President/Co-Founder

Jeff Statile

With over 20 years of experience working as a NYC public-school arts educator and leader, Jeff is thrilled to be co-founder of Evolution Arts with his wife Gina.  He holds a BFA in Musical Theater/Acting from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Certificate in Pre-Medical Studies from Columbia University.  His professional credits include tapping, singing, acting and improvising on stages across the country with highlights including “George M!” (Goodspeed), “Scooby-Doo in Stagefright” (Nat’l Tour), “Singin’ in the Rain” (Croswell), “West Side Story” (St. Louis MUNY), “Anydayville” (UCB) and “42nd Street” (Westchester Broadway Theater) – where he met his lifelong partner!  He lives in New Jersey with his amazing family and enjoys the challenges and rewards that come with being a lifelong arts educator. Jeff is currently the Artistic Director of the Professional Performing Arts School’s Musical Theater Program at Rosie’s Theater Kids, where he has been on staff since 2004.

Vice President/Co-Founder

Gina Carlette Statile

Gina received her training in classical ballet, tap, jazz and ballroom in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, before making the move to New York City to pursue a career on the stage. As a performer, she appeared on Broadway and in the National Tour of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”.  She also toured the country in “Annie Get Your Gun”, and "Scooby-Doo in Stage Fright” as well as numerous regional productions.  Gina is now the full-time and certified Dance Educator at Garfield Middle and High Schools and founded the GMS Dance Company.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre and dance from SUNY Empire State College and is fully certified in Yoga by Breathe For Change, as an SEL facilitator.  Gina lives with her husband Jeff and two amazing sons in the lovely town of Rutherford, New Jersey.  She believes in creating a safe learning environment, so that all children may be their best selves!

Board Member

Toni Noblett

For twenty-five years prior to joining the faculty of Rosie’s Theater Kids in the fall of 2005, Toni was the artistic director and owner of a private studio in Roxboro, North Carolina, The Dancers’ Workshop. For seventeen years, she served as an assistant and lead tap teacher

for the National Dance Institute’s Summer Intensive under the direction and mentoring of RTK’s present Artistic Director, Lori Klinger, and the founder of NDI JacquesD’Amboise.

   In addition, she was a a personal assistant to Mr. D’Amboise for several residencies and

projects including a segment for ”CBS Sunday Morning with Bill Geist “ Several pieces of her tap choreography were performed at NDI’s “Event of the Year” and at Symphony Space.

   Toni’s formal training in drama and dance began in her hometown then continued at East Carolina University, The American Dance Festival and many years in attendance at numerous

workshops sponsored by The American Tap Danced Orchestra and Tap City NYC. Her tap style is heavily influenced by Barbara Duffy and Brenda Bufalino.

During her 12 year stint at Rosie’s Theater Kids, having relocated to NYC, she developed a tap curriculum for their after-school pre conservatory program for fifth - 12th graders. In addition she developed a tap curriculum, “So Fit,” for pre-K -4th grade, for PS 51 in Hell’s Kitchen. She

also developed a tap curriculum for the Musical Theater Program PPAS at Rosie’s Theater Kids. While in that position she assisted Jeff Statile in the administration of the dance program, and directed several end of year Rehearsal and Performance productions.

While on the faculty of RTKids and PPAS, Toni taught and helped in the the development of a Youth Curriculum for The American Tap Dance Foundation, as well as teaching in the same program. Eventually she became one of the founding teachers for the Tap Teacher Training

Program at ATDF— where her specialty became teaching young dancers of any discipline ,as well as tap, how to be musical from their first dance lessons. In this program she mentored adult students from all over the world. She also became an annual teacher at Broadway Dance Center’s Teacher Workshop.

Being on the RTK faculty afforded Toni many other exciting teaching opportunities. She served

as Rosie O’Donnell’s tap coach for the City Center’s Encore Theater Production of “No, No,Nannette,” under the direction of Randy Skinner. She also served in the same capacity in a producers’ production of “Babes in Arms,” under Mr. Skinner. She assisted in choreographing pieces for television which included “The Rachel Ray Show,” “The Martha Stewart Show,” and “NBC’s Tree Lighting,” featuring Rosie O’Donnell. She also mentored the legend, Tommy Tune for a performance at City Center. Pat Burch, of “Grease,” and “West Side Story,” fame directed a remake of Marlo Thomas’ “Free to Be You and Be,” featuring Phil Donahue with Toni contributing tap choreography. Toni also choreographed a short tap number for O’Donnell’s pilot television show. BD Wong also used Toni for several film and performance

projects produced by RTK. Currently Toni lives in North Carolina where she is occasionally teaching remotely and teaching in residencies. She has developed a music/dance curriculum

for 3-4 year olds called “Meet the Beat” and a beginning music/tap curriculum for 5 - 8 year olds called “Shout, Shuffle, and Swing.” Her lifelong teaching goal is to make beginning dancers masters of music, so that musicality is engrained before they even learn a step.

