OUR PHILOSOPHY: Our friendly and welcoming, small classroom environment is open to any student of any age who wishes to study dance for fun, exercise, and to build a solid dance foundation. Our students range from age two through seventies, and across three generations in some of our families that dance with us. Our curriculum is written for recreational dancers as well as students aspiring to study dance at an intensive level. We strive to create a classroom environment that balances education, fitness, passion and fun. Our skilled, professional and high energy instructors constantly continue their own studies of dance and dance education. We are proud to be affiliated with the prestigious Dance Masters of America organization. As one of the few schools in the state of Maine that is affiliated and studies with Dance Masters of America, our instructors are certified by test to teach their respective disciplines. Our instructors have danced professionally and have strong national dance creditentials. Most importantly, we are educators.  All policies are communicated to our families and all information is distributed to students and parents far in advance so that important dates and events can be planned for. Class schedules are consistent, policies are clear. Should you have any questions about our dance center, events, performances and policies, please do not hesitate to ask. We understand how busy daily life is and strive to exceed your expectations in your dance experience with us. Danielle Drouin Owner & Director (Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater Dance): Danielle began dancing at age five, at The Virginia Dorr School of Dance. She studied locally  under the direction of Carole Jordan, and Maine State School for the Performing Arts. After graduating from the University of Southern Maine, Danielle continued her dance education in New York City, studying at Broadway Dance Center with such dance masters as Frank Hatchett, Finis Jhung, and Barbara Duffy. Danielle has taken Master Classes with Bob Rizzo, Stepp Stewart, Judine Richard, and Joe Tremaine. She continues to study at Broadway Dance Center, Dance Masters of America Teacher’s Training School in Buffalo, New York and attends workshops regionally. Danielle has earned platinum and gold medals from national and regional dance competitions and placed in the Top Ten at the 1998 Showstopper National Championships. Danielle has performed professionally in 42nd Street and for Paramount Productions. Local performances include various musicals at Portland Players, The Best of Broadway, and with Dance USM!, University of Maine, and Dirigo Dance Troupe. She has been an instructor and choreographed for Unum Corporation, The Best of Broadway, Portland Lyric Theater and area dance schools, cheering squads and high schools. Danielle’s students have won many awards, including regional and national honors. Danielle is a member of Dance Masters of America and a graduate of Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School and holds certification in Ballet, Tap and Jazz. In addition, Danielle is a founding member of the Westbrook Arts and Culture Committee and on the Westbrook Performing Arts Center Committee. Nina Alves (Zumba) Nina started tap dancing at the age of 3 and instantly fell in love with the fast tap style!  Nina has always been involved in some type of activity aerobics or dance and when she discovered Zumba back in 2004, she was immediately was hooked. Zumba combines the two things that she loves to do- dance and an aerobic workout!  Nina has been a certified Zumba instructor since 2006 and is also a Zumba Gold instructor, for the active senior.  Nina loves teaching the Zumba class as it is “all about having fun and shaking off your daily stress!” Morrigan Burns (Irish Step Dance): Morrigan began studying Irish Step Dancing at the age of five under the direction of Shelia Stevens in West Hartford, CT. Morrigan danced on a local, regional and national level for 12 years . Morrigan teaches Irish Step Dancing (solo) and traditional Irish Ceili group dancing. She has taught at the Performing Arts Connection in Hampton, VA, The Academy of Dance in Biddeford, ME, teaches for many community organizations and coaches for the Special Olympics. Morrigan earned her B.A. in Special Education from Goucher College and her M.S. Ed. in Severe Disabilities with a Graduate Certificate in Autism from The Johns Hopkins University. Morrigan teaches Special Education in the elementary level at Cape Elizabeth schools. Rhonda Cook (Tap) Rhonda Davis-Cook  has taught dance in Southern Maine for 25 years. She began her dance training at the age of 5 at The Virginia School of Dance in Gorham, Maine and continued her training under the fabulous Carole