Jeannette Neill
Jeannette Neill is an enduring and moving force in the Boston dance community. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, which has served as a supportive and encouraging training ground for aspiring dancers since 1979. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Boston Youth Moves, a pre-professional dance training program for teens in the greater Boston area, providing scholarship subsidies to offset the tution cost for full-time students. She is also one of the Artisitic Directors of the Boston Summer Dance Festival. Jeannette has an extensive teaching background, including work at the Boston Conservatory, Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts, and Harvard and Boston Universities. She is an internationally respected educator, dancer, and choreographer whose work has taken her around the globe to the Milan Opera Company in Palermo, Italy; the AIC Studio in Tokyo, Japan; Danschuset in Goteborg, Sweden; the Jazz Tap Festival in Monterrey, Mexico; and the Broadway Dance Center in New York City. As a choreographer, Jeannette has worked with a variety of organizations including ABC-TV, Digital, IBM, Puma, SKYR, Bose, Hasbro, Citicorp, and The Jeannette Neill Dancers. She has also performed as a guest artist for various stage productions including New Directions in Tap starring Gregory Hines, and JAZZDANCE: The Danny Buraczeski Dance Company. In the year 2000, Jeannette was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, making her the first person in the performing arts to be so recognized.
J. Allen Collier
J. Allen Collier is a native of the Mississippi Delta, which he left in 1978 in order to pursue his musical career at Berklee College of Music. After playing the nightclub circuit as a pianist/singer, both nationally and internationally, he began to devote more time and training to dance. In 1985 he took over management of the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, where he was also on the faculty. In 1989 he became a full partner in the company.
That same year Allen produced Rhythms of Hope, a dance benefit for the AIDS Action Committee. The program was hosted by Broadway star Ann Reinking and sponsored by John Hancock Financial Services. The evening of commissioned works by guest choreographers featured more than seventy dancers representing over thirty Boston-based companies.
Allen is the founder and creative director of ACE Entertainment, an entertainment production company specializing in casting dancers and choreographers for live industrial presentations, film, and video.
In the realm of business theatre, he has choreographed several national presentations for Spalding. In 1995, ACE Entertainment was contracted to present to the Board of Directors of the Sara Lee Corporation (the parent company of Champion Sportswear) the prototype apparel line manufactured by Champion for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team and park personnel. Allen has also written and produced three live corporate cabaret shows for EMC Corporation as well as industrial presentations for Champion/Jogbra in San Diego, Atlanta, Chicago, Charleston and Cancun. He has produced and directed five industrial presentations for PUMA N.A., including shows in Las Vegas and Scottsdale. Other ACE Entertainment clients include YM Magazine, Hasbro, Reebok, Digital Equipment, ABC-TV, Atlantic Records and AETNA Insurance Company. Allen has also served in production capacity for several shows for the Norwegian and Cunard Cruise lines.
In 1991, Allen was named one of the “Hot Choreographers in Film and Video” by Point of View Magazine, along with Michelle Assaf, Lynn Taylor-Corbett and Margo Sappington.
Allen is the founder and Artistic Director of the Boston Summer Dance Festival.
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Rachal Aronson
Rachal has been dancing since the age of three. For over ten years, Rachal has danced at The Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, where she has taught and now serves on the faculty of the Children’s Dance Program. In addition to extensive study in Boston and New York, Rachal has had intensive training with renowned teacher, Lynn Simonson, in the Simonson Technique, an anatomically aware approach to movement. Rachal has performed in Boston and New York with Greenglass Dance Theater, and has performed with ACE Entertainment. She also dances with Boston based company, Jazz Inc. Rachal serves as founding Camp Director at the Tony Williams Dance Center, where she helps create, implement and oversee an extensive dance program. She has taught dance at Simmons College, Harvard University’s Mainly Jazz Company and the Cambridge Public Schools. In addition to the JNDS Children’s Program, Rachal currently teaches ages four to adult in the Boston area, including the Tony Williams Dance Center and Dean College School of Dance. Rachal holds a master’s in public policy from Tufts University.
