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    Rhythm and Sole Tap Co.
    Rhythm Factor Dance Co.
    Portland Youth Dance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CASCO BAY MOVERS
517 forest avenue, suite 6
portland, me 04101
(207) 871-1013
info@cascobaymovers.com
Sheila Bellefleur Melissa Cloutier
Kate Marchessault Laurie Chiasson
Annie Erkkinen Mary Ridge
Elizabeth Goulet Stoney Cook
Victoria Perreault Michelle Stuckey
Larry Lee Van Horne Stephen Goldbas

Sheila Bellefleur
Owner ~ Artistic Director ~ 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 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.

Melissa Cloutier
Managing Director ~ Jazz & Hip Hop Instructor

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.


Kate Marchessault
Ballet, Jazz & Modern Instructor


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.


Laurie Chiasson
Jazz & Tap Instructor


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.


Annie Erkkinen
Jazz, Modern, Tap & Hip Hop Instructor

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.

Mary Ridge
Tap Instructor

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.

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.


Victoria Perreault
Hip Hop & Lyrical Jazz Instructor

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.


Elizabeth Goulet
Hip Hop & Dance Imagination Instructor

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.


Larry Lee Van Horne
Modern & Creative Movement Instructor

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.


Stephen Goldbas
Athletic Dance Instructor

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.


Michelle Stuckey
Dance Imagination Instructor

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.