The Studio at Guilford Center is made possible by private investments in the arts and a collaboration of dedicated people with a passion for dance, community, creativity and youth and human development through the arts. We are building a committed and talented Board of Directors for a nonprofit component of our studio and we look forward to combining our experiences to bring an impactful program to the Guilford area.

Emily Branigan has been dancing since the age of three and has excelled in many areas of dance, though her true passions are musical theatre, jazz and tap. She was a fifteen year student of Ms. Sharon DiCrosta of The Dancer’s Studio of North Haven, Connecticut, and has also received training both in New York and Los Angeles in dance, on-camera acting and musical theatre. Emily began teaching at the age of sixteen utilizing the motto that she was taught at a very young age, “dance comes from your heart…not your feet!” For over 10 years, she has taught primarily in the Los Angeles area to a wide array of students with various ages and abilities in multiple genres. She also travels the country as a competition judge and guest teacher and is a part of Impact Dance Adjudicators. Emily is a Member of Dance Educators of America. She is also a Y.P.A.D (Youth Protective Advocates in Dance) certified teacher and program ambassador. Her choreography and teaching style reflect her focus empowering her students to make a difference in their communities through their art. Emily has been seen on stage, screen, print and television both nationally and internationally. She has been fortunate enough to work in multiple areas of the entertainment industry. She’s worked both in New York and LA as a model, an actor and of course her first love and passion, a dancer. A few of her favorite credits include Nike, Macy's, Mercedes Benz, Loreal, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Freeform Network. Emily has also been a volunteer with Kids for Kids, Dancing for Life, Inc., a non-profit organization which raises funds and support for sick and needy children primarily through the art of dance since the organization’s founding in 1994. Since 2005, she has served on the Board of Directors. Emily is the founder of The emPower MOVEment. A social platform, in studio workshops and classes, that offers support for the developing human spirit in young people through dance and related activities to promote positive growth of both mind and body. After spending over a decade in Los Angeles, performing, and teaching, Emily could not be happier to be back in her home state of Connecticut sharing her passion for dance and as a leader within the team at the SGC community!

Faculty

Elizabeth Parisi (Administation)

Liz hails from Hamden, CT and is a long time supporter of the arts and non-profit worlds. Liz brings us her many years of experience as a Youth Group Leader, Camp Counselor, and member of the Kids for Kids, Dancing for Life, inc. Board of Directors. Currently Elizabeth is the General Manager for Staples in Old Saybrook, CT and a lead in her district. She serves as a Co-Chair of The emPower MOVEment, a social platform, in studio workshops and classes, that offers support for the developing human spirit in young people through dance and related activities to promote positive growth of both mind and body. Liz believes that there is place for all children in the studio to move and find their confidence. She is so excited to join the team at SGC and share her passion and love of learning and arts.

Kimberly Spanier (Core Ballet, Pre-Dance, Adult Ballet)

Kim began her classical ballet training under the direction of Joyce Karpiej, former director of the Hartford Ballet School. She also spent summers studying at the Boston Ballet. Kim continued her training and joined the Company at Connecticut Concert Ballet where she danced lead roles in productions of the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Apollo, Cinderella, and Snow White. Kim retired from performing and now enjoys her time teaching students at several studios along the shoreline. When she is not teaching, Kim works as the Development Manager at the Diaper Bank of CT and is a co-owner of Everything Under the Roof - a residential remodeling company. Kim lives in North Branford with her husband, Jay, and her two daughters, Sofia and Ellie.

Emma Brockett(Core Ballet, Pre-Dance, Pre- Hip Hop, Core Combo, The Grown-Ups’ Get Down)

Emma has been dancing since the age of 7, training at a local studio in various styles including jazz, tap, ballet , lyrical, modern and contemporary and started dancing competitively when she was 13. Emma discovered a strong passion for ballet early on in her teens and was excepted into the Joffery summer program at age 16, and a year later at 17 she was accepted into the trainee program at New England Ballet Theatre in Connecticut under the direction of Victoria Manning. Post-High School, she went on to join New England Ballet Theatre professional company as a Demi-Apprentice. With NEBT she got to dance in shows like “Cinderella” and “Fantastic Toyshop,” choreographed by Rachael Gnatowski, and guest pieces such as “Painted Lady” choreographed by Jacob Taylor, and has performed in NYC at the Alvin Ailey Theatre in Gnatowski’s piece “B-side” and understudied for Saki Morimoto’s piece “Focus Point.” Emma began teaching and choreographing at 15, and has continued teaching ballet classes and privates at both competition schools and New England Ballet theaters school program. She loves to work with kids and watch them grow as dancers each year and wants to continue teaching in her future and leading the next generation to greatness and is looking forward to continuing her dance career.

Riley Bauer (Core Tap, Core Contemporary, Dance Company, Adult Tap, Leaps and Turns)

Riley Bauer started her dance journey at the age of two at Backstage Dance Center LLC (Riley Bauer started her dance journey at the age of two at Backstage Dance Center LLC (BSDC)in Killingworth Ct. She stayed there for 16 years and was a member of the Competitive DanceTeam for 14 of them. While at BSDC, she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, lyric, and contemporary dance and took opportunities to train in other styles such as hip-hop and modern through many guest teacher workshops. Throughout her years competing, Riley took several regional titles such as Dance Teacher’s Club of Ct’s Junior Miss Dance of Ct 2014, Ct RegionalTeen Miss Headliner 2018, and Dance Teacher’s Club of Ct’s Miss Dance of Ct 2020, giving her the opportunity to expand her dance education through travel and national competitions. Riley is most grateful for her opportunity to travel to Reisa Germany for the IDO World TapChampionships in 2017 where she took the Silver Medal alongside her teammates in the Junior Small Group Division. Riley has continued her dance education at Sacred Heart University(SHU) where she is a member of the SHU Dance Company and the SHU Mo(VE)ment Professional Track. Most recently, she was able to travel with the Dance Company and perform in the Carnival Choreographer’s Ball New York, fall 2022. Her latest endeavor was performing as a featured dancer in the SHU Theatre Arts Program’s production of the Rocky Horror PictureShow in Spring 2023 Although Riley started assistant teaching at BSDC when she was 17, she has just started to break into the world of teaching this past year at studios throughout the Ct Shoreline. She is super excited to embark on the adventure of teaching and choreographing and even more overjoyed to do it at Studio at Guilford Center!

Chloe Sinoway (Core Ballet, Core Contemporary)

Coming Soon…

Alexis Wheeler (Mamas’ New Groove)

Lexi Wheeler, LMFTa, has worked with a broad range of clientele over the years. Her focus began working with children, ranging from as young as 4 to as old as 21. While Lexi enjoys working with people of all ages, her current focus has been on supporting mothers struggling with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Lexi offers a very gentle approach while still providing challenging techniques; encouraging clients to participate in their own therapeutic process by assigning homework when necessary. Lexi’s areas of expertise include: parenting education, emotionally focused interventions, self reflection /self esteem building, emotional regulation and CBT skills.