Jen Barden

Director/Owner - Spotlight Vermont. Co-Founder - Vermont Theatre Academy

Teaches - Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater Dance, Ballet

Jen has been dancing most of her life. She started dance at the age of 5 at the prestigious "June Claire School of Dance" on Long Island. She later went on to be one of their youngest teachers at age 16. Despite her young age, Jen travelled to New York City weekly to study with some of the top dance teachers & choreographers at studios like Steps, Broadway Dance, Phil Black Studio and more.

In 1987 she moved to Vermont. Although she was asked to fly back to New York weekly to continue teaching, she decided to start a dance program in her new home instead. In 1996, Spotlight Vermont was born.

Jen is extremely grateful for the opportunity to teach students of all ages and share her love of dance! She has seen many of her students move on to pursue performing arts professionally. She is most proud of her contribution to her students growing up in her studio to become strong, confident and disciplined individuals. She is a teacher and mentor to many!

Tim Barden

Managing Director - Spotlight Vermont. Co-founder - Vermont Theatre Academy

Teaches - Acting, On Camera Acting, Song Interpretation, Musical Theater Performance, Intro to Performance, Film and Media Production, Hybrid Performance Production

Tim is a professional singer, actor, director and performing arts photographer, Tim also brings many years of business, marketing and financial management experience to Spotlight, having worked in banking, technology and government sectors for many years.

Tim has performed regionally in dozens of shows, including Brigadoon (Tommy), The Rainmaker(File), Fool for Love (Old Man), A Little Night Music (Fredrik), Jesus Christ Superstar (Pilate), The Fantasticks (El Gallo, Bellomy), The Sound of Music (Captain VonTrapp), Oliver! (Mr Bumble), The Producers (Max Bialystock) and many more. Tim was also a member of the popular cabaret group Encore! performing all around New England and in NYC for over 20 years.

As a visual artist, Tim has photographed some of the world’s top dance companies and performers, including; Dance Theater of Harlem, Martha Graham Company, Abraham.In.Motion, August Wilson Dance Ensemble, Tap Kids, Katherine Crockett, Kyle Abraham, Bill Evans and many more. His work can be seen here. He designed and implemented the technology behind Spotlight’s Black Box multi-camera, live streaming capabilities, which are used to model a new form of hybrid entertainment production.

A survivor of vocal fold cancer, Tim is indebted to the Voice Center at Mass General Hospital in Boston, especially Dr James Burns, for their dedication and care. Also critically, his buddy/voice teacher Bill Reed for helping him reinvent his voice so he could return to singing.

Bill Reed

Co-Founder - Vermont Theater Academy, Founder - Musical Theater Program at Circle in the Square Theater School, NYC.

Teaches - Voice, Musical Theater, Song Interpretation, Audition Prep, Career Prep

Dr. Reed has dedicated his professional life to guiding singers in their quest to realise their potential as performing artists. Born into a show business family, Bill began his vocal music education at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree. (Bill is a proud member of the Badger Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.) He completed his studies at Columbia University, earning a vocal music education doctorate. After a busy and rewarding career as a college choral director, studio voice teacher and concert singer, Bill established a private voice studio in New York City near Lincoln Center. For over thirty years, he was privileged to work with singers from all over the world whose specialities ranged from opera to pop and rock and Broadway to folk and country. He has consulted on several Hollywood movies and commercial recordings. His students have performed at the Metropolitan Opera, City Opera, many European opera houses, and hundreds of Broadway shows and national tours. Bill’s students have won Oscar Hammerstein, MAC, Emmy and Tony awards. Bill taught singing at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC for many years and is the founder of the acclaimed musical theater program there.

In Vermont, Bill’s adult students have had leading roles in numerous local community and professional musical theater productions. His college and school-aged students have performed extensively in school productions. They have gone on to study singing and musical theater at many of the most prestigious colleges, universities, and conservatories in the country. Several Bill’s Vermont students are working professionals and have performed in leading roles at the New York City Opera and Broadway. Bill is in demand nationally as a clinician and has been invited to give workshops at many colleges, universities, and meetings of professional organisations. Bill’s website can be found here.

