Faculty & Staff

Laura Osgood - Artistic Director & Owner
Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical & Young Dancers

A native of Wilmington, Miss Laura has been a dance educator for over 20 years. She strives to produce well-rounded dancers, both recreational and competitive. As a choreographer, her students have won numerous overall high score performance awards as well as specialty awards at various national competitions. Miss Laura generously and her performance team dancers give back to the community by providing entertainment at many local and regional benefit events and fundraisers.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in business management from Salem State College.
 
Laura’s dance background is diverse. Her primary training took place at Broadway Dance Academy in Tewksbury, MA where she discovered her love of dance.  She has had the opportunity to train with top educators throughout Boston and New York such as Jeannette Neill, Thelma Goldberg, Barbara Duffy, and Marcus Schulkind.  She is a graduate of the Dance Teachers’ Club of Boston Dance Education training course.

As a professional dancer, Laura’s credits include performing with Celebrity Cruise Lines, Lily Langtry’s Dinner Theater of Pennsylvania, touring Canada with the Simply Magic Show, and as a New England Patriots cheerleader. Laura enjoys using her professional dance experience in teaching her students.

Laura is fulfilling a lifelong dream in Wilmington Dance Academy. She has built a school based upon teamwork and community with a spirit and a passion for the art of dance. Many of Laura’s former students have gone on to study dance in college and some have returned to WDA now in the role of instructor. It is the highest compliment for a teacher to see a student become a mentor and Laura has been blessed to see this cycle completed time and again.

Emily Bean - Performance Team Assistant Director, Lyrical & Jazz

Emily is a proud Boston native who began dancing at the age of three and instantly fell in love. Her training includes ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary, among other styles. In 2016 she received her degree from Roger Williams University in Dance and Performance Studies and Global Communication. At RWU, she’s performed in numerous dance theatre shows, at the American College Dance Association, and has had the opportunity to work with and perform with some wonderful guest choreographers. Emily is continually taking classes in the Boston area and looks forward to returning back to WDA to share her passion with the students.   Emily’s choreography has been represented at various regional competitions; her students have earned high score and numerous choreography and technical excellence awards.

Faculty

Brittney Bythrow - Tap, Jazz, Lyrical & Young Dancers

Brittney Bythrow has been dancing since age 3. She received most of her training from Nancy Chippendales Dance Studio, and Susan Woods Dancenter/Dance Academy of Stoneham. She has been trained in tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and other styles. A graduate from Salem State with a double major in Elementary Education & Sports/Movement Sciences, she is now an elementary school teacher. She is excited to “dig-spank” into her next season at WDA teaching some of our young dancer and open level classes!

Rebecca Capasso – Ballet & Pointe

Originally from North Reading, MA, Rebecca began her ballet training at Northeast School of Ballet before going on to study with the Charlotte Ballet and the Harid Conservatory. She later returned to Boston as a Trainee with Boston Ballet, performing alongside the company while continuing her training. She then joined the Corps de Ballet of Los Angeles Ballet, where she performed works by Balanchine, Petipa, and Sir Frederick Ashton. She also taught ballet to students of all ages at various studios in LA. Upon moving back to MA, Rebecca danced with North Atlantic Ballet, where she performed soloist roles before retiring from the stage. Now, Rebecca is a certified Pilates instructor who teaches locally. She integrates her Pilates expertise into her ballet and pre-pointe classes, helping dancers build strength and longevity in their dancing. 

Tori Casagranda - Ballet & Pointe

Tori Casagranda is a performer, educator and choreographer. She has lived and worked in New York City, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and now, Boston. Tori has danced with Falcon Dance, Zenon Dance Company, Chris Schlichting, the Pittsburgh Opera and many others. She has taught a variety of dance genres in diverse settings to a wide range of populations. From toddlers to seniors, recreational to professional, Tori enjoys sharing her love of dance with all of her students. She has shown her work at several venues and is currently interested in improvisational scores. Tori graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ohio University with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography.

