Current Faculty
Isadora Snapp
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TEEN JAZZ & JUNIOR COMPANY DIRECTOR
BALLET, JAZZ, CONTEMPORARY |
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Isadora Snapp (she/her) grew up in Vermont, studying ballet, modern, and jazz with Lorraine Neal and Holly Yacawych at CD&FS. After graduating high school, she spent time in New York City training at Dance New Amsterdam Studios and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Since 2010, she has been teaching, performing, and creating work in Central Vermont.
For several years, Isadora’s primary focus as a teacher has been building a strong and supportive Ballet program at CD&FS. She is passionate about bringing the artistry and discipline of classical ballet to non-ballet-focused dancers. She is the director of Teen Jazz and Junior Company, and she teaches contemporary and modern ballet. In addition to teaching, Isadora is a choreographer and performer and has performed at venues throughout the state. She continues to develop her choreographic voice through partnerships with other local artists. |
annamaria dipietropaolo
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TEEN JAZZ & JUNIOR COMPANY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
AnnaMaria DiPietropaolo (she/they) is a multimedia artist originally from Northern Virginia, relocating to Vermont in 2013. She has trained in street dance, ballet, modern, tap, musical theater, jazz, and many other contemporary dance forms. She has a strong interest in the preservation and education of African-American dance forms and their communities/cultures, specializing in styles such as house and hip hop. Her practice often reflects the relationship between dance and neurodivergence/mental illness, with the ultimate goal of making dance more accessible/inclusive through decolonization. She is passionate about creating impactful work around world issues and collaborating on pieces that make students' voices heard. She was a member of Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio's Teen Jazz company in high school, and Amia Cervantes' dance company post-graduation. She's attended professional training intensives such as Rennie Harris' Illadelph Legends, Bates Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, and Trinity Laban's Summer Dance School. AnnaMaria currently resides in central Vermont, and spends her spare time traveling, cooking, and creating all different kinds of art.
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Carissa Bellando |
COMMUNITY COMPANY DIRECTOR
TAP, JAZZ, CONDITIONING, MUSICAL THEATER |
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Carissa Bellando (she/her) is originally from New York and holds a MFA in Contemporary Dance from Case Western Reserve University and a BA in Theatre and Speech with a concentration in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance from Wagner College. She is also a Registered Vinyasa and Prenatal Yoga Teacher.
Carissa performed professionally for thirteen years in Concert Dance and Musical Theatre throughout the US, Taiwan, and at sea with Norwegian Cruise Line and Aida Cruises before moving into teaching and choreographing full-time. Some of her favorite performance roles include Tumblebrutus in Cats, the Carpet in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Die Hexe (The Witch) in Es War Einmal (Once Upon a Time). Carissa has taught and choreographed in the US and Germany for colleges, conservatories, theaters, dance companies, and numerous studios. Before moving to Vermont, she was an Adjunct Professor at her alma mater, Wagner College, for four and a half years. There Carissa choreographed five original evening-length dance concerts and multiple musicals while teaching numerous levels of Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, Pointe, Tumbling, and Choreography/Composition. Carissa’s passion for dance and love of sharing her knowledge through teaching can be seen in each of her classes. She believes that a true technical basis, in any genre of dance, is the key to learning and executing advanced movement. It is her goal to help her students hone their skills and progress in a way that best suits them, at any age or level, for each student is unique and every body beautiful. |
MARISA HALL |
CONTEMPORARY
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Marisa Hall (she/her) is a choreographer, performer, and teacher who has been exploring dance as a creative, spiritual, and celebratory outlet for 35 years. As a young dancer, she trained rigorously in jazz, ballet, tap, and modern. In college, she continued to hone her personal movement vocabulary, exploring choreography and the rapidly evolving landscape of contemporary dance emerging around her. Rich and eye-opening years were spent in New York City, where Marisa danced professionally with several contemporary dance companies while training with teachers who continue to inform her personal dance style and choreographic process to this day. After a year spent teaching modern and contemporary at a competitive dance studio in Upstate NY, Marisa found a new home in Montpelier. Some of her favorite performance projects since moving to Vermont include her work with Tender Hearts, a contemporary evening-length work choreographed by Hanna Satterlee, as well as the I Love What You're Doing performance events curated by Emma Manion-Kohr. These days, Marisa is so excited about teaching contemporary dance at Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio, as this opportunity allows her to draw on her entire dance background and connect with younger dancers as their own artistic vitality begins to emerge.
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Rosemary Leach |
CONTEMPORARY
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Rosemary Leach (she/her) studied at CD&FS during her teen years and performed with the first Teen Jazz group under the direction of Lorraine Neal. Rosemary went on to receive her B.A. in Dance and Cultural Studies at Hampshire College in 1993, and she performed with the Orts Theater of Dance in Tuscon; the Montana Transport Company in Missoula; Hoi Polloi in Massachusetts and Soup/All-Purpose Dance Company at Phantom Theater in Warren, VT. She loves teaching many forms of movement to students of all ages and abilities and also serves on the faculty of Bates Dance Festival Youth Arts Program and Essential Physical Therapy & Pilates.
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TRACY MARTIN |
CREATIVE DANCE, MODERN
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Tracy Martin (she/her) graduated from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Dance Department. She performed in several theater dance productions and, after moving to Vermont, has become artistic director of the Phantom Theater in Warren. She has been teaching modern, creative movement for children, and NIA throughout Vermont and has been on the CD&FS faculty for over twenty years. Tracy believes there is a dancer in everyone. She approaches all of her classes with unbridled enthusiasm and infuses all of her students with creativity and the joy of dancing.
