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Sheila
Bellefleur
Owner ~ Artistic Director ~ Jazz Instructor

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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 also has
served on the dance panel of the Massachusetts
Cultural Council. Her instruction is based
on ballet technique with a wide variety of
jazz styles ranging from lyrical and cool
to funk and blues.
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Melissa
Cloutier
Managing Director ~ Jazz & Hip Hop Instructor
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Melissa Cloutier is the
Founder and Artistic Director of Rhythm Factor
Dance Company, Artistic Director of the youth
dance company UpBeat Feet, and Managing Director
of the Casco Bay Movers Dance Studio. She
has studied dance in the New England area
for over 18 years.
Since 1987, Melissa has studied,
taught and performed at the Casco Bay Movers
Dance Studio. She has taught at numerous dance
schools and grade schools throughout Southern
Maine. Melissa was invited to teach at the
Physical Education Convention in Brazil in
1992-1998. She is presently training with
the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio in Boston
and Broadway Dance Center in New York. She
has taken classes with the Choreographers
for Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Pink, Christina
Aguilera, and NYSNC. |
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Kate
Marchessault
Ballet, Jazz & Modern Instructor
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Kate
began studying dance at the Franklin School
for Performing Arts in Franklin, Massachusetts.
There she had the opportunity to study with
several members of the Boston Ballet Company,
Danny Sloan Company, MJT Company and faculty
from Dean College.Katie was chosen to dance
the roll of *Clara* in the first production
of "The Nutcracker", which featured soloists
from the Boston Ballet, as well as live orchestration
and in subsequent years went on to dance other
prized roles such as "Kissy Doll", "Dew Drop
Fairy", and "Snow Queen". She also was selected
to represent the school at the 1991 Regional
Ballet Festival in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
During her studies at Franklin School for
Performing Arts, Katie began her teaching
career, instructing Ballet, Pointe, Modern
& Jazz at all levels, ages 3 to adult.
She has also studied for several seasons at
The Walnut Hill School, with Samuel Kurkjan,
Diane ArvanitesNoya, and David Howard
as well as other guest teachers such as Michael
Maule.
Katie continued her dance-education as a
scholarship student at the University of Massachusetts,
Amherst, as a dance and psychology major.
There she taught Ballet and Modern dance,
choreographed several pieces for main stage
concerts and performed frequently. After graduating
with a BA in Dance, as well as Psychology
she attended the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive
Program in New York City. Katie has performed
as a soloist, with Adrienne T. Hawkin's Impulse
Dance Company, Peila J. Forr's Choreographer's
Group and Ram Island Dance. |
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Laurie
Chiasson
Jazz & Tap Instructor
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Laurie began
her study of jazz dance with Sheila Bellefleur
in the early eighties and has not stopped!
She studied ballet (Cecchetti) with Nancy
Durham and rhythm tap with Karen Marino, Billie
Johnston and Pamela Raff, all in the style
of the late, great, Leon Collins. In addition,
she has taken numerous classes and workshops
with master teachers such as: Luigi, Gus Giordano,
Arthur Hall, Eva Von Gencsy, Jeanette Neill,
Lynn Simonson, Brenda Buffalino and Dianne
Walker.
Ms. Chiasson owned and directed
her own studio, Oak Street Dance for six years,
and has taught extensively in Maine and New
England. She has performed with Oak Street
Dance, The Casco Bay Movers, Portland Rhythm
Tap and currently dances with Rhythm Factor.
In addition to dance, Laurie
has had a lifelong love of art. 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. She
taught elementary art in Old Orchard Beach
for six years and makes and sells jewelry
made from polymer clay and other materials. |
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Annie
Erkkinen
Jazz, Modern, Tap & Hip Hop Instructor

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| Annie has
recently moved back to the Portland area after
spending seven years in Chicago dancing, teaching,
and earning a BA from Northwestern University.
At Northwestern, Annie studied with Billy Siegenfeld
of Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. While in Chicago
she studied with Debbie Giordano of Gus Giordano
Jazz Dance, Brian Jeffery of XSIGHT! performance
group and many other Chicago teachers. Her dance
training includes classes in jazz, tap, ballet,
modern, hip hop, dance/music/art collaboration,
dance composition, dance therapy, anatomy and
kinesiology. Annie is very excited to return
to Casco Bay Movers after having been a student
during her middle and high school years. |
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Mary
Ridge
Tap Instructor