Lisa Cataldo — Core Fitness@WDA

Lisa Cataldo, a Wilmington native, has dedicated her life to movement and wellness. From her early years as a dancer, cheerleader, and weight training enthusiast, she developed a deep appreciation for the power of fitness to transform both body and mind. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports, Fitness & Leisure Studies and an Associate of Science in Physical Therapy, and since the early 1990s has worked as an Exercise Physiologist, Physical Therapist Assistant, Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, and Pilates Instructor. Lisa discovered Pilates early in her career and was immediately drawn to its unique ability to challenge and inspire people of all fitness levels. She began teaching in 2003, earning her first certification through the IWA in Pilates Fundamentals. In 2007, she advanced her training with Peak Pilates under Clare Dunphy, a highly respected instructor who studied directly with Master Teacher Romana Kryzanowska. Most recently, Lisa became a NASM-certified personal trainer, expanding her ability to support both dancers and fitness clients in reaching their goals—whether improving dance performance, building strength, or aging well with reduced risk of injury. Passionate about sharing the benefits of movement, she is proud to bring her expertise and enthusiasm to Wilmington Dance Academy.

Olivia Coviello – Tap & Jazz

Olivia Coviello is a Boston-based dance teacher and choreographer. She grew up dancing in Malden, Massachusetts and eventually joined the Boston Tap Company at age sixteen where she performed at different venues across New England. Olivia graduated from Dean College in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance, concentrating in Studio Management. While at Dean, she served as a captain on the College’s tap dance team and participated in many faculty and student run performances as both dancer and choreographer. Aside from her college education , she received training and a teaching certification from the Dance Teacher’s Club of Boston’s “Dance Education Training Courses”. Since her graduation, Olivia’s choreography has received top scores and judges awards at multiple competitions and conventions across New England. Olivia’s true passion is teaching, as she always strives to create an exciting and welcoming environment for her students to learn and thrive.

Jennell Desroches — Young Dancers

Jennell began dancing at the age of three and quickly discovered a lifelong passion. Her training spans a wide range of styles including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary, with much of her early development taking place at Tammy’s Dance Connection in Tewksbury, MA, where she trained as a competitive dancer. She pursued her academic and dance education at Dean College as a Dance Major before transferring to Salem State University, earning a BA in Sports and Movement Science with a concentration in Dance. While at Salem State, she performed in numerous dance theater productions and was a dedicated member of the university’s Dance Team. Jennell is a graduate of the Dance Teachers’ Club of Boston's Dance Education Training Course and brings over 16 years of experience as a dance educator and choreographer. She has taught a wide range of ages and styles at studios throughout the region, working with both recreational and competitive dancers. Her choreography has earned top scores and special judges’ awards at competitions across New England. Jennell is passionate about teaching and is dedicated to inspiring and empowering young dancers to reach their fullest potential.

Magdalena Gyftopoulos - Ballet & Pointe

Magdalena Gyftopoulos is a Boston native, dance educator, former professional dancer, and experienced arts administrator with nearly two decades of work in the city's arts community. She received her early training at Boston Ballet School under Anne-Marie Holmes, and continued her studies at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and José Mateo Ballet Theatre’s Young Dancer’s Program, where she was a scholarship student. Magdalena has taught students of all ages and levels at José Mateo Ballet Theatre and Charles River Ballet Academy, where she is known for her clear, compassionate approach and emphasis on both technical rigor and individual expression. As Dorchester Studio Principal and Administrator at JMBT, she led faculty, oversaw curriculum development, and built partnerships with schools, libraries, and cultural organizations. A former company dancer with José Mateo Ballet Theatre (2005–2018), Magdalena performed in a wide range of repertory, including Fearless Symmetries, Reverie, and The Nutcracker. Her performances were noted for their musicality, presence, and attention to detail. She has also appeared with QuickSilver Dance, Tony Williams, Contrapose Dance, and the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon, where she continues to perform and currently serves on the Board of Directors. Magdalena is deeply committed to the power of dance as a tool for education, expression, and meaningful connection.

Erika Hodnett - Young Dancers

Erika Hodnett has been dancing since she was 2 years old at a local studio where she studied ballet, tap and jazz as a competitive company member. Erika was offered a scholarship to Jeannette Neil Dance Studio in Boston when she was 15 years old.  She danced there until she graduated in 1998 and continued her dance education at UMass Amherst as a dance major. In 2002, Erika was offered a dance contract from Carnival Cruise Lines and traveled the world for 8 wonderful years as an entertainment dancer.  Erika has been teaching at local studios where she teaches the love of dance to the tiny dancers.  Erika’s favorite part of teaching is seeing the dancers smiling faces each week loving what they do! 

