Artistic Directors

Ashley Carlisle is a dancer and educator who combines classical dance training with a master’s degree in Language Arts education.  She began her studies at the Pioneer Valley Ballet School with Gail Collins, where she performed in the company’s productions of classical ballets and in original works by professional choreographers. Her