About

OUR Motto

Life with dance.

DNE School of Dance was founded in 1996 by Lynn Webster Makiej as Dance New England. We have been thrilled to offer dance for beginners through pre-professionals at every age. DNE School of Dance is devoted to creating the best possible environment for dance instruction and social ballroom dancing. Lynn is a strong believer that one of the most important elements in a successful dance experience is to simply have fun and enjoy yourself.

We are a non-competitive dance studio with two performing companies that can be seen dancing all over New England.

Our Studio boasts over 8,000 square feet of beautiful mill space, five studio spaces plus a Ballroom Café. The Café is a small ballroom for private ballroom instruction, a coffee bar, comfortable seating & Wi-Fi. A great place to wait for your class, dancer, or just hang out.

Ballet, Baby Dance, Tap, Jazz, Pointe, Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Irish Step, Hard Shoe, Open Non-Performing Classes, Special Needs Dance, Youth, Teen & Adult Ballroom, "Saturday Night Out" Ballroom Dancing, Studio Rentals, Private and Corporate Rentals, and birthday parties.

Feel free to contact us anytime if you have any questions about DNE - we’d love to talk with you!

Life with dance.

studio location

66 princeton street
north chelmsford, Ma 01863



MAILing address

55 middlesex street
north chelmsford, ma 01863

LOCATION

LYNN
MAKIEJ

LYNN MAKIEJ

Lynn Makiej is currently enjoying the position of Executive Director after opening the doors of DNE School of Dance in 1996. She fell in love with dance while taking classes at a local dance school as a child. By the age of 13, she was studying Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz and Lyrical in Boston, Massachusetts under the direction of Rennie, Rhee & Sherry Gold. She was also fortunate enough to study under Rosanne Ridings & Jose Mateo. She was soon performing in many Boston area productions and fashion shows. While still in high school, she was given the opportunity to dance with Jean Ann Ryan Productions. After high school, she began her professional dance career by dancing Broadway and Las Vegas-style review shows on the Queen Elizabeth II and M.S. Sagafjord. This exciting journey took her from South Africa to Alaska. Lynn has performed & competed professionally in many national ballroom competitions and since 1992, began to focus on teaching American Style Ballroom. In 1996, she opened the doors to Dance New England to share & offer her love of dance to everyone. DNE continues to grow in popularity with each passing year - Lynn is thrilled to be a part of one of Greater Boston's premier dance environments. She has currently taken the position of Executive Director as she is now sharing ownership of DNE with Mandra Biscornet as Artistic Director and Susan Webster as Financial Director. She continues to inspire the art of dance to all ages and is loving every minute of it.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

MANDRA
BISCORNET

MANDRA BISCORNET

Mandra Riley Biscornet studied ballet and jazz at Bay State Ballet Theater School & the Madelon Curtis Dance Studio. Her performance experience includes Dance Prism, a Feast of Friends Productions, Bay State Ballet Theater Company, and the Madelon Curtis Dancers. At the University of Virginia, Mandra performed & choreographed for the Virginia Dance Company, serving as Artistic Director of the Company in her 4th year. She also worked with University administrators to help grow the performing arts program on campus. Mandra holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Virginia, and a Masters in Social Work from Boston University. She enjoys working with children and families both in the field of social work and in the performing arts. Her passion for teaching dance has spanned over 15 years, and she continues to enjoy shaping young dancers & watching them grow. As Director of DNE, Mandra is able to share her love of dance and performing with many children and families, and be part of a wonderful team of instructors.  

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

SUSAN
WEBSTER

SUSAN WEBSTER

Sue Webster is our Financial Director and is sharing ownership with Lynn Makiej and Mandra Biscornet. Sue has been on the administrative side of companies for her entire career at various levels. Prior to joining DNE on a full-time basis, she spent ten years as an Administrative Assistant to the President and Vice President of an environmental engineering firm in Concord. She has especially enjoyed working for small business owners where she feels she can assist in the growth of the Company. Since DNE opened in 1996, she has worked part-time in the office helping with the growth of the studio as much as she could. In October 2001, Sue became a full-time employee at DNE taking care of student records and assisting at all of our special events throughout the year and much more. She has enjoyed learning the process of operating a small business and looks forward to continuing the growth of DNE.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

