 Faculty
Jennifer Faulkner Artistic Director, Dance Teacher
Jennifer has a B.A. in dance from The University of Akron and is Pilates certified. She has also studied dance at The University of North Carolina. She attended New York University's Summer Dance Program, where she had the opportunity to study with with Bebe Miller, David Dorfman, Doug Elkins, and Doug Varone. She has worked with Boston Ballet’s Citydance program, and has been teaching in the Boston area since 1998. She has performed with The Choreographer’s Group in Cambridge, MA and continues to stay active in the dance community. In 2007 she attended a DanceLife Teaching Seminar in Boston, MA.
Mary-Sarah O'Hanlon Dance Teacher
Mary-Sarah O'Hanlon has over 20 years experience teaching Irish Dance. Mary-Sarah started dancing at the age of 4. She was a champion-level competitive Irish dancer and was certified a T.M.R.F. by An Comisiun le Rince Gaelacha in Ireland. After receiving a B.A. from Boston University (in Anthropology & English Literature), she spent a Summer meditating at an ashram in India. This proved to be an invaluable experience when she later became a certified Yoga Teacher. In 2000, she founded the Flying Irish Dance Troupe to provide myriad performance opportunites for exceptionally talented and dedicated students. Mary-Sarah has develpoed, staged, and choreographed many public performances and extravaganzas for professinal companies as well as her own dancers.
Danielle Mullins Dance Teacher
Danielle Mullins started dancing at the age of three under the direction of Jim Caisse and is trained in all dance disciplines including Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Modern. Danielle has performed and competed throughout New England, in Bermuda, Epcot Disney, and aboard the Norwegian Majesty Cruise ship. She is a graduate of Fitchburg State College where she earned her Bachelors degree in Business Management, and she also studied at Franklin Pierce University for one year under a Dance major. Danielle obtained her Dance Teacher Certification through Dance Educators of America and continues to keep her skills current by attending various dance workshops.
Alivia Cotton Dance Teacher
Alivia Cotton holds a B.A from Dean College School of Dance. While studying at Dean College, she was a member of the Dance Team and Hip Hop Company, and studied hip hop intensively with Kelly Peters. Alivia continues to study with Kelly Peters and other renowned teachers. She has held hip hop workshops and has taught throughout the area. She has performed at The NY Tap Festival, and at various hip hop and tap venues in the Northeast. Most recently she was a dancer in Clara’s Dream, and currently is a member of Boston Tap Company.
Jamie Horban Dance and Yogilates Teacher
Jamie Horban trained in Chicago for many years in Cechetti ballet, jazz, tap, modern, tango, flamenco, hip-hop, Musical Theater, acrobatics, African dance, salsa and Latin. She has trained at Evanston School of Ballet, Ruth Page Dance Center, Lou Conte Dance Studio, Ellis du Boulet, Chicago Ballet, Gus Giordano,and Joel Hall Dance Center. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in dance and film.
Three years ago she relocated to Atlanta where she has taught and choreographed for the Atlanta Ballet school and pre-pro company. She has danced with numerous dance companies including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dance Chicago, White Oak Dance Project, David Dorfman, Ballet Entournous, North Atlanta Ballet Company, and Latin American Dance Company as well as many others.
She has choreographed for many dance companies, theaters and production companies around the United States including but not limited to Atlanta Ballet Pre-Pros, Atlanta Choreographer's Showcase, Jean Ann Ryan Productions, DDO Talent Agency, Interlochen Arts, Dance Chicago, The Chicago Cultural Center, CK Dance Company in California, Northlight Theater, Metropolis Theater, Bailiwick Theater, Ballet Legere, Northwestern University, and the Actor's Gymnasium.
Jamie also runs a 11 year old production company called Solestance Productions that produces several arts festivals nationwide. The festival and Jamie have been featured in the Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Reader, The Chicago Dailiy Herald, Pioneer Press, Atlanta's Creative Loafing as well as on WGN morning news and WTTW Chicago.
