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Doreen Rafferty: Is the owner and director of the Academy of Dance Arts. She is certified by test to teach by DEA, AFAA, NAC-AP and EEA and has been teaching students of all ages, abilities and interests for 19 years. Doreen holds special certifications in Dancing with Injuries, Dancing for Seniors, Dancing through Pregnancy and Baby Work. She has taken courses designed especially for Dance in Anatomy and Physiology, Personal Training and Rehabilitation, and Dancing with Disabilities. Although her course concentrations lay within the Beginner through Intermediate levels, she has taught at and done workshops for Intermediate through Advanced levels for the past 13 years. In addition, she has been a guest speaker for the Woman's Club of Danbury and for The Gathering, conducting informal seminars on Women's Fitness and Dance. She has trained with such greats as Frnak Hatchett, Lynda Gache, Charles Kelley, Robert Christopher and Agnes DeMille and was awarded scholarships to the Giordano Dance Center in Chicago, SUNY Purchase and NYU. Her stage credits include, "Pippen", "Grease", "Bye Bye Birdie", "42nd Street" and "Company". Video credits include work with Richard Simmons, the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and The Christmas Story. Doreen has choreographed for many local production, bands, and performing arts groups including having been the founding choreographer for "Journey of Brookfield". Additionally, she had done work for Cablevision, Amigos De Cristos, and the Sherman Playhouse productions of "Steppin Out" and "Ruthless". Another teaching endeavor includes the renowned Residents Arts Workshop, beginnings, where she worked under the direction of the talent scout credited with discovering Ricky Schroeder, Sarah Jessica Parker and Zachary Bryan, teaching side by side with Mikhail Baryshnikov's acting coach. |
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Missy MacIntyre: Joins our staff for her sixth year after returning from Nebraska where she operated her own dance studio. She has 19 years teaching experience, training students from ages 4 through adult, and has done specialty work for Choirs, Choruses, Cheerleading and Pom Pom Squads. Missy has studied throughout CT, MA, RI and NY, and has learned from teachers such as Patsy Swayze, Art Stone and Mark Simpson, including some very fine teachers from this area as well. In addition to own successful competition career, she has trained soloists , duets, trios and group performers for competitions, as well as having trained numerous dancers on a recreational basis. While teaching in Nebraska, Missy's students competed throughout Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas, and had the honor of attending a competition in Kansas City at the "Worlds of Fun" Amusement park, similar to Great adventure. Her teaching expertise includes Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Funk, Tumbling and Lyrical forms of dance. Missy recently added to her repertoire, competition judging, which helps her give all of her students that competitive edge. New this fall will be our Touring Company, overseen by Missy. The aim for this company will be to do seasonal show performances with holiday themes for nursing homes, day care centers, etc.
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Deanne Petriccione: Brings yet a wider array of training and knowledge to our students. She is a graduate of the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, with a Ballet major and a Modern Dance Minor. She has trained with the Newburgh Ballet as well as at Steps and Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan, and has been a certified dance instructor with Dance Educators of America for 18 years. Her teaching experience includes teaching Tap and Ballet to Adults and dancers ages 3 - 14 in many studios in Westchester County and the Bronx, as well as her own program for the Yonkers School System. Deanne's greatest joy in dance is to have the privilege of expanding horizons through teaching dance. |
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Brian Reynolds: With Brian on our staff we are able to add another dimension to our Irish Dance Program. He will help round out our Irish Dance program by teaching our experienced Irish Dance students to utilize and expand their Irish step skills, through learning traditional Irish Ceili and Set Dancing. Brian has been teaching dance since 1980 and comes to us with 21 years of dance experience. He began as an instructor of Country Dancing in both line and Couple Dancing. His teaching talents were sought after in New York as well as Connecticut. In 1995 Brian transitioned to Irish Ceili and Set Dancing under Patrick and Joan Kennedy in New Haven, Connecticut. Currently. Brian is very well known and highly respected as a dance teacher in this area, for the past three years, Brian has had a loyal following of dancers at his adult Ceili and Set Dancing classes held at the Ancient Order if Hibemians in Danbury, Connecticut. These adult classes take place in Friday evenings at 7:30 P.M. Irish time, for any of our adults who may be interested in taking classes with Brian as well. Recently Brian was seen performing locally in "Two Nights Near Doolan", for which he was also dance coach. We know the kids are going to love working with Brian!!
