as a certified elementary teacher with over 15 years in the classroom and recently nominated for the 2025 Canton Teacher of the Year, Jennifer is excited to bring the science of education to the art of dance. Jennifer has been dancing since the age of 3 and gained her love of dance while growing up at The Dance Connection. A member of the Dance Corp since its inception, she was a top-ranking competitor. Jennifer is a 2007 honors graduate from the University of Hartford, as the treasurer of kappa delta pi national honor society, with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in elementary education. She was also a member of the University of Hartford dance team from 2003-2007. Constantly earning awards for her dance achievements throughout the years, Jennifer brings innovative and fresh ideas to her classes and choreography, and is continually expanding her knowledge by training with some of the country’s finest teachers, including Savion Glover, Jason Samuels Smith, Sheila Barker, Pam Chancey, and Jermaine Goodson. Jennifer's choreography has received countless top awards at various competitions and has been recognized for its artistry and originality. In the classroom, Jennifer creates a fun and artistic atmosphere that allows her students the opportunity to be the best dancers they can be. Her greatest source of pride is the opportunity to share her love of dance with children and she is beyond excited to take backstage dance complex from a dream to a reality.

Maria founded the dance connection in 1995. She is a member of the professional Dance Teacher Association of America, National Alliance of Dance Associates, National Federation of Independent Business, and is licensed by American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publicists. Maria has studied with leading names in the world of dance, such as Luigi, David Howard, Ronni Demarco, Ginny East, Frank Hatchett, and Charles Kelly. She was awarded twice the overall scholarship from dance masters of America for excellence in ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatics. In 1992, Maria graduated from Roger Williams University with a B.A. in Dance & an Associates degree in Business Administration. She was also the recipient of the deans award for academic excellence in performing arts. Her choreography has received numerous top awards across Connecticut and Massachusetts. Her students regularly receive overall top awards at competitions. When she is not at the studio teaching, she is home being a mom to Cameron, Sean, Ryan, and Easton.

Fiona grew up dancing in Ohio at the Ballet Theatre of Toledo under the tutelage of Royal Ballet School graduate and English National Ballet principal dancer, Nigel Burgoine. She trained at Cincinnati Ballet in 2016, before joining Butler University’s prestigious collegiate ballet program. At Butler, Fiona trained in a wide variety of dance styles including Vaganova method ballet, Paul Taylor and Horton Modern techniques, Lynn Simonson and Fosse jazz, West African dance, Character, and musical theatre. She danced in numerous original works choreographed by the faculty as well as classical ballets such as “The Nutcracker,” “Giselle,” “La Bayadere,” and “The Sleeping Beauty.” In the summer of 2018, she toured with the Butler Ballet Ensemble in Poland, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Also during her time in Butler’s dance program, Fiona learned the art of costume design and construction. Fiona graduated Magna Cum Laude with High Honors in Dance in May 2020 with a Bachelors of Science in Dance Arts Administration and a minor in English Literature. She joined New England Ballet Theatre as a Company Artist in 2020 and also works for the company as the Development Manager and Director of Costume Design and Construction.