Faculty
Emily Zimmermann
Owner, Director
Emily Zimmermann began her ballet training in the San Francisco Bay Area at Professional Ballet School with Dutch National and San Francisco Ballet artists Carmela Zegarelli Peter and Zoltan Peter. She spent summers training with Richard Gibson and Zory Karah at Academy of Ballet as well as Joffrey Ballet's summer intensive.
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Emily performed with Peninsula Ballet Theatre and directed a dance program at Palo Alto Family YMCA. She received a B.A. in Anthropology at UC Santa Cruz while she also performed as a featured dancer and assistant choreographer with Cabrillo Stage Musical Theatre, and taught ballet at Western Ballet in Mountain View.
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Emily obtained a Masters of Science degree at the University of Sheffield, UK., which afforded her an advanced knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. After moving to the midwest with her family, Emily became Ballet Mistress and Director of Development with Missouri Contemporary Ballet Company and School. Here, she developed programming including a nutrition and injury prevention workshop, and choreographed and co-choreographed full length pre-professional ballet and musical theatre productions.
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In 2017, Emily moved to Massachusetts with her family. Since her arrival she has worked in special education at Boston Public Schools as well as Valley Collaborative Elementary in Tyngsborough. Following a year teaching at Brookline Ballet School, she settled in Westford and has continued sharing her passion for ballet with the local community ever since. In March of 2021, Emily pursued her dream and founded Dream Ballet School.
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Emily is certified in Pointe Safe and Progressing Ballet Technique.
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Emily Zimmermann is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Kiana Renae
Guest Faculty - Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Fusion
Kiana Renae is a dancer, choreographer and educator based in New England and Tennessee. She was a company dancer with 'Boston Community Dance Project’ where she trained, performed and taught all over the North East. She danced as a company dancer for inspirational modern-ballet company, Saving Grace Dance Ensemble and she currently represents Fresh Talent Group Nashville. Kiana shares her knowledge for dance, teaching at various workshops, festivals, and conventions such as Step Up 2 Dance, New England Youth Dance Exchange, Dance Teachers Club of Boston Convention, and more. She performed at events like NYC Carnival: Choreographers Ball, Sybarite, Brickhouse Grand Opening at Times Square and more. Kiana is known for her versatility in multiple styles and her passion for storytelling. She continues to share her knowledge by judging and teaching wherever she goes! Kiana‘s utmost passion is to inspire al ages through the arts!
Todd Shanks
Guest Faculty - Jazz, Musical Theatre, Fusion
Todd Shanks has been featured in Dance, Dance Spirit, Dance Studio Life, Dance Teacher and Dancer Magazines.
As a performer Todd has danced in music videos, commercials,
industrials and television programs including, “The Electric Company”, Kimberly Clark, “The View”, Volvo, Ford Motors, Race for the Cure, Wrigley’s, Paramount Pictures, “Good Day NY”, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Pilsen Beer, the United Way, UFO Jeans, 1010 WINS, Hope and Heroes, and the Lyme Disease Foundation. On stage he has performed with Synthesis Dance Project, Jette Performance Company, the Westchester Philharmonic, SDCF Dance Break, and the 2006 Miss Florida Pageant. Todd performed on field at Gillette Stadium for the 2015 and 2017 NFL Kickoff shows featuring T-Pain and Flo Rida respectively.
His choreography has been seen in a commercial for BIC "Soleil"
Razors and on ice for the opening number of “Stars, Stripes and
Skates” staring 3- time National ice skating champion Johnny Weir. His choreography has also been featured on “The View”, ABC Nightly News, The MSG Network, NY1, CW 11, and at NYC’s Carnival, Steps on Broadway’s Faculty in Performance, Making Strides Boston, Dean College: 50 Years of Gold, Yankee FanFest and “The Game is in Us” (a Nike spec commercial).
Before relocating to Massachusetts, Todd was on Faculty at Steps on Broadway in NYC for over a decade. He has been a guest teacher at the University of Florida, SUNY Brockport, Boston University, Skidmore College, ACDA, UMass Lowell, HSDF, the Ailey Extension, Ballet Hispanico, Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, Dance Masters of America, Dance New Amsterdam,
Florida Dance Masters and many private dance studios throughout the United States. He is currently teaching on tour with Manhattan Dance Project and Dance Educators of America.
Mr. Shanks is Program Coordinator for the Palladino School of Dance and Artist in Residence at Dean College in Franklin, MA.
For more information please visit www.toddshanks.com