional learning programs that cultivate creativity and community. She develops curricula and partnerships with New York City Public Schools and leading dance organizations. A teacher and mentor, Erin continues to lead Family Dance and Choreo Lab classes. She received the 2021 Outstanding Leadership Award from the New York State Dance Education Association and completed the NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership at The HOW Institute for Society.
Photo by Whitney Browne
Rachael Lieblein-Jurbala
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CREATIVE PRODUCER, WRITER, DANCE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Rachael Lieblein-Jurbala is Associate Director of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) and Artistic Programming at 92NY’s Harkness Dance Center, where she is proud to steward programs that expand access to dance for children, families, artists, and educators. She is the director of Rachael Lieblein-Jurbala Dance Works, producer of the WestFest Dance Festival, and serves on the board of the Sasamani Foundation, which expands educational opportunities for women and girls in Tanzania. Rachael believes with everything in her body that dance and art are the ingredients that build community and help us all become better humans. DEL Dancing Phonics has been the most meaningful and fulfilling projects she’s ever had the joy of bringing to life.
Photo by Cherylynn Tsushima
Daria Fitzgerald
TEACHER ACTIVITY GUIDE WRITER, WRITER, DANCE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Daria Fitzgerald (M.A., Dance Education; NY Professional Dance Teacher Certification) is Associate Director of Early Childhood Dance at 92NY’s Harkness Dance Center. She leads the center’s efforts to bring high-quality dance experiences to young children and families. Daria has taught dance, led professional development, coached educators, and published curricula for pre-K–12 schools, as well as community and arts organizations. She has guest lectured at New York University and Hunter College. Daria received the New York State Dance Education Association’s 2026 Outstanding Dance Educator Award in the Private Sector. Her Instagram account, @booksfordancing, features books that inspire dance-making.
Photo by Cherylynn Tsushima
Deborah Lohse
Script & Creative Development Consultant
DEBORAH LOHSE (performer, creator and educator) Select performances include American Dance Festival, DANCENOW at Joe’s Pub, Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival, United Solo Theater Festival and The Stonewall Inn. Lohse has worked with theater director Anne Kauffman, visual artist Suzanne Bocanegra and choreographers Monica Bill Barnes, Doug Elkins, Katy Pyle, and David Parker. She has most recently performed with Parallel Exit and Bindlestiff Family Circus. She has been a part of the teaching artist faculty at Lincoln Center Education for over 20 years and serves as an Instructional Coach for the Education Department at New York City Ballet. Lohse has taught classes and workshops for Trinity /La Mama, 92NY, Ballez, Camp Improv Utopia, The New School, UW Milwaukee, UW Madison, Grand Valley State University, DeSales University and Purdue University.
Photo by Whitney Browne
Meet the Animation and Design Team!
Rob Tendy
CREATIVE PRODUCER, Animation & VFX Supervisor
Hello! I’m Rob, Director of Digital Video Production at 92NY. I’ve worked across film, theater, and animation, always with the goal of helping people learn, grow, and express themselves. DEL Dancing Phonics is a project I’m particularly fond of. We have so many interesting creative tools at our disposal today, and I’m grateful to have worked with an all-star team to put them to use helping kids learn.
David Fuchs
ANIMATION
I’m a motion graphics designer living in Brooklyn, who could have used some phonics to learn how to spell ‘bureau’ before age 20. Bringing the Dancing Phonics illustrations to life was a treat!
Photo by Channing Fuchs
Sibe Erdemir
VFX
Hi my name is Sibe and I’m a motion graphics designer and video editor here at 92NY. I love creating fun visual effects and compositions in After Effects and DEL Phonics was certainly full of them! I helped create early scene transitions but mostly I was responsible for green screening our two stars, Scarlett and Kayla.
Photo by William Enders
Caroline Attia
ILLUSTRATOR
Caroline Attia is a French animation filmmaker, writer and illustrator, primarily working in 2D. Her work focuses on character-driven stories, combining a strong graphic sensibility and visual poetry with an attention to atmosphere and emotion.
Meet the Production Team!
