Shely Pack Dancers

About

Shely Pack-Manning founded the Shely Pack Dancers in Pittsburgh, PA some forty years ago and moved the studio to the Coastside seventeen years ago.  She danced professionally with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and “Timepiece”, a Pittsburgh based modern dance company. 

Shely was on the Dance Masters of America’s TTS (Teachers Training School) faculty at Long Beach University for two years before joining the faculty most recently at the University of Buffalo.   Shely is the Chairman of the Modern Dance Education Committee for Dance Masters of America and is the co-author of the Modern Dance Training Manual.  Along with her husband, Jim Manning, Shely was commissioned to produced the training DVD “The Art of Teaching Modern Dance” and the soon to be released “The Art of Teaching Ballet”, both for Dance Masters of America.    

Shely is a member of Dance Masters of California Chapter 13, where she is a Past President. She also serves as Vice-President for Dance Masters of America.

Shely has taught master classes throughout the United States and Canada. She has judged for American Dance Awards, Dance Masters of America’s Miss and Mr. Dance Solo Title Competition, and for many DMA Chapters.

Shely has had many award winning students throughout the years including the 2000 Miss Dance of America, 2001 Teen Mr. Dance of America, 2003 Mr. Dance of America, 2006 Teen Mr. Dance of a America and the 2009 Junior Mr. Dance of America.

Shely’s students can be seen on Broadway, in National Touring Companies, music videos, television commercials, and professional ballet and modern dance companies.

 Her student, JP Viernes, has been cast in the title role of “Billy Elliot” in Chicago and Toronto and is now Billy Elliot in San Francisco.

 After opening on Broadway in 2010 NYC in Spiderman the Musical, Kristen Oei is made the only understudy for the leading role of Mary Jane Watson (the female lead) Another leading role for a Shely Pack Dancer!

 Shely has recently opened her new “State-of-the-Art” studio at Harbor Village in beautiful Princeton-by-the-Sea and after seventeen years on the coast, looks forward to many more.