meet the qcd Instructors!

Laura Martel

Improv/Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballet, Acro, Tap/Jazz Workshop, Combo & Competition Team Instructor/Choreographer

Laura is a native of the Hudson Valley region, with over 16 years of teaching experience. She began her training with the New Paltz Ballet Company, under the direction of Peter and Lisa Naumann. Throughout her time there she spent her summers training in pre-professional programs such as The American Academy of Ballet, The School of American Ballet, and The Pacific Northwest Ballet. When she was 17, she shifted her focus to Contemporary dance and moved to the Czech Republic to train and perform internationally under the direction of Lynn Barre. Laura then moved home to study at SUNY New Paltz and obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies. After the completion of her undergraduate degree, Laura began teaching and choreographing at Ballet Arts in Beacon, NY, while completing a dance residency at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She taught at Ballet Arts, as well as several other local studios for three years before being recruited by California Elite Training Center in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA to run their Academy Dance Program.

EMILY GUERRETTE

Owner / Artistic Director / Acrobatic Arts Instructor / Competition Team Choreographer / Bookkeeper

Emily began dancing at Betty Jean’s Dance Studio at the age of 3. She studied tap, ballet, jazz and lyrical under various instructors for over 7 years. Emily was a member of Betty Jean's competition team for 5 of those years and received numerous awards in group dances as well as solos, duos and trios. Recognized for her talent in ballet, she attended Estelle & Alfonso's to study Russian ballet, pointe and gymnastics. During her time there she participated in halftime performances at Michie Stadium & holiday performances at Eisenhower Hall, both of West Point Military Academy. Emily took her love for the arts to Sage College of Albany where she studied the fine arts, to include painting, sculpting, drawing, printmaking, paper making and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Emily graduated in May of 2011 and had her senior project featured at the Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition in the Opalka Gallery. Emily has immersed herself in the artistic design & branding of Queen City Dance. She hopes to spark a love for the performing & fine arts in the students of QCD for many years to come.

Cassie Thomas

Musical Theatre & Tap/Jazz Workshop Instructor

Cassie started dancing at the age of 3 at Wappingers Dance Educators and then began dancing and competing with Betty Jean’s Dance Studio in multiple genres at the age of 6. She was classically trained in Ballet by Lucinda Ramson, who danced with Alvin Ailey as well as Mary Ribble who was trained by Andre Eglevsky. She furthered her education at Dutchess Community College, where she continued to dance, was given lead roles and implemented her own choreography. She graduated DCC with an Associates in Liberal Arts focusing on Adolescent Education and went on to graduate from SUNY New Paltz in 2008 with a BA in Adolescent Education, concentrating in English. Cassie was the head instructor/choreographer for Got Rhythm? Dance Studio in Gardiner, NY from 2006 to 2016 and coached dancers for for college dance team auditions, drama productions, talent agencies & exclusive intensive programs. She still performs and stays active within the dance community, taking classes to further her professional development. Cassie is dedicated to helping her students learn new genres, grow as unique individuals and most importantly, express their love for dance

Jennifer (Fuchs) Nathanson

Ballet & Pointe Instructor

Jennifer (Fuchs) Nathanson grew up in Brooklyn, NY where she began her diverse dance training at 4 years of age, studying jazz, tap, and ballet. At 10, she auditioned and was accepted to study at the acclaimed School of American Ballet (SAB) in NYC. At SAB she studied with teachers and dancers such as Alexandra Danilova, Antonia Tumkovsky, Richard Rapp, Stanely Williams, Suki Schorer, Andrei Kramarevsky, Helene Dudin and Kay Mazzo. Jennifer was chosen for The New York City Ballet Company (NYCB) in 1989. During her 8 years in NYCB she was a Corps de Ballet member and also performed in many soloist roles. She performed all Balanchine, Robbins and Martins repertoire. Some of her favorite ballets to dance in were Serenade, The Concert, The Four Temperaments, Midsummer Nights Dream, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Jewels, and Swan Lake. Highlights from her career include dancing with Rudolph Nureyev in the Berlin Ballet (1981). Her film credits include PBS Dance in America, and “The Nutcracker Movie” as a Marzipan. After her retirement from NYCB Jennifer began teaching in New York City at Studio Maestro. Her career as a ballet teacher, private coach, and choreographer has now spanned over 25 years. She loves teaching and strives to pass on her extensive knowledge about ballet and performing in a fun and positive way. Jennifer enjoys growing as a teacher and thoroughly loves teaching the students at Queen City Dance!