“Working with Bill I gained the endurance to do eight shows a week on Broadway. This man is magic!” ~ Gary Lynch, “Javert” in Les Misérables

Click here to see a feature on master voice teacher, Bill Reed

Elisa Van Duyne

Teaches - Musical Theatre, Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop Lite

Elisa Van Duyne is a professional performer, choreographer and arts educator with over 20 years experience in theatre and musical theatre. As a performer, she's been seen and heard on Broadway: “42nd Street”, “Beauty and the Beast,” “Finian’s Rainbow”, “110 In The Shade” on TV: “Person of Interest”, “As The World Turns,” “2001 TONY Awards,” as well as Off-Broadway, European & national tours, and regional theaters all over the country. She has choreographed for universities, international entertainment companies, BC/EFA benefit concerts and professional theaters. Her work includes "Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Oklahoma,” “Big River,” "Footloose," ”Hairspray,” “The Who's Tommy" as well as stand alone contemporary and tap dance pieces. As an arts educator, she’s taught in NYC at Cap 21, Broadway Dance Center, and AMDA; Paper Mill Playhouse and local performing arts schools across the nation.

Nancy Kaanta

Teaches - Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet and Tumble

Nancy Kaanta is one of Vermont's most well-known, respected dance educators. Her studio, “The Movement Center”, was a source of superior dance training for decades. Spotlight is honored that Nancy has chosen our academy to continue offering our students her talent, wisdom and love for dance.

Nancy continues to increase her education as a dancer and teacher. From Virginia Tanner, a noted teacher of children, to Laura Glen modern Dance teacher from Julliard. From studying with tap masters Jeanne Hill and Lisa Hopkins and ballet with Shelley Ismail to more than 30 Summers of teacher education programs, including the American Dance Festival, and White Mountain Summer Dance Festival (to name a few), Nancy has been a student and teacher of dance every one of the 45 years that she has lived in Vermont.

She loves dance, teaching dance and most of all, her students.

Cara Beyor

Teaches - Jazz and Contemporary

Cara is a gifted teacher, dancer and choreographer.

Cara Beyor has lived most of her life in New England and New York. Training with multiple studios as well as master classes with teachers from NYC. She started her dance life with Canterella (now the Albany-Berkshire Ballet) and then with David DeMarie dance studio in Buffalo, NY where she competed for 4 years. She started the first high school dance team in Western MA in 1995-6 at her high school. After that, she danced in college with Ellen Sinopoli and a student organisation at Russell Sage College. After graduating from college, she moved to VT and found Spotlight on dance after trying classes in multiple places. "Spotlight is the perfect fit; a place that I can share with students my love of dance and help build confidence while learning something they can enjoy for the rest of their lives."

Cara has been involved with the VPA since dance became a varsity sport in 2005 in Vermont. Cara started as a coach and now is a senior adjudicator of the high school dance competitions.

Dr Beyor is also a licensed Doctorate Physical Therapy Specialist at Choice Physical Therapy in St. Albans, VT.

Shelley Ismail

Teaches - Ballet, Pointe

Shelley began dancing as a young girl in the NY metro area, and trained for nine years at the old Metropolitan Opera School of Ballet. She studied with Margaret Craske, Alfredo Corvino and Anthony Tudor, whom Shelley considers an essential influence on her life and philosophy of dance. Young Shelley spent her summers at Jacobs Pillow and as a teen spent a year at the Royal Ballet School in London. Her

professional career began moving to Paris dancing with the Ludmila Tcherina Company, the Nice Opera Ballet and onto the Basil Opera Ballet. Returning to NYC for a year of concert work, Shelley settled

for the next ten years in Montreal, dancing as soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Nutcracker, Giselle, Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, Balanchine balllets and numerous contemporary modern works. She moved on to start a small company with choreographer Lawrence Gradus called Entresix that performed over two hundred performances a year all over Canada. Shelley returned to NYC to study with Maggie Black.

Ms. Black was famous for creating a new ballet technique based in anatomy. This technique stressed working with a neutral spine, and proper pelvic alignment. Many of the world most elite dancers, including Vermont’s own Kevin McKenzie( former principal dancer and now Artistic Director of American Ballet Theater), studied with Ms. Black to heal injuries, and extend their dance careers. Shelley greatly absorbed her message of using a pure and holistic approach in teaching. Shelley brought this approach back to Montreal and taught for both the Les Grand school and Company.

After leaving Montreal, Shelley retired and moved to Vermont. She has taught throughout Franklin and Chittenden Counties. Shelley has received choreographic grants and with them started a small company of young dancers. The dancers performed and did lecture demonstrations in various schools.

Shelley taught for years at the Movement Center, and for about the last decade has taught here at Spotlight Vermont. Shelley is also available for private lessons, and coaching (For the more advanced dancer). She has trained many dancers who have become professional ballet and Modern dancers. As well, Shelley has helped many dancers get into elite schools and professional programs.