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| Mary has
been dancing since the age of three. She is
a graduate of the Casco Bay Movers Teacher Training
Program and has been teaching tap and street
funk since 1999. Mary also holds a BA in Education
and is a 7th grade Language Arts middle school
teacher. She has coached track and cross-country
for kids and taught aerobics and walk-jog for
USM in Portland, ME. Mary is currently the President
of the school's Media Club, choreographs school
musicals and is a team leader for other teachers.
She is in the process of learning spanish and
completing her master's degree in Education
at UNE. Mary's passion and love for dance is
obvious in her exuberant teaching style and
ability to inspire dancers young and old. Her
favorite tappers are Fred Astaire, Bo Jangles,
Jeannie Hill and Shirley Temple. |
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Stoney
Cook
Ballet Instructor

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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. |
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Victoria
Perreault
Hip Hop & Lyrical Jazz Instructor

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After being awarded a Tremaine National Scholarship, Victoria Perreault received most of her dance training in Los Angeles & the San Francisco area from some of the industry's top instructors & choreographers. As a performer, she has danced for Tom Hanks & George Lucas. As instructor, she taught in the dance department at San Jose State University and at many award winning studios. As choreographer, Viki has worked with SYTYCD's Nick Lazzarini, Blake McGrath and Broadway's Rickey Tripp. Most recently, she was chosen by Mia Michaels to receive a Broadway Dance Center Scholarship. Victoria's styles span from contemporary to hip hop to jazz & lyrical. |
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Elizabeth
Goulet
Hip Hop & Dance Imagination Instructor

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Elizabeth is
very excited to be back in Maine after studying,
performing and teaching in Washington, DC
for the past six years. As a graduate of the
George Washington University (GWU) with a
degree in marketing and dance, she has studied
modern dance with well-known choreographers:
Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Maida Withers and Vladimir
Angelov. In 2001 she began training with Culture
Shock DC, one of the hottest professional
hip-hop dance troupes located in major cities
nationwide, Canada and the UK. She’s
performed for Maya Angelou, with BLAZEN and
Mezmerize (GWU), and hit the stage at the
biggest college hip-hop event on the east
coast.
Over the years she has studied ballet, jazz,
modern, clogging and hip-hop. She has shared
her passion while teaching hip-hop, creative
movement and ballet at the Metropolitan Fine
Arts Center, A Dream in Color Dance, the YMCA,
DC metro outreach programs and a handful of
studios in Southern Maine. |
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Larry
Lee Van Horne
Modern & Creative Movement Instructor

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A native of
Texas, Larry Lee began training at Texas Tech
University. He is a teacher, choreographer,
and performer of modern, ballet and jazz.
Company credits include: Atlanta Ballet, Ballet
Arts MN, Ballet New England, Casco Bay Movers,
Concert Dance Company of Boston, Maine State
Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Portland
Ballet, Ram Island Dance Company, and Zenon
Dance Company. Some of his teachers have been:
Chris Aiken, Robert Barnett, Sheila Bellefleur,
Fred Benjamin, Danny Burcheski, Sam Costa,
Neil Hess, Lise Houlton, Ted Kivitt, Lenore
Lattimore, Jose Mateo, Linda Meile, Erin Thompson,
Deborah Wolfe, and Cathy Young.
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Stephen
Goldbas
Athletic Dance Instructor

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Stephen Goldbas
D.O. is assistant professor of clinical medicine
at the University of New England College of
Osteopathic medicine (UNECOM). He is a board
certified family physician and holds specialty
board certification in neuro-muscular-skelatal
medicine. He practices as a clinical specialist
in osteopathic manipulative medicine with
University Health Care Offices in Saco Maine.
He was a rehearsal director, choreographer
and dancer with Ram Island Dance Company and
Co-founder of Oxygen Debt Dance Company. He
has choreographed and performed many dances
in his years with these companies. It is with
his delight that he returns to teaching choreography,
as well as training with Casco Bay Movers. |
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Michelle
Stuckey
Dance Imagination Instructor

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Michelle Stuckey
has an extensive backround in Jazz, Ballet,
Improvisation and Modern Dance. She founded
the childrens' Dancemagic program [known currently
as Dance Imagination] as well as the "Art,
Nature and Dance" program. Michelle has taught
creative movement and intergtated arts to
young people for over 20 years at Casco Bay
Movers, Portland Ballet and numerous venues
througout Southern Maine. She choreographed
for high school musicals, theater productions
and Gifted and Talented programs throughout
the community. Michelle has taught Jazz Dance
at Casco Bay Movers for more than 15 years.
In 1998, she completed the Waldorf Teacher
Certification Program and taught grammar school
for eight years. Most recently Michelle returned
to The Maine College of Art, receiving acknowledgement
with a talent award and earning a BFA with
a major in painting and a minor in drawing.
She currently paints in her studio and teaches
art to high school students. Hundreds of children
have benifitted from Michelle's inspired creativity,
artistic talents and nuturing teaching style
that imparts her own love of learning in each
class. |
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