Gwen dreany

Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Combo, Acro, Lyrical, Contemporary & Competition Team Choreographer

Gwen began her dance journey at Landrum School of Performing Arts in Queens, New York starting at the age of 3 and competing by age 5. She danced at various studios before moving upstate at the age of 8. Her grandmother and mother opened a dance studio in Poughkeepsie named Dance Sensation where she danced and competed for 4 years. She became a member of Queen City Dance when they opened in 2014 and has been involved with the studio ever since. She has trained in various styles such as tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, contemporary/lyrical and acro! Throughout her dancing career at Queen City, Gwen has had many accomplishments. Most notably, she was accepted into the American Tap Company and competed in Germany for the IDO World Tap Dance Championship where her team won 5th place overall! During the 23'-24' school year, Gwen was a teaching assistant at Traver Road Elementary in a self contained Special Education room. Gwen loved dancing growing up and hopes to inspire other dancers to feel the same. She is dedicated to nurturing her students love for dance and seeing how they grow.

leah speck

Owner / Creative Director / Tap, Jazz, Acrobatic Arts & Combo Instructor / Competition Team Choreographer

Leah’s dance training began at the age of 3 at Betty Jean’s Dance Studio. Leah studied tap, jazz & lyrical under Darlene Eirish-Schofield & ballet/pointe under Ms. Mary Ribble for over 15 years. Leah was a member of Betty Jean’s traveling competition team for 9 years, where she received numerous awards & recognition. Leah’s love for teaching dance & choreography began at the age of 14 when she became a student teacher. She continued to teach various classes at Betty Jean’s, including choreography for the competition team until she graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes high school in 2000. Leah took her love for dance and desire to learn new styles & technique to NYC where she trained under Frank Hatchett & Mia Michaels at Broadway Dance Center for 2 years. Leah moved to Boston, MA in 2002 to study Business Management at Suffolk University where she continued to study dance at the Jeanette Neill Dance Studio. Leah taught for 2 years at K&M Dance Studio in Norwood, MA & performed as a member of the Lady Wolfpack Dance Team for the Manchester Wolves Arena Football Team in Manchester, NH. After Leah graduated from college, she moved back to Dutchess County, where she resides now with her husband Jeremy & their children Annabel, Lincoln & Camden. It has been Leah’s lifelong dream to open her own dance studio and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the local economy & have a positive influence in children’s lives through her love of dance.

Jackie soranno

Tap/Jazz Workshop, Acrobatic Arts & Competition Team Instructor/Choreographer

Jackie began dancing at age 3 at Yanarella School of Dance. She trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Acro
& Hip Hop. She danced competitively through high school and college, and began choreographing for her college’s dance company in 2012. Jackie began working for QCD right after graduation, and currently teaches students ages 3-18. She received her Acrobatic Arts Certification in the summer of 2018 and the Alixa Flexibility Certification in the summer of 2020. She works very closely with QCD’s competition dancers and feels so lucky to be able to teach and watch these kids grow! In addition to working at QCD, Jackie also teaches Ballet and Modern at Marist College. She has been teaching dance at QCD since 2015, and feels she has the greatest job in the world.

Evelyn Romano

Hip Hop, Tap/Jazz Workshop, Combo & Competition Team Instructor/Choreographer

Evelyn started dancing at the age of 4 taking Tap, Jazz and Ballet. She has been a competitive dancer at Queen City Dance since it opened in 2014. Evelyn is trained in multiple genres including Lyrical/Contemporary, Ballet, Hip Hop and Jazz. Her favorite style of dance is Hip Hop! Evelyn assists classes with ages ranging from 2-10 years old. She recently graduated from Arlington High School in the class of 2020! Evelyn is majoring in Education at Dutchess Community College and would love to be a teacher to young children one day! One of Evelyn’s passions has been working with children and has loved it ever since she was little!

Agon Mizelle

BBoy / Breakdance Instructor

Mr. Agon has been breakin' since his early teens. He has a Bachelors of Music from SUNY Purchase, and has completed the BBoy Dojo Teacher Training, and Shakti Yoga Tracher Training. He has been teaching in the Hudson Valley for over a decade. He is a member of Shadow and Earth crew, and has been involved with the East Coast Breakin community, stage performances, music videos, and event production throughout the years. His teaching style combines Yoga and Breakin' to meet the students where they are at, introducing them to strength, flexibility, and creativity through music and movement.

jillian ciccarelli

Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Combo, Acro, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary & Competition Team Choreographer

Jillian’s training started at the age of 5 with Tap, Jazz, and Ballet. She later became a competitive dancer at 10, where her training expanded into other styles such as Lyrical/Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Acrobatics. She graduated from dancing at Queen City Dance in 2021, and is now a Captain on the Marist College Dance Team, where she is majoring in Business Management with a concentration in Marketing. In 2024, her dance team went on to win the National Championship for Hip Hop in the D1/D1A category at the College Classic in Orlando, FL. Jillian has been teaching class at QCD since the winter of 2022 and says being a dance teacher has been a dream come true! Her favorite part of teaching is watching how the kids improve year to year and seeing their confidence and love to for dance grow.