Teaching Staff
Avery Anderson
Avery Anderson began dancing at CSPA when she was six years old. She has taken tap, ballet, jazz, and hip hop classes and was also a part of both the Rising Stars and VIP Elite teams. Avery joined the teaching staff in 2019 as an assistant and eventually started teaching her own classes. Outside of dance, Avery is a student at the University of New Haven working toward a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a Masters in Healthcare Administration.
Dawn Anderson
Dawn Anderson has been with CSPA since she was a little girl. She quickly fell in love with
dancing and knew it was something she wanted to pursue. Her passion for dance led her to
become one of the first members of VIPs and an assistant dance teacher. At 18, she started
teaching her own classes, but never forgot that we are all still students and continued her dance education by attending workshops in jazz and hip hop in New York. She has taught all ages from 2 – adults in tap, ballet, jazz, pointe, and hip hop, and toddler gym. Miss Dawn has three children, Justin, Bethany, and McKenna, who have all danced at CSPA. Bethany is currently a member of the VIP Elites, and McKenna is a member of our rising stars. Miss Dawn is a graduate of Sacred Heart University, holding a Bachelors in English, and is currently employed by the Shelton Public Schools in Special Education.
Maddi Cirillo
Maddi Cirillo has been dancing with CSPA since the age of three. She’s taken tap (her personal favorite), ballet, jazz, hip hop, and pointe. She was also a member of our VIP dance teams. Maddi truly enjoys sharing her love of dance with her students and teaches classes ranging from preschool to our senior level! She loves encouraging and motivating her students to be the best they can. Outside of dance, Maddi loves to spend time with her family and friends.
Courtney Clark
Courtney Clark started dancing at CSPA at the age of five and instantly fell in love with dance. She took tap, ballet, jazz, pointe, and hip hop classes at CSPA, as well as being a member of the VIP Elite dance team. Although she moved to New York to attend college at St. John’s University, she is so grateful she was given the opportunity to continue teaching at CSPA. While at St. John’s, Courtney choreographed for an performed in many dance productions, and she continues to train by taking classes in New York City, focusing mostly on ballet and contemporary styles. She has taught CSPA’s Senior Summer Camp for many years and teaches technique classes for CSPA’s dance teams. Courtney graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2021 and is living in New York City where she works as an attorney. She is so happy she is able to keep dance a part of her life.
Calleigh Cotter
Calleigh has been dancing at CSPA since she was three, starting in Shelton in 2008 and moving to Oxford with Miss Caryn a few years later. She has been a part of the CSPA staff for two years now and is constantly in the studio either taking her own classes or teaching newer generations how to love dance. She has taken ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and has been a part of both Rising Stars and VIPs. Currently Calleigh is dancing in Miss Diana’s senior 2 class as well as being a member of our VIP Elite team. Outside of the studio, she is currently a senior at Masuk High School and is planning to continue her endeavors at Southern Connecticut State University, gaining her degree in both Elementary Education and Special Education.
Diana DeAngelis - Dance Manager/Team Coach
Diana DeAngelis’ love of dance began at the age of four when she started dancing at CSPA.
Since then, she has continued to foster this love of dance. In 2002 her dance instructing career was launched when she obtained her own classes. Diana has a vast array of dance knowledge that spans across multiple disciplines. She instructs tap, jazz, pointe, and hip hop, with a specialty in ballet. She has furthered her dance teaching by earning her certificate degree for dance at NVCC. She is also the coordinator of CSPA’s talented dance team program and the lead instructor of the VIP Elites. Diana is a vital part of our studio’s success choreographing key numbers for sold-out recitals every year. She currently resides in Beacon Falls with her husband John and their two adorable kids, Carmela and Julian.
Ally Degree
Ally Degree has been dancing with CSPA since she was four years old. She has taken tap, ballet, jazz, pointe, and hip hop classes along with being a member of Shooting and Rising Stars, and the VIP and VIP Elite dance teams. She began assisting at 12 years old and joined the teaching staff at 16. In high school, Ally was on the varsity dance team, competing in pom and kickline. She is now attending Fairfield University where she majors in mathematics and finance. She returns as often as she can to help with classes and take part in alumni.
Taylor Fraser
Taylor Fraser has been with CSPA since she was three years old. As a child, she did both dance and gymnastics, but dance was always her true passion. Within CSPA she has taken tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and was a part of the VIP Elite team. She was fortunate enough to begin assisting at a very young age, and eventually followed in her aunt, Miss Becky’s, footsteps and started teaching her own classes when she was eighteen. Aside from dancing, Taylor recently got married and currently teaches first grade within Bridgeport Public Schools. Taylor’s love for dance and being at the studio with her friends and students never lessened and she loves teaching her petites in Oxford and Shelton as well as Rising Stars on Sunday mornings.
