Faculty | Methuen | Dance Images Dance & Music Center
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Faculty

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Debra Contarino-Steele

 

Debra Contarino-Steele owned and directed Dance Images Dance & Music Center for 35 years. She started her training at the age of 10, progressed to the competitive team and went onto assist in children's classes. From there, she was "hooked" on teaching children the art, and more importantly, the love of dance! Debra has studied with renown teachers all over the country and the lessons learned from these amazing talents have been beneficial in and out of the dance class. The work ethic and creativity is what keeps Dance Images Dance & Music Center growing and progressing every year.  She takes pride in the talented role models that she brings her students and will always put the students first.  Debra is a member of the Dance Teachers' Club of Boston, Inc and the American Society (DTCB) as well as the International Dance Entrepreneurs Association (IDEA). On top of leading her staff and managing different departments, such as recreational dance, competitive dance, preschool programs, and music programs, she is the proud parent of two grown children; Erika Steele Almquist, a talented dancer/choreographer, has followed in her mother's footsteps and runs Dance Images West Dance & Music Center in Kennewick, WA and Corey Steele is a caring educator at the Arlington School in Lawrence, as well as a football coach at Andover High School.  Debra is now the Administrative Consultant for Dance Images.

Alicia Napolitano

 

Alicia grew up dancing at the Donna Miceli Dance Center where she trained in all styles and began her assistant career. She has received the top regional scholarships from conventions like The Pulse, West Coast Dance Explosion, NYCDA, Jump, and many others throughout the country training under top choreographers featured on SYTYCD. She was a member of the Divison 1 Hofstra University Dance Team, earning herself two National Championship titles as well as her minor in Dance. She was also a member of the 2016 USA Dance Team competing at the ICU World Competition and earning a World Championship title. She was most recently cast as an ensemble dancer in the production of Grease at the Palace Theatre. Today she continues to train and assist while also teaching at studios throughout the MA and NH area. She is thrilled to be a part of the Dance Images Dance & Music family and can’t wait to share her love and knowledge of dance to these talented students!

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Courtney Patterson

Courtney was a student at Dance Images Dance & Music Center for fourteen years. Over the years, she was a member of the Dance Images Dance & Music Center Competitive team.  Courtney also assisted dance classes until she moved on to teaching her own preschool classes. Throughout her college years, she worked at a dance studio in Shirley, Massachusetts, where she taught many styles of dance to students that ranged from three to eighteen years of age. She graduated from Fitchburg State with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Special Education. Courtney is currently  working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the second through fourth grades at an Elementary School in Lowell, Massachusetts. With her background, knowledge, passion and dedication for dance, the Rhythm Works Integrative Dance society has intensified  her devotion to the special needs community and we are  excited for her to be a part of this beautiful journey! 

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Lena Blot

Lena has more than 20 years of dance experience. She was born in Havana, Cuba, where she began her studies in ballet at the age of 10. She continued her studies through the National Ballet School (ENA) graduating as a dancer-teacher at the age of 18. Following the National Ballet School, she studied at the Superior Institute of Art (ISA), where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Dancing Art with a specialty in Classical Ballet.
 
While attending the university, she developed as a professional dancer. She interned at the National Ballet of Cuba, the Camagüey Ballet, and the Pro-Danza Company and after, joined the Havana Queen Entertainment Company in Havana where she played various roles in different styles including classical ballet, contemporary, Spanish dance, Arabic dance, popular Latin rhythms, folklore, hip-hop, and jazz.
 
In 2013, she moved to Ecuador where she taught ballet classes at different academies and danced for the National Ballet of Ecuador. Following her dancing career, she was given the opportunity to be the director of a new dance school (EBP) on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos bringing culture to the islands. In this new experience, she choreographed for multiple presentations, taught ballet methodology classes, and different styles to students including Jazz, Contemporary Dance, Ballet, Modern Dance Technique, Physical Preparation, folklore, Cuban Salsa. She also took choreography courses and taught classes and workshops at the National Contemporary Dance Company of Ecuador.
 
She’s had the pleasure and privilege of having multiple teachers and choreographers of great national and international fame, who have helped enrich her knowledge throughout her career. Notably, Fernando Alonso (the pioneer of Ballet in Cuba), Laura Alonso, Martha Bosh, and Frank Andersen (Director of the Danish Ballet). Her goal is to pass her knowledge and for all her students to understand and challenge their limits, while motivating them to become the best version of themselves that they can be.

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Meghan Emery

Meghan has been dancing for 17 years.  She started at Donna Coco's Performance Plus in Salisbury.  She joined their competitive team at the age of 6 and has been competing ever since.  Meghan came to Dance Images Dance & Music Center in 2014 and has been winning awards and scholarships ever since.  Meghan has also been an assistant teacher since the age of 8.  She was added to the staff at Dance Images in 2019, teaching ballet, tap, hip hop and musical theatre.  Miss Meghan's students love her and we are so happy to have her as part of our staff!!

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Claudia Combs

 

Claudia Combs  is a licensed Music Education Specialist with 15-plus years of professional teaching and directing experience in all venues including school classrooms, private and studio music lessons, musical theater productions, children's choir/chorus and show choir productions. She has been a valued staff member since 2009.

 

Memberships include:
The National Association for Music Education (MENC); New Hampshire Music Educators Association (NHMEA); Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA); North American Music Teachers Association (NAMTA).

 

She holds two undergraduate degrees:
Bachelor of Music in Music Studies/Music Teaching from UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA; Bachelor of Science in Journalism, English, and Political Science from Suffolk University, Boston, MA.

 

Teaching experience includes 15-plus years teaching classroom General Music Education; private music lessons instructing every instrument from piano and basic percussion, to wind, brass, strings (violin, cello, and guitar), and voice (children's choir/chorus and show choir). Other Professional experience includes directing a multitude of children's musical theater productions, and show choir performances.
 

Lenny Cavallaro

 

Lenny Cavallaro, an accomplished pianist, was a top prizewinner in the J.S. Bach International Competition for Pianists and subsequently played that composer’s Six Partitas to the highest critical acclaim in Carnegie Recital Hall. A true “Renaissance man,” he is additionally a man of letters. He served for nine years as music critic for the New Haven Register and has recently edited and revised Paganini’s Fire, a novel based on the life of that legendary violinist, by Ann Abelson. [That work was released in November, 2011, by Stay Thirsty Press.] Cavallaro has several other works to his credit, including a novel and a one-act play. In addition, he is a therapist, maintaining a practice in Arlington, Massachusetts (cf. FourLevelHealing.com). Cavallaro earned his Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree from West Virginia University, and has served on the music faculty of several colleges.  Lenny joined Dance Images Dance & Music Center in 2016.

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