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Meet Our Faculty!
Our team of passionate and experienced instructors are dedicated to providing you with the best dance experience. We believe in nurturing creativity and artistic development while delivering top-notch dance education. Our highly-qualified teachers are committed to helping you achieve your goals and unleash your full potential as a dancer.
Blake Balathunis
Owner & Executive Director
Blake began his journey into dance at the young age of 5 years old. From there he began excelling as both a performer and a competitive dancer. Throughout his time competing he earned numerous group and solo awards, including two regional and national titles.
At 15, Blake received the prestigious Triple Threat Scholarship from DREAM Studios Inc. This allowed him to attend the "3T" summer performing arts program at Alabama State University, where he trained under actress Tonea Stewart. By 16, Blake began teaching and has since accumulated over a decade of valuable teaching experience. In his time as a choreographer, Blake has seen several of his pieces win various choreography and technique awards, as well as feature in several local musical productions and music videos.
Blake also spent several years coaching the dance team at Elms College, where he taught various college dance courses as well. He currently serves on several judging panels for numerous dance competitions across the nation. Most recently, Blake appeared as a judge on Hulu’s new smash hit "Dance Moms: A New Era."
Blake is now pursuing his lifelong dream of owning his own dance studio, reflecting his unwavering commitment to excellence in dance.
Jess LaFountain
Associate Director
Miss Jess's passion for dance stems from her background in both dance and gymnastics. Jess has been dancing since the age of 3, and in that time was also a competitive gymnast for 13 years. Growing up she took classes in tap, ballet, pointe, lyrical, acro, and hip hop. At age 15, Jess was given the opportunity to choreograph a few pieces of her own, for herself and her teammates to perform, which included solos, a duet, and a small group. Exploring the creative process of creating a dance is when Jess truly fell in love with her craft.
Jess graduated from Dean College with a B.A. in dance, specializing in performance and choreography. In her time at Dean, Jess furthered her studies and training in all styles including contemporary, modern techniques (Horton, Graham, and Limon), ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. She also had the opportunity to study abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina to learn tango, samba, and folkloric dance styles in a two-week intensive.
Jess is currently teaching and choreographing for competitive teams, recreational classes, and master classes. She has recently earned a top regional choreography award for her competitive contemporary choreography. Miss Jess thrives with generating new movement and allowing herself to explore total creativity in dance, while challenging her students to do the same.
Emily Godlew
Competition Choreographer
Miss Emily is a teacher inside and out of the studio!
Emily has her B.S. in Elementary Education with a concentration in Psychology from Westfield State; as well as her M.Ed. in Special Education from Springfield College. Growing up Emily was trained in various styles of dance including tap, ballet, lyrical and jazz. While pursuing her educational goals, Emily continued dancing in college and joined her school's dance team. She then became co-president of the dance company at Westfield State during her time there, solidifying her leadership and teaching skills as well as her overall love for dance.
Emily is currently teaching competitive teams and has even earned recognition with a top 3 national trio. She enjoys watching her students succeed in learning new skills and always encourages them to try new things. Her dynamic choreography and leadership qualities create an upbeat and positive environment in her classes.
Madi Kowal
Recreational Teacher
Miss Madi has extensive experience as a dancer and a dance teacher, with 24 years of performing in front of an audience under her belt. She began dancing at the age of 2, and has a primary foundation in tap, ballet, pointe, jazz, and lyrical. Madi was a competitive dancer at her home studio, and chose to pursue her love for dance further throughout her college years.
Madi has her B.A. in dance teaching and studio management from Dean College. Here she found that she held a strong interest in tap dance and published her own book, "The Magic Miracles of Quick Feet" in order to educate others on the benefits of tap dance. Also while at Dean, Madi was on the school's tap team "Loose Screws", and performed in numerous shows put on by students and faculty alike.
Miss Madi is currently teaching for our recreational program. She creates a positive environment for her dancers to grow in and teaches her students to push their limits inside and out of the studio classroom. With a love for sharing the joy of dance, Madi forged her passion for dance through the guidance of her previous teachers, and hopes to do the same for each of her own students.
Libby Murphy
Recreational Teacher
Miss Libby's passion for dance and engaging teaching methods make learning dance a fun and rewarding experience!
Libby graduated from Elms College with her degree in life sciences. Libby is an enthusiastic dancer and dedicated instructor. She has been trained in multiple styles of dance including tap, hip hop, jazz, ballet, and contemporary. She has been dancing since the age of 3, and followed her passion for performing while in college. Libby also began her artistic educational journey while assistant teaching for her college dance team at Els, where she met Blake.
Currently Libby is teaching for our recreational program. Libby strives to help her students build their skills and explore their creativity in a space where they can feel comfortable to learn at their own pace. She loves watching her dancers find their personality and confidence in her classes and with her routines. Dance has been a life-long passion of Miss Libby's, and she aspires to pass on her devotion to dance to her students.
Cindy Hogan
Zumba and Barre
Cindy is passionate about helping people reach their fitness goals while having fun! She has been dancing for 41 years, in styles including but not limited to tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary and hip hop, and she has a combined teaching experience of 28 years. Cindy graduated from Salem State University with a dance minor and had earned the Presidential Arts Scholarship in the category of dance at the university. Throughout her college career she also choreographed and performed in the student run Repertory Dance Theater.
In addition to her dance repertoire, Cindy is a certified Zumba and Barre instructor. She has been teaching Zumba since 2010, Strong by Zumba since 2016, and Barre since 2020. With these years of experience in dance and fitness, Cindy brings a unique blend of grace and strength to her classes. Her passion for helping clients achieve their fitness goals are evident in every class she teaches. Join her for a challenging and rewarding workout that will leave you feeling energized and empowered.
Stephanie Gilbert
Acting Coach
Miss Stephanie brings fun and creativity to her classes to inspire and nurture students in their performing arts journeys!
Stephanie has tons of experience in theatre, including roles that she served as either an actress or as director/choreographer. Stephanie attended Berklee College of Music for Jazz Vocals from years 1998-2000, as well as studied at Circle In The Square Theater School in 2001 for Musical Theatre. Miss Stephanie also has a Bachelor's Degree in Communications Disorders from Elms College. Stephanie has worked as a Speech and Language Pathology Assistant for the Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District for several years now.
Miss Stephanie has directed, choreographed, and appeared on stage in leading roles throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. Stephanie has also been teaching youth theater camps and classes for years. She is thrilled to now be sharing her experience and passion for the arts with us here at Phoenix Dance Company!
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