Born and raised in the capital district, Nikki has been involved in the dance world for over 35 years between being a student and a choreographer. Nikki began her journey at the age of 3 at Eleanor’s School of Dance in Albany, NY and continued her training in tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet and pointe through high school. Upon graduating high school, she studied at Albany College of Pharmacy where she earned her doctorate. While studying in college, Nikki continued to remain active in the dance community by being a permanent dance teacher at her home studio teaching both competition and recreational classes on the weekends. She currently teaches tap, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary. Her passion is to connect with students and provide them with choreography that best suits them and makes them feel their best. These days Nikki splits her time between being a dance mom and a dance teacher at Class Act Dance and enjoys every minute of it.

Ashley Aquilo hit the dance floor at the age of two and has been training exclusively in all styles ever since. She is an artistically driven individual based out of New York where she has had the pleasure of studying dance at Pace University and Broadway Dance Center. After graduating from the BDC Professional Semester, Ashley was a member of Shirlene Quigley's "Queendom Crew" on DanceOn and is now the social media and marketing manager for Operation: Tap. As well as being a dancer/performer, she is a teacher and choreographer at a variety of studios in the capital region. To keep up with Ashley, you can follow her on Instagram @AshleyAquilo!

Anastasia Mihalovna Welsh from Albany, NY, began her studies under Madeline Cantarella Culpo at the School of the Albany Berkshire Ballet. She spent summers training at Boston Ballet, Briansky Saratoga Ballet Center, New York State Summer School of the Arts Ballet (NYSSSA), Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive and also returned to some of them as a counselor and teacher. She received her B.A. at Mercyhurst University with a concentration in Dance- Choreography/Performance and a minor in Business Arts Administration. Her choreography has been performed at the Youth American Grand Prix Competition, American College Dance Festival, Regional Dance of America Northeast, and the Erie Festival of Dance. She has performed with the prestigious Moscow Ballet and has danced with the Albany Berkshire Ballet Company, Lake Erie Ballet Company, Mercyhurst Ballet Theatre, and Company Danzante. She spent three years dancing professionally and choreographing for Manassas Ballet Theatre. As resident troupe choreographer of the Ballston Spa Central School District Musical Troupe for four years, she choreographed well-known musicals: Addams Family, Hello Dolly, Newsies, Mamma Mia, and Bye Bye Birdie. She has taught ballet at various schools including the School of the Albany Berkshire Ballet, Erie Dance Conservatory, Adagio Ballet, Stage Door Dance Studio, and C&C Dance Company. Since 2018, she has been the ballet technique instructor with Class Act Dance working with students to improve their technique in concert with their strength training and rigorous competition schedules.

Stephanie Green began dancing at the age of four. She grew up competing in tap, jazz, ballet, and lyrical, winning numerous regional and national titles. Stephanie holds a B.A. in Dance performance with a minor in Business Administrator from Point Park University. She continued her education and received a dual master’s degree in Childhood Education and Special Education from Russell Sage College. Stephanie is an elementary special education teacher in the Niskayuna Central School District. She has over 20 years of experience teaching dance to students throughout the Capital District. Over the years, her choreography has won numerous awards, and her students have experienced tremendous success. Stephanie is also a certified Pilates instructor and enjoys incorporating Pilates principles into her dance training. Helping students reach their potential and building relationships with children and their families is what she enjoys most about teaching!

Maddie Jerard or Miss. Maddie is a 2023 graduate who has been dancing for 15 years. She got her start at Eleanor’s school of dance at the age of 2 and continued her training on at Class Act Dance until she graduated. Maddie has taken many master classes and has learned from renowned choreographers such as Anthony Morigerato. She has won many scholarships and titles throughout her dance career and has attended the Dance Awards in New York City on a full scholarship. Maddie has been teaching for 2 years officially now and has been assisting since the age of 10. She loves teaching the little ones and she is trained in all styles of dance, but her favorite is tap.

Rachale Mullally has studied dance since the age of 4 in Upstate New York. After learning under mentors who inspired her for years to come, she decided to continue her career and earn her BFA in Dance Theater at AMDA Los Angeles. Upon graduating, she knew that teaching would be the most rewarding way to pass on this new-found knowledge and love within the art. She feels extremely inspired to have the opportunity to continue sharing her art and what she’s learned to the generations of dancers to come.

Bio Coming Soon

Bio Coming Soon