SARA
DICENSO

SARA DICENSO

Sara DiCenso began dancing at the age of three at Ellen’s School of Dance. There she studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Lyrical, as well as Streekfunk and Pointe. She was a member of Ellen’s Competition Team; traveling all over to compete and taking Master Classes at various conventions throughout New England. After graduating high school, Sara then went on to study dance education at Bridgewater State College (now BSU). There she was a member of the BSC Dance Team, Dance Company, and Dance Ensemble, performing in many shows on and off campus. She also choreographed several pieces and produced her own show with a couple of fellow dancers which was performed at the college. Since graduating from BSC in 2008, Sara has been a proud member of the DNE Family and is thrilled to share her knowledge and passion for dance as the studio’s new Artistic Director.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

BRENDA
FARIOLE

BRENDA FARIOLE

Brenda Fariole began studying ballet, tap and Jazz at the age of four. At the age of eight she began training with Mary Flynn Murphy, Kathy Kozul and Bill McLaughlin adding Pointe and Lyrical dance to her repertoire. By the age of fourteen she was studying dance under the direction of Sherry, Rennie and Rhee Gold as well as Ballet Mistress Roseann Ridings, at the Gold School in Brockton, Massachusetts. There she began competing and performing dance throughout the United States. In her early twenties she began training and teaching American Style Ballroom and Latin dance. She has been a staff member at DNE School of Dance since 2001 and continues to teach Ballet, Tap Jazz and Lyrical dance, as well as Adult Ballroom. As DNE's Studio Manager she has the opportunity to interact with both families and staff and looks forward to continuing sharing her love of dance with students of all ages!

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

CHRISTINE
MORRISON

CHRISTINE MORRISON

Celtic Dance has been Christine Morrison's passion and hobby since the young age of four. She began her step-dancing journey at that age in Boston, Mass. and hasn't stopped dancing since! Traveling all over New England, Eastern Canada, and Scotland with a quartet of step dancers known as "Four on The Floor", Christine and the foursome entertained many with their rhythmic presentation of steps that left their audiences demanding more! They made their way to the stage with notable and Grammy nominated musician, Natalie MacMaster, which lead to many more invitations to Irish and Celtic Festivals and Concerts. Now as a dance teacher, Christine incorporates her love of Irish Step Dancing and Cape Breton(Scottish) Step Dancing into her classes to create the perfect "Celtic Combo" for her students. Christine's high energy classes, focus on "keeping the tradition" of step-dancing alive, and to promote the love of dance. You can expect traditional steps as well as new and innovative movements that the Irish and Scottish dance worlds are diving into! Christine holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She has worked with children and teens with all abilities and has dedicated most of her adult life to work with children. She continues to do this through dance, and her style of teaching shows it!

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

NATHAN
BENTLEY

NATHAN BENTLEY

Nathan is a dancer, instructor and choreographer with over 10 years of teaching experience. He grew up in Upton, MA and started his dance journey taking classes at Dance Works Academy at the age of 4 years old. While there, Nathan primarily engaged in Hip Hop classes but also trained in Tap, Modern, Musical Theater and Lyrical. His love for dance grew with him as he started to branch out even further into the dance world by taking classes at workshops and conventions where he had opportunities to learn from some of his earliest and biggest inspirations, while also actively participating in the Open-Style dance culture and lifestyle. Today, Nathan teaches the fundamentals, technique, history and heritage of Hip Hop dance and related funk/street styles, as well as his own brand of Open-Style dance at studios around New England. His choreography has received high scores and numerous judge admirations at dance competitions across New England throughout his career. He loves to focus all of his energy on his students, making sure that they have fun with dance, while also encouraging them to work hard and grow into better and stronger dancers, as well as humans! 

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

STEPHANIE
BEVILACQUA

STEPHANIE BEVILACQUA

Stephanie Bevilacqua began her dance training at The Dance Company in Quincy Massachusetts under the direction of Don Bigger. She quickly realized that dance was the one and only thing she ever wanted to do. She attended Dean College where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance. There she was a member of the Dean Dance Company and C.E.O. and Choreographer for the college’s dance team. From there she danced in companies including Bryce Dance Company, The Gray Area Dance Project, Unyted Stylz Entertainment under Ricardo Foster Jr., Bassline in Motion under Adrienne Hawkins, her own company jsXtension as well as Arc en Ciel Dance Troupe Inc., a Haitian Folkloric dance company. 

