Faculty Biographies

dance-class-instructors-maine


kate jazz ballet modern dance teacher

Kate Marchessault 

Owner, Artistic Director | Ballet, Jazz, and Modern Instructor

Kate Marchessault has been on the faculty of Casco Bay Movers since moving to Maine in 2000. She holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in Dance and Psychology. Kate has trained with masters such as Adrienne Hawkins, Fred Benjamin, Milton Myers, Lynn Simonson, Deirdre Myles, Sam Kurkjian, Coleman/Freedman and Jeannette Neill. Performance credits include Adrienne Hawkin’s Impulse Dance Company, Perla Furr’s Choreographer’s Group, Ram Island Dance Company, Art Moves Dance Company and Rhythm Factor Dance Company.  Her choreography has been presented throughout New England and will be seen in PBS’s new series, “Mercy Street,” airing in January 2016.  In addition to sharing her love for dance at Casco Bay Movers, Kate is the instructor of Jazz Dance at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and serves as Artistic Director of Portland Youth Dance Company and Company 2.  For many years, Kate has been involved in training young dancers in preparation for performing and teaching careers. Her broad range of dance vocabulary and passion for movement make her classes an inspiring experience.


dance-teacher-sheila-bellefleur2-213x300Sheila Bellefleur

Founder, Associate Artistic Director, and Jazz Instructor

Sheila Bellefleur is the Founder (1981) and Artistic Director of the jazz ballet company Casco Bay Movers. With extensive training in jazz, her studies also have included Tai Chi Chuan, Mime, West African Dance, Ballet and the Alexander Technique with master teachers and choreographers in Europe, Africa, North and South America. Along with directing and teaching at the Casco Bay Movers Dance School, Sheila has taught at the University of Southern Maine, Bates College, Ram Island Dance Center, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Norte (Brazil), The American College of Greece, and The International Dance Project in Athens. In 1988, she received an Artist in Residence Grant from The National Endowment for the Arts through the Partners of the Americas to teach, choreograph and research dance in Brazil. Sheila has served on the dance panel of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, studies anatomy for dancers with Irene Dowd in NYC and is also a faculty member of the Coffee Mill Dance Studio in Key West Florida. Her instruction is based in ballet technique with a wide variety of jazz styles ranging from lyrical and cool to funk and blues.



dance-teacher-laurie-chiasson-240x300

Laurie Chiasson

Tap Instructor

Laurie Chiasson has been a faculty member of Casco Bay Movers since 1989. She first danced as a young child in Connecticut with a former Rockette, Jane Hart. Beginning in the early 1980’s, she began taking jazz classes with Sheila Bellefleur and continues to this day! Laurie studied ballet with Nancy Durham and took numerous jazz, modern and African classes and workshops with master teachers such as Luigi, Gus Giordano, Arther Hall, Eva Von Gencsy, Jeannette Neill, and Lynn Simonson. Also it was during the 80’s that she started tapping with Karen Marino and Billie Johnston in the company known as Portland Rhythm Tap. Laurie’s passion for tap inspired her to continue her studies with Pamela Raff in Brookline Massachusettes as well as attend master tap classes with Lady Dianne Walker, Josh Hilberman, Germain Salsberg, Barbara Duffy, and she even survived a class with Savion Glover! From 1984 to1990, Laurie owned and directed her own studio in Augusta, Oak Street Dance. She has taught and performed extensively throughout New England with Casco Bay Movers Dance Company, Rhythm Factor and is the founder and artistic director of Rhythm and Sole Tap Dance Company which was established in 2007; dedicated to traditional and contemporary tap. In addition to her dance career, Laurie is an artist and educator. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern Maine with a B.F.A, completed the prestigious E.T.E.P. program and received her Masters in Education in Teaching and Learning. Laurie currently teaches art in S.A.D. 55, Cornish and Baldwin. She lives in Portland with her husband, Larry, and son, Noah.