Jackie Grady Dance Teacher
Jackie was educated and trained at The Boston Conservatory of Music. She competed regionally and nationally in dance for 10 years. Also, she has studied acrobatics and gymnastics. Jackie has been teaching for over 15 years, and formerly owned and operated her own studio's in New Jersey and Massachusetts.
Eden Roessel Dance Teacher
Eden Roessel recently graduated from Skidmore College with a B.S. in Dance. At Skidmore, Eden studied ballet, modern, jazz, and tap, performed in many faculty and student choreographed shows, and produced her own choreography. She also had the chance to work with guest artists from Doug Varone and Dancers and American Ballet Theatre, among others, and performed in works choreographed by Isadora Duncan, Doris Humphrey, Donald McKayle, and Robert Battle. Most recently, Eden completed an internship with the National Dance Education Organization, and studied with the Martha Graham Dance Company during their summer residency at Skidmore.
Pam Vlahakis Yoga Teacher
Pam is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Teacher Alliance. She has a Masters in Education and is a Licensed Dietitian. She completed her yoga teacher training in 2001 at Yoga Spirit Studio in Essex, MA. He eclectic teaching style integrates various yoga traditions including Kripalu, Iyengar, and Astanga. Her teaching is also inspired by continuing study and training in Yoga Therapy and Medical Qi Gong. She teaches adults, kids, and family yoga.
Drika Overton Dance Teacher
Drika Overton’s career has spanned over 25 years and includes work as a performer, teacher, choreographer, producer, and presenter. She is the creator and artistic director of the internationally recognized Portsmouth Percussive Dance Festival and MaD Theatricals, a unique collaboration of nationally and internationally recognized jazz and tap artists creating the critically acclaimed productions Clara's Dream a jazz nutcracker, and Music Hall Follies: A Vaudeville in 9 Acts with special guest artists Bill Irwin and Fayard Nicholas. Since 1990 she has produced and performed in concerts to promote jazz and tap to wide audiences throughout the region.
Drika has shared the stage with such acclaimed artists as Savion Glover, Jimmy Slyde, Buster Brown, Brenda Bufalino, Dianne Walker, and Keith Terry.
Drika teaches master classes and residencies at schools, colleges and universities, studios and festivals throughout the United States. Most recently she was commissioned to teach and choreograph work for dance companies at Rhode Island College in Providence and at Auburn University in Alabama.
Lisa Thibodeau Dance Teacher
Lisa Thibodeau holds a Master's degree in Dance Education from Lesley University. Additionally, Lisa has studied choreography with Garth Fagan in Brockport, NY. She has studied many forms of dance including Jazz, Modern, Creative Movement, African, Ballet, Contact Improvistation, and both International and American styles of Ballroom and Latin dancing. Lisa studied Ballroom with Kari Hyytienen and Ann Heiermann, and has had coaching from Jean-Marc Generoux and Edward Simon.Throughout her studies and career she has taught students ages 3 to adult with a variety of educational needs.
Colleen Edwards Dance Teacher
Colleen was born in Boulder, Colorado where she began her dance career twenty years ago. She studied and performed with the Boulder Ballet in works such as,The Nutcracker,Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, as well as a premier of Bella Luna. Colleen was also a founding Junior Company member of the Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet, which fueled her passion for choreography. Colleen staged her first full length ballet,Oasis, in 2004, and that same year was commissioned by the Boulder Ballet to choreograph for their BBII, Juliet.
Colleen attended the prestigious Boston Conservatory, where she furthered her dance education and earned her B.FA. in Dance Performance. She studied pedagogy with Donna Silva, and began teaching. Colleen has taught in cities around the country such as Alexander and Alexandria, Virginia and also in New York State and Louisiana.
Colleen has performed in High School Musical 2, in New York, at the Yorktown Stage and this past year has been a company member with the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater performing as a soloist in their Nutcracker: A Tale from the Bayou, and as the Winter Fairy in Cinderella. Colleen now lives in Quincy, MA with her dog and three bunnies.
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Faculty 