Tara Hurley - Acro/Tumble & Young Dancers

Tara Hurley grew up in Somerville where her passion for cheer and dance started at age 7. Tara coached high school cheerleading from 1995-2012. Along the way, she also coached at the youth and All Star levels.  Her teams earned countless league, regional and national titles.  After taking over her former high school cheer team, she started directing regular youth cheer clinics for the city of Somerville.  For years, Tara ran tumbling programs for cheerleaders of all ages at the Winthrop Gymnastics Academy and for the city of Everett. Tara holds certifications with the National Federation of High School Cheerleaders, the MIAA and the MSAA for coaching instruction and safety.  She was a certified Massachusetts tournament line and penalty judge for over 6 years.  Outside of cheer and tumbling, Tara has a teaching certificate in early education and worked full time in the childcare field until opening her home daycare when becoming a mom to her own little cheerleader and dancer! Tara is also an exceptional photographer. She opened a studio full-time in 2014; focusing on family portraiture, boudoir and dancer shoots. She is super excited about working with young athletes and artists again!

Claire Lane - Ballet & Pointe

Claire Lane is a MA-raised dance artist, choreographer, and educator. She graduated summa cum laude from Smith College with a B.A. in Dance and French Studies with the distinction of highest honors. She is co-Founder/Artistic Director of detritus dance, a Boston collective working at the nexus of movement, media, and visual art to create contemporary dance works focused on feminist story-telling. In 2024 she represented the U.S. as an Artist Ambassador to Tbilisi, Georgia through a partnership with Harvard University, for which she received the Mayor of Somerville’s certificate of artistic excellence for cross-cultural exchange. Her performance credits include company work with Human Movement Project, Abilities Dance Boston, Vimoksha Dance, Kairos Dance Theater, and independent artists including Kristin Wagner, Alex Nunweiler, Eliza Malecki, Haley Andrews, and Holly Stone. She has performed at esteemed venues including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, L.A. Dance Project, Rhode Island College, and Endicott College. She is a professor of dance at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, a professional teacher with Midday Movement Series, and on faculty at various studios across greater Boston. Her teaching style emphasizes strong anatomical awareness, somatic imagery, and versatile dynamic effort to ignite curiosity and rigor with her students.

Rachel McHugh - Ballet & Pointe

Rachel Ann McHugh is a Cambridge native. She received her early training under Larissa Luvisichuk in the Vaganova method and went on to study at Boston Ballet and José Mateo Ballet Theatre. Rachel spent summers at American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, & Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet. Following her early education she went on to receive her B.F.A in Dance & Ballet Pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory.  For over 15 years, Rachel has been teaching ballet to youth and adults of all ages. She began her teaching career with creative movement classes for the youngest of dancers and has expanded into teaching tweens, teens, and adults at all abilities. She loves being able to coach and see the excitement and growth in her students. Since the age of 17, Rachel has danced professionally with various companies and choreographers in the Boston area including: Contrapose Dance, José Mateo's Ballet Theatre, works by Gino de Marco, Tony Williams, and David Drummond. Currently, Rachel is excited and honored to be dancing with North Atlantic Ballet. Rachel is exceptionally proud to share her own training and professional experiences with her students.  

Josalyn Melendez – Hip Hop

Josalyn is a Central Massachusetts native that began her training at Dance Arts Centre in Fitchburg and continued at Paula Meola Dance & Performing Arts (now MEM Dance Theatre) in Sterling. She has danced professionally in Tap with the Boston Tap Company and performed collegiately in Jazz, Hip Hop, and Pom as a member of the Merrimack College Dance Team, a Division I varsity program. A two-time NDA All-American and NDA “Top Gun Hip Hop” winner, Josalyn has choreographed Hip Hop routines for the Merrimack Dance Team since her freshman year and most recently served as Choreography Captain for the 2024–2025 season. She is a recent graduate of Merrimack College and is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Communication.

Kelsye Shea – Hip Hop & Young Dancers

Kelsye is a Boston native who began her dance training at the age of four with her aunt Laura and was one of the first students of Wilmington Dance Academy. She has been trained in ballet, contemporary, hip hop, tap, and jazz. After graduating from WDA, Kelsye received her bachelor’s degree in Educational Studies from Endicott College in 2018.  She is currently working towards her master’s in early childhood education. While at Endicott she was on the dance team for three years and had the chance to dance on the UDA Nationals stage with her team. She also performed many styles of dance including musical theater, modern, ballet, contemporary, jazz, and improve in the Endicott Dance Ensemble shows. She has been a guest choreographer for Wilmington Dance Academy for a number of years and is excited to teach and watch her students grow and create beautiful movement.