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Lillian Carter
Lillian Carter is creator and artistic director for the performance group Greenglass Dance Theater. She has received critical acclaim for her work as a performer, teacher and choreographer throughout New England and New York. She continues to teach locally at the Boston Conservatory, and the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio. Lillian provides dance workshops and master classes for many local studios and institutions. She has been a guest choreographer at Regis College, Merrimack College, Bradford College and the Walnut Hill School Summer Theater Program. She developed and presented a dance performance and education series sponsored by Borders Books that was presented at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, Downtown Crossing in Boston, and throughout Long Island, New York. Lillian serves as a volunteer member for the Board of Directors of Boston Youth Moves, a non-profit youth dance education program sponsored by The Jeannette Neill Dance Studio. She received a B.F.A. in Choreography from the Boston Conservatory in 1990.
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Sue Casey-Murray
Sue received her BFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Upon graduation, Sue worked as a guest teacher and choreographer for the University Dancers. During a stay in New York City, Sue worked as an assistant to choreographer Michelle Assaf and danced in two music videos. Sue has been teaching throughout New England for fifteen years. She joined the faculty of The Jeannette Neill Dance Studio in 1985. She has also worked extensively with ACE Entertainment and the Jeannette Neill Dancers. Sue was on the faculty of the first Boston Summer Dance Festival which originated in 1996. She began teaching in Boston Youth Moves at the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio in 1996.
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Michelle Chassé
Michelle Chassé trained with the Boston Ballet School and was on scholarship at the School of American Ballet in New York City. She graduated cum laude with a BFA in Dance from the Boston Conservatory was a featured ballet dancer in a VH1 video starring Michael Crawford, and has been a featured jazz dancer and model for numerous television commercials and industrials. She was a dancer/singer and dance captain on board the S. S. Norway of Norwegian Cruise Lines, where she staged and choreographed pieces for Meet Me in St. Louis, and for their Vegas-style revue. Currently she is the leading female dancer for the Boston-based ACE Entertainment, a company specializing in film, stage and corporate entertainment productions nationwide. She is on the dance faculties of the Boston Conservatory (where she serves as both dance instructor and Musical Theatre Coordinator), the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, and Boston Youth Moves.
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Tommy Coye
Tommy Coye, Dancer/Choreographer, has performed all over the world. His past credits include: The Blue Angel supper club in New York City; Harrah’s Casino, Atlantic City; Alhambra Casino, Aruba; Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Carribbean Cruise Lines. He has performed and choreographed for countless business theatre productions including Sara Lee Corp. (Chicago), EMC Corp. (Phoenix, Boca Raton and St. Thomas), and Champion/Jogbra (San Diego, Boston, Vermont and Cancun).
Tommy has also performed in the Far East, touring such exotic places as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. His musical theatre credits include A Chorus Line, Evita and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Presently, Tommy is the Associate Director of ACE Entertainment, a Boston-based entertainment production company that specializes in casting dancers and choreographers for film, video and business theatre. His responsibilities with ACE include casting, choreographing and performing. Tommy is also an Artistic Director of the Boston Summer Dance Festival.
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Rommel Childress
Rommel Childress grew up in Memphis, TN and has been an active hip-hop choreographer and teacher in the Boston area since 1995.
An accomplished athlete throughout high-school and college, he transforms disciplines and attitudes crucial to success in sports into a unique style of choreography and teaching that is designed to challenge, strengthen, and entertain. In addition to varsity-level Football and Track and Field, Rommel served as Director of Spirit of Color Performing Arts Troupe at Tufts University, where he received Engineering degrees in Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering Design.
In addition to his Engineering career, Rommel has been with Impulse Dance Company since 2000 and works with numerous Boston-based artists and performers.
