Katie is excited to be entering another wonderful season at The Performing Arts Connection as the Office Manager. Before arriving at TPAC, Katie was employed at Native Plant Trust (Garden in the Woods), where she served as the Administrative Coordinator for three years. Working at the Garden sparked an interest in environmental issues and protecting the region’s native flora and fauna, and she plans to continue educating herself about the field of conservation. Prior to that she was a Gallery Assistant at Quadrum, a gallery featuring a carefully curated collection of designer jewelry, for twelve years. There she was able to indulge in her love of gemstones and all things sparkly. Her favorite part of working at Quadrum was meeting interesting artists and making personal connections with clients. Katie has two daughters and is a proud dance, soccer and theater mom! She has made her home in Framingham for the past 20 plus years after earning a degree at Framingham State University, studying Art History and Museum Studies. She is so excited to be a part of the TPAC team and work with all the wonderful families, students, and colleagues!

Emily is so excited for another great year of teaching dance and theater at TPAC! Emily danced at Acton Boxborough Dance Center for 15 years, starting at age four. At AB Regional High School, Emily was very involved in Proscenium Circus, their theater group, as a performer, director, and student choreographer. She received a TAMY nomination for her work in “Mary Poppins”, and played Belle in “Beauty and the Beast.” Emily has a B.A. in Dance and Theatre from Muhlenberg College, with concentrations in Education, Choreography, and Performance Studies. She performed in numerous faculty and student productions, choreographed several mainstage pieces, and coordinated dance showcases. She was thrilled to work with Earl Mosley in “Unconquered” and has taken master classes from Dianne Walker, Aaron Tolson, Thelma Goldberg, and Ian Berg. At college, Emily was captain of the jazz team and a performing choreographer for both the jazz and tap teams. She also taught dance for the Muhlenberg Community Dance Center and completed an Arts Administration Internship at The Dance Complex in Cambridge. She performs with Dance Works Boston, a Boston-based dance company. Emily strives to create inclusive and engaging classes and shows that foster a love of performance. She cannot wait to get moving with everyone!

A lifelong musician, Hannah is a versatile music educator, performer, and music director in the Greater Boston Area. She holds a B.A. in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Plymouth State University (Plymouth, NH). Hannah currently teaches voice, piano, and is the private lesson booking coordinator for The Performing Arts Connection (Sudbury, MA) and teaches in-home private lessons through Jammin’ With You (based in Wellesley, MA). In addition, Hannah has also music directed various programs for The Performing Arts Connection Summer Theater Workshops (Sudbury, MA), the Create. Inspire. Change Theater Company (Boston, MA), Piano Monster Festivals (Plymouth, NH), The Flying Monkey Summer Theater Workshops (Plymouth, NH), the Circle Program (Plymouth, NH), and the Educational Theater Collaborative (Plymouth, NH). In addition to teaching, Hannah has performed in various venues all over New England. Hannah is an active member at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston, MA), and she sings for the High Holy Days at Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA). She has also performed with Night Song (Cambridge, MA), Coro Amante (Warwick, RI), Peacham Congregational Church (Peacham, VT), Saint John the Evangelist Church (Cambridge, MA), New Hampshire Master Chorale (Concord, NH), TIGER Theater (Plymouth, NH), Educational Theater Collaborative (Plymouth, NH), and St. Martins Theater (New Brunswick, Canada).

Ashley began her dance journey at age 3. When she was 12, she joined her first competition team and competed in various styles such as jazz, tap, lyrical, and contemporary until she graduated high school. During this time, she also taught dance classes to elementary age children. In college, Ashley was a member of the Siena Dance Team for four years. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Spanish Language from Siena College in 2012. After graduating, Ashley worked in special education while also teaching dance and movement classes to young children. In 2016, Ashley joined the TPAC community and never looked back. During her time at TPAC, Ashley has taken on multiple roles, including Teacher and Choreographer for the Conservatory Program, Eclipse Dance Team, Encore, and Metrowest Family Theater. She was Costume Coordinator for several youth musicals and worked remotely as Administrative Assistant in 2022. Even after relocating to upstate NY with her family, Ashley has one foot firmly planted at TPAC because there's just no other place like it! She is looking forward to her new remote role as Recital Coordinator as well as returning in person for other TPAC endeavors!