Tara Smith - Jazz & Lyrical

Tara Smith has been dancing since age three and trained in the Boston area in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Modern and contemporary, under great teachers, such as Sandi Duncan and Nailah Bellinger. She attended college at Fordham University, in New York City, where she danced for both their dance ensemble, Expressions, and performed and choreographed for Fordham's nationally competing Dance Team. While in New York, Tara trained at Broadway Dance Center under some of the best choreographers the dance world has to offer, including Sheila Barker, Derek Mitchell, Brian Thomas and more. After college Tara spent several months as a featured dancer for a Boston based hip-hop company, Triiiple Threat Entertainment, under Carl Alleyne. She then accepted a year contract with Disney, where she performed in the Magic Kingdom's Castle Show as well as MGM's Fantasmic and numerous park parades. In Jacksonville, FL., Tara danced with Scott Leigh on the ‘Positive Influence Tour.’ She had the pleasure of teaching at Florida School of The Arts and choreographing for all the University’s dance majors.Tara then moved to Los Angeles where she started and ran her own dance company for several years; guiding her students through competitive dance and furthering their dance career. She has won numerous choreography awards from several dance competitions, such as Bravo, Headliners, and Starquest. Tara is thrilled to be back home teaching in New England after 16 years away. For the last five years she acted as Company Director and choreographer for On Your Toes in Acton. Tara is excited to work with new dancers and challenge them in new ways and guide them to reach all of their potential!

Aria Sullivan - Young Dancers

Aria began her dance training at the age of 5 at Wilmington Dance Academy under the guidance of director Laura Osgood. She trained in all styles, such as ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, tap, jazz, lyrical, and acro, as well as competed and performed with the performance team. At the age of 13 she began to deepen her love for ballet and began attending summer intensives at Boston Ballet and Orlando Ballet. She performed in multiple ballet productions with North Atlantic Ballet including The Nutcracker, The Little Mermaid, Sleepy Hollow, and Midsummers Night in various roles. She later moved to Orlando, Florida to expand her training at Orlando Ballet in various styles including ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, musical theatre, hip hop, and Afro-Fusion. While at Orlando Ballet she became a trainee with the company and performed multiple works, including Balanchine’s Serenade, various roles in The Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty. She also competed in ballet competitions, including Universal Ballet Competition and YAGP, where she placed in the top 24 female classical category. While in Orlando, Aria also performed with the professional performance company Phantasmagoria as a dancer in various productions with Opera Orlando including Lucia and Juniper Tree. While at Orlando Ballet, Aria took part in assisting multiple young dancer classes with varying ages, in which she found a passion for sharing her love of ballet with young dancers. She recently moved back to Massachusetts and studied ballet and pilates at Arrais Ballet, founded by former Boston Ballet Principal Paulo Arrais. Aria is currently working towards obtaining her pilates certification. Aria is excited to be back at WDA and working with young dancers, sharing her love of dance, especially ballet.

Kristin Wagner – Contemporary & Conditioning

Kristin Wagner is a mover based in the Greater Boston and Worcester areas. With a primary focus on contemporary dance forms, Kristin has been performing with a number of companies and freelance choreographers since 2012. She creates her own work both independently and as part of The Click (@the.click.boston) and Decent Dance (@decentdance). Over the past decade, Kristin has had the honor of performing on stages at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Boston Center for the Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Jordan Hall, The Dance Complex, and Green Street Studios, among others. Her choreographic work has been presented across the Northeast, including at the Salem Arts Festival, The Dance Complex, Tufts University, AS220, the Boston Center for the Arts Mills Gallery, and the Maine International Film Festival, among others. Kristin shares her love of movement with students ranging from youth to adult in competitive, pre-professional, collegiate and community-based environments, and has worked extensively in arts administration at major dance-based organizations in Boston, in addition to creating programs and opportunities independently. Kristin is committed to making the experience of movement more financially, emotionally, and intellectually accessible for students, performers and audience alike. She is a certified artist in the City of Boston and an RYT-200 yoga teacher, and has been supported through residencies and grants from the New England Foundation for the Arts, MASS MoCA, the cities of Boston and Worcester, The Dance Complex and the JMAC Worcester, among others. In both dance and yoga, Kristin is guided by the belief that authentic, uncensored movement can be a pathway for personal growth and healing. Learn more: bodiesmoving.com,  Instagram: @bodies_moving