Shelley may soon retire, but hopes to pass on her passion for the beauty of this art form, the technique gained by proper training, and the joy of dancing purely without affectation for as long as she is able. A dancer who studies primarily with Shelley will rarely be injured, and will reach full potential; a well trained dancer is a pure and beautiful dancer, and the hallmark of a “Shelley trained dancer”.

Recently celebrating a milestone birthday , Shelly went to India for six weeks and attained her Yoga Certification; so fitting given her teacher and mentor Antony Tudor was a dedicated Zen Buddhist.

Shelley brings a rare combination of excellent training, years of performing around the world, expertise in teaching and coaching, and a mindful yogic mindset that makes her classes uniquely high quality. Her zest for both dance and life are an incredible example for not just her students, but all who know her.

Liz Moore

Teaches - Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet Substitute, Private Lessons

Liz Moore began dancing at 4 years old on Long Island , NY. By her teen years she was dancing full time at Dot Mackey Dance, student teaching and traveling to Manhattan for classes, conventions and the occasional competition. Liz graduated from SUNY Geneseo after studying psychology and dance. She danced thirty to forty hours a week, and was a performer and choreographer for the Geneseo Dance Ensemble and Orchesis Club; specializing in Modern Dance choreography, with emphasis on the Fall and Recovery technique of Doris Humphrey.

Liz moved to Vermont in 1988, and began performing and teaching locally soon after arrival. She has been an Adjunct Professor of Dance at St. Michael’s College for over twenty five years., teaching Modern, Jazz, Advanced Technique, Ballet and Musical Theater Dance. While at SMC , she has been involved with or choreographed many shows on their Main stage: both faculty and student productions, as well as the St. Michael’s Playhouse. She has also been the the SMC Dance Team advisor.
Liz has also choreographed for Lyric Theater, South Burlington Dance team, and has had Modern choreography performed on the Flynn Stage.

She is available for private lessons for most any style, dance stretch, dance stretch for body acceptance, and college audition preparation/personalized choreography.

In September 2018, Liz started the Moore Dance Company, sponsored by Spotlight Vermont. Combining her passion for dance and social justice, the Moore Dance Company has raised money for the Spotlight scholarship fund, and over two thousand dollars for Ibutwa, a Vermont based charity for women in the Congo.

A long term practitioner of yoga and meditation, Liz has certification for Mindfulness in the classroom. Bringing these practices to the studio, along with years of continued study and experience have helped create an atmosphere of work with intention, and fun; always trying to remember that when we dance we are showing people who we truly are.

Lauren Pelletier

Teaches - Tap and Ballet

Lauren is from Colchester, Vermont and has been dancing at Spotlight since she was 3 years old. Lauren attends the University of Vermont majoring in Microbiology and minoring in Emergency Medical Services. Lauren is an EMT for both Colchester Rescue and UVM Rescue. In her free time she loves to hang out with friends, ski, and of course dance.

Sarah Ryan

Teaches - Hip Hop & Contemporary

Sarah Ryan was born and raised in Essex, VT, where she trained in tap, jazz, and hip hop at local studios since age 4.

After attending St. Michael's College, she moved to Los Angeles to dance and train with the world's best choreographers, teachers, and dancers. She was a part of the LA Unbound dance company, performing jazz funk and musical theatre pieces.

From Los Angeles, Sarah moved to Boulder, CO. She was a member of a hip hop dance company as well as a professional contemporary dance company, Rogue Co. Sarah choreographed several pieces for Rogue Co., including tap!

Sarah has taught movement, and dance classes in Vermont, Los Angeles, and Boulder, CO, to children from age 4 through college.

Dancing is Sarah's passion, and she cannot wait to share it with you!

Evelyne Germain

Teaches - Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Modern Jazz, Creative

Evelyne has taught preschool dance for several years and ballet, modern, and jazz at St. Michael's College, UVM, Vermont Conservatory of Ballet and Essex High School.

She performed professionally with Ottawa Dance Theater, Theater of Giants, Axis Mime and on cruises. Evelyne trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music, Alvin Ailey Center, Les Ballets-Jazz and with Shelley Ismail. And as a youngster, she leapt into the competitive field of gymnastics. She is delighted and looking forward to teaching at Spotlight in Vergennes!

Annabel Diestel

Teaches - Adaptive Dance

Annabel grew up in Norton, MA and has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She graduated from UVM in 2021 with a BA in Dance and a BS in Neuroscience. She is currently working for UVM conducting research on Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development. Annabel has experience teaching ballet and tap classes, as well as experience working with people with various disabilities. She is thrilled to be able to continue the Adaptive Dance class for people with diverse brains and bodies.