dance-teacher-elizabeth-goulet-300x240

Elizabeth Goulet

Hip Hop, Jazz, Modern, and Dance Imagination Instructor

Elizabeth thrives on spreading her excitement and passion for dance with kids and adults of all ages.  As a lifetime student, she’s studied ballet, jazz, modern, clogging and hip hop.  While earning a marketing degree and dance minor from George Washington University, a love of hip hop was born at Culture Shock DC.  She was further inspired by teaching at risk youth in the DC metro area.  Since returning to Maine in 2007,  Elizabeth has taught throughout Southern Maine and continues her community outreach work with Mayo Street Arts, Boys and Girls Clubs, Learning Works, Free Summer Lunch, Slim Peace and in Portland area schools. As a certified Leap n’ Learn instructor, she uses the curriculum in her Dance Imagination classes.  She is the founder and Artistic Director of Portland Youth Dance’s all hip hop crew, Dynamix and the infamous event, “The Exchange.”  Elizabeth is the Instructor of Hip Hop at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and continues to train with top choreographers across the country.


ballet dance teacher portland maine

Stoney Cook

Ballet Instructor


Stoney continues to be a student of Nanette Charisse whom he first met while working on his MFA degree at New York University/School of Arts. He also has had the pleasure of learning from such wonderful teachers as Finis Jhung, Larry Rhodes, Bobby Blankshine, Sam Kurkjian, Stuart Hodes, Andre Bernard, Lucas Hoving, Maggie Black, Phoebe Neville, Linda Tarney, Roxanne Rigoloso and Linda Miele among others. At Casco Bay Movers Studio he continues to have the pleasure of training under many of the fine instructors teaching here. Stoney’s choreographic works have been produced by organizations such as Dance Theater Workshop, American Dance Festival and locally by the Oxygen Debt and Ram Island Dance Company. In the realm of dance light design he has created works for Ballet Theater of Boston, Ballet New England, Ballet Theater Workshop, Festival Ballet along with many modern/jazz companies such as Casco Bay Movers and Rhythm Factor.



dance teacher julie wilkes maine

Julie Akers Wilkes

Dance Imagination, Mommy & Me/On My Own, Ballet, Jazz, Modern Instructor

Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Dance Imagination Instructor Julie Akers Wilkes began dancing at the age of four in Marietta Georgia. As a youth, she trained under the direction of Maniya Barredo of the Atlanta Ballet in the pre-professional ballet program. While attending Pope High School, Julie joined the highly decorated colorguard program, receiving numerous awards, including a silver in 2000 at the Winter Guard International Competition in Dayton Ohio. In 2005, she graduated from Elon University receiving a B.A. in dance and human services. After graduation, Julie moved to Florida and joined the entertainment department of Walt Disney World, performing in Mickey’s Twas The Night Before Christmas show at the Magic Kingdom and the Stars And Motorcars parade at MGM studios. Returning to Georgia, Julie taught the East Coweta Colorguard in Shapsburg, Georgia for the 2006-2007 season. During 2007-2010 her coaching with the Pope High School Colorguard, assisted the winter guard program to receive bronze and silver medals at WGI in Dayton Ohio. Also, during this time Julie taught for Teaching Little Children and The Spirit of Dance Studios in Marietta Georgia. She fell in love with teaching young students, enjoying and valuing being a “first ballet teacher”. Julie moved to Portland with her husband Chris in 2011 and is thrilled to join the team of Casco Bay Movers!



dance teacher Amanda in portland maine

Amanda Preble

Hip Hop Instructor

Amanda Preble is a hip hop choreographer and instructor based out of several studios in Southern Maine. She holds a Bachelors degree in Communications from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. It was at Quinnipiac where she developed her skills on the school’s competitive hip hop team and served as a captain and a choreographer. Her performance experience includes nine consecutive seasons of dancing for basketball, including two years professionally for the NBA-D League. In March of 2011, she was a finalist for the New England Patriot’s Cheerleaders. Amanda travels to Boston and New York City several times a year to continue her training in hip hop and other styles of dance. She has trained with the likes of Twitch, D-trix, Sheryl Murakami, Neil Schwartz, and Chio.


web-wendee

Wendee Rogerson

Modern Dance Instructor

Wendee Rogerson began her professional dance career at the age of thirteen, training with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. As she discovered her passion for modern dance, Wendee went on to train and perform with The Toronto Dance Theater. In 1991 she moved to New york City to study with Risa Steinberg of The Jose Limon Dance Co. Wendee has been a member of The Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company ( CDDC ) for the last 15 years, touring the US and Europe and also served as the rehearsal director. When Wendee is not dancing, she is a Pilates and fitness instructor and runs her own studio in Stonington, Maine. She is excited to be teaching at Casco Bay Movers!



