STRATFORD PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY (SPAA) - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of Our SPAA Family
• Vocal and Theatre Instructor

As a 23-year member of our SPAA Family, Aubrey continues to share her vocal talents with our Junior and Senior Vocal Companies. She competed vocally, for more than 10 years and has achieved the highest honors throughout the years. Aubrey is a 2016 graduate of Fairfield University as a Theatre/English major and pursues her career as an actress and wardrobe mistress for theatre companies. She worked with the Seacoast Rep. Summer Stock Theatre in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 2016, and is currently a vocal and theatre instructor at SPAA. She was on tour with "A Christmas Carol", as wardrobe mistress in December 2018.

Catie is an alumnus of SPAA, after dancing and competing for 10 years. She has been a member of the SPAA faculty for 8 years. Catie has been dancing and competing since the age of 3, and has consistently won many overall high score awards, scholarships, and grand champions. She graduated from Southern Connecticut State University, in 2016, with a degree and certification in Special Education, and now currently teaches at CES (Cooperative Educational Services) in the Developmental Learning Center. Catie was a 4-year member of the SCSU dance team and president and Captain of the team. Catie was also secretary and president of the National Dance Honor Society. She is currently teaching Pre School Ballet/tap/jazz, Company Modern, and Lyrical. Her Junior Modern class was awarded the Apogee Award of Excellence at Star Quest in 2022. She is the proud mom of MacKenzie Grace!

Job Titles:

• Company and Noncompetitive Instructor

Elise is celebrating her 27th season as a member of the SPAA family and her 9th year as a member of our faculty and Assistant Director of our Non Competitive program. She is an alumnus of Stratford Academy of Dance/Stratford Performing Arts Academy, where she began her dance training at age two. Elise attended the studio for 18 years, and throughout those years, was a member of our competition team. She became our youngest soloist to compete at age 5. Elise served as Vice President of the National Dance Honor Society Chapter in 2010. She is a graduate of Sacred Heart University where she was a Psychology major and a member of the Sacred Heart Division 1 Dance Team. She also holds a Master's in Developmental Psychology and currently working on her Master's in Counseling. Elise was the Assistant Dean of Students at New Haven Academy, and the Head coach of the Shelton Intermediate Dance Team. She is currently a fifth-grade educator at Six to Six Magnet School. Her classes at SPAA include Junior, Teen, and Senior Jazz Companies, Pre-Ballet, Creative Movement, and solo lessons for competition. Her senior jazz company was voted "Best Production at Nationals in 2015, and she, along with members of our staff, received Best Choreography at Access Broadway 2020 for a jazz production. Her students continue to excel in all performance aspects.

Jasmine will be joining our SPAA Faculty this Fall. She is an Alumnus of Stratford Performing Arts Academy and has had extensive training for 17 years. Jasmine has studied Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Modern, Hip hop, and tap and has excelled in all areas. She has received several Overall high scores and Titles as a competitor throughout the years and is excited to share her talents with her students. Jazzy is currently a student at the University of New Haven as a Pre Law major.

Job Titles:

• Co - Director, Sr. Company Lyrical, Modern, Ballet

Julie celebrates 42 years with Stratford Performing Arts Academy and is Co-Director of SPAA, currently teaching Senior levels of Ballet technique, as well as Senior Lyrical/Contemporary and Modern. Julie is a teacher's teacher, sharing 40 years of knowledge in the dance industry. Julie was an alumnus of Stratford Academy of Dance for 12 years and has been teaching for the Academy for the past 29 years. She graduated from the Hartford Conservatory with a degree in Dance Pedagogy, and also attended Louisburg College in North Carolina as a Dance Major. She continued her studies with several master's teachers in the NYC area. In 2005, Julie instituted the first CT chapter of the National Dance Honor Society (Nu Delta Alpha) where she served as an advisor for several years. She is currently a member of NDEO (National Dance Education Organization). Julie has choreographed several plays in the community such as "Wizard of Oz", "Into the Woods", "Babes in Toyland", "Big River", "Carousel", "West Side Story", "High School Musical", "Hello Dolly", and many more. Her Senior Company has won overall High Scores at Competitions including Nationals, for the past several years. Julie was also the recipient of several "Best Choreography" awards for more than 15 seasons. Her work has been featured at the Joyce Theatre in NYC, and her company was ranked Top 3 in CT for competitive studios in 2009. She has served on the judging panel at competitions in the tri-state area and is also a freelance writer and former home-school teacher.

Job Titles:

• Company Hip Hop, Modern, Musical Theatre

Another amazing SPAA Alumni, Kelsey has co-directed our Summer Musical Theatre Camp for the past eight seasons. She is a graduate of Pace University, New York City, as a Theatre Major. She recently returned from performing in a production of "West Side Story", in Bay View, MT. She is co-director of our Musical Theatre Program and is currently a Junior and Teen Hip Hop and Teen/Senior Modern Company. Kelsey continues to pursue her acting career.

Job Titles:

• Pre Ballet / Jazz / Tap Company Tap, Senior Company Assistant

Stratford Performing Arts Academy has been Lindoria's second home for 23 years. She began taking classes as soon as she learned to walk. Throughout her 17 years as a student, she competed in all styles of dance. She fell in love with tap and competed in a tap solo almost every year, from 6 to 17. In 2016, she won the overall high score at nationals, with her solo, "The Hanging Tree", choreographed by Julie Braziel. After graduating from High School in the Community, she attended Sacred Heart University. She was a member of the SHU Dance Team, and performed at NDA, national ranking 3rd, in Division 1 Hip Hop. In addition to teaching Tap, Hip Hop, and Pre-Ballet and Jazz at SPAA, she is a graduate of Oxford Academy of Hair Design, as a licensed cosmetologist. Her Senior Company received overall High scores at 5 regional competitions this season and the Apogee Award of Excellence at Star Quest 2022!

Job Titles:

• Modeling for Pageants and Competitions

Miss Shawn has been involved in pageants and dance for over 30 years as a pageant and dance mom, coach, and contestant. She is the owner and coach of East Coast Divas Pageant Coaching and is also a certified makeup artist. She has produced many supreme title winners both on the local and national levels. She has co-directed several fashion shows as well as trained models to walk at New York fashion week and bridal fashion shows in Connecticut and York.

Job Titles:

• Assistant Company Director / Ballet Instructor

Throughout her years at SPAA, Tracey has been assisting with the organization of our competitive program and is a Ballet instructor for our Petite through Senior Companies. She is a graduate of the Hartford School of Ballet, and her credits include performances at Carnegie Hall, Martha Graham, and Downtown Cabaret, Children's Theater. Tracey continues to mentor and teach classes to children ages 8 through teens and is currently a Specialist at Griffin Hospital Cancer Center, where she was nominated for employee of the year, in 2015.