Stephanie moved to Los Angeles in 2009 and began training at The Edge, Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio and Millennium Dance Complex. While performing company and stage work with Brockus Dance Project; a modern jazz company under the direction of Deborah Brockus she also had a love for commercial dance. She worked with numerous artists for music videos and live shows including Chad Carr (Reason), KUBA-KA, Mika Newton, Raz, OYA and Storm Diesel and Vishno. She performed at the Legacy Awards honoring Adam Shankman at the Directors Guild of America and was a part of Missy Elliot's - Sharaya J and the BANJI Movement Release at Carnival, choreographed by Tricia Miranda. Stephanie was mentored and trained by Solid Gold dancer, Helene Phillips whose credits include A Chorus Line, Michael Jackson and Madonna. More of Stephanie's west coast performance credits include: “Holla II”, a Lions Gate Film, directed by H.M. Coakley, “The Perfect Pitch” musical, Edge PAC scholarship show, and ABC Family's "Bunheads" choreographed by Marguerite Derricks. Stephanie was also a part of the Alto Nido Arts Collective in Hollywood, Dancers Alliance and Answers4dancers. 

Stephanie now resides in New Hampshire with her husband Steve, daughters Sofia, Francesca, Viviana and two pups Pacino and Winni. Stephanie is heading into her 8th year teaching dance at DNE as well as continues to guest teach all over New England. 

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

JAMIE
IRWIN-BROWN

JAMIE IRWIN-BROWN

Jamie Irwin-Brown received her training at the Allegheny Ballet Academy and Boston Ballet with several summers spent studying at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She was selected to perform corps de ballet roles in Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker and Swan Lake and was invited to tour in BBII’s production of Snow White. She went on to dance with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre and the Boston Dance Company where notable roles included the title role in Cinderella, Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, and Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie and Minkus pas de Trois. Over the past several years, Ms. Brown has enjoyed sharing her passion as a teacher, choreographer and rehearsal coach. Students she has worked with have established themselves with professional ballet companies, in television and on Broadway, as well as continuing on to major in dance at prestigious universities.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

CARRIE
CONWAY

CARRIE CONWAY

Carrie Conway began her dance training as a young child. After moving to Chelmsford in 1995, she began dancing at a new dance studio, DNE School of Dance in 1996. Carrie studied ballet, jazz, modern and hip hop as a student at DNE until her high school graduation. She continued her love of dance at Bridgewater State College, studying Early Childhood Education and Dance Education. While at Bridgewater, Carrie performed with companies throughout campus and directed a group of 100+ dancers during her senior year. After graduation, Carrie returned to DNE to teach young children ballet, tap and jazz. She has taken some time off of teaching dance while raising her two daughters and teaching first grade in Westford. Carrie is thrilled to be back at DNE teaching and sharing her love of learning and dance.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

BRILIE
DUNIGAN

BRILIE DUNIGAN

Brilie Dunigan began her dance training at the age of three with ballet, tap and jazz. At ten she started dancing competitively across New England, adding modern, contemporary, lyrical and pointe to her repertoire. While dancing competitively, Brilie also trained under the Dance Teacher’s Club of Boston with master instructors across a variety of disciplines. At fifteen she began training and assistant teaching at DNE School of Dance and continued to do so through graduation.

After high school Brilie joined the Rivier University Dance Team as a member and eventually went on to co-run the team through her senior year. While on the team she was able to choreograph 30 plus dancers across a wide variety of disciplines and to run multiple shows. This also allowed her to be active in the New Hampshire dance community, volunteering to run classes for community-based organizations such as the Police Athletic League (PAL) of Nashua and the Landry Early Childhood center. She continues to be active with the Rivier Dance community as a guest choreographer and volunteer. Brilie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing as well as a Master’s Degree in Education and Counseling from Rivier University.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

