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Faculty Bio's

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		Deborah Boyle Artistic Director Ballet, Pointe, Children's Work View Bio
		Audra Carabetta Instructor Ballet, Children's Work View Bio
		Lorraine Chapman Instructor Ballet, Modern View Bio
		Marianne Harkless Instructor Jazz, Ballet View Bio
		Stephanie Heroux Instructor, Jazz, Children's Work View Bio
		Liliana Kualapai Instructor Tap, Jazz View Bio
		Cheryl Mantia Instructor Jazz, Ballet, Tap View Bio
		Bill McLaughlin InstructorAdvanced Jazz View Bio
		Scott Ranagan Instructor Ballet, Pointe, and Pas de Deux View Bio
		Jennifer Hamilton Instructor Jazz View Bio
		Lucy Warren Whitman Instructor Ballet, Pointe View Bio
		Lindsay Chessen Instructor Tap, Children's Work, Jazz View Bio
		Katie Dunkel Instructor Ballet, Children's Work View Bio
		Marcia Rotondo Instructor Ballet, Children's Work View Bio

Deborah Boyle
Artistic Director
Ballet, Pointe, Children's Work

Ms. Boyle has been dancing since the age of eight and through the years has studied with many of Greater Boston’s finest teachers. She began her first ten years of training with Ms. Shirley Terrill and expanded her studies with many of Boston’s most prestigious dance educators at the Boston Conservatory of Music, Boston Repertory Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Boston, Bay State Ballet Theater School and the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio. She is a former member of the Merrimack Valley Ballet Company and Bay State Ballet Theatre Company and has danced roles in productions such as Les Sylphides, Gaiette Parisienne, Hoedown, and Swan Lake.

Ms. Boyle’s teaching career has now spanned over two decades. She continues her training as both dancer and teacher and has attended classes, workshops and seminars with nationally renowned professionals such as David Howard, Finis Jhung, Leslie Browne, Susan Jaffe, Sean Lavery, and John Meehan to name a few. Ms. Boyle has studied with the Royal Academy of Dancing, is an affiliate of the American Academy of Ballet, a member in good standing of Dance Masters of America, Chapter #5, and is certified by test to teach.

In addition to her dance qualifications, Ms. Boyle holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology as well as a Massachusetts Certification in Education. Ms. Boyle founded BAC at its inception in 1990.

Audra Carabetta
Instructor
Ballet, Children's Work

Audra has pursued her love of dance by studying a variety of dance forms including ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, modern, baroque, and renaissance dance. She has studied with the Joffrey Ballet, Pioneer Valley Ballet, Five College Dance Department, Marcus Schulkind and Brian Crabtree as well as many other teachers around the world. She currently performs with several companies including Brian Crabtree and Dancers, the Ken Purse Baroque Company and the Boston Early Music Festival as well as with choreographers such as Carol Sommers, Kelly Edwards, Jodi Waber and Robin Reese. Audra has taught students of all ages and levels in many dance programs from private studios to public school systems as well as at the college level. Ballet Arts Centre is happy to have Audra return after welcoming her to its staff in 1999.

Lorraine Chapman
Instructor
Ballet, Modern

Lorraine Chapman, one of Dance Magazine’s “25 To Watch” in 2008, has danced with Eliot Feld Ballets/NY and Ballet British Columbia under the artistic direction of Balanchine muse Patricia Neary, as well as for several Boston-based choreographers including Amy Spencer, Richard Colton, Diane Arvanites-Noya, Jose Mateo, and Marcus Schulkind. She received her training at The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and L’Ecole Superieure De Danse Du Quebec as well as from Boston veterans Francis Kotelly and Samuel Kurkjian. As an independent choreographer Lorraine has created works for the Northwest New Works Festival in Seattle at On The Boards-Behnke Center and the Bessie Schonberg Residency at The Yard. Ms. Chapman received a commission from Alberta Ballet for their Festival of New Works: Arias 2004 where she shared the bill with internationally acclaimed solo artist Margie Gillis and more recently from Festival Ballet of Providence for Up Close On Hope. Amy Spencer and Richard Colton awarded Lorraine with a Choreographer’s Project Fellowship for Summer Stages Dance 2005, and for 2008 she is the recipient of their Summer Stages Dance/Baryshnikov Arts Center Residency Project.