Ruth Whitney - Ballet & Pointe

Ruth Whitney is a Boston based dancer who received her early training and performance experience with Boston Ballet, studying under Tatiana Nikolaevna Legat and Laura Young.   She has performed regionally and internationally with companies including Boston Ballet, Teatrul De Balet Sibiu, and most recently as a principal dancer with Festival Ballet Providence.  Her classical repertoir includes Odette/Odile, Aurora, Juliet (in Pavel Rotaru's Romeo and Juliet), Marguerite (in Gianni Di Marco's Lady of the Camelias), Firebird, and principal roles in The Nutcracker, George Balanchine's Apollo and Agon, Etudes, Carnival in Venice, Grand Pas Classique, Paquita, Les Sylphides, as well as featured roles in contemporary works by Gianni Di Marco (including Orpheus and Euridice with the Boston Baroque), Mihailo Djuric, Lorraine Chapman and Viktor Plotnikov (most notably Orchis and Coma), among others.  She teaches privately and has taught classes regionally including Jeannette Neills Dance Company, Boston Ballet and Elite Feet Artists Company. In 2005, Ms. Whitney graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English and Dance from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.  Ruth is thrilled to be returning for another year as a Wilmington Dance Academy ballet instructor. 

Student Faculty & Choreographers

Norah Brady - Ballet

A senior at Wilmington High School, Norah grew up dancing at Wilmington Dance Academy under the direction of Laura Osgood, where she continues to train in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and acrobatic dance. A dedicated member of the Performance Team for the past 11 years, Norah has competed in both concert and traditional formats, earning top honors at both regional and national competitions. Ballet has always been Norah’s greatest passion. Through her extensive training at WDA, she has performed in numerous productions, showcasing both classical repertoire and original works. She has appeared at José Mateo’s Dance for the World as well as in various community showcases. Her stage credits feature multiple productions of The Nutcracker, such as Tony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker and Wilmington Dance Academy’s Suite Dreams in the Land of the Sweets, where she has performed several principal and soloist roles, including the Sugar Plum Fairy. In addition to her training at Wilmington Dance Academy, Norah studies with Boston-area professionals at Northeast Arts and Tony Williams Dance Center, expanding her artistry and technical versatility. She has spent the past five years as an assistant teacher at Wilmington Dance Academy under the mentorship of Laura Osgood and is excited to take on the role of teacher, sharing her love of dance—and especially ballet—with the next generation of dancers.

Dominic Resendes – Choreographer

Dominic Resendes is in his second year of training at Wilmington Dance Academy, where he continues to develop as both a dancer and choreographer. He has earned recognition at regional and national competitions, receiving multiple first-place awards, special awards, and scholarships. At Nationals, Dominic was awarded a first-place overall with improvisation. He has also performed in numerous productions of The Nutcracker, including Tony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker and Wilmington Dance Academy’s Suite Dreams in the Land of the Sweets, where his featured roles have included the Arabian Pas de Deux and the Nutcracker. In addition to performing, Dominic is an emerging choreographer who has created award-winning solos and small groups for himself and other dancers. His work has been recognized with high scores, judges’ awards, and costume awards for costumes he has customized. Beyond choreography, Dominic is skilled in music editing, cutting and remixing tracks for solos, duets, groups, and large-scale productions. He takes pride in tailoring his choreography and music choices to bring out the unique strengths of each dancer he works with. With a strong foundation in both performance and creation, Dominic continues to grow as a versatile artist, committed to exploring new movement, sharing his passion for dance, and expanding his work as both a performer and choreographer.

Office Manager

Christine Brady

Christine is usually the first person to greet your dancers with a smile and very often the first point of contact for families at Wilmington Dance Academy.  Aside from advising current and potential new families on which classes they’ll love, she also onboards new faculty, maintains our website, and manages the day-to-day operations at Wilmington Dance Academy. As WDA’s resident “wikihow,” Christine is your go-to when it comes to costumes, props, schedules, and even tips and tricks to get your dancer prepared for the stage!  (Never underestimate the power of negotiating with stickers and bandaids!)  On a personal note, Christine is a seasoned WDA “dance mom”; her daughter Norah is a member of the senior team and her daughter Reaghan dances with Merrimack College on their nationally ranked D1 dance team.

