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Faculty Biographies

Joy A. Turner, B.A.(Ballet, Pointe)

Joy is a graduate of Point Park University, having received her B.A. in dance, cum laude, through the apprenticeship program with a concentration in ballet.  Joy received her early training from Inga O'Neill in Kennebunk, Maine.  She spent summers studying with The Briansky Ballet, School of Ballet, Cape Cod Conservatory Dance Institute, Boston Ballet, and as an apprentice with the Albano Ballet in Hartford, CT.  Joy brings with ther performance experience from the York County Youth Ballet, Portland Ballet, Maine State Ballet, Point Park Conservatory Dance Company, and the Esuardo Mariscal Dancers.  Joy can also be seen dancing as an extra in the motion picture, Bob Roberts.  Joy previously taught ballet and jazz for the Division of Theater and Dance at the University of West Virginia, and was director of the WVU Ballet Ensemble for three years before moving to New Hampshire.

Kerry Wood, M.Ed. (Young Children’s, Youth, Jazz, Tech-Hop)

Kerry trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop at the West Concord Dance Academy in Massachusetts.  After fifteen years, she moved on to The University of New Hampshire where she made jazz, tap, and choreography her focus.  While at the University, Kerry spent three years as captain and co-choreographer for the Wildcat Dance Team.   Kerry began teaching young children’s dance and beginner jazz, tap, and ballet while still in high school.  She is a graduate of the intensive Dance Teacher’s Club of Boston’s Teacher Training Program.  Kerry has taught dance camps up and down the East coast for NCA Dance.  Her love of teaching led her to UNH’s Education program, where she earned her Master’s degree in elementary education. 

Heidi Hanson B.S, B.A (Jazz, Tap)

Heidi is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in Theater and Dance and a B.S. in Exercise Science.  She was a member of the UNH Dance Company under the direction of Gay Nardone, and specialized in jazz, tap and aerial dance.  While living in NYC, Heidi performed with the XYandZ Project and En L’Air Aerial Dance Theater in the International Dance Festival, and you can catch her on the kid’s TV series Sheria and Loli’s Dittydoodle Works as Pink-A-Dink.  Heidi is in the cast of Clara's Dream, A Jazz Nutcracker last performed in December 2009.  She teaches aerial dance each summer at the UNH Summer Dance Intensive, and is currently in for her fifth year teaching at Arts Rochester.

Meghan Houlahan B.A. (Young Children’s Dance, Ballet)

Meghan began her dance training at Paulette's Ballet Studio in Newton, MA in 1980, she became a teaching assistant  in 1987 and taught classes there during her college summers.  She officially joined the faculty in 1996, teaching there for 3 years.  She spent several summers as the Head Dance Counselor at a day camp in Dedham, MA.  Meghan also spent a summer as a counselor for Tanglewood's DARTS, a camp geared to middle school aged children of diverse backgrounds who excel in the arts, a camp she also attended when she was younger.  Meghan attended the University of New Hampshire where she earned her degree in English Literature.  She minored in Dance focusing on Ballet, Pointe and Theater Dance.  She also performed for the UNH Ballet Company as an understudy.  The mother of 3 young children, Meghan is thrilled to be able to share her love of dance with the children of  AR's Young Children's Program.

Joyce Goldstein B.S.(Tap, Ballroom) 

Joyce, dancer, teacher and choreographer, was formally trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern and ballroom beginning in her early childhood. She began teaching dance and performing in community theater in her mid teens.  Joyce holds a BS degree in teaching from Pennsylvania State University and was the president of the of the University’s dance company, Orchesis. She danced professionally with the traveling troupe of the Manhattan Rockets during the summers while attending college.  Joyce  taught Junior High for eight years in Cherry Hill, New Jersey during which time she established and presided over the dance club.  Joyce was owner/director/choreographer of an aerobic dance business for 10 years.  She has been teaching dance in the Rochester, NH area since 1989 and has choreographed many musical theatre productions for high schools and community groups.

Christine Hounsell, B.A., M.Ed. (Tap, Jazz)

Christine earned undergraduate degree in Psychology and her master’s in Counseling from the University of New Hampshire where she minored in dance and performed for three years with the UNH Dance Company. Her strong beliefs regarding the value of movement, dance, and the arts in creating a healthy individual and community, inspired her to create Rochester Movement Arts and RochesterCreativeArtsCenter which, in 2003, became the basis for Arts Rochester’s dance program. She continues her study of jazz and tap by traveling to study with master teachers from around the world. Christine has also taught for the UNH Department of Theatre and Dance.  She performs regularly with MaD Theatricals and has been a guest dancer with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (Shipyard Project) and the Cab Calloway Orchestra.

Sasha Randall, B.F.A. (Modern)

Sasha graduated magna cum laude from Long IslandUniversity’s Honors program earning her B.F.A. in Dance Studies with a concentration in Psychology.  She continued her post-graduate studies at MillsCollege in Oakland, CA where she trained extensively in modern dance composition and performance.  Upon her return to NY, she worked as a freelance dancer with Circle of Dance Repertory Company, performing in notable venues such as the Duke Theater on Broadway, P.S. 122, and Clark Theater in LincolnCenter.  Sasha is the director of the dance program at BerwickAcademy and is artistic director of sonar dance and co-artistic director of New England Dance Project.

Julie Hebb, B.S.

Julie Hebb, originally from Massachusetts, has spent the past 15 years performing, teaching and working in NYC.  From 1992-2006, she taught and performed principal roles with Rebecca Kelly Ballet, was ballet mistress for the company and assistant to the director in choreography, workshops and summer programs.  She performed as guest artist in North Country Ballet Ensemble’s, Nutcracker.  She also worked with Diane Faye Dancers of NYC, Several Dancers Core of Atlanta, GA, Impulse Dance Company & North Atlantic Ballet of Boston, MA and other ballet, modern and musical theater companies through out the northeast.  In New York, She has also taught at STEPS NYC, Berest Dance Studio, Joffrey Ballet School, Garden City Community Dance Project and Rebecca Kelly Ballet.

She received her training at the Boston Ballet, Hartford Ballet, Ballet Theater of Boston, STEPS, Marjorie Mussman, City Center Studios, the Paul Taylor School and other notable NYC teachers and studios. She graduated summa cum laude in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in a combined major of psychology and exercise science from Brooklyn College and maintains a New York State and Maine State license for massage therapy.

Julie’s classes instill confidence, self-assurance and poise by encouraging students to strive for their best and appreciate dance and movement.  She believes their accomplishments, efforts and success help build on concepts that apply not only in the dance world of technique class and performance but also in their own self- development.