SHEALIE
DUNIGAN

SHEALIE DUNIGAN

Shealie Dunigan began her dance training at the age of three, primarily studying ballet, tap, and jazz. At the age of nine, she began competing and attending conventions with a competitive dance company, where she studied ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical, and hip hop. With this company, she attended the Dance Masters of New England Convention, where she received the runner-up scholarship award. While studying these core dance styles, Shealie had the opportunity to learn Irish Step for five years under Deirdre Heneghan. At the age of twelve, Shealie began studying dance at DNE School of Dance and continued to dance there throughout high school. At DNE, Shealie studied ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip hop, lyrical, and both Latin and American-style ballroom. She spent these same years on the DNE Performing Company. Shealie began assisting classes at DNE when she was twelve and began teaching upon her high school graduation. Shealie has attended both conventions and competitions through Dance Ovations, On Stage America, Artists Simply Human, Dance Masters of New England, and more. In 2021, Shealie became the recipient of the Nugent Scholarship for the Arts, for her contributions towards the arts in the community while leading the Rivier Dance Team. Shealie graduated from Rivier University with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education with an English concentration in 2022. She hopes to share her love of the arts through pursuing a career in education and dance education.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

MICHAELA
FAHEY

MICHAELA FAHEY

Michaela Fahey is a former DNE student who began her Irish Dance journey at age 8 with Miss Christine. She danced for 9 years at DNE and was an assistant teacher as well as an apprentice teacher for 5 years. Michaela continued her education at Providence College to study Psycology. She continued her Irish dance journey through college where she was a member of the Irish dance club, performing and choreographing for shows each semester. Michaela has since graduated and is as a pediatric speech language pathologist helping babies and toddlers learn to communicate. She brings her love of children and expression into her classes each week.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

JESSICA
ROSE FLYNN

JESSICA ROSE FLYNN

Jessica Rose Flynn, born and raised in Massachusetts, received her early dance training at the North Reading School of Ballet in Modern, Tap, Jazz, Ballet, and Lyrical under the direction of Lisa Pulver. In high school, Jessica was also accepted into the Junior Apprentice program with Urbanity Dance Company and added Contemporary dance and Improvisation to her repertoire. While with Urbanity, Jessica Rose trained with mentors and choreographers such as Betsi Graves, Ellenore Scott, Jackie Nowicki, and Tucker Knox who have all impacted her movement and way of teaching. Through Urbanity, she has performed in the spring and fall showcases each year, at Outside the Box Multi-Arts Festival, and the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival to name a few. After departing from NRSB and Urbanity in 2016, Jessica Rose jumped straight into a professional career by joining Bosoma Dance Company under the direction of Katherine Hooper. So far with Bosoma, she has performed at the Peabody Essex Museum as living art in the exhibit Rodin: Transforming Sculpture, various festivals, and in their annual fall and spring shows. In 2017, Jessica Rose joined Boston Community Dance Project under the direction of Sarah Kay “SKooJ CorE-O” and started training in Fusion movement. So far with BCDP, now rebranded as BCDP GLOBAL, Jessica Rose has performed in shows such as New York City’s Choreographers’ Carnival at the Highline Ballroom, the NYC Dance Parade, Openhouse NYC in Times Square presented by Brickhouse NYC, New York City's Dixon Place, various festivals, and BCDP's annual summer benefit show. Jessica has also been given many opportunities to educate pre-professional dancers and also choreograph on the company. In late 2019, Jessica joined Celebrity Cruises and performed in Eden on the Celebrity Edge until April 2020. Jessica Rose also shares her love of teaching and passion for the creative process with many dancers in the area. She choreographs in styles including Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz, Ballet, and Improvisational dance. She has taught and choreographed for Aurora Borealis Dance Company, Urbanity Dance Company, Boston Community Dance Project (BCDP GLOBAL), and various other studios throughout the Northeast. 

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

KELSEY
HALIO

KELSEY HALIO

Kelsey was born and raised in Massachusetts and began dancing at the age of nine with DNE School of Dance. Here, she studied a wide variety of styles including ballet and pointe, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical, and hip hop/streetfunk. Kelsey spent two years competing in dance before returning to DNE to continue her dance education with this studio. While still in high school, Kelsey began teaching and subbing classes at DNE and discovered her love of experimenting with her own choreography. After graduating from Westford Academy, Kelsey has gone on to study Dance at Connecticut College where she has studied under and performed choreography by David Dorfman, Lisa Race, Heidi Henderson, and many others. She has also had the opportunity to branch out and experiment with styles such as West African and Postmodern dance, as well as to choreograph, stage and perform choreography of her own and her peers. Kelsey is currently a junior at Connecticut College working toward her BA in Dance and Biochemistry and plans to graduate in the Spring of 2025. Over her many years of dancing, Kelsey has found that dance and teaching provide her with a sense of happiness and peace which she hopes to continue throughout her life.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

