ALL-STARS DANCE CENTER

209 North Road | Westfield, MA 01085

(413) 572-1122 | Kim@allstarsdancecenter.com

Meet the Dance Center Staff  ***

Kim Starsiak-Owner Director

Kim Starsiak - Owner Director   -

Erin Casey  

Erin has been dancing since she was two years old and has been a part of the All Stars family since she was 11. This is Erin's 5th year teaching at the studio. She has a Bachelor's degree from Fitchburg State in elementary education. When Erin isn't dancing, she is teaching for the Chicopee Public School district as a technology teacher for grades K-5 and spending time with her family and friends.She is also earning her Master's degree from Elms College in elementary education. Erin loves dancing and her dance family. She looks forward to a fun and productive year!

Kari DeMarinis, R.D.  
Kari has been involved in the sport of gymnastics since 1975. She competed both nationally and internationally for 12 years. She qualified to state, regional and national competitions. She was also awarded a scholarship to University of Massachusetts for gymnastics. She has coached both recreational gymnastics and competitive gymnastics in many different settings. Most recently she has coached the All Stars competitive acro company which has been recognized on both regional and national level. In addition she has a passion for general health and wellness. She is an accomplished dietitian where she was the senior nutritionist at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires a world renown health resort.

Kari has spoken on the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship as well as numerous programs sponsored by Shape Magazine. She is the proud mother of 2 children and wife to Frank DeMarinis, P.E. Frank is a nationally accomplished wrestler as well as owner of Sage Engineering ,LLC. Her daughter Sierra, age 7, recently won a national title for acro dance and a regional title. She truly enjoys all aspects of the sport of gymnastics and hopes to inspire children of all ages.

Kelly Sheaffer Kennedy   -
Kelly is proud to have been a member of the All Stars family for the past 11 years. She began dancing 38 years ago at the the age of 6 at Anita's Dance Studio in Springfield, MA where her first dance teacher was Kathy Buldrini Hertz.  She has taken Ballet, Tap Jazz and Acro.  She loves to dance and teach an art which has taken her all over the country, as far away as Los Angeles, CA for competitions and conventions. She has continued taking classes as an adult, most recently from local tap greats, David Bovat and John Burris.  She also has a strong background in playing piano, flute and saxophone.  Recently, she was privileged to judge for New England Star, New England's version of American Idol, with televised finals along side of Floyd Patterson.

Says Kelly: "My philosophy for my students is for them to love what they do and to be proud of their performance.  I want to make classes enjoyable for them as well as productive learning experiences.  Communication is a key process. I believe in an open door policy and I want to hear from both my students and their parents. I know that you are entrusting me with your pride and joy and I am honored to have that trust. I have set up an email for this purpose so that my time at the studio can be concentrated on the children.  My students know from day one that the most important thing to do on stage is to SMILE.  My job is to make that smile sincere for if they love dance, then I have been successful."

Tiffany-Leigh Jacquier
A dancer from the age of 4, Tiffany has been trained in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Modern, and Hip-Hop for over 20 years with many different choreographers. Most of those years were spent at Dancer’s Image of Westfield with then owner, Tina Girard, but additional training during the summers at Broadway Dance Center in NYC exposed her to the professionals in the dance world like Frank Hatchett. Tiffany spent her childhood traveling to NYC and Boston to dance, act, and model in national and international commercials and TV shows. In 2001, she was invited to take part in the StarPower PowerPak Tour on the East Coast for the summer to perform at StarPower’s National Dance Competitions and Walt Disney World on the East Coast. Tiffany’s teaching and choreography experience has grown over the years from being an assistant at age 11, to a co-instructor at 14, to having her own competitive classes at 17.

While receiving her BA in Marketing and Advertising from Western New England College, Tiffany started teaching at All-Stars in 2005 and is currently teaching many classes, solos, duos and trios, including competitive level lyrical, jazz, open and tap classes. An "Outstanding Choreography" Award winner in 2009, Tiffany takes pride in all of her choreography to make every dancer look the best, and invites everyone to come in, stretch, or just watch any class, anytime!

In July 2010, Tiffany and husband, Mike, welcomed their baby girl, Chelsee. A diva and dancer the beginning, she made her first on-stage performance at the 2011 recital. More performances from Mommy's little choreographer to come!

Lisa Thompson

Lisa began dancing at the age of 4 at Kathy’s Dance Studio in Holyoke, Ma. It was there she began her love for dance. She has over 25 years of experience as a dancer and teacher in all styles of dance. She enjoys teaching all ages and styles. Lisa has enjoyed performing and competing, and has won numerous awards both as a teacher and a dancer. Lisa attended Star Systems National Competition in Myrtle Beach and Studio Performances at Hershey Park, in Hershey, PA.

Lisa received a Certificate in Dance Education from Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, MA, where she earned High Honors and performed with the Still Point Dance Company.

"I hope to share my love and passion for dance to all, so that they may see how dance can enrich your life forever."

Wendy Holmes

Wendy E. Holmes received her BA in Dance/History from Mills College in Oakland, CA. She is also an alumna of Walnut Hill School, in addition to the Boston Conservatory Dance Division, Boston Ballet and Harvard's Summer Dance Program in Massachusetts. Ms. Holmes' extensive career in dance as a performer and educator has given her the opportunity to work with artists from all over the world. She has trained extensively in the Cecchetti (Italian) and Vaganova (Russian) traditions of classical ballet. Ms. Holmes has held the position of adjunct faculty in ballet at Mt. Holyoke College, Bridgewater and Springfield Colleges. She has performed with Classical Ballet and Early Dance Companies throughout the U.S.A. For over 10 years, she has owned The Dancers Studio of Duxbury, and has directed private high school, recreation and conservatory ballet programs.

Danielle Demers
Danielle started her dancing career with tap at the age of 3 and quickly added into many other styles of dance, such as jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, point and litergical. By the age of 12, she was an assistant instructor pursuing what she always knew would be many years of dance to come. She has participated in local competitions and conventions, as well as taking numerous trips to New York City's Broadway Dance Center and Alvin Alley Studio, to dance with some of the world's most known choreographers, such as Frank Hatchet. Many other opporunities have allowed her to also dance with admired choreographers like Brian Santora, Tamara Squires, Michelle Butterfield, Teddy Forance and Travis Wall. Inspired by these teachers, she attended Dance Masters of America, in Buffalo, NY, for teacher training, where she received her certification. In addition, Danielle has recently become a member of NADAA. Starting at All Stars Dance Center just a few short years ago as a "hip hop" teacher, she has since become involved in all forms of dance, including both competitive and recreational classes. She started teaching 11 years ago to children of all ages. As a nanny for several years, working with kids has always been her passion, and what better way to be a part of their daily lives than to share the love and art of dance with them!!!

Says Danielle: "I have been very fortunate in life to share my enthusiasm for dance with many people (including both of my very talented sisters) with the love and support of my amazing parents. I truly believe there is nothing more rewarding."

Heather Ann

Kylie Willhoite

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