Guest Faculty

Angie DeWolf — Guest Ballet & Pointe

Angie DeWolf was born and raised in Greenville, PA. She received her formal ballet training from the Lake Erie Ballet located in Erie, PA under the direction of Sharon Filone. Here she trained under many renowned instructors including Bruce Marks, Duncan Noble, and Marcia Dale Weary. Angie went on to continue her ballet training in college at Michigan State University where she graduated with a degree in Kinesiology/Pre-Med and a Specialization in Dance. While there, she was a member of the Michigan State University Repertory Dance Company and the Greater Lansing Ballet Company in Lansing, MI, where she danced many soloist and principal roles. Additionally, she participated in a cultural exchange program with the Vaganova Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia. She has participated in numerous Regional Dance America Festivals throughout her training in both high school and college. Angie joined Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre (JMBT) in 2004 where she danced soloist and principal roles including Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She also originated principal roles in many of Jose Mateo's premieres including Risk of Repetition, Released, 1796, The Even and the Odd, Affairs, and New Pasts. During her time at JMBT, Angie was a Faculty Member, Ballet Mistress for the professional company, Director of the Upper Division within the school, Director of the pre-professional performing group YouthWorks, and Program Administrator. Her most recent choreography credits include ensemble works for the 2024 & 2025 Youth America Grand Prix and Universal Ballet Competition, excerpts from The Nutcracker including Arabian Coffee, and a new work for Harvard Ballet Company's 2023 Spring Show.

Carlena Osgood – Lyrical & Jazz

Carlena Osgood grew up dancing at Wilmington Dance Academy, where she trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, acro, and hip-hop, and was part of the performance team. As a competitive dancer, she won many overall high scores and special awards with various routines. Carlena won 3rd place overall for her contemporary solo and was in the top 12 for her classical ballet variation at YAGP Boston in 2021. In 2023 Carlena received 2nd place for her contemporary solo at Universal Ballet Competition in Boston. In addition to dancing competitively, Carlena performed with Melrose Youth Ballet’s Nutcracker for 10 years, performing many principal roles, including Snow Queen and Dew Drop Fairy.  To further her training, Carlena is pursuing her BFA in dance with The Ailey School BFA program at Fordham University, where she takes classes and performs choreography by master teachers and top choreographers. She has recently performed works by master Horton teacher Adrienne Hurd and Burr Johnson from Trisha Brown Dance Company. In March of 2025, she performed a piece in honor of dance icon Judith Jamison and her legacy. Carlena has attended summer programs and workshops with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, The Radio City Rockettes, Exactitude Dance, MSA Agency, and EMIA where she performed works by Nicole Von Arx and Karen Gayle. Carlena has been teaching and choreographing for dancers of all ages over the past few years, and her choreography has won many overall high score awards at regional and national dance competitions.

Jennifer Rathbun – VIP Dance

Jennifer Rathbun began dancing at the age of three, and has never been able to stop.  Over the past 22 years, she has taught all styles and ages at various metro-Boston dance studios and in public schools, specializing in young dancers at the early childhood and elementary school levels and in musical theater.  She's been privileged to be a part of the WDA team since 2011. Alongside her teaching career, she previously served as Director of School Outreach at Community Music Center of Boston where she oversaw music, dance and drama outreach programs in the Boston Public Schools, reaching over 3,000 children annually.  She is currently the Artistic Director of the Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center in Foxboro MA, managing headliner talent acquisition and all aspects of production.  She is an experienced stage manager, special event producer and teacher-trainer. Miss Jenn is certified in group exercise by AFAA and is also a former Zumba instructor.  She realized a lifelong dream to become a RYT 200 hour yoga teacher during the pandemic. Her graduate work at Lesley University in Elementary Education focused on integrating the arts into learning. A passion for the performing arts, the development of individual creativity and artistry, and the transformative power of creative youth development continue to inform her professional practice whether working with students or educators. 

Nancy Murphy – Ballroom

Nancy began dancing at the age of 3. Her early dance experience was in ballet, tap & jazz. As an adult, she performed with the Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble for several years and moved into the world of partnered dance. She began teaching in 1989. Nancy has performed at many local events over the years, such as CIABDA's Cape celebration of National Ballroom Dance Week and the Boston Tango Society's annual Boston Tango Festival. She teaches in the Boston area, in Merrimac, and is on the guest faculty at the Marblehead School of Ballet. Nancy also periodically guest teaches at other venues, such as teaching Argnetine Tango in Bangor, Maine, Salsa at the annual fundraiser for the North Shore Civic Ballet, and Swing at Swing City in Boston. She also runs a monthly dance social in Amesbury.