Our Team

Roxy Arrojo

For more than 25 years, Roxy has been an integral part of the Educational Arts Team, where she utilizes her expertise in dance and movement to enhance our program. She helps develop kinesthetic activities for mind-body awareness, as well as activities using visual symbolism and physical representation.

Roxy is an actor, singer, and storyteller. She has successfully produced and performed in various shows, including "How Can I Keep from Singing - a Tribute to Eva Cassidy" at The Laurie Beechman Theater, as well as her own cabaret titled "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" at venues such as Don't Tell Mamas and The Duplex. In addition to her performance career, Roxy has also taken on roles as a production manager and adjunct in Theater at NJCU. In her spare time, she indulges in her passion for composing and arranging music.

Her personal interest in Young Adult Literature has given her a special insight into character motivations and relationships, important elements of our Bringing Literature to Life series. Roxy’s love for reading and literature inspires her to incorporate drama-based techniques that not only enhance reading comprehension but also promote self-expression. 

She’s contributed to the publications of Educational Arts Teams’ handbooks, The Magic Circle of Drama, The Artful Learner &  Bringing Literature to Life led by Carmine Tabone. 

She is committed to carrying forward the legacy of providing children with joyful and enriching creative experiences, while also instilling a lifelong love for learning.

Dom Buccafusco

Dom has worked with the team, since 1980 as a drama workshop leader.  He received an MA in Educational Theatre from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education, and a BA in English/Theatre from Jersey City State College.  He also attended the New School for Social Research where he studied Television Production and Acting for the stage and screen. For twenty-five years Dom worked as an adjunct instructor in theater at New Jersey City University for the Department of Music, Dance & Theater. His directorial work includes a wide range of theatrical genres including plays, musicals, and opera.

Joey Rosario

Joey Rosario is a theatre educator, director, choreographer, and musical theater performer. He first joined the Educational Arts Team as a teaching artist at Camp Liberty,  teaching acting and improvisation classes as well as choreographing for the shows. 
 
Originally from Paterson, NJ, Joey attended Montclair State University as a Theatre Studies Major/Dance minor and, most recently, obtained his Masters in Educational Theatre from The City College of New York. As a performer, he has had the opportunity to perform nationally and internationally in shows like “A Chorus Line”, “Guys and Dolls”, and “West Side Story”. 
 
As a choreographer, he has had his work featured at the Jazz Choreography Enterprises’ Jazz Dance Project. He served as associate choreographer for a production of “In The Heights” at Park Playhouse and most recently, he directed and choreographed an original interactive musical adaptation of the award winning children’s book “What Do You Do With An Idea?”.
 
Joey’s teaching philosophy revolves around meeting people where they are, empowering them to explore, and discover what could be. He is proud to be a part of this team, all the incredible work they have done, and continue to do.

Samantha Zegarra

Samantha is a Licensed Social Worker and youth development professional making change through non profit leadership. Samantha’s journey with the Educational Arts Team began at the age of six when she was a camper at Camp Liberty. She went from camper to counselor and is currently the organization's Operations and Administrative Manager.
 
An alumna of Rutgers University, Samantha graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Deciding to continue her studies Samantha later went on to earn her Masters of Social Work with a focus on childhood development and clinical mental health. 
 
Samantha brings a social work perspective to the organization by advocating for change on a macro level to build a stronger community. Samantha's core belief is enacting change through innovative programming and opportunities for youth in our community.

Danny Bacher

Danny Bacher graduated from NJCU in 2001 with a BA in theater arts and music. He began his work as a professional teaching artist shortly after finishing college when he started working for the award-winning theater troupe, The Irondale Ensemble project. He worked for several years throughout the NYC school system teaching arts integration and theater in all five boroughs. While writing and acting and touring throughout the country, Danny continued his love for working with children after being hired, along with his brother Josh, by the Educational Arts Team in 2008 to write and perform the acclaimed after-school puppet show series, called the Backyard players. Once established at the Educational Arts Team, Danny began to work as a counselor at Camp Liberty and eventually began to work as a year -round staff member and teaching artist with the team. In addition to a solid career in jazz, cabaret and pop with a penchant for rare gems, and classic standards from the Great American Songbook, Bacher has also worked as an actor, comedian and writer, touring internationally with his original works. Along with a busy touring schedule and working at venues such as the Blue Note, Birdland, Feinstein’s 54 Below, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Town Hall, he has performed several times at Carnegie Hall and most recently alongside the legendary Michael Feinstein. Bacher has released two studio albums as a leader, “Swing That Music!” and “Still Happy” on the Whaling City Sound label.

Dina Bruno-Cibrowski

Dina has been a teaching artist for over 18 years in both New York and New Jersey, 10 of those years with Educational Arts Team. She also works as an actress in the theatre with an emphasis on Improvisational Performance.

Dina’s acting credits include off off-Broadway, cabaret theatre, and a number of independent films. She has also toured with theatre companies performing in NYC, Toronto, and Massachusetts. 

Her facility with role-play and improv was instrumental in the creation of our Hand Puppet program, which helps 2nd and 3rd graders develop characters and improvise problem-solution plot lines.

