Get to know our
A-glow instructors
Meet the team that will get you moving, sweating, and progressing in your technique!
Our experienced, enthusiastic instructors teach at A-Glow because they love working with adult dance students. They’re trained to offer safe modifications, guide you to the classes that best match your goals and experience, and support your growth.
Amanda, Artistic Director & Studio Owner
Certifications & Degrees: Doctor of Physical Therapy, B.F.A Dance, University of Buffalo, Balance Body Barre Certified
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Ballet, Jazz
How She Glows: Amanda loves introducing people to dance for the first time and finds satisfaction in helping dancers who are driven to improve their technique! As a mom of four, Amanda also loves that A-Glow is a place where she can take off her mama hat and focus on joyfully moving her body with others who share her passion for dance.
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Amanda's experience as a dance instructor ranges from teaching elementary ballet at children's studios to serving as a teaching assistant for ballet and pointe classes in the Dance Department at the University of Buffalo. She performed with the Zodiaque Dance Company in Buffalo, New York, where she choreographed twice for the Emerging Choreographers Showcase. She later completed her physical therapy residency working with the Joffrey Ballet and River North Dance Company in Chicago, Illinois. As a licensed physical therapist, she trains all A-Glow instructors to offer safe modifications for adult dancers.
Amanda is a mom to four children, a cat, and a bunny. When she's not on the dance floor, she finds joy in crafting, baking, and exploring nature.
Meghan, Assistant Artistic Director
Certifications & Degrees: International Ballet Barre Fitness Association (IBBFA) Barre Certification Level 2, Prenatal Barre Certification
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Lyrical
How She Glows: Meghan believes dancing is a healing art form and a wonderful way to help our bodies adapt to change and stay vital as we age (mentally and physically!). She is honored to assist other dancers as they create more resiliency, strength, and power in class.
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Meghan grew up as a competitive dancer, assistant teacher, and Dance Company member at Charlotte Klein Dance Centers. She studied ballet & modern dance at Bennington College & Connecticut College and took master classes in New York & Boston throughout early adulthood.
When she’s not taking dance or yoga classes, Meghan loves to strength train and learn about how we can best care for our bodies. She enjoys gardening, traveling, and laughing with her husband and two children. And as a former personal chef, she can often be found cooking & entertaining for family and friends!
Jenna, Studio Manager
Certifications & Degrees: International Ballet Barre Fitness Association (IBBFA) Barre Certification
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Tap
How She Glows: Jenna's favorite part of teaching adult dance is that there is no competition amongst students because everyone's there to try something new and celebrate their love of dance. Her approach is equal parts encouraging, challenging, and fun.
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Jenna has been dancing since age 3, competing in various styles, including Irish Step and Ballroom, and performing The Nutcracker with the Moscow Russian Ballet in her teens. During college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she choreographed for and performed with the UMass Marching Band and Color Guard.
Jenna works full-time as a Quality Assurance Manager for DFA at Friendly's Ice Cream (that’s right, eating ice cream is literally her job!). She also loves to sail with her family—it is always Really Sumthin (which, by the way, is also the name of her boat!).
Jill
Certifications & Degrees: Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified in Progressing Ballet Technique, Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist, Trained in APPI Pilates Matwork
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Jazz, Ballet, and Lyrical
How She Glows: Jill loves helping dancers of all ages learn to dance safer, stronger, and with more awareness of their bodies.
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Jill danced competitively in Central, MA, throughout her childhood, studying ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, acro, and pointe. She served as both an assistant teacher and lead teacher for student dancers. At the University of Hartford, she was president of her college dance team for two years and a dance team member for four. As a physical therapist, Jill is passionate about rehabilitation and injury prevention for dancers and other artistic athletes.
When she's not dancing, Jill enjoys her family and her cats, plays board games, and exercises. She also spends much of her time growing her physical therapy practice, Parallel Physical Therapy & Wellness.
Julie
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Lyrical
How She Glows: Julie loves teaching lyrical/contemporary classes to adult dancers because of the therapeutic benefits, especially for those who grew up in the dance world. She strives to provide a class that inspires her students to let go, unwind from the stresses of everyday life, and support one another through dance.
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Julie has been dancing since age 4, dancing competitively through high school at the Dancers Sole (formally Canty Dance Centre). Julie also performed as part of the Bridgewater State University Dance Company. Upon graduating college, Julie struggled to find adult-only classes that were both enjoyable and challenging. Thankfully, she found her way to A-Glow, where she found all that and more!
Julie is a full-time Special Education Teacher and mom to her little girl. When she isn't dancing or teaching, Julie enjoys spending time with her family, including her fur babies, Pippa and Wyatt, and chickens, whose names change by the day.
Lisa
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Jazz, Theater Jazz, Lyrical, and Tap
How She Glows: Lisa loves working with adult dancers because of their dedication and motivation. Dancers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages, and Lisa loves seeing her adult dance students celebrate their bodies and learn to use them to their fullest potential.