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Irene Malcolm: Irene
joined our teaching staff in January of 2002, and we are pleased to have
her aboard. She began dancing at the age of 5 and studied Ballet un
the Royal Academy of Dance Technique. She completed her elementary
level training of Ballet while growing up in Zimbabwe, South Africa.
In addition to Ballet, Irene has had 6 years of training and dance experience
in the ISTD method of Modern Dance. Irene continued her dance
training in Toronto, Canada at the secondary level, under the direction of
Andrea Looker. She then went on to increase her dance knowledge at
the college level as a student at the Ryerson Theater School. Her
concentrations were in the teaching program as well as on Anatomy, Theory
and Pedagogy. She brings to our staff another aspect of training and
knowledge from which our Ballet students of all ages can benefit.
Irene will be teaching adult Ballet for both the beginner and the experienced
adult dancers. She will also be conducting classes for students of the
Advanced Beginner and Intermediate levels of Ballet, and will
be working with the Teens on their training in both Ballet and
Pointe.
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Lorin Doucette: With
20 years if dance experience. Lorin joined our staff in the Summer of
2002. She originally started teaching n 1985 and for 6 years taught
Ballet and Tap to dance students 4 - 8 years of age. Here at the Academy,
she will be teaching classes for children, teens and adults. Lorin
is a 1990 graduate if the Dance Teachers Club of Boston, Teacher Training
Program and received her dance training n the Boston Area. She is
also a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. While
in college she continued her dance training and from 1992 to 1995 Lorin
was captain of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Dance
Team. She is equally qualified to teach Jazz and will be teaching
both Tap and Jazz of us ay ADA. This past season, Lorin took the
time to participate in our Adult and Advanced dance programs, getting to
know the dancers and staff at ADA. She is liked by all whom have
gotten to know her in our staff.
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Melissa Simpson:
Joining our staff this season, Melissa is a
former dance major at Adelphi University. While at Adelphi, Melissa
attended Mater Classes in both Ballet and Modern Dance. Currently
she is studying Special Education at Southern Connecticut State
University. Her dance background is in Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern,
Pointe. Lyric, Pilates and Floor Barre. She has studied these
techniques at numerous studios throughout the area since 1988 and has done
dance educational workshops with the Professional Dance Teachers
Association and Walt Disney World. Melissa has performed in the
Summer Festival in the Green in Danbury at First Night, in "school
daze" at the Danbury Faire Mall, "Fame" at SCSU and Dance
Adelphi in Garden City NY. Her competition background began in 1992,
competing in numerous regional level competitions. She has attended
national level competition for both Headliners and PDTA, and has won many
special awards ranging from Mr. & Mrs. Showbiz with her partner to MTV
Tapper, and the Roger and Hammerstein Award. Melissa has worked in
Child Care for 4 years and apprenticed as a teacher for 6 years. She
joins our staff to teach Tap, Ballet, and Jazz this season, after a
successful summer season.
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Monica Kaul: Miss
Monica began studying Irish Dance at the age of of 4. During her
years of study, she did compete in Feis on a recreational basis to improve
her skills as a dancer. She then progressed to Ballroom dancing and
continued this study through college. Monica is a graduate of the
University of Connecticut at Storrs the a B.A. in music and a B.S. in
Education. She currently attends Graduate School at Sacred Heart
University, earning her Masters Degree in Learning At
present Monica has resumed her dance education by attending classes Belly
Dancing, as well as maintaining her training in Irish Step and Ceili
Dancing. Over the last two years she has been actively attending
Feis as another opportunity to be able to dance. She has been
placing consistently well in all categories and specialty is hard
shoes. Besides teaching our Friday classes in conjunction with Mr.
Brian, Monica is employed as an Elementary School Music Teacher in
Stratford.
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Judy Trainor: Judy
is our office manager for Studio One. She is also Doreen's mother
and everyone's favorite Grandma!
Zeta Winters: Zeta is our office manager for Studio Two |
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