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Nikki Danizio
Nicole Sell Danizio grew up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where she started dancing at the local studio at the age of three. As a teen, she spent her summers studying dance at the Ballet/Aspen program in Colorado and at the Dupree Studios in Los Angeles. She completed her high school years at the Idyllwild School of Music and Performing Arts in California and graduated Valedictorian of her class. She then studied at The Boston Conservatory, earning a BFA in Dance and graduating Summa Cum Laude and Salutatorian of her class. Ms. Danizio has performed regionally and internationally with Prometheus Dance, ACE Entertainment, Impulse, and Boston Dance Company, and has also danced a leading role in an industrial video for Spalding sports equipment and a TV commercial for W.B. Mason, for which she was also the choreographer. She is currently on faculty at the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, Boston Youth Moves, Walnut Hill School, and The Boston Conservatory
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Ricardo Foster
Unyted Stylz
This class is all about getting your groove on.
It blends the different styles of hip-hop, jazz, modern, african, tap, and more
with a hint of a cardio workout. Hence the name Unyted Stylz.
Also it adds a carefree party like atmosphere so that all newcomers
and veterans to the class can feel comfortable with themselves, each other, and
the movement. With this formula the class hopes to hit and
acknowledge all the different dancers styles, personalities, and strengths.
And also to help everyone let go of their worries for the moment and just have some fun.
Bio:
Born in raised in Boston, Ricardo has learned how to make good with the cards dealt.
Using his special talent as a dancer, choreographer, performer, actor, and model,
he has single-handedly made a name for himself amongst many of today's popular artist.
Working and performing with artists ranging from Jay-Z to NSYNC, En-vogue to
Uncle Cracker, and Destiny's Child to old school classics like Naughty by Nature,
and RUN DMC– he has seen it all.
With an outstanding personality, he has a way with audiences, students,
and his peers alike. By using comedy, simple physical analogies,
and a story-like premise behind all of his dance movement,
he looks to have people understand, enjoy, and enhance each class he teaches,
and, at the same time, hopes to help people find a new appreciation of dance and
of themselves.
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Stephanie Heroux
Stephanie Heroux began dancing at age six in Central Massachusetts. She has studied extensively across New England and New York. She holds a B.A. from Boston University in English Literature and Business Administration. While a student at Boston University, Stephanie she was a frequent performer and choreographer for Dance Theatre Group, BU’s largest and most versatile student-run dance company. She was accepted to The School at Jacob’s Pillow’s elite Musical Theatre Program, studying with Jazz Master Matt Mattox and Chet Walker of Fosse fame. Stephanie has performed with the The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and ACE Entertainment, as well as the works of local choreographers Bill McLaughlin and Lori LoTurco. As a dancer and dance captain aboard the Sovereign of the Seas for Royal Caribbean International, her cast was chosen to debut a new evening-length production show and two signature performance pieces that were subsequently installed fleet-wide. She also participated in the launching of their land-based, corporate productions, performing for Vacation.com’s largest annual convention in Disney World.
In 2005 Stephanie founded Jazz Inc. The company, specializing in concert jazz dance, musical theatre, and corporate theatre, performs regularly at 28 degrees in the South End. Jazz Inc. has also performed for Hilton Hotels and Saks. In addition, Stephanie’s choreography has received acclaim from The Boston Globe and The Harvard Crimson. She has choreographed productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Wiz, and Fame. Stephanie regularly teaches company class and choreographs for Harvard University’s Mainly Jazz Company. She has also taught master classes and workshops for Suskind Young at Arts, Brandeis University, and The Boston Ballet School. Currently, Stephanie is on the faculty of the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, the Jeannette Neill Children’s Dance Program, and the Ballet Arts Center of Winchester.