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Lisa has been dancing since age three, studying various styles, including jazz, tap, lyrical, and ballet. At Dean College School of Dance, she spent two semesters studying modern, Latin, and Ballroom. She also attended the Dance Education Training Course through the Dance Teacher's Club of Boston in 2009. She has performed, competed, and taught for various studios and companies, including Scalzi School of Dance, Brandi Rae's School of Dance, Shadows Dance Art Experience, and the Studio of Creative Movement.
When she's not dancing, Lisa works as a hairstylist and makeup artist and loves spending time with her husband and family, photography, and embroidery. Most of all, she loves spending time with her two cats, Olive and Waffles.
Liz
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Modern, Lyrical, Ballet
How She Glows: Liz loves sharing the joy of dance, both as a creative outlet and an excellent way to promote strength and flexibility as our bodies age. Liz encourages her students to listen to their bodies and individualize their movement, appreciating what they can do while also accepting their limitations.
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At age three, Liz began dancing at The Dancer's Loft (now Boire Dance Academy). She continued her training through high school, completing the American Academy of Ballet Performance Awards program levels 3 to 11. During middle and high school, Liz competed in regional dance competitions. She continued to teach and choreograph for pointe at lyrical classes in college, where she was a member of the University of Rhode Island Dance Company.
Liz is a critical care pharmacist who works in the medical ICU at a local hospital, where she also teaches pharmacy students and residents. Outside of work and dance, Liz loves spending time with her family, including her two very cute nieces. Liz also enjoys reading, cooking, baking, spending time outdoors, especially in summer, hiking, traveling, and snuggling with her baby (her cat, Mia).
Michelle
Certifications & Degrees: B.A. in Theater and Dance with a concentration in Choreography and Performanc
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Ballet, Lyrical, Modern, Jazz
How She Glows: Michelle loves the dedication and focus of her adult dance students at every age and level. She believes any BODY can dance and enjoys playing a part in helping her dancers grow and reach their goals.
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Michelle has taught ballet, jazz, creative movement, lyrical, and modern to students of all ages since 2014. While living in Washington, D.C., she was a company member of professional dance companies UpRooted Dance and Next Reflex Dance Collective and a guest artist for Jody Oberfelder, darlingdance, and ClancyWorks. Since moving back to Massachusetts in 2019, she has taught at three other dance studios for youth.
When Michelle is not dancing, she enjoys walking, crocheting, painting, exploring anything arts-related, and trying new restaurants.
Sarah
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical
How She Glows: Sarah loves that adult students are in class because they want to be and that they can handle technical explanations of movements and concepts.
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Sarah's childhood dance education focused on ballet in a school that prioritized classical technique. Her classical training was complemented by tap and jazz—styles that let her high energy flow freely. Later, she dabbled in ballroom dance and fell in love with swing and salsa.
Sarah spends most of her life caring for her husband and two children, their home, and their garden. She also loves singing, knitting, exercising, reading, drawing, and puzzling.
Shanah
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Ballet, Tap
How She Glows: Shanah loves teaching adults because they WANT to be in the studio. Her philosophy for teaching adults is to "meet yourself where you are today.” She wants all her students to have the space to be creative while giving themselves the grace to develop.
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Shanah started dancing at age three and continued to dance competitively through high school. She choreographed and danced for the Le Moyne Student Dance Company at Le Moyne College in New York.
Shanah is a scientist in technical sales, supporting the biopharm industry, and loves spending time with her husband Tim and their three boys and two cats. She also recently discovered a love of camping!
Shannon
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Modern, Lyrical, Jazz
How She Glows: Shannon loves working with adult dancers because they bring such deep appreciation to the art. For adults, class time is often a sacred time carved out of busy lives. She loves offering her students an opportunity to be fully present in body and mind, letting everything else temporarily fall away.
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Shannon trained in ballet and jazz at various studios in Central New York before earning her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Dance from Penn State University. During this time, as a member and choreographer of the Orchesis Dance Company, Shannon developed a love for modern and contemporary dance styles.
In addition to teaching at A-Glow, Shannon is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and working mom of two very active kids who loves a great Pilates class.
Téa
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Jazz
How She Glows: She loves the opportunity to express her creativity through dance and choreography and seeing her vision come to life. Téa also appreciates learning from the dancers in her class through seeing their style and execution.
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Téa danced at Patti Morris Dance Unlimited from 2000–2010, after which she trained for five years at Lucy Johnson Fitzgerald Dance Studio. She studied multiple dance forms, including ballet, tap, lyrical, and jazz.
In her free time, Téa enjoys cross-training and loves to cook and bake for her family.
Free ballet basics tutorial
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Free ballet basics tutorial ⋆
Want to know if ballet basics is the right place to start? Get an at-home preview of a ballet basics class led by A-Glow Artistic Director & Owner, Amanda Money.