Caryn Galpin
Caryn Galpin has been dancing with CSPA since 1994. She has taken tap, ballet, jazz, pointe,
and hip hop. She began assisting in 1999 and joined the teaching staff in 2003. She has been a member of the Rising Stars, VIP, and VIP Elite teams. She graduated in 2008 from Quinnipiac University with a degree in Sociology and works at care.com as a Parenting & Education Specialist. Caryn currently lives in Hamden with her husband.
Emily Lane
Emily Lane started dancing at ADA in Brookfield at the age of four. Emily fell in love with
dance and spent many years doing it. Alongside her sister, Emily was a competitive dancer for about five years. She took tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, Irish, and lyrical. While Emily took a break from dancing to try sports, she has recently found her joy in dancing again by teaching at CSPA after attending Roger Williams University. Emily works full time for Beacon Health as a Care Coordinator. When Emily is not working or teaching dance, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Morgan Mehaylo
Morgan Mehaylo has been dancing with CSPA since she was a little girl. She soon figured out that dance was her passion. Morgan participated in tap, ballet, jazz, and hip hop classes as well as being a member of our VIP Elite dance team. Along with all our studio classes, Morgan was a four-year member of her high school’s dance team which competed in pom, hip hop, and jazz. Now, Morgan is a full-time student, working to earn a minor in Dance at Central Connecticut State University as well as a BS in Construction Management. Aside from schooling, Morgan loves to spend time with family and friends, especially our CSPA dance family. When able, she loves to come back to the studio to instruct some of our dance classes and help our staff. She is so excited to continue to learn and grow as a dancer and a person to be an asset to our studio and further teach our younger dancers.
Samantha Royka
Samantha Royka’s love for dance began when she was only two years old in 2002. Within the studio, Miss Sam has taken tap, ballet, jazz, pointe, and hip hop. Additionally, Miss Sam was a part of the Sunday morning dance teams for many years. Miss Sam became a paid assistant at 16 and fell in love with it. Eventually, she began teaching her own classes at 18. Since then, she has taught at the preschool, beginner, petite 1, petite 2, and junior levels. Her love for teaching continues to grow each year and she looks forward to inspiring and motivating her students. Aside from the studio, Miss Sam is a student at Central Connecticut State University working toward her Elementary Education degree to continue her love for teaching young children.
Jessica Rutkauskas
Jessica Rutkauskas began her love of dance at CSPA when she was three years old and hasn’t stopped since. She has participated in tap, ballet, jazz, pointe, and gymnastics classes along with being a member of the VIPs for over 10 years. Throughout the years, she has appeared in many musical theater performances and on occasion has been a talent judge for a local pageant program. Jessica has taught many different ages and levels at CSPA. She especially takes pride in teaching the preschool students just beginning their love of dance. Jessica works full time at Griffin Hospital in the sleep wellness office. When she is not dancing or working, she loves vacationing, the beach, cooking, spending time with her husband, family, and friends, and going on road trips.
Alyssa Weymer
Alyssa Weymer began dancing at CSPA at the age of five. She has taken classes in tap, ballet,
jazz, and hip hop, and now instructs those classes as well. She was a part of our dance teams for many years. She was one of the first members of the Shooting Stars and then moved up through Rising Stars, VIPs, and VIP Elites. She began assisting classes in 2006 and joined the teaching staff in 2013. In high school, Alyssa was a four-year member of her newly formed dance team performing at football and basketball games and competing in the areas of hip hop, jazz, kickline, and pom. She became co-captain of the team her senior year. That same year, she was also offered the amazing experience of dancing with a group in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on live television. Alyssa graduated college from the University of Connecticut with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Human Development and Family Studies & Psychology. She currently works as an Instructional Aide in an elementary school. In her spare time, she loves to travel and spend time with her boyfriend, family, and friends.
Emily Wrogg
Emily Wrogg began her dance career with CSPA at three years old. Once she started, she never looked back. She has taken tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and pointe with CSPA, and was a member of our VIP Elite team. Emily’s passion for dance has been a driving force in her life, and her experiences dancing competitively in high school and college have brought her home to CSPA as a teacher. She teaches Petite 3 classes and our Rising Star dance team, as well as assists our VIP and VIP Elite dance teams. Emily also teaches barre for all ages. When she is not dancing, Emily is a graduate student at SCSU studying Early Childhood Education. She enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and her beloved dog AJ.
Jess Zawadski
Jessica Zawadski’s love of dance began at the age of three. Since then, she has shared the stage with her family and friends and continues to share her love of her dance with her students. Miss Jess has taken tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and pointe. She was one of the first members of the Shooting Stars dance team and then continued to Rising Stars, VIPs and VIP Elite dance teams. Once she graduated high school and her senior dance class, Miss Jess couldn’t let her love of dance and CSPA end there. She remained involved with dance and started as a dance teacher in 2012. Outside of dance, Miss Jess graduated from the University of New Haven in 2015 with a Bachelor of Legal Studies and is currently working as a legal assistant with the US Attorney's Office. She is currently living in Seymour with her husband, Devin and their son Maxton.