L. Jordan. Rhonda taken Master Classes in all forms of dance in Portland, New York City, Philadelphia, and at Kent State University and with LaVaughn Robinson, Brenda Bufalino, Josh Hilberman, Judy Ann Bassing, Tom Ralabate and Gus Giordano. She has attended Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School in Buffalo, New York and is certified by test to teach by Dance Masters of America in the areas of tap and jazz. Rhonda has received numerous choreography awards as well as regional and national high scores at competitions. Rhonda loves teaching dance and believes that dance can improve self esteem, sharpen the mind and get people moving, young and old. Brittany Gereben (Lyrical, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Creative Movement): Brittany Gereben began dancing at the age of five. She danced with Victoria Studios and later, The Main Street Dancers, an international dance troupe from Edmunston, New Brunswick, Canada. The Main Street Dancers are a highly recognized and respected dance troupe throughout the Atlantic Provinces. With The Main Street Dancers, Brittany competed in Montreal, St. John, New Brunswick and Maine, receiving numerous top honors. Brittany was named Dancer of the Year 2002, before moving to the Portland area to attend college. She has taught dance throughout her high school years to groups of young, energetic students. Brittany’s specialties are lyrical, jazz, and hip-hop. Erin Hamblen (Ballet, Jazz): Erin Hamblen began dancing at the age of three. She has studied locally at The Dance Studio of Maine under the direction of Carole Jordan, and has taken Master Classes with dance greats Stepp Stewart, Kyme Sallid, Judine Richard, and Alan Arnet. Erin was a member of The Dance Studio of Maine Competition Team, and competed nationally and throughout New England, earning gold and silver medals at Showstopper, Starpower, Starbound, and The American Dance Awards. She competed at the 1995 and 1998 Showstopper National Championships, earning three gold medals. In addition to competing, Erin has performed locally in many charity benefits including those for the Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Miracle Network and Muscular Distrophy Association. She is currently studying with Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School in Buffalo, New York. Erin is a graduate of Florida State University. Andrea Lucas Andrea Lucas holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors(2009) in Dance Pedagogy from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she attended on Talent Award Scholarship.  Ms. Lucas began her training with Alexandra Zaharias in St. Louis, and attended prestigious summer training programs with American Ballet Theatre (New York City), Joffrey Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Ballet Internationale, and Radio City Rockettes.  She continued her studies at Butler University under Marek Cholewa, Michelle Jarvis, Rosanna Ruffo, and Stephan Laurent, among others.  In addition, she has trained in St. Petersburg, Russia, and at the National Ballet School of Poland in Warsaw, and has performed on the stages of the five National Opera Houses in Poland. Some of Ms. Lucas’ notable roles include Dark Angel in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, and Odette in Swan Lake Act II. Additionally, she has danced featured roles in multiple productions of Giselle, Coppélia, La Fille Mal Gardée, and The Nutcracker, as well as original choreographic works by Marek Cholewa, Stephen Mills, Robert Kelley, Trinette Singleton, Leslie Browne, Susan O’Connell, and Sergey Kozadayev.  In addition, she has danced professionally with the Indianapolis Opera in their production of Il Trovatore.  She has worked for both Motionwear and Dancewear Solutions as a print model, and has choreographed original works for Regional Dance America/MidStates, and for Butler Ballet’s annual Student Choreography Showcase.  As a Principal Dancer with Portland Ballet, Ms. Lucas has danced featured roles in choreography by Nell Shipman and Vanessa Beyland, as well as Dew Drop Fairy in The Victorian Nutcracker, and as a soloist in Kennet Oberly’s world premiere, Mozart’s Requiem.  