Stephanie Stevens

Raised in California, Stephanie danced her way to Philadelphia and received her BFA in Jazz Performance at the University of the Arts. Stephanie is a movement enthusiast, dance performer and teaching artist who especially loves Modern, Jazz, Creative Movement, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop, Theater, Yoga and Ballroom. Some of her performance highlights include an Off-Broadway production in New York City, The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, The Philadelphia Fringe Festival and the oldest theater in the world in Athens, Greece. Stephanie has over fourteen years of experience in dance education, teaching a wide range of age groups, from toddlers to seniors. She was the lead teaching artist for Dance Exchange, Ballet X’s in-school outreach program. Through Dance Exchange, she utilised the world-renowned methodology from the National Dance Institute. Stephanie is also a certified yoga instructor specialising in Vinyasa and Yin Yoga. Previously, she taught at a ballroom dance studio and loves teaching many Smooth and Latin dance styles. She has also choreographed many wedding dances, including first dances, father-daughter dances and even flash mobs. Stephanie is overjoyed to share her love of dance with Spotlight Vermont!

Molly Wheat

Molly Wheat has been a professional ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer for over 25 years, dancing with José Mateo Ballet Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as teaching at renowned dance schools in Massachusetts and founding Ballet with Molly.  In her professional career, she performed featured roles in original, neo-classical ballets and the full-length ballets Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.  Through her Ballet with Molly programming, she provides unique training and performance opportunities in adult performance workshops, youth dance camps and ballet classes for all ages.  She choreographs and performs original works with a multi-generational, amateur group, the Molly Wheat Dance Ensemble.  Molly has collaborated with Czech composer Lukáš Olejník to compose, choreograph and perform original pieces.  Rehearsing and performing in Prague, Czech Republic, Molly and Mr Olejník's projects have been a wonderful opportunity to perform live, original compositions in duets between dancer and musician.  Since 2000, Molly has taught at schools including José Mateo Ballet Theatre, The Dance Complex, The Dance Inn, Boston Dance Company, The Boston Conservatory, Springstep Center for the Arts, LaPierre School of Dance, Harvard Dance Department, Jeannette Neill Dance Studio and Lines Vermont.  Molly brings together her mentorship under José Mateo and her study of ballet as both an athletic pursuit and an art form to provide ballet training that is inviting and encouraging as well as comprehensible and enjoyable. "

Carissa Bellando

Carissa Bellando is originally from New York and holds an MFA in Contemporary Dance from Case Western Reserve University and a BA in Theatre and Speech with a concentration in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance from Wagner College. She is also a Registered Vinyasa and Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RYT, RPYT) and a certified Zumba Instructor.  

Carissa performed professionally for thirteen years in Concert Dance and Musical Theatre throughout the US, Taiwan, and at sea with Norwegian Cruise Line and Aida Cruises before moving into teaching and choreographing full-time. Her favorite performance roles include Tumblebrutus in Cats, the Carpet in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Die Hexe (The Witch) in Es War Einmal (Once Upon a Time).  

Carissa has taught and choreographed in the US and Germany for colleges, conservatories, theaters, dance companies, and numerous studios. Before moving to Vermont, she was an Adjunct Professor at her alma mater, Wagner College, for four and a half years. There, Carissa choreographed five original full-length dance concerts and multiple musicals while teaching multiple levels of Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, Pointe, Tumbling, and Choreography/Composition.

Carissa’s passion for dance and love of sharing her knowledge through teaching can be seen in each of her classes. She believes that a true technical basis, in any dance genre, is the key to learning and executing advanced movement. Her goal is to help her students hone their skills and progress in a way that best suits them, at any age or level, for each student is unique and every body beautiful.

Talia Gibbs

Talia is from Shelburne, Vermont. She has been dancing since she was 7 years old and at Spotlight since she was 9. She is a senior at Vermont Commons School. She enjoys ballet, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary. She teaches ballet, jazz, and hip hop for kids at Spotlight and is also available for privates upon request. When not choreographing and dancing, Talia can be found skiing, mountain biking, and hanging out with friends.

Annie Baron

Annie (she/her) began her dance training in her hometown of Flagstaff, AZ at Canyon Dance Academy. She continued to study there until 2021, while taking other classes around Arizona during that time. She was a part of multiple performance companies, including Velocity Dance Company and Canyon Movement Company, and performed as a guest artist throughout the west coast as well. 

She’s delighted to be able to share her love for dance and strives to create an encouraging, positive, and safe environment for ALL of her students. Annie hopes her students discover their own passion for dance and leave class feeling confident being themselves!