LCTC (www.lorrainechapman.org) is currently in its sixth year, and one of the most recognized dance companies in the Boston area. Since its’ official inception in November 2002, LCTC has been chosen for several exciting productions including Tens The Limit 2003 and 2005, Dance Straight Up! 2004 and 2006, Dancing Nor’easters’ 8th International Festival of Arts & Ideas New Haven, and Soaking Wet 6 produced in NYC by David Parker of David Parker & The Bang Group. LCTC has received grants from LEF Foundation New England's Contemporary Work Fund and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. LCTC was presented in 2008 by World Music/CRASHarts, Live For $5 at the Stonington Opera House in Maine, Yard Stars Return at The Yard, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Inside/Out, and the Yes, Virginia - Dance Festival in Richmond.
Lorraine most recently co-created “The Disappearing Woman” for Summer Stages Dance at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and coming up November 5-8 LCTC will be doing Soaking Wet 9 at the West End Theater in NYC.

Lorraine is the Assistant Director of the Performance Company/Performance Group program at BAC and has been on the faculty since 1995.

Marianne Harkless
Instructor
Jazz, Ballet

Marianne Harkless danced with the Art of Black Dance & Music, Ballet Theatre of Boston, Danny Sloan Dance Company, Dance Collective, Brasiliero, Inc., Grupo Bandança Afro-Brazilian Dancers & Drummers, Under the Sun Dance & Drum, the Spirit of Africa, Impulse Dance Company and others. She has taught dance at Radcliffe College, Boston University, Dean College School of Dance, Wellesley College, and at public schools, private schools and dance studios in the greater Boston area. She has guest taught and performed in Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New York, Oregon and in France, Switzerland and Jamaica.

Marianne was a 1996 recipient of the Dance Belt Award and is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Boston Dance Alliance. She currently teaches at Wellesley College, the Cambridge School of Weston, Shady Hill School, Ballet Arts Centre of Winchester, Generation Excel, and the Dance Complex and choreographs and performs with Beat Tree and Benkadi dance companies in Cambridge. Marianne has been on faculty at BAC since 1992.

Stephanie Heroux
Instructor
Jazz

Stephanie has studied dance extensively across New England and New York, including The School at Jacob’s Pillow’s elite Musical Theatre Program, studying with Jazz Master Matt Mattox and Chet Walker of Fosse fame. She has performed with the The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, ACE Entertainment, and Lorraine Chapman The Company. 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 Vaction.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, has performed for 28 degrees, Hilton Hotels, Saks, Bacardi, Pearl Vodka, The Webster Company, and the Boston Bruins. She has also choreographed productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Wiz, and Fame for local theatre companies. 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 faculty at the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, the Jeannette Neill Children’s Dance Program, Emerson College, and Ballet Arts Centre. She also holds a B.A. from Boston University in English Literature and Business Administration. Stephanie has been on faculty at BAC since 2005.

Liliana Kualapai
Instructor
Tap, Jazz

Liliana's training reaches from the Pacific to the Atlantic. She studied tap, ballet, jazz and musical theater in Hawaii, California, New York, and later in Nebraska where she opened the Bennet Dance Center and co-founded the Lincoln Tap Force. She came to the Northeast to attend Brandeis University where she earned her B.A. in Theater Arts. She has choreographed extensively in the Midwest and Massachusetts, in both musical theater and competitive dance venues.

Liliana joined the BAC faculty in 2003. She is also currently a private tap coach and trainer as well as a guest artist for dance programs throughout the greater Boston area. In August of 2006, Liliana opened Downtown Dancewear, a specialty dance store in Lowell, MA.