Assisting Staff
Ava King
Ava King has been dancing at CSPA since she was 3 years old. She has taken various classes in ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop throughout the years. Ava was part of the Rising Stars, VIPs and is currently a member of the VIP Elites. Outside of CSPA, Ava goes to Oxford High school and is a member of the Varsity Dance Team competing in Kick and Pom. She loves spending time with her family and friends and sharing her love of dance with others.
Kirsten Langrieger
Kirsten Langrieger has been dancing with CSPA since she was four years old. In the past 22
years, she has taken tap, ballet, jazz, and hip hop classes. She was also a part of the VIP and VIP Elite dance teams. She began assisting in 2009 at 13 years old and joined the teaching staff in 2015. Kirsten graduated from Quinnipiac University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, where she also took dance classes and performed in ballet and jazz showcases. Kirsten’s love and passion for dance grew with each class she attended. When she is not in the studio, Kirsten manages and works at her family business. She loves spending time with her family, friends, and boyfriend, and enjoys teaching her nieces Brooke and Madison how to dance.
Mackenzie Scofield has been dancing at CSPA since she was five years old. She has taken ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop. She is currently dancing in Miss Maddi’s senior class and is also a member of our VIP Elite team. Mackenzie has made lifelong friends at CSPA and especially loves the welcoming environment and the amazing teachers who have shaped her into the dancer she is today. Outside of dance Mackenzie plays tennis and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Mackenzie Scofield
Sierra Williams
Sierra Williams has been dancing at CSPA since the age of three. She has taken tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and pointe along with being a member of our VIP dance teams. Outside of CSPA, she danced competitively throughout highschool and college. Sierra graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science from the University of Connecticut in 2023, where she was a member and president of the UConn Kickline dance team. Sierra is currently continuing her education at Sacred Heart University, in an accelerated nursing program.
Gymnastics Staff
Rick Carbone - Gymnastics Director
Rick Carbone (known as “Mr. Rick”) began studying gymnastics at age 12 at Terryettes
Gymnastics in Milford, Connecticut under the direction of Coach Dick Terry. His skills
progressed rapidly, and he soon served as an instructor at the school. While still in high school, he practiced/performed with the national level men’s gymnastics team at Southern Connecticut State College coached by Abie Grossfield and training with Olympians. He was recognized as an East Coast region most outstanding tumbling champion in 1972 and 1973. He subsequently served as a gymnastics coach/instructor at Yale University under the direction of Barbara Tonry who was a national and world tumbling champion and her husband Don Tonry also an Olympian. Rick opened his own gymnastics school in Plainfield, Connecticut. While still running this program, he began working with the gymnastics program at Children’s Studio for the Performing Arts and moved fulltime as Gymnastics Director in 1978. Over the years, he has trained and worked with future national level college gymnastics champions. His gymnasts and teams have frequently won state championships and regional competitions. He is dedicated to maintaining artistry in the sport of gymnastics and continues to direct a respected gymnastics program in the state of Connecticut.
Amy Anderson
Amy Anderson has been a coach at CSPA for five years. She is also a certified judge through
U.S.A. Gymnastics for Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels.
Jenna McCormick
My name is Miss Jenna. I was a gymnast at CSPA for 13 years and have been teaching for 9 years. I graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and I work in the education system.
Laura McCracken
Gymnastics Assistants
Giovanna Cevetillo
Hi I'm Giovanna Cevetillo and I started gymnastics here when I was about 7 years old. I competed through this program for 7 years and continued the sport in high school for another 2. I have been coaching for almost a little more than a year now and love working with all the different levels.
Emily Masotta
Emily Masotta is an assistant coach at CSPA. She helps coach preschool and recreation classes, and on occasion, team gymnastics. Emily is an Xcel Gold Level Gymnast and has been an athlete at CSPA for seven years. Emily is a junior in high school and strives to excel in both school and gymnastics. Helping young athletes is a passion of hers.
Cassie Silkhoff
Cassie Silkhoff started at CSPA in 2014 and is now an assistant coach. She has competed through Xcel Diamond level and is currently a sophomore at Derby High School playing sports at the varsity level.
Tumbling Staff
Jenna McCormick
My name is Miss Jenna. I was a gymnast at CSPA for 13 years and have been teaching for 9 years. I graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and I work in the education system.
Office Staff
Ginny Doxsey
Ginny has been with CSPA since age 3. She has taught every level from preschool to senior level including all CSPA dance teams. She has also choreographed musicals at local schools in Ansonia and Naugatuck. Since she is now ‘retired’ from teaching, her role within the studio has changed. She does a lot of behind-the-scenes office work by handling social media content and recital management. She works at Sacred Heart University as the Assistant Director of the Student Union and resides in Naugatuck with her husband Mike and her 3 sons. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D in Higher Education Leadership and Organizational Studies.