Michaela is overjoyed to be returning for her fourth year at TPAC! Michaela is a teaching artist, director, and music director currently based in Boston, MA. She is currently attending Emerson College to pursue a Masters in Theatre Education. She is a graduate of Muhlenberg College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Music, with concentrations in directing and choral conducting. Michaela currently teaches musical theatre classes, coaches private voice lessons, and serves as a Youth Choir Director. Michaela believes that the arts can be used to help students build confidence by learning about themselves and the world around them. She can’t wait for another amazing year at TPAC!

Jess is thrilled to be a part of the TPAC team! She has been a student at TPAC since she was eight years old. She took Conservatory classes, competed with the Eclipse Dance Team for five years, and was part of the studio’s Apprentice Program. She also has had the absolute pleasure and joy of being a summer counselor for the past three years at the Summer Theater Workshops and could not be more excited now to be a part of the Little Limelight and Conservatory team! Jess is currently in college, studying for a BFA in Theater Education. She is so excited to watch the students grow and have the best year ever! WOO, season 18!!

Abbie is a dancer, choreographer, and educator who holds a BA in Dance with a concentration in Hip Hop and a certificate in Dance Education. She is currently on staff at multiple studios teaching Hip Hop, Acro, Jazz, Lyrical and contemporary. Additionally, Abbie is the founder and director of a youth Hip Hop Crew in central mass and is a freelance show choir choreographer. Abbie’s captivating choreography has received numerous awards in the competitive sphere of show choir and dance including National Grand Champions!  When she’s not teaching or choreographing, she can be found continuing to train in various styles of dance in the Boston area. Abbie was a member of The Concept Artists where she performed all over New England. She has trained at the internationally acclaimed Bates Dance Festival and was a member of the Emmanuel College Dance Team. Additionally, she performed and choreographed for the Salem Dance Ensemble where she was awarded the Salem State Creativity Award for her culmination of dances. Abbie has also been featured in a Boston Globe Article about creating art during the pandemic.

Abbie’s teaching philosophy encourages her to create a safe space for her students to learn, create, and explore. Her classroom provides a space of community where every student’s voice is heard. Additionally, Abbie prides herself with the ambition to make her students more than dancers, but artists.

Born and raised in Sudbury, MA, Casey got her theater start right here, at The Performing Arts Connection, where she studied under Samm, JB, and countless other fabulous instructors from 2007-2020, when she graduated from high school and headed to Williams College in the Berkshires. While at TPAC, Casey studied Musical Theatre, took voice lessons, danced on the Eclipse Dance Team, performed in multiple youth and community theater musicals, and was a longtime member of The Friends of Broadway. While working towards her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Psychology from Williams, Casey led the nation’s oldest continuously running student theatre organization, Cap&Bells, serving as both General Manager and Co-Artistic Director over the past 3 years. She performed on the Contemporary Dance team for 2 years and then transitioned to being a TA under Artist-in-Residence Erica Dankmeyer, former member of the Martha Graham company. Casey continued to perform and some favorite roles include Cathy Hiatt (The Last Five Years), Molly Aster (Peter and the Starcatcher), and Ashlee (Dance Nation). Having graduated this past June, Casey is thrilled to be returning to TPAC as a member of the faculty, teaching dance classes while pursuing a Master’s in Social Work at Boston College. She can’t wait to share Season 18 with the TPAC team, as well as the amazing families and students!

Ava, a dancer and choreographer from Lancaster, MA, recently graduated from Skidmore College with a B.S. in Dance and Business. During her time at Skidmore, she performed student and professor works, as well as pieces by guest artists Peter Chu, Takehiro Ueyama, Brenda Way and Dexandro Montalvo, Monica Bill Barnes, and BalletX. She most recently worked with choreographer Mikey Morado in the creation of her senior capstone solo. Ava's work earned a unique distinction at Skidmore’s 2023 Celebration Weekend Concert, where she was the first and only student invited to present her choreography. She is excited to show her piece Save Your Apologies Until The End in the C(HORIO) Showcase at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center in November 2024. As a freelance artist, she will perform with 8&1 Dance Company East for their Providence Fringe Festival production in July 2024 and is currently rehearsing for Madison Florence’s evening-length piece Finding Space to be premiered in the Fall of 2025. She also looks forward to being a trainee with KAIROS Dance Theater during their 2024 fall season. Her inspiration to advocate for the arts, specifically dance, was fostered by her Arts Administration Internship and Development Associate position with the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA. She has taught as a guest artist at various dance studios throughout New England during her summers home from college and enjoys sharing her passion for movement with others. She is excited to bring her experiences and love for dance to the TPAC community.