 

Cheryl Mantia
Instructor
Jazz, Ballet, Tap

Cheryl teaches jazz, ballet, tap, and hip-hop to students of all ages. She received her dance training from Boston Ballet and The Performing Arts Unlimited. Her performance experience includes Boston Ballet's "The Nutcracker", "Sleeping Beauty", and "A Midsummer Nights Dream," as well as performances with Boston College Dance Ensemble, Boston College Dance Team, The Performing Arts Unlimited, and The Pingree School. Cheryl also appeared in several commercials for Disney's Aladdin. Her choreography experience includes dance productions for Boston College and several Boston area dance studios. She has also choreographed for high school musical productions, junior high school cheerleading competitions, and middle school dance productions. Cheryl has been teaching at BAC since 2002.

Bill McLaughlin
Advanced Jazz

Bill McLaughlin has performed with Impulse Dance Company, Concert Dance Company of Boston, Prometheus Dance Theater, Marcus Schulkind, Granite State Ballet, and Boston Dance Collective. While working with these copanies Bill performed the choreography of Fred Benjamin, Donald Byrd, Bebe MMiller, Dwight Rhoden and Randy Warshaw to name a few. He has choreographed and taught for The Boston Conservatory, The Jeanette Neil Dance Studio, The Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts and Boston Ballet's Summer intensive. Bill also served as Co-Artistic Director, Artistic Director and is now the Coordinator of Boston Dance Collective's Summer Outreach Program. Bill has appeared in and/or choreographed live/video industrials and commercials for such corporations as Dunkin Donuts, Trak Skis, Puma, Party Lite, Honeywell Bull, Parachute Clothing, Frank Zavier, David Nicholas makeup, EMC and Dae Woo. Has has also appeared in opening acts for The Pointer Sisters, Rita Moreno, Jennifer Holliday and Harry Connick, Jr. His self-produced works include his own one-man show, Boogieman, Famine Tales and several other collaborate productions. Billy has been on faculty at BAC since 2005.

Scott Ranagan
Instructor
Ballet, Pointe, and Pas de Deux

Scott received his training at Boston Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia Williams and with the Washington Ballet. he is the owner and director of the Bay State Ballet Theater Ballet School and co-founder and choreographer of Dance Prism of Concord, MA. He has danced with several professional companies, including Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet and North American Ballet, to name a few. Scott has been a BAC faculty member since its inception in 1990.




 

Jennifer Hamilton
Instructor
Jazz

Jennifer has been dancing since the age of three. She brings with her a solid background in a variety of dance disciplines being trained in classical ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap and Pointe. She continues to expand her knowledge of dance taking master classes and workshops each year. She is a former member of the Madelon Curtis Dancers and Bay State Ballet Theatre Company and has danced roles in Dance Prisms productions of “Nutcracker“, “Alice in Wonderland” and “Sleeping Beauty“. She also has performed in “A Chorus Line“, “Oklahoma“, “Coppelia“, and “Hoedown“. Jennifer has been on staff at many Boston area dance schools including Le’Cole de Ballet, Kidstock Creative Arts Theatre, Sally Gould Dance Center, Madelon Curtis Dance Studio and also at Bentley college. She has also choreographed middle school productions of “Fiddler On the Roof”, “Joseph And the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” as well as “Aladdin”. She currently teaches at Concord Dance Academy (Concord, NH.) and Ballet Arts Centre (Winchester, MA). Zumba fitness is an extension of Jennifer's love of dance which enables her to reach a broader spectrum of people. Her passion of dance, fitness and her commitment to reminding each and every person she meets that dance is for everyone, not just the "dancer", drives her enthusiasm in the classroom. Jennifer has been on faculty at BAC since 1999.













 

Lucy Warren Whitman
Instructor
Ballet, Pointe

A proud native of the Boston area, Lucy Warren-Whitman started her early classical training under her parents Rachel Whitman and Skip Warren. She was then, mentored by Larissa Luvisichuk in the Vaganova method until she was accepted to Walnut Hill, School of Performing Arts as a full scholarship student. There she had the pleasure of training under Samuel Kurkjian and Sydelle Gomberg. She has since been a featured artist and choreographer dancing and creating new works for The Massachusetts Dance Festival, Spindle City Ballet, Boston Dance Company, Contrapose Dance, BalletRox, Pioneer Valley Ballet and is going into her third season with Lorraine Chapman The Company. She also privately coaches students and professionals in the surrounding areas and is a teacher at Ballet Arts Centre and Wilmington Dance Academy. Most recently she has ventured into the role of Artistic Director for North Atlantic Ballet. Lucy has performed as a soloist with the Ballet Arts Centre Performing Theater Company, and she joined the BAC faculty in 2012.













 

Lindsay Chessen
Instructor
Tap, Children's Work, Jazz

Lindsay Chessen received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance Pedagogy from Oklahoma City University. While in graduate school she focused her studies on teaching and choreographing for dance students between the age of 8 and 18, and helped establish a dance center for the community on campus. In addition to her MFA in Dance, Lindsay also holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance/Opera from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She grew up performing in musicals and has appeared on the stage in Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Some of her favorite roles include: Wendy in Peter Pan, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Mrs. Jones in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and the Baker in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Lindsay began dancing at the age of 4 and has studied a wide variety of dance styles, training with many noted choreographers across the US. She also performed in The Nutcracker with the Williamsport Civic Ballet and was part of the ensemble cast of several Operas and Operettas including: The Magic Flute, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Trial By Jury, and The Marriage of Figaro. A choreographer and a teacher, Lindsay has taught in New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts. She has been instructing students age three through adult in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, hip hop and creative movement since 2005. Linsday joined the BAC faculty in 2011.













 

Katie Dunkel
Instructor
Ballet, Children's Work

Katie Dunkel received her BA in Dance from Hamilton College with a Minor in Anthropology and is a graduate of the Trinity/La Mama Performance Art program out of New York City. She has taught dance at schools in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and was the Director of Dance at Burr & Burton Academy in Manchester, VT. Katie has had the pleasure of performing work by choreographers and companies including: Audra Carabetta, Lorraine Chapman, Contrapose Dance, EgoArt, Inc/Nicole Pierce, Falling Flight Project, Meghan McLyman, Mariah Steele, Danny Swain Dance Company, and WeberDance. An alumna of the Shared Choreographers Concert (2007) at The Dance Complex & the Emerging Artists Program (2009) at Green Street Studios, Katie has presented her own choreography in Cambridge, MA and New York City. Katie is the Director of Operations at Green Street Studios in Cambridge, holds her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certification through YogaWorks, and teaches yoga in Somerville in Cambridge. Katie has been on faculty at BAC since 2009.













 

Marcia Rotondo
Instructor
Ballet, Children's Work

Marcia Rotondo has been dancing since age 7. She currently performs as a principal dancer in Jazz, Inc, and has performed with many other professional dance companies including the Albany-Berkshire Ballet, Anna Myer & Dancers, Ballet for Young Audiences, Amanda Selwyn's Dance Theatre, Luminarium Dance Company, Ellen Stokes Shadle, Carmina Lucida, Folk Dance Theater, and has appeared in a music video on VH1 as well as in dance and art films that have exhibited at the MoMA in New York. Her teaching credits include Steps on Broadway, Ballet Hispanico, Ballet Academy East, Ballet Arts Centre of Winchester, The School of Ballet Arts in Concord, M.I.T., Boston University, and Boston Ballet's City Dance Program. In 2007, Marcia was awarded a scholarship to attend Julliard's professional dance teacher development program at Perry Mansfield Performing Arts School in Colorado where she studied among renowned teachers from many styles. Marcia's early training focused on ballet, tap, jazz, and modern studies at the LaPierre School of Dance, Ballet Theatre of Boston, and Smith College. She also teaches swing and tango. In addition to her dance experience, she holds a BA in Marine Biology and Neuroscience from Smith College. Marcia has been on faculty at BAC since 2008.