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 Kennedy  
Erin graduated in May from Fitchburg State College, Magna Cum Laude, with a Bachelors of Science in Education.  Along with teaching at the studio, she works at Open Arms Child Care Center in Southwick, Massachusetts as a toddler teacher.  She has been dancing since the age of two, and danced at All Stars from ages 11 to 19, taking lyrical, tap, jazz, acro, and ballet.  She has experience teaching tap, lyrical, and jazz. 

Says Erin: "I have been teaching dance since I was 15, and  assistant teaching since I was 12.  In college, I was an active participant in my school's dance club.  I took classes, taught them, and was the president of the club my senior year.  I look forward to coming back to the All Stars family this year as a teacher.  I am excited to be back and I can not wait to start the dance 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 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 in Ocean City, MD and Orlando, FL. 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.

All the long hours in the studio have paid off! While receiving her BA in Marketing and Advertising from Western New England College, Tiffany started teaching at All-Stars in 2005 with just Ballet for the competitive classes. Now she teaches many classes, solos, and duo/trios, including Ballet and competitive Tap for ages 6 and up, but you may find her anywhere filling in and having fun with the kids! You are invited to come watch Tiffany’s classes anytime.

Lisa Thompson
Lisa began dancing at the age of 4 at Kathy’s Dance Studio in Holyoke, Ma. there she began her love for dance. Since then she has been trained in all styles of dance for over 25 years. She enjoys teaching all ages, her love for dance is seen in all styles, but her passion is Ballet. She continues to dance and enjoys competing in Jazz, Tap, and Modern Companies, and has won numerous Platinum and Gold Medals including trips to Myrtle beach, South Carolina for a National Competition with Star Systems in 2005 and studio performances at Hershey Park, Pa., in the summer of 2007.

Lisa has been currently teaching dance for the past 6 years at Steppin’ Out Dance Academy in Kingston, NH. In 2004, Lisa received a Certificate in Dance Education from Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, Ma. where she also earned High Honors and performed with the Stillpoint Dance Company.   Says Lisa: "I am very excited to be a part of All–Stars Dance Center and am looking forward to a fantastic dance year and making many new friends."

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 with Kasaks School of Dance in Chicopee, MA. Over the years, she trained in many styles of dance such as tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, point and litergical with surrounding studios. By the age of 13, she was an assistant pursuing what she always knew would be many years of dance to come. A participant in local competitions and conventions, as well as 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, eventually led her to Buffalo, New York, to attend Dance Masters of America, where she completed the advanced level curriculum and became a certified teacher. She started teaching 9 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 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 am extremely excited to be a part of All-Stars Dance Center's staff and very much look forward to the years ahead! I truly believe there is nothing more rewarding."