Get to know our
A-glow instructors
Meet the team that will get you moving, sweating, and progressing in your technique!
Our experienced, enthusiastic instructors teach at A-Glow because they love working with adult dance students. They’re trained to offer safe modifications, guide you to the classes that best match your goals and experience, and support your growth.
Amanda, Artistic Director & Studio Owner
Certifications & Degrees: Doctor of Physical Therapy, B.F.A Dance, University of Buffalo, Balance Body Barre Certified
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Ballet, Jazz
How She Glows: Amanda loves introducing people to dance for the first time and finds satisfaction in helping dancers who are driven to improve their technique! As a mom of four, Amanda also loves that A-Glow is a place where she can take off her mama hat and focus on joyfully moving her body with others who share her passion for dance.
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Amanda's experience as a dance instructor ranges from teaching elementary ballet at children's studios to serving as a teaching assistant for ballet and pointe classes in the Dance Department at the University of Buffalo. She performed with the Zodiaque Dance Company in Buffalo, New York, where she choreographed twice for the Emerging Choreographers Showcase. She later completed her physical therapy residency working with the Joffrey Ballet and River North Dance Company in Chicago, Illinois. As a licensed physical therapist, she trains all A-Glow instructors to offer safe modifications for adult dancers.
Amanda is a mom to four children, a cat, and a bunny. When she's not on the dance floor, she finds joy in crafting, baking, and exploring nature.
Meghan, Assistant Artistic Director
Certifications & Degrees: International Ballet Barre Fitness Association (IBBFA) Barre Certification Level 2, Prenatal Barre Certification, Sugarfoot Therapy Trained
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Lyrical
How She Glows: Meghan believes dancing is a healing art form and a wonderful way to help our bodies adapt to change and stay vital as we age (mentally and physically!). She is honored to assist other dancers as they create more resiliency, strength, and power in class.
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Meghan grew up as a competitive dancer, assistant teacher, and Dance Company member at Charlotte Klein Dance Centers. She studied ballet & modern dance at Bennington College & Connecticut College and took master classes in New York & Boston throughout early adulthood.
When she’s not taking dance or yoga classes, Meghan loves to strength train and learn about how we can best care for our bodies. She enjoys gardening, traveling, and laughing with her husband and two children. And as a former personal chef, she can often be found cooking & entertaining for family and friends!
Clara
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Ballet, Contemporary
How She Glows:
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Clara hails from the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Massachusetts to attend Boston University for undergrad. She is in her 4th year of medical school at Umass Medical School. She has been a dancer for over 20 years in styles including ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop, and lyrical.
Clara spent several years dancing in a professional modern company in California, Jumpin’ at the Sun Dance Company, at the Warrior halftime show, and Disneyland parades and parks.
Besides dance and medicine, she loves spending time with her dog, Sassy, as well as reading, cooking, and tutoring my peers. She is beyond excited to teach dance and grow together!
Jenna
Certifications & Degrees: International Ballet Barre Fitness Association (IBBFA) Barre Certification
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Tap
How She Glows: Jenna's favorite part of teaching adult dance is that there is no competition amongst students because everyone's there to try something new and celebrate their love of dance. Her approach is equal parts encouraging, challenging, and fun.
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Jenna has been dancing since age 3, competing in various styles, including Irish Step and Ballroom, and performing The Nutcracker with the Moscow Russian Ballet in her teens. During college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she choreographed for and performed with the UMass Marching Band and Color Guard.
Jenna works full-time as a Quality Assurance Manager for DFA at Friendly's Ice Cream (that’s right, eating ice cream is literally her job!). She also loves to sail with her family—it is always Really Sumthin (which, by the way, is also the name of her boat!).
Jill
Certifications & Degrees: Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified in Progressing Ballet Technique, Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist, Trained in APPI Pilates Matwork
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Jazz, Ballet, and Lyrical
How She Glows: Jill loves helping dancers of all ages learn to dance safer, stronger, and with more awareness of their bodies.
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Jill danced competitively in Central, MA, throughout her childhood, studying ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, acro, and pointe. She served as both an assistant teacher and lead teacher for student dancers. At the University of Hartford, she was president of her college dance team for two years and a dance team member for four. As a physical therapist, Jill is passionate about rehabilitation and injury prevention for dancers and other artistic athletes.
When she's not dancing, Jill enjoys her family and her cats, plays board games, and exercises. She also spends much of her time growing her physical therapy practice, Parallel Physical Therapy & Wellness.
Liz
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Modern, Lyrical, Ballet
How She Glows: Liz loves sharing the joy of dance, both as a creative outlet and an excellent way to promote strength and flexibility as our bodies age. Liz encourages her students to listen to their bodies and individualize their movement, appreciating what they can do while also accepting their limitations.