Anina, (she/they), is a voice teacher and singer/songwriter based in Central MA. As a lessons instructor, Anina asks their students, “What does your voice do now?” and “What do you want your voice to do?”, which allows students to identify their vocal strengths and areas of singing they wish to explore further. The three tenets of Anina’s teaching philosophy are exploration, play, and collaboration, resulting in a lesson experience that is both fruitful and fun! Anina’s areas of interest within teaching voice lie in gender affirming voice care, voice science, and trauma-informed voice pedagogy, which all come together to create a lesson environment that is warm and welcoming to students of all genders, abilities, and backgrounds. She is committed to creating an equitable studio that is flexible to each student’s needs! Anina holds a BM from Berklee College of Music, where they studied Professional Music with concentrations in Performance and Songwriting, and Teaching Contemporary Voice. She was honored to win third place in the New England NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) student auditions in upper college musical theater (2023) and contemporary commercial music (2022). Anina is an active member of NATS and PAVA (Pan-American Vocology Association).

Tanisha is a well rounded dance teacher with a diverse background in performance, instruction, and choreography. With over 15 years of experience in the dance world, she is dedicated to pushing creative boundaries and sharing her love of dance with others. She holds an Associate of Arts degree from Dean College (2015), and continues to explore new avenues for artistic expression. Tanisha is professionally trained in hip hop, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, and tap, she has taught students of all ages and levels throughout her career. An award-winning choreographer, Tanisha brings a unique artistic vision to her work, crafting pieces that resonate with her audience and students. Tanisha Is thrilled to be joining the TPAC team, eager to contribute her passion and expertise to such an amazing performing arts studio!

Emma grew up dancing at Central Park Dance Studio in New York and enjoyed additional training at Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center, and the American Academy of Ballet. She now dances with DanceWorks Boston and loves performing with them! In her free time, Emma loves to dogsit, go thrifting, explore coffee shops, go on walks, and spend time with friends!

​Kelly-Jo has been a preschool teacher for over 30 years and loves to bring light, laughter and learning into her classroom! Kelly-Jo completed her lead teacher requirements for preschool and infant/toddlers at Mass Bay Community College. She started teaching in Maine at Rocking Horse Child Care Center (1986), and since then has also taught in New Hampshire (1988-1994), and Massachusetts (1994-present). Kelly-Jo helped launch TPAC's Pod Squad back in 2020 and has loved every second of the journey. She is the mother of two wonderful children and loves taking vacations to the beach and Disney World! Kelly-Jo hopes to continue to mold young minds through hand on projects and thinking outside the box. She believes that through using your imagination and support of each other you can accomplish anything! Kelly-Jo has strived to create a safe and fun learning environment for children so their education, growth and safety always comes first. Fun facts: has a German Shepard, loves Disney, and her favorite color is green!

Hi y’all! I've been working at TPAC since 2020 (don’t remind me though, it’ll make me feel old), and can’t wait for year FOUR of Fun Days with the incomparable, Kelly-Jo! I love running around with the kids, doing crafts with KJ, and finding new games to play. Can’t wait to see you all at Fun Days!

Katie is excited to be back at TPAC for another great season! Katie has worked at TPAC since 2022 in varying roles, including the summer programs. She is thrilled to be teaching Little Limelight classes now for the second year and she loves working with students to help foster their love for dance. On her free time, Katie enjoys reading. She is looking forward to all that Season 18 will bring!

Nat (they/them) is thrilled to be joining the TPAC team! They are a recent graduate of Clark University with a BA in theatre arts! They enjoy all things theatre from tech to production to writing to directing! And of course, their love for theatre started right here at The Performing Arts Connection where they took voice lessons and participated in productions and summer camps. Recently they finished up their first professional gig as stage manager for When The Mind's Free in Turners Falls, MA. You can also find them working as a brand ambassador for The Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA.