Faculty
Faculty
Katie Correia brings 24 years of dance and performance training as well as 12 years of teaching and choreography experience to the Academy of Performing Arts. Katie has trained extensively throughout Greater Lowell, Boston, and New York in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Musical Theater. Katie has choreographed and taught throughout New England for community groups and competitive teams, as well as professional companies and is much sought after for her outstanding work with children in Pre –dance levels. Katie performed professionally throughout New England with many companies including The Body Language Dancers, The Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble, Granite State Ballet, Bay State Ballet, and also with many of the areas top choreographers. The knowledge she gained throughout her successful performance career has helped lead to an even more successful career as an internationally award winning choreographer. In addition to much recognition for creative concepts and all – around entertainment, Katie’s choreography, which has been televised throughout the country, has won top national and international awards. For the past two years, Katie has enjoyed judging for Olympic Miss Dance Competitions throughout New England. Because of Katie’s creative ideas, love for children and dance, and inspiring teaching style, beginning through advanced students of all ages will benefit greatly from Katie’s knowledge and love for dance and theater.
Bryan Steele has been teaching in the Chelmsford area for the past 13 years. He has been on the faculties of Boston Ballet, Walnut Hill School, Dance Productions, New Hampshire School of Ballet to name just a few. Currently on the faculty oat Dean College, Bryan has taught master classes throughout the United States, Germany, Venezuela, France, Ecuador and Spain. Bryan has been choreographing for competitive groups and professional companies for over 15 years. He has won numerous awards on a regional, national and international level. He has self-produced 6 concerts of his own work in the Boston area. His dances have been set on Prometheus Dance Company, Company of Two, Wheaton College Dance Company, Boston Ballet, Walnut Hill and other local companies. Bryan has recently retired from performing. Some of the companies he had the pleasure of dancing with are Prometheus, Impulse, Island Moving Company, Ariel Dance Theatre, Body Language Dancers, Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble and many other independent choreographers. Bryan has also performed in hundreds of industrial shows, commercials and videos. For the past several years, Bryan has enjoyed judging for Olympic Miss and Dance Xplosion dance competitions. Bryan takes all his experience from the professional companies; commercial work and master class teaching and brings this knowledge and love of the arts to his students at The Academy of Performing Arts, New England.
Riitta Lherault brings over 18 years of recreational, competitive, and professional dance, gymnastics and cheer leading training to the Academy of Performing Arts, New England. Riitta trained with the areas top instructor's and choreographers, including Director, Bryan Steele before attending college at The Boston Conservatory where she graduated as a Dance Major. For the past10 years, Riitta has been teaching dance throughout New England to 2 year olds through adults in all levels Jazz, Hip-Hop, Modern, Tap and Ballet. Ms. Lherault is certified with the United States Gymnastics Association and has been successfully coaching Gymnastics throughout the Boston area. She coaches all levels of competitive gymnastics.
Liliana's training reaches from the Pacific to the Atlantic. She studied tap, ballet, jazz and musical theater in Hawaii, California, New York, and later in Nebraska where she opened the Bennet Dance Center and co-founded the Lincoln Tap Force. She came to the Northeast to attend Brandeis University where she earned her B.A. in Theater Arts. She has choreographed extensively in the Midwest and Massachusetts. Some of her most recent productions include "Annie", "Guys and Dolls", and "The Sound of Music" for the Watertown Children's Theater, "Strike up the Band" for the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, and "West Side Story" for Winchester High School. Liliana is currently a private tap coach and trainer as well as a guest artist for programs throughout the greater Boston area. In August of 2006, Liliana opened Downtown Dancewear, a specialty Dance store in Lowell, MA. Academy of Performing Arts, New England is proud to have Liliana on staff to bring her wealth of tap knowledge to the students of APA. She is one of the area's forefront tap teachers and her style, enthusiasm and love of dance and teaching will be shared by all who take her classes!!
Frantz Antoine
Louizia Jr is an exquisite Dancer, Actor, Instrumentalist, Vocalist and Writer
whose energy, skill and stage presence is acclaimed for its craftsmanship,
ingenuity, humor, and at times eclectic musical accompaniments. Frantz grew up
in a family that appreciated music and dance and nurtured his talents at the age
of 2; his mother taught him how to dance and introduced him to Haitian Folk
Dance. He attended the Boston school for the performing arts. In the high school
years of his career, he performed in pieces choreographed by Ronald K Brown,
Sean Curran, and Marlies Yearby. Frantz has extensive training in tap, jazz,
ballet, modern, swing, salsa, hip-hop and Afro-Haitian. He received his
performing arts degree from Dean College. You can scout Frantz Running his dance
Company “ Arc-En-Ciel” touring throughout the New England Area and passing
along his knowledge of Dance through life.
Frantz is excited to bring his love and knowledge of HipHop to the talented
students of Academy of Performing Arts, New England.
Originally from Georgia, Ms. Goor was born into a family that taught and nurtured a love and appreciation for the joy of signing and sharing songs. Sarah is a self taught guitar player and accompanies herself and others in music. She graduated high school in Quincy, Illinois as a Junior. Ms. Goor has sung with many choirs and is presently at First United Baptist in Lowell where she is the director of the Hand Bell Choir. She directed the music program for over 10 years for joint Vacation Bible School endeavors. Ms. Goor resided in Germany for four years and taught music and signing to small groups while they were on retreats in the Bavarian Alps and has also performed in Poland. She has performed for many weddings and funerals, on the Tall Ships on Boston Harbor, for political campaigns and with the Highland Players in Lowell, Ma. She brings her love of music and song to our students through her positive teaching approach.
Judith received a Ford Foundation Scholarship for study at The School of American Ballet, New York City Ballet's official school. There, her teachers included the great Russian ballerinas, Madame Alexandra Danilova and Madame Antonia Tumkovsky. Ms. Koeckhoven's dedication and vision have earned national acclaim for the Chelmsford Academy, which offered a level of training usually found in larger cities, rich in dance culture. Her reputation in the professional dance world enabled her to attract America's greatest dance professionals and teachers to enrich the education of Academy students. Guest Artists and teachers included Maris Battaglia - Director of the American Academy of Ballet, Oleg Briansky and Mireille Briane - co-founders of Briansky Saratoga Ballet Center, Mihailo Djuric -Artistic Director of Festival Ballet of Rhode Island, Susan Duffy - Director of Ballet Theatre Workshop, Peter Pawlyshyn, Paul Thrussell and Laura Young of Boston Ballet and Robert Maiorano, Victoria Hall and Jeffery Edwards of the New York City Ballet. Ms. Koeckhoven continues to be involved in Local school productions as a guest choreographer. Her most recent work was seen in the production of Bye Bye Birdie.
Lynda Blair Vernalia comes to APA with over 20 years of
experience performing onstage. She has been a member of the Borderline players
of Haverhill, the Bradford Ensemble Story Theatre (B.E.S.T) and Bradford Players
both of Bradford College, The Lutheran Church of the Savior Drama Ministry and
has participated and starred in numerous
local plays, concert choirs and a capella groups. She has a Bachelor's degree in
Performing Arts (Theatre, Musical Theatre and Voice) from Bradford College and a
Master's degree in Education from Harvard University. Lynda has a down-to earth
style and an honest, respectful approach to character and student development.
Currently a homeschooling mother of 2 and a freelance writer and published poet,
she writes and performs weekly with her church drama ministry which produced her
first written play last fall. After many years honing her craft onstage, Lynda
is delighted to have this unique opportunity to develop a program specifically
geared toward the youth
at APA