Danielle Maurice (Tap, Jazz, Acro): Danielle began dancing at the age of 4, studying at Dancer’s Image in Westfield, MA under the direction of Tina Girard. She was a member of the Dancer’s Image Company and has earned gold and silver awards at local and regional competitions. Danielle is a graduate of Elms College with a BA in Psychology and Education. While studying at Elms, she took dance classes with Shelley Ziebel of New England Dance Conservatory. Danielle has earned her MA in Psychology from Brandeis University and is currently pursuing her PhD in Social and Developmental Psychology at Brandeis. She has also performed with Brandeis University’s Adagio dance group. Danielle has been a member of the Drouin Dance Center Company, has coached varsity and JV cheering for Southwick-Tolland Regional High School, and has taught dance classes at Berwick Academy. Sasha Randall (Contemporary, African): Sasha graduated magna cum laude from Long Island University's Honors program earning her B.F.A. in Dance Studies with a concentration in Psychology. Her early training began with Rhonda Davis-Cook in Gorham, ME and Kathy Nolan through the Southern Maine Regional Fine Arts Program. While in college she was introduced to a diversity of dance styles from cultures all over the world. She studied Asian dance with Uttara Asha-Coorlawala, African dance with Kemoko Sano (founder of Les Merveilles de Africains), Modern with Cheryl Halliburton-Beatty and Beth Trimm, Ballet with Dr. Cara Gargano, and Jazz and Musical Theater with Donna Scheer. She continued her post-graduate studies at Mills College in Oakland, CA where she trained extensively in modern dance composition and performance with Mary Cochran, Anne Westwick, Mary Anne Kinkead, and Kathleen McClintock. Upon her return to New York, she worked as a freelance dancer and with Circle of Dance Repertory Company, performing in notable venues such as the Duke Theater, P.S. 122, and Clark Theater in Lincoln Center. She has worked as a performer, teacher, choreographer, and researcher of dance throughout the northeast and California. She continues to train and choreograph locally and in the New York metro area. Sasha is also the Director of the Dance Program at Berwick Academy. Chelsea Rondeau Maryann Saulle (Ballet, Tap, Jazz): Maryann Saulle has been dancing since the age of seven. She has studied locally at Dorothy Ruel School of Dance, the Maine Summer Arts Program, The Virginia Dorr School of Dance and The Dance Studio of Maine. Maryann has taken Master Classes with such dance greats as Bob Rizzo, Stepp Stewart and Laura Hausmann. She has been a member and performed with Dirigo Dance Troupe, The Front Page Dancers and Gorham Community Ballet Company. Maryann has also performed at the Maine Summer Arts Festival, with Portland Players in 42nd Street, and for charity benefits including those for the Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Miracle Network. She began teaching dance at the age of sixteen was an instructor for many years at The Dance Studio of Maine as well as at the Schoolhouse Center for the Arts. Maryann is a graduate of the prestigious Dance Masters of America’s Teacher’s Training School in Buffalo, New York and holds certification in Ballet, Tap and Jazz. Maryann also works at Unum  Corporation. Meghan Tracy (Creative Movement, Combo Classes) Meghan Tracy has been dancing in Maine for 20 years, and teaching dance for the last 10 years at dance schools in Southern Maine and has been an instructor here at DDC since its opening in 2005. Meghan has received Dance Education training with Dance Masters of America Teacher’s Training School in Buffalo, New York and has studied with Master Teachers such as Kyme, Judine Richard, and Stepp Stewart. In addition to competing at the Showstopper National Dance Championships, Meghan has earned numerous medals competing at Northeast Regional danced competitions. Meghan also appeared as a dancer in the 2006 Best of Broadway at Merrill Auditorium. Meghan also works as a teacher at Step By Step Developmental Preschool in Westbrook and completed the Child Development Associates Credentialing Training Program in June of 2008. Meghan was awarded her CDA Credential from the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, D.C. in July. Meghan is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Maine Association for the Education of Young Children (MEAEYC). Heidi Tranchemontagne (Ballet, Tap, Jazz):  Heidi has been dancing since the age of nine.  She studied under Terri Glidden, who directed a small and very disciplined dancing school in Fairfield, Maine.  Heidi started competing with Dance America at the age of eleven.  Through Dance America, she competed in dozens of regional competitions and three national competitions.  Heidi has studied through Dance Olympus workshops with many well known dancers/instructors such as Bob Rizzo, Debbie Dee, Frank Hatchett, Bill Dericco, Sarah Jo Fazio, Patricia Dickenson and Densil Adams, to name a few.  She also has participated in Maine Dance Teachers Club.  Heidi's strengths are in jazz and lyrical, but she has had plenty of instruction in all forms of dance.  She had taught for her home studio and for the Dance Studio of Maine.  Heidi is also employed by Disability RMS and she and her husband James own the Frog and Turtle Restaurant in Westbrook.