Heather Danchise

Heather joins the Educational Arts Team as a ceramics and three-dimensional arts instructor. Upon graduating from New Jersey City University in 2018 with a BA in Art Therapy, she opened a creative space to share her love of ceramics with people of all ages and capabilities. 

Heather's studio, Keezee Ceramics, has facilitated the making of local artists and people of her community. She hopes that participants in her classes experience the excitement and reward that comes from working in a creative setting. 

Heather enjoys the time she spends with the team, and looks forward to helping others explore their journeys as artists.

Lionel Emabat

Lionel Emabat is an Artist and Designer with over 10 years of experience. Lionel holds a BA in Digital Design & Illustration/ Computer Science. Born in West Africa, he has always enjoyed mimicking what was in front of him on a piece of paper long before he could write. In the seventh grade, his art teacher advised him to join the art program of his school. His artistic experiences combined with cultural adaptation inspired his drawings. Over the years the things he has seen and experienced sparked his creativity & helped inspire his drawings. As he moved forward every day, he chose to live his life by sketching his way there one drawing at a time.

Dani Kopoulos

Dani joined the Educational Arts Team in 2010.  She received an MA in Creative Writing from New School University in New York, and a BA in multi-media performance from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, her hometown. 

Dani is an award-winning solo performance artist and published writer of poetry and creative non-fiction.  She has also been a teaching artist for over 15 years, leading drama, writing, and movement workshops in schools and community centers in Chicago, New York and New Jersey.

Sam Llanes

Sam received her BFA from NY's School of Visual Arts studying 2D Animation. With her expertise in interweaving stories through her draftwork, she uses the same techniques to communicate different ideas & skills through art for young people. Sam started as a Junior Counselor at Camp Liberty, eventually moving on to become the Set Designer for 10+ years, producing full stage scenery with the kids. 

Her background in animation brings a sense of visual storytelling to the Educational Arts Team. Sam is currently the Art Director for Camp Liberty and is now one of the Educational Arts Team's teaching artists in New Jersey.

Outside of the organization, Sam works as an Illustrator under Sammakesamess with clients such as Mask Up NJ, Baonanas, Matcha Love, & more. She's dabbled in graphic design, concept art, product development, and creates personal digital paintings for her clients. 

Sylvia Riley

Sylvia Riley is an African-American illustrator, animator, and creative writer based in Jersey City, NJ. After acquiring her BA in History from Caldwell University in 2017, Sylvia decided to follow her other passion, the arts. Her formal artistic studies have taken her around the world, from Paris to California, through various Continued Education courses with the School of Visual Arts and the New York Film Academy. She is a dedicated teaching artist, focused on teaching BIPOC youth through crafting, visual art, and storytelling.

Carmine Tabone

Executive Director of the Team, Carmine has been leading theater and education projects with young people since 1970 and holds an Ed. S. from Seton Hall University in Educational Leadership and a M. A. from New York University in Educational Theater.  He has been an adjunct faculty member at NYU in the graduate theater education program and has conducted in-service training workshops at regional, national and international conferences. He currently teaches a course in the Saint Peters University MPA program on Conflict in the Workplace.

In 2010 Carmine and three researchers from Seton Hall University received the American Alliance for Theater and Education Research Award for their work on a series of United States Department of Education Arts in Education projects. Carmine has also co-authored a book on drama education activities, as well as three handbooks with EAT teaching artists. Carmine and Bob Albrecht have recently completed a book, The Arts and Play as Educational Media in the Digital Age (Peter Lang, 2020).

Mary Graham Aiken

Also known as Miss Mary, is one of the original members of Educational Arts Team which was founded in 1974. She graduated from Ferris High School in Jersey City and took drama classes at Jersey City State College. She was also the recipient of a scholarship with the Negro Ensemble Acting School in New York City.

Miss Mary's career has taken given her opportunities in a variety of fields. Mary formed two organizations, called Dambella Models and one called Arts Drama Club. She was a style columnist for a Jersey City magazine called From Dusk Til Dawn, contributing to a column called "Beauty Tips". She has also taught modeling and grooming at the Jersey City YWCA.

Miss Mary has been working with children for over 50 years, giving workshops in schools, day cares, libraries, churches, and many other organizations. She teaches music, art and crafts, storytelling, sign language, and performs in puppet shows. Miss Mary is a Jersey City favorite and beloved member of the team.

Robert Albrecht

Bob received his masters from the University of Wisconsin and his doctorate from New York University and he has published numerous articles relating to the role of music and the arts in education and culture.

As a musician, Bob has written hundreds of songs and has performed with diverse groups, all the way from street corner doo-wop to Camp songs with children in Jersey City to Brazilian jazz.  As a teacher, Bob was an early member of the Educational Arts Team and has worked at Camp Liberty since 1982 where he coordinates the music and recreation program. Bob is also a tenured professor of media arts at New Jersey City University where he teaches classes in the history and social impact of media. 

In 2014, he produced a CD of children’s songs entitled Sing Along with Camp Liberty.  Recently, Bob represented the Educational Arts Team at an international conference in Italy where he presented a paper outlining the importance of educational arts in the age of digital technology.