meg-hall-hip-hop-maine

Meg Hall

Hip Hop Instructor

Meg Hall first discovered her love of dancing while mastering the dance moves of Madonna in her living room in rural Maine. Meg delved into the only dancing outlet in her rural community by spending 9 years as a cheerleader. While majoring in government and environmental studies at Bowdoin College, Meg studied modern dance and performed regularly on campus. After serving for 2 1/2 years in the Philippines as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Meg returned to Portland, Maine and found Casco Bay Movers. For the past 12 years, Meg has studied jazz, ballet, and her true love hip hop at Casco Bay Movers, her second home. Meg has danced locally with Rhythm Factor, indiedanceworks, and G-tric Dance Crew. Meg is passionate about dance and the dance community. in addition to being a dance student, Meg has served on the board of Portland Youth Dance for over 2 years. When Meg is not dancing, she is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for Maine Medical Partners. Meg is excited to be teaching at CBM. She offers up a warm, open environment where dancers can have fun, make new connections, and learn some sweet new moves.



web-rachel-schwartz-214x300

Rachel Schwartz

Contemporary, Jazz & Making Dances Instructor

Beyond going nuts to Led Zeppelin LPs as a toddler, Rachel has studied and
performed dance for over 30 years, including ballet, jazz, modern,
contemporary, and contact improvisation. She has studied with world
renowned teachers, such as Nancy Stark Smith, Ray Chung, and Kirstie 
Simson, and regularly travels to Boston for continued training. She spent
 2 years at Earthdance, an improvisational dance retreat center, where she 
began teaching contact improv and composition, and has been a proud dancer
and choreographer for Collective Motion dance company since 2007. Rachel
 holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from Boston College, is a trained 
transformative mediator, and has worked extensively with teenagers in the
 criminal justice system. She fosters creativity, individulization, and
confidence in her students, and trusts in the transformative healing
process dance can bring to people when given the opportunity. She still
goes nuts to Led Zeppelin.


dance-teacher-emily-getchell-240x300

Emily Getchell

Modern & Jazz Instructor

Emily Getchell is a graduate of West Chester University of PA (WCU) and has over 15 years of teaching experience, specializing in modern, jazz and musical theatre dance. While living in Pennsylvania, Emily trained with the Harrison Dance Studios and The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. She also received a full scholarship to the PA Governor’s School for the Arts with a ballet concentration. While at WCU she danced with and choreographed for their contemporary company and student organized company and was also a captain of their dance team.

Emily has performed with the WCU Alumni Dance Association, Contempra Dance Theatre, Village Productions, PA Academy for the Arts and Melange Contemporary Company, joining them at the Ladek Zdroj International Dance Festival in Poland in 2010. Since relocating to Maine in 2010, she has performed with the Portland Symphony Orchestra in the Magic of Christmas, Terpsicore Dance and is currently a member of Indiedanceworks. Emily is honored to be a part of the faculty at Casco Bay Movers.



Allie-James

Alexandra James

Contemporary & Hip Hop Instructor


Alexandra James, originally from the Portland area, has taught and performed in Portland, Chicago, St. Louis and New York City. She grew up dancing at Casco Bay Movers and was a 7-year member of UpBeat Feet (now Portland Youth Dance). She went on to receive her BFA in Dance from Columbia College Chicago. There, she studied a range of forms including modern, ballet, improvisation, hip hop and several somatic practices. She produced evening length works, and most recently, collaborated with a fellow Columbia College graduate to create Strings, an improvisational work presented in New York, based on very basic notions of String Theory. Alexandra has since moved back to Portland, and is currently working with the non-profit, Swift Urban Movement Project, to promote and teach a healthy, active & social lifestyle through dance.



vanessa-beylandVanessa Beyland

Tap & Musical Theater Instructor

Vanessa Beyland holds a BFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. In addition to teaching at CBM, she is also currently on staff at the University of Southern Maine, Waynflete School, Portland Ballet and Portland Arts and Technology HighSchool (PATHS). Her performing and choreography credits include work in the Northeast with school, community and professional companies, including Portland Ballet Company, PORTopera, Dramatic Repertory Company, Stages, Lyric Music Theater, School House Arts, Windham Center Stage, USM, and others. A member of Portland Ballet Company from 2002-2011, she is now a guest artist with PBC and is excited to share her love of dance with those at Casco Bay Movers.