Nel Shelby
Executive Producer and Director
Nel Shelby is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and director dedicated to preserving and advancing dance through film. As the founder of Nel Shelby Productions, she creates documentary films, performance captures, livestreams, and branded video content for leading arts and education organizations across the country. Her work has helped bring dance to audiences worldwide while documenting the artists, educators, and communities that make the art form thrive. Nel is the Producer/Director of the NY Emmy-nominated documentary PS DANCE!, a film exploring the transformative power of dance education. Her 2026 documentary, The Essence of Us, premiered at the 92nd Street Y and follows choreographer Pedro Ruiz’s return to Havana to create a new work for Malpaso Dance Company, revealing how dance connects people, preserves cultural identity, and transcends differences.
Nel Shelby Productions has served as the media team for Jacob’s Pillow for more than two decades and collaborates with dance organizations and festivals nationwide, including Vail Dance Festival. Nel lives in New York City with her husband, dance photographer Christopher Duggan, and their two children, Gracie (18) and Jack (12).
Nel Shelby Productions has served as the media team for Jacob’s Pillow for more than two decades and collaborates with dance organizations and festivals nationwide, including Vail Dance Festival. Nel lives in New York City with her husband, dance photographer Christopher Duggan, and their two children, Gracie (18) and Jack (12).
Photo by Christopher Duggan
Lucy Shelby
Talent Director
Lucy Shelby served as Director of Talent and Casting for DEL Phonics and is Operations Manager for Nel Shelby Productions. She holds an MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. She is a Brooklyn-based artist, writer, director, producer, and clown. She has created and produced numerous shows in New York City and beyond including her solo show Pretty Hurts named one of Time Out New York’s “20 Best Things to Do.” She is also an artist with Clowns Without Borders, with two international tours to Ecuador and Zimbabwe, performing for over 10,000+ children.
Photo by Michael Kushner Photography
Mason Chapello
Videographer, Editor
Mason is a New York–based dance videographer, producer, director, and editor. An alumnus of The Ohio State University, his work is focused on archiving the performing arts and spans organizations including Lincoln Center, Vail Dance Festival, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Mason has collaborated with the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) for over five years, and is thrilled to be part of the DEL Dancing Phonics series.
Meg Murphy
Videographer
Meg Murphy is a Brooklyn based dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker whose work bridges movement and film. Meg is a videographer and editor for Nel Shelby Productions. Her work in video has led to opportunities to film dance at renowned institutions and festivals including Jacob’s Pillow, Vail Dance Festival, and Lincoln Center. As a freelance artist, her dance films have premiered at festivals including Dance on Camera and Seoul Dance Film Festival (SeDaFF). She has loved getting to collaborate with the 92NY to put together such a fun project!
Photo by Mason Chapello
Lily Van Leeuwen
Sound Operator
Hailing from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Lily van Leeuwen is a graduate of the NYU Tisch Film program. In addition to being an Emmy-nominated production sound mixer, Lily also enjoys playing trumpet around the city and in various bands. When not at work, you will most likely catch her at some underground dimly lit jazz jam, or attending one of the many music, theater or dance performances New York City has to offer.
Donovan Dorrance
Re-recording Mixer
Donovan Dorrance is a composer, producer, and audio engineer living in Cincinnati, Ohio. He regularly collaborates with NYC-based dance companies including Dorrance Dance and Ephrat Asherie Dance. Outside of dance, he composes original music and mixes audio for independent filmmakers as well as with NYC-based videography team, Nel Shelby Productions. Dorrance is grateful to have worked on another DEL project!
Photo by Aidan Burns-Fulkerson
Caroline Walshe
Production Assistant
Caroline Walshe is a Brooklyn-based artist, dancer, and performer. She works with Nel Shelby Productions in various capacities, including assistant studio manager, social media manager, and production assistant. In addition to her work with Nel, Caroline is passionate about working with children and teaches dance to elementary school students here in NYC. She also performs with Theatre for Young Audiences at 92NY, combining her love of performance with her passion for dance and theatre for all ages.
Photo by Taylor Craft
Cherylynn Tsushima
Project Manager
Cherylynn Mieko Tsushima is an arts photographer and project manager based in Brooklyn, NY. Born and raised in California, she left the West Coast to attend Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Since moving to New York, she has photographed for Dance Theatre of Harlem, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, Juilliard, Kinetic Light, JACK Quartet and many more. She has worked with Nel Shelby
Productions and Christopher Duggan Photography for over a decade. She is a mover, shaker, and image maker.
Productions and Christopher Duggan Photography for over a decade. She is a mover, shaker, and image maker.
I met the team, Now...
...Back to the Resources!
Head back to explore all 10 free DEL Dancing Phonics videos and Teacher Activities that bring reading skills to life through movement.