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At age three, Liz began dancing at The Dancer's Loft (now Boire Dance Academy). She continued her training through high school, completing the American Academy of Ballet Performance Awards program levels 3 to 11. During middle and high school, Liz competed in regional dance competitions. She continued to teach and choreograph for pointe at lyrical classes in college, where she was a member of the University of Rhode Island Dance Company.
Liz is a critical care pharmacist who works in the medical ICU at a local hospital, where she also teaches pharmacy students and residents. Outside of work and dance, Liz loves spending time with her family, including her two very cute nieces. Liz also enjoys reading, cooking, baking, spending time outdoors, especially in summer, hiking, traveling, and snuggling with her baby (her cat, Mia).
meri
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Tap, Musical Theatre
How She Glows: Meri loves to spread joy when she teaches her classes! She feels that dance is a powerful tool we can use to nurture our well-being and build strong community connections. She believes that creating, moving, and laughing together, fosters a healing atmosphere for all.
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Meredith is a passionate dancer and performer, beginning her journey at the age of three and gracing local stages by nine. She attended an advanced Dance and Acting program in high school and went on to study dance and theater at Regis college. With a love for teaching ignited in high school, she founded a vibrant dance program for children in Brookline and at local YMCA’s where she also taught dance fitness. Her expertise flourished at studios in Wellesley, Waltham and around Massachusetts, culminating in five transformative years as the assistant director of the Cape Cod Dance Center.
A seasoned performer, Meredith has collaborated with esteemed companies such as Cape Rep, Reagle Players, Turtle Lane, Provincetown Theater, Theatre 3, and the Concord Players and more. Notably, she served as the choreographer and cast member for the Gold Dust Orphans, captivating audiences in Provincetown, Boston, and Off-Broadway for many years. Her work has garnered multiple nominations and wins for prestigious awards, including the Elliot Norton and Dash Awards, reflecting her dedication to the arts.
When Meri isn’t on the dance floor, you can find her in her role as a loving mother. She also finds joy working on a line of clothes to sell at fares and community markets, including kids’ clothes, from vintage and upcycled fabrics. Meri also likes to grow her own food and creating native gardens that support wildlife.
Sarah
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical
How She Glows: Sarah loves that adult students are in class because they want to be and that they can handle technical explanations of movements and concepts.
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Sarah's childhood dance education focused on ballet in a school that prioritized classical technique. Her classical training was complemented by tap and jazz—styles that let her high energy flow freely. Later, she dabbled in ballroom dance and fell in love with swing and salsa.
Sarah spends most of her life caring for her husband and two children, their home, and their garden. She also loves singing, knitting, exercising, reading, drawing, and puzzling.
Shanah
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Ballet, Tap
How She Glows: Shanah loves teaching adults because they WANT to be in the studio. Her philosophy for teaching adults is to "meet yourself where you are today.” She wants all her students to have the space to be creative while giving themselves the grace to develop.
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Shanah started dancing at age three and continued to dance competitively through high school. She choreographed and danced for the Le Moyne Student Dance Company at Le Moyne College in New York.
Shanah is a scientist in technical sales, supporting the biopharm industry, and loves spending time with her husband Tim and their three boys and two cats. She also recently discovered a love of camping!
Shannon
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Modern, Lyrical, Jazz
How She Glows: Shannon loves working with adult dancers because they bring such deep appreciation to the art. For adults, class time is often a sacred time carved out of busy lives. She loves offering her students an opportunity to be fully present in body and mind, letting everything else temporarily fall away.
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Shannon trained in ballet and jazz at various studios in Central New York before earning her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Dance from Penn State University. During this time, as a member and choreographer of the Orchesis Dance Company, Shannon developed a love for modern and contemporary dance styles.
In addition to teaching at A-Glow, Shannon is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and working mom of two very active kids who loves a great Pilates class.
Téa
Favorite Style(s) to Teach: Jazz
How She Glows: She loves the opportunity to express her creativity through dance and choreography and seeing her vision come to life. Téa also appreciates learning from the dancers in her class through seeing their style and execution.
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Téa danced at Patti Morris Dance Unlimited from 2000–2010, after which she trained for five years at Lucy Johnson Fitzgerald Dance Studio. She studied multiple dance forms, including ballet, tap, lyrical, and jazz.
In her free time, Téa enjoys cross-training and loves to cook and bake for her family.
Free ballet basics tutorial
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Free ballet basics tutorial ⋆
Want to know if ballet basics is the right place to start? Get an at-home preview of a ballet basics class led by A-Glow Artistic Director & Owner, Amanda Money.