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Kait Nascimento |
MODERN
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Kait Nascimento (she/her) grew up dancing at CD&FS and obtained a BA in dance from Wesleyan University in 2007. During her time as a student, she had the opportunity to learn from many influential artists such as Lisa Race, Liz Lerman, Koma Otake and Miriam Druwe. Over the past fifteen years, Kait’s focus has shifted to teaching as she finds great joy in passing on her love of dance to others. Kait holds a Master’s degree in teaching and is also now finishing her Master’s in psychology; she believes movement and music can be profoundly therapeutic. Having witnessed dance enrich the lives of countless students at CD&FS, she is very happy to be back this year!
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SAM PARKER |
HIP HOP
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Sam Parker (he/him) is a Vermont native whose dance journey began in Waterbury at age 7. By age 12, he had begun pursuing dance more seriously, continuing his training at Unity Dance Complex in Williston, where he worked with choreographers from Los Angeles and New York. At 14, he was given his first opportunity to teach and has been sharing his passion for dance ever since.
After training with The PULSE on Tour under choreographers including Gil Duldulao, Brian Friedman, Dave Scott, Laurieann Gibson, and Tyce Diorio, Sam spent a year training in New York City before moving to Los Angeles to pursue dance professionally. During his eight years in LA, he performed and worked with artists including Janet Jackson, Phyno, Wale, and many others. Now back in Vermont, Sam is excited to begin a new chapter, sharing the knowledge and experience he gained in New York and Los Angeles with the next generation of dancers. |
SYLVan WILLIAMS |
COSTUME MANAGER, ACRO, MODERN
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Sylvan Williams (she/her) is a recent graduate from Keene State College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Education. She enjoys writing and photography, both of which she also studied, and was the 2023 recipient of the Eder Award scholarship for creative writing. Other collegiate achievements include being selected to present her choreography at the Northeast ACDA (American College Dance Association) conference in the spring of 2024, and being a member of the theater honors society Alpha Psi Omega. She was a student at Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio from 2007-2020 and studied a wide variety of styles, her favorites including Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, and Fusion, as well as being part of the Teen Jazz ensemble in high school. She recently moved back to her hometown in Vermont, and is excited to rejoin the studio as a faculty member.
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faculty photos by Sylvan Williams
PREVIOUS FACULTY
Millie Heckler |
HIP HOP, FUSION
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Millie Heckler (she/her) has worked as a Lecturer in Dance at University of Vermont and University of Texas, as well as many other schools and studios nationally and abroad. She has worked for Rennie Harris, assisting in the creation of Lazarus and Exodus for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and has danced with Charles O. Anderson/dance theater x. She is co-founder of the Vermont-based interdisciplinary female collective, lunch, exploring multiple shades of intimacy. She is a certified yoga teacher, as well as Inferno Hot Pilates teacher.
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ABBY PEPIN |
JAZZ
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Abby Pepin (she/her) began dancing at the Ruth Vicery School of Ballet in Barre and then at the Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio where she was lucky enough to have Kathy McBride and Lorraine Neal as teachers.
She then went on to receive a BA in Performing Arts from Johnson State College where she worked closely with Maris Wolf who opened her eyes in many ways. Upon graduating she began teaching at CD&FS, Montpelier High School, Stowe Dance Academy, and the Wolcott Ballet. She has performed extensively throughout the state and has worked with many creative and inspiring artists. She was a founding member of the Vermont Dance Collective and Same Planet dance company. She currently teaches at CD&FS and lives in Middlesex with her husband and two kids. |
Mary selene |
JAZZ, BALLET, PILATES
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Mary Selene (she/her) is a Burlington Vermont native, and received her BFA in Dance Performance with a Jazz concentration in April of this year. She completed the Balanced Body Reformer certification process, and loves incorporating Pilates into her daily routine as well as her teaching.
Throughout her dance training, Mary has found her love for choreography, teaching and performing. Her choreography has been featured at Future Artists choreography festival in January 2024. Previously, she has performed and choreographed with Synergy Dance Company, and is excited for a new chapter of collaborating, exploration and creation with fellow artists. |
ALLISON MANN,
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Allison Mann served as CD&FS Director from 2010 to 2023. Her very first experience at the studio was as an adult Jazz student in Lorraine Neal’s class in 1993. A few years later, she joined the faculty and taught Afro-Caribbean Dance and, eventually, Tap, Yoga and Dance/Exercise classes. While Director, Allison developed and expanded the studio’s offerings and programs: classes for very young children debuted, our Teacher Assistant program began; we initiated our Works in Progress shows. Allison led the studio through the Covid pandemic, developing and implementing studio safety protocols, and designing and coordinating the studio’s performances in Hubbard Park. She is deeply grateful for having had the opportunity to bring creative movement to so many lives. Allison now teaches Adult Yoga, Conditioning, and Dance Exercise classes, hosted by CD&FS. Learn more about these classes and her musical performances as a Jazz and Folk vocalist via email: [email protected]
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Lorraine neal,
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Lorraine has studied with some of the great legends in modern and jazz, and has taught various styles of dance to students of all ages and levels throughout Vermont and New Hampshire since 1972. She was on the dance faculty of Goddard College, and was a master teacher for the Burklyn Ballet Theatre Summer Program for 10 years, and, more recently, the Arts Supervisor for a small Special Education private school in NYC. Lorraine has choreographed, directed, produced, and performed in numerous dance and theater productions, and is the founder and former artistic director of Teen Jazz.
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