JUDITH
KOECKHOVEN

JUDITH KOECKHOVEN

Judith Koeckhoven trained at The American Academy of Ballet, Buffalo, NY and the School of American Ballet, the official school of The New York City Ballet. Judith was a recipient of a Ford Foundation Scholarship during her years of training with SAB. She founded and directed her school, Academy of Ballet Arts in Chelmsford, MA for over 20 years. As the founder, she directed and produced full-scale and excerpted student-performed ballets including Nutcracker, Beatrix Potter, Napoli, Les Sylphides, Paquita, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. Judith continues her legacy with teaching, consulting and coaching throughout New England! Other accomplishments include training dancers who now perform as principals and soloists with Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet West, Colorado Ballet and Festival Ballet Providence. 

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

MONICA
LENDER

MONICA LENDER

Monica Lender received the majority of her ballet training at Ballet Arts in Carnegie Hall with Robert Blankshine; as a scholarship student at the New York School of Ballet with Richard Thomas; and at the David Howard Dance Center with David Howard and Diana Cartier. She danced professionally in the U.S. and abroad with multiple companies which included James Sewell Ballet, Feld Ballets/NY, Princeton Ballet, Ballet Manhattan, and Dance Express. Monica discovered her love for teaching while continuing her career as a free-lance artist and has been rewarded by the wonderful students she has had the opportunity to teach through the years. Monica was a long-time adjunct faculty member at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts and has taught and choreographed for studios throughout the region and beyond. She has received both her YPAD and First Aid/CPR/AED certifications.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

MICA
MILOJKOVIC

MICA MILOJKOVIC

Mica Milojkovic began dancing in 1989 in Belgrade, Serbia. In 1999 and in 2000, he and his dance partner placed first at the Serbian Amateur Latin National Championship. Following their success at a national level, they competed internationally at the European Championships, World Championships and Open International Championships. After turning professional in 2001, he and his dance partner attended the European Championship. They made it to the quarterfinals and placed 19th in their first professional competition. Two days later, they competed at the German Open in Professional Rising Stars and made it to the finals, placing 7th. Between 2001 and 2006, Mica and his dance partner attended the World Championships in France, European Championships in Germany, the Blackpool World Championship and the World Masters in Innsbruck, Austria. In November 2003, he passed the judge's exam and received his National Judges License from the Serbian Association of Ballroom Judges and Coaches. In April 2007, he came to the United States and began teaching at several studios. He is currently working as an independent teacher in Massachusetts as well as instructor at DNE School of Dance in Chelmsford. He has been a World Dance Council International adjudicator since April 2013.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

SOPHIA
PAUL

SOPHIA PAUL

Sophia Paul is a graduate of Mercyhurst University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance performance. She began her dance training studying the Russian syllabus under Oleg Tupine and Tania Rousseau in Fairfax, VA at the age of 4. This led to her opportunity to perform in Novgorod, Russia. She also trained at American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet and BalletMet, while spending many summers in NYC at various dance intensives. Throughout her career, she performed leading roles in many full-length ballets including Alice in Wonderland, Paquita, Cinderella, Coppelia, Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Balanchine’s Serenade and The Nutcracker. After moving to the New England area, she performed professionally with multiple companies including Northern Ballet Theatre. She took leading roles in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Coppelia. While dancing, she took the position of Children’s Education Program Director and was responsible for educating the community about the importance of dance for children. This role helped her develop a love of teaching and transformed into instruction of all ages for ballet and pointe. Sophia joined DNE School of Dance in 2003 and has been sharing her love of dance to students of all ages with a specialized focus on teaching advanced ballet and pointe.

OUR STAFF

OUR STAFF

Susan Webster

Mandra Biscornet

Lynn Makiej

Sara DiCenso

BRENDA FARIOLE

Christine Morrison

Nathan Bentley

Stephanie Bevilacqua

Jamie Irwin-Brown

Carrie Conway

Brilie Dunigan

Shealie Dunigan

Michaela Fahey

Jessica Rose Flynn

Kelsey Halio

Judith Koeckhoven

Monica Lender

Mica Milojkovic

Sophia Paul

Your patience, understanding, expertise in, and love of dance is nothing short of spectacular. While teaching dance may be "just a job" I know for many of you, your lives revolve around our children almost as much as ours as parents. It does not go unnoticed.

- J.C.