Kristina Glanville

Kristina Glanville

Hip Hop & Dance Imagination Instructor

Kristina Glanville has been training, performing, and teaching in the Portland area for the past eight years. She began her training at Casco Bay Movers and was a member of Portland Youth Dance for three years. As a member of PYD’s hip hop crew, Dynamix, Kristina had the opportunity to train with some of the hottest hip hop choreographers from New England and NYC. She also had the opportunity to work with her mentors to develop outreach programs for youth at the Boys & Girls Club of Portland, Mayo Street Arts, STRIVE, LearningWorks, and several elementary schools in the greater Portland area. As an alumnus of PYD, she continues to work with her mentors to build these programs and spread the joy of dance. In addition to teaching at a handful of other studios in southern Maine, Kristina continues her training at Casco Bay Movers, where she takes weekly hip hop, jazz, and modern classes. She travels often to Boston and New York City to train with choreographers from Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, Phunk Phenomenon, and Broadway Dance Center. Kristina is currently a communications major at the University of Southern Maine and is thrilled to be joining the faculty of Casco Bay Movers.


Peter Huynh

Hip Hop & Breakdance Instructor

Peter is a recent graduate of Emmanuel College with a degree in Developmental Psychology.  When he is not dancing, Peter works with children with Autism and other developmental disorders.  Peter is a member Krazy 88s and H00z Baodit dance companies, performing and competing in b-boy battles throughout New England. He has taught hip hop and breakdance locally at Bhaki In Motion, Studio for the Living Arts, Casco Bay Movers and various outreach programs for underserved youth.  Peter is thrilled to share his passion and enthusiasm for hip hop and breakdance with the students at Casco Bay Movers this fall!


viki

Viki Perreault

Guest Faculty – Contemporary

Viki received most of her professional training in Los Angeles on a Tremaine National Scholarship & in the San Francisco area with some of the most talented choreographers and educators. She has been a guest judge for Dance Masters Nationals in San Jose, CA.  Victoria also filmed a commercial with Star Wars George Lucas, performed for Tom Hanks, and danced on the TV pilot More than Entertainment.  In California, Viki wrote & directed Amour Du Mal (an original play told through dance) for Visual Rhythm Dance Company.  For years, she was guest jazz & hip hop instructor at San Jose State University, as well as a teacher for several amazing studios which included student Nick Lazzarini who emerged as the winner of SYTYCD first season. Some of her former students have gone on to Broadway and  successful careers in dance. Upon returning to her native State of Maine, Viki received awards & accolades for her choreographies, scholarships to Millenium Dance Complex in L.A., and filmed a television commercial with Blake McGrath of SYTYCD.  The pinnacle of her career occurred January 2007 when Mia Michaels honored Viki with a BDC scholarship.


debi-headshot

Debi Irons

Guest Faculty – Jazz

Debi Irons is a dancer/choreographer/educator with over 33 years in the contemporary  dance world. She  created a method of dance education called VARIANT in 1988 that fosters personal creativity and expression along with healthy technique and movement vocabulary.  Debi inspires self-motivation in life through dance, guiding each individual to aspire toward their own unique potential; teaching correct yet natural technique in variant dance forms for a broad foundation.  Debi is trained in modern, jazz, ballet, acrobatics, afro-Brazilian, street, tap, choreography, improvisation, and musical theatre dance. All are used in her teaching. She continues to study, collaborate and produce, challenging herself as an artist and human being. Debi has choreographed, performed, and/or taught on both coasts of the United States, in Brazil and Japan. Her VariantJazz (contemporary) method of dance education combines technique with self-expression and creativity. She works all over the state of Maine, including at Bates College, and has had a studio for 24 years in Norway, called ART MOVES, also home to outreach performing and teaching programs of the same name.   Irons has danced for jazz musicians and worked with many artists, presently for Esduardo Mariscal in his LUZ; Back to Brasil with Daielma Santos & Art Moves Dance Co. was fun;    MID-LIFE RIOT with Santos and Sara Whale is a dream project. She is collaborating with composer Philip Jackson on  ACORDA! (wake up!) which began at Bates College in 2011 and has taken them across the United States and into Brazil so far – in search of an ideal.