Toni’s son and daughter are also dance professionals. Casey is currently the owner and creator of Commercial Dance Intensive, a pre-professional program which trains young dancers for the true world of commercial dance. In this capacity she holds workshops and residencies traveling all over the US. She also auditions professional dancers for Royal

Caribbean Cruise Lines. Cassidy, her brother has a highly successful career as a dancer,

director, choreographer, and teacher. He has appeared in movies and music videos, on a

variety of television shows, and danced on international tours for Lady Gaga, Beyonce,

Katie Perry, Janet Jackson, and The Spice Girls. Recently he was a choreographer on the new CBS series, “Come Dance With Me.”

All of this family is committed to inspiring young dancers to set reasonable goals, expect nothing but excellence of themselves and the places and teachers with whom they train, and,and most importantly find the joy in the art form they have chosen.

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Board Member

Timothy Johnson

 is a master acting teacher, director, performer and playwright. For over three decades he has honed his approach to theater and actor training as a tenured Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at Marymount Manhattan College, Assistant Professor of Acting/Movement at Ohio University, and Artistic Associate at Rosie’s Theater Kids.  

By vote of Marymount Manhattan College’s 2022 Senior Class, Timothy received

the Outstanding Faculty Member of the Division of Fine and Performing Arts Award.  He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Washington School of Drama and a Bachelor of Music Education from Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music.  His professional performances include the original cast of the U.S. National Tour of James Kirkwood’s play Legends! starring Mary Martin and Carol

Channing; “Jazz” in REGINA at the Scottish Opera House in Glasgow, Scotland with

John Mauceri as conductor, also recording the role for London/Decca Records; on

Broadway in A Chorus Line for the 1983 record-breaking performance directed by

Michael Bennett and in the National Tour (U.S. and Canada); Porgy and Bess,

Metropolitan Opera House; Off-Broadway at Classical Theatre of Harlem, Lyrics and

Lyricists, 92nd Street Y, American Place Theatre and York Theatre Company; His

numerous regional theatre credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville, Syracuse Stage, Goodspeed Opera House, 5th Avenue Theatre, and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; and summer stock at Kenley Players, Ogunquit Playhouse, Westport Country Playhouse, The Cape Playhouse, Casa Mañana Theatre, and Theater Under the Stars.

He was seen in Milan, Italy, and at the Melbourne International Arts Festival,

as “Adonis” in The Temptation of St. Anthony written by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, (founder of “Sweet Honey in the Rock”) and directed by Robert Wilson. 

Timothy made his Off-Off Broadway directorial debut at the Obie Award-Winning

Metropolitan Playhouse with his production of On Strivers Row by Abram Hill. 

The New York Times said of his work that “Timothy Johnson has shaped 16 striking

performances here.” This production also received four coveted AUDELCO award

nominations including Best Direction of a Dramatic Production for Timothy and Best

Revival.  He recently directed She’s Got Harlem on Her Mind at Metropolitan Playhouse and was the Associate Director of Destiny of Desire at The Old Globe Theater. Other directorial favorites include These Days for the FLASH ACTS festival and the Metropolitan Playhouse Virtual productions of Aftermath and Compromise. He also served as the assistant director for the New York City Center Encores! production of Cabin In The Sky.

He achieved Semi-Finalist Status for the 2012 Eugene O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference for his play Listening to the Trees.  Several chapters of his original acting exercises are published. His Structured Improvised Scenes, in the book titled “Objectives, Obstacles, and Tactics in Practice: Perspectives on Activating the

Actor,” Hillary Haft Bucs, Valerie Clayman Pye, Editors, Routledge Press, Fall 2019. And his exercise titled Our Town: Building A Community, in “How to Teach A Play: Essential Exercises for Popular Plays,” Miriam Chirico, Kelly Younger, Editors, Bloomsbury Press, January 2020. 

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Board Member

Andrea Cason

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