Dance at Franklin School for the Performing Arts

Dance Faculty

Cara Ricci, Instruction of Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop

Originally from Riverside, California Cara moved to Boston when she was 18. In 1996 she graduated from The Boston Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts with her BFA in dance. In 2002 Cara moved to Colorado to be near her family and in 2005, with her immediate family, opened Inspirations Dance Company in Littleton, Colorado. Her extensive ballet training comes from teachers including... Read more

Charlie Holbrook , Instructor of Tap

Charlie Holbrook is pleased to join the FSPA Dance Faculty. With years of teaching experience, he has served as dance instructor at such institutions as Boston Conservatory, University of Rhode Island, Cathy Taylor School of Dance, American Academy of Dance and Dean College. He currently is a teacher and co-director of Krylo Dance Studios in Rhode Island. Charlie's performance experience... Read more

Cheryl Madeux Abbott , FSPA Ballet Mistress and Instructor of Ballet and Pointe

Cheryl Madeux, a Connecticut native, received her training from the Nutmeg Ballet Company in Torrington, CT. under the direction of Sharon Dante and Donna Bonasera. Her professional career began with the Joffrey Ballet in NY at the age of 18. During her four years with the main company, Ms. Madeux performed numerous works by Gerald Arpino and traveled extensively throughout... Read more

Clyde Nantais , Instructor of Ballet, Jazz and Boys' Dance

Clyde Nantais joined the FSPA Dance Faculty in 1992. He holds a BFA from Boston Conservatory and a Master of Education degree from Temple University. He has performed leading roles in Equity Summer Stock and dinner theater productions. Clyde danced with the Boston Ballet for seven years before teaching in its school for seventeen years. He also was the principal... Read more

Dorothy DeLutis Beaton , Dance Department Artistic Advisor

Dorothy Beaton began dancing at her mother's DeLutis School of Dance. She studied in Boston at Jacob's Pillow and in New York and attended the Boston Conservatory, where she majored in dance. Dorothy danced professionally with the Christopher Ryder Revue and toured New England with Dance Makers. She taught at the DeLutis School , where she was also co-owner and... Read more

Frantz Louizia, Jr., Instructor of Hip-Hop and Jazz

Frantz Louizia Jr. is pleased to join the FSPA Dance Faculty. A dance/actor/instrumentalist/vocalist and writer, his mother introduced Frantz to Haitian folk dance at the age of two. He later attended Boston School for the Performing Arts and has performed pieces choreographed by many including Ronald K. Brown, Sean Curran and Marlies Yearby. Frantz has extensive training in tap, jazz, ballet, modern, swing,... Read more

Jan Smithers , Dance Department Artistic Advisor

Jan Smithers received her extensive professional dance training in New York City. Her impressive resume includes Broadway and television performances. For many years an instructor of ballet, several of her students have been accepted for performing roles with the Boston Ballet Company, including two girls who were chosen to dance the part of "Clara" in Boston Ballet's productions of The... Read more

Jenny Oliver, Instructor of Jazz and Tap

Jenny Oliver graduated from DeanCollege with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in dance. While at Dean, she studied ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance (Graham, Horton, Limon and Dunham techniques). She is a member of the Boston Tap Company and Roots Uprising. Her dance credits include Inside/Out Series, Tapestry, Rhythm in the Night, and In Conversation. Jenny joined the FSPA... Read more

Kellie Stamp , Instructor of Tap, Jazz and Director of FSPA Dance Ensembles

Kellie Stamp began her dance training at the age of five under the direction of Pat Smith. After receiving her Masters of Performing Arts Education from Emerson College, she continued her tap and jazz training at the On Stage Academy for the Performing Arts, as well as with Rosemarie Boyden and at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Kellie has... Read more

Lorry May, Instructor of Modern

Lorry May holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Boston Conservatory of Music as well as a Certificate of Arts Management Degree from Marymount Manhattan College . Lorry has danced world-wide as a soloist with Anna Sokolow for over three decades performing in rolls as Frida Kahlo in Frida, the soldier's wife in Kurt Weill, the acrobat in... Read more

Rilla Tolmie , Instructor of Ballet

Rilla Tolmie began her dance training at the age of seven with Theresa Sheridan DuBois. After studying acting at BU's School of Fine Arts under Samuel Hirsch and William Lacey, she continued her ballet training at Boston Ballet with Virginia Williams, Ballet Russe Prima Ballerina Madame Ana Roje, Lithuanian ballerina Tatiana Babushkina, and Meicyslaw Morawski of the Kirov Ballet. In... Read more

Tracy Durso , Instructor of Children's Dance, Ballet and Jazz

Tracy Durso joined the FSPA Dance Faculty in 1999. With a Bachelor of Science degree from Miami University, Tracy has studied ballet and jazz since a young age and continues on-going study with Andy Taylor-Blenis and Jim Viera. She is a member of Dance Masters of America and, having passed the national DMA exams, is a graduate of the Dance... Read more