 


 

dance-teacher-anne-erkkinen-240x300

 

Annie Erkkinen

Guest Faculty

Annie Erkkinen has been dancing since she can remember and loves the range of movement that comes from training in a variety of dance styles.   Annie’s dance background includes taking classes in jazz, tap, ballet, modern, hip hop, dance/music/art collaboration, dance composition, dance therapy, anatomy and kinesiology, first in Massachusetts and Maine as a young dancer, then at Northwestern University, where Annie studied with Billy Siegenfeld of Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Debbie Giordano of Gus Giordano Jazz Dance, Brian Jeffery of XSIGHT! performance group and many other Chicago teachers. More recently, Annie has attended a variety of dance classes in New York City at Dance New Amsterdam, Peridance and Broadway Dance Center and went to the Hague, Netherlands to focus on somatics work, injury prevention and dance psychology for a 4-day IADMS conference.


 

Shamou_PyllisrGraberJensen

Shamou

Guest Musician

Shamou’s music career began at an early age in his native Iran where he also studied and performed as a dancer with the Iranian National Ballet. He began his formal music training in Tehran, studied with teachers from the Royal College of Music in London and completed his training at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is known, nationally, for his collaborative work with dancers including the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Co., Mark Morris Dance Company, ODC/San Francisco and Prometheus Dance Company. He has contributed music to several CD compilations and has released his own solo CDs entitled Spirits Dance, Traces, Nebulae and Shodjah with his former band by the same name, and Live at CCE with his ensemble, Loopin. Shamou has taught hand drumming, percussion, music for dance and body music across the country in a wide variety of settings. http://www.shamou.com/


susan-thompson-brown-dance-teacher1-213x300

Susan Thompson-Brown

Guest Faculty – Jazz and Yoga Instructor

Susan Thompson-Brown has enjoyed a lifelong love of dance, performing with and choreographing most recently for indiedanceworks and Rhythm Factor Dance Company in Portland, ME, and Studio West in Tucson, AZ. She has studied jazz, ballet, ballroom and latin, modern, contemporary, and hip hop with Alan McCarter, Louis Rojo, Cary Dobbs, Maria Tzianabos, and others. Susan holds a masters degree in Physical Therapy from Northern Arizona University, a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science and Exercise Physiology from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and has over 900 hours of continuing education through Dialogues in Contemporary Rehabilitation in Bloomfield, Connecticut. She has taught through Studio West School of Dance in Tucson, AZ and the Center for Cultural Exchange in Flagstaff, AZ, and is pleased to be working currently with Casco Bay Movers Dance Studio, Portland, Maine. She is cofounder, Artistic and Managing Director of indiedanceworks, performing throughout southern Maine. Susan is a senior physical therapist for Scarborough Physical Therapy Associates, and staff physical therapist for Casco Bay Movers Dance Studio. Susan completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training through Sacred Seeds Yoga School of Canton, Massachusetts, and is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through Yoga Alliance.


ray-dumontRay Dumont

Guest Faculty – Tap Instructor

Ray has been teaching tap and musical theater in addition to directing and choreographing musical theatre productions throughout Southern/Central Maine for many years. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, he has performed professionally at numerous regional theatres in the United States. His favorite productions include A Chorus Line, Grand Hotel, Cabaret, Chicago and Blood Brothers. In Ray served as Managing Director of Maine State Music Theater from 1999 to 2003. During that time, Ray had the honor of producing the world premiere of a new version of Frank Leosser’s Hans Christian Anderson, with a new book by Maury Yeston, as well as the northern New England premieres of Titanic and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Ray has in recent MSMT seasons appeared as Andy Lee/Bert Berry in 42nd Street, a Gangster in The Drowsy Chaperone and as Carmen Ghia in The Producers as well as having the pleasure of directing Rent and choreographing Gypsy. In 2014 he directed and choreographed Into The Woods (Lyric Theatre), Grey Gardens (Mad Horse Theatre) and Cabaret (Mad Horse/Razer Entertainment, all of which were named as critics’ choices by Broadway World.com. This summer, he will choreograph Fame and direct/choreograph Shrek Jr., both at MSMT. Upcoming for 2015-16: Shrek (YHS), Mary Poppins (Portland Players), Urinetown (UMaine), and The Wild Party (Portland Players) Ray is thrilled to join the staff of Casco Bay Movers and share his passion for tap and theatrical dance with his students.


 Teacher Assistants 2016-17

tbd