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Liza Hostetler
Liza Hostetler graduated magna cum laude from Emerson College in 2005 with a degree in Musical Theatre, Philosophy, and Dance. She has been associated with the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio since 2000 in performing, teaching and choreographing capacities, working with Sybil Huggins, Didi Ilunga, and Kelly Peters in a variety of dance styles, including hip-hop, tap, and jazz. She has also studied at Emerson College with Marlena Yanetti, Lorraine Chapman, and Elizabeth Waterhouse.
Liza is co-founder, co-producer, and choreographer for the Movement Workshop Group, along with director Leslie Guyton. The group performed the original dance piece Dust to Dust in September 2006 at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center. In February 2005, she and Guyton directed and choreographed Black Feathers, a tribute to famed choreographer Pina Bausch, at the John Hancock Hall in Boston. In 2005 and 2006 she choreographed Once On This Island and Newsies for the Brooklyn Summer Players.
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Bill McLaughlin
Bill McLaughlin has performed with Impulse Dance Company, Concert Dance Company of Boston, Prometheus Dance Theatre, Marcus Schulkind, Granite State Ballet, The Dance Prism, and The Dance Collective. He is currently on the faculty of The Boston Conservatory, The Jeannette Neill Dance Studio and the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts. Bill has also appeared in and/or choreographed live video industrials for such companies as Trak Skis, Honeywell Bull, Parachute Clothing, Frank Xavier Hair, David Nicholas Makeup, Cyrk Sportswear, and Dae Woo. As a dancer for ACE Entertainment, Billy has performed both nationally and internationally for such companies as Party Lite, EMC, and PUMA N.A.
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Lisa Sanchez
Lisa Sanchez has been teaching and choreographing since 1989. She is a graduate of the Dance Teacher’s Club of Boston, where she was the recipient of the New Image Scholarship and the Elsa Kemp award for teaching aptitude. Lisa has been a guest teacher at the Walnut Hill summer dance program and the Dance Collective Intergenerational Summer Outreach Company, which she also co-directed. She has long enjoyed her association with The Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, performing with ACE Entertainment and teaching for Boston Youth Moves. Whether teaching future dancers "as old as two and a half or as young as eighty," she strives for her classes to move with energy, imagination and strong technique.
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Andy Taylor-Blenis
Andy Taylor-Blenis started dancing with her parents in International Folk Dance at age 0. Her early Creative Movement experiences were with Ruth Wheeler, co-founder of Dance Collective, and with Ann Brown-Alien. After receiving her BFA in Dance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she came to Boston and danced with Danny Sloane Dance, Paradigm Dance, Concert Dance Company, Dance Collective, Micki Taylor-Pinney, Dawn Kramer, Miguel Lopez, Milton Myers, Julie Ince-Thompson, ACE Entertainment, and currently and for 13 years with Prometheus Dance Company.
She teaches International Dance through the Folk Arts Center of New England, Modern and Jazz Dance at Northwestern and Northeastern Universities, Harvard, Emerson and Boston University. She is happily still teaching at the Boston Conservatory and the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio. Andy is an adoring admirer of Lynn Simonson. Dance is a musical, satisfying, overwhelming, strengthening, challenging, freeing discipline that applies to and enhances each day of our lives. Enjoy!
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Jim Viera
As a professional dancer, Jim Viera has toured nationally as a principal dancer with Jazzdance: The Danny Buraczeski Dance Company, and the Marcus Schulkind Dance Company. He has been on the faculties of the Boston Conservatory and Harvard University, and is Artistic Director of Boston Youth Moves, a pre-professional teen dance program he founded. As a choreographer for ACE Entertainment, Mr. Viera has choreographed opening numbers for Rita Moreno, Gregory Hines, Grace Jones and Harry Connick, Jr., industrial films for Digital Equipment, and live industrial presentations for Intellution, Champion/Jogbra, PUMA, Jordan’s Furniture and EMC Corporation. Mr. Viera has also been on the faculties of The Boston Summer Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow and the Harvard Summer Dance Festival.
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