FACULTY

DYLAN BRODERICK
Irish/Hardshoe
Dylan began Irish dancing in Vermont under Alice McNeish, and later through dance schools in both Montreal and Massachusetts. She has performed and competed in events from the local to international level, and has also spent time teaching a range of ages and abilities in both solo and group dances. Dylan retired from competition in 2013 but is excited to be working with dancers again in Vermont and hopes to promote the sense of community, confidence, and focus that she found through dance.

JENNA COMPANION
Hip Hop/Modern/Troupe
Jenna has been dancing since she was 4 years old. She started off in ballet and tap shoes for a few years, but realized although she loved dancing and performing these weren’t her passion. At the age of 7 she took her first hip hop class at One Studio where she instantly fell in love with the style and turned in her ballet and tap shoes for her hip hop sneakers. Jenna has studied Hip Hop for many years and attended many hip hop dance conventions like  Monsters of Hip Hop and continues to so she can advance her technique and style. She has been apart of every One Studio and GMPA performance, and still continues to be.  Jenna loves sharing her passion to dance with others. Her favorite style is Hip Hop but she also enjoys Freestyle, Modern and Jazz.

KATIE DECKER
Ballet/After Care
Katie has been interested in dance and performance since a very young age. She studied Jazz at David DeMarie in Buffalo, NY throughout her childhood and performed in a variety of local theater and musical productions. As an adult, she returned to dance and found an incredible adult dance community that she didn’t even know existed right here in Vermont! She fell in love with ballet, studying intensely multiple times a week, which soon led to the development of the Farm to Ballet Project, which she co-created with Chatch Pregger and a group of committed adult ballet dancers. In 2018, Katie and Chatch incorporated Ballet Vermont, a ballet company with a social mission. Ballet Vermont produces multiple ballet productions a year, hires amateur and professional dancers and musicians and runs several kids camps- and Katie coordinates and manages the whole thing: soup to nuts! Besides dance, Katie has almost 20 years of
experience as an educator and administrator- most recently as Director of Centerpoint School, where she concluded a 17 year commitment to educating students with emotional and behavioral challenges. She has taught students from ages 3 all the way up to college age students across a variety of skill levels and content areas. Other interests include: spending time with her family and friends, being outside, listening to music (and singing it loudly), watching hysterical cat videos and eating tacos.

LEAH GARDINER
Irish/Hardshoe
Leah has been Irish dancing for 13 years since the age of 7. She attended a small family dance studio in Warwick, Rhode Island where she was also a student teacher for three years. Since moving to Burlington in 2017 to study Art Education at the University of Vermont, she has been a member of the UVM Celtic Cats which has allowed her to continue performing, competing, and growing as a dancer and a teacher. She has experience working with beginners and advanced beginners of all ages and hopes to pass on her love of Irish dancing to her students.

FIONA GARUFI
Ballet/Tap/Modern/Troupe/After Care
Fiona is so excited to be back at GMPA after taking a year away. Fiona started ballet at a young age and through the years she has also studied Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, and Modern. Fiona grew up dancing at GMPA and became an assistant teacher as a young teenager and began teaching her own classes six years ago. Fiona also spent three summers as a dancer in the Farm to Ballet Project performing around Vermont. Fiona’s goal is to make sure all students are having fun and building confidence through learning techniques and choreography. ​

HEATHER MORRIS
Celtic Dance Program Director (Irish Step/Scottish Highland/Cape Breton)
Heather has been dedicated to teaching all aspects of Celtic Dance in Vermont since 2001. For more than a decade, Heather has been developing programs in Celtic dance across the state of Vermont, from Chittenden County to the Northeast Kingdom. She trains her students to participate in local performances, national and international competitions and examinations. Heather is a Certified Member and Fellow of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD), a Certified Member of the Scottish Dancer Teachers' Alliance (SDTA), and a Member of Rince Tuatha Nua.

MARICA PORTER
Ballet
Marica Porter received her primary training with Liz Dimmel and Tobin James at Dramatic Truth School of Ballet in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She studied on scholarship at the State Ballet School of Missouri (now the School of Kansas City Ballet), Ballet Magnificat! in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Stephens College Summer Dance Program. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance, a BA in Business Administration, and a Minor in Mathematics from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. Marica danced with Dramatic Truth Touring Company, Stephens College Repertory Dance Theatre, Collin County Ballet Theatre, Western Oklahoma Ballet Theatre, Western Arkansas Ballet, and the Northwest Arkansas Arts Foundation. She performed lead and featured roles in Peter & The Wolf, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and many original works. Her choreography includes excerpts from The Nutcracker, South Pacific, and original work, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, chosen for performance in the Emerging Concert of Regional Dance America/Southwest Festival 2013. Ms. Porter is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher in Pre-¬Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum and has taught dancers in Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Illinois. Marica dances with Ballet Vermont and is excited to share her passion for ballet with the Green Mountain Performing Arts community.

MARIAH RUST
Celtic Company/Highland
Mariah began studying Scottish Highland dancing at the age of 7 with Heather Morris. Mariah began competing at the age of 11 and eventually rose through the ranks to become a premier level dancer. She came to GMPA in high school to continue studying Highland dancing and remained involved with the Highland dance community in Vermont during school breaks while away at college. In 2017, Mariah passed her teaching exam and became a certified Associate Highland teacher with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD). Since turning 18, Mariah has been able to perform in many International Tattoos and has danced in Russia twice, as well as in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and China. She is excited to be teaching this year and is ready to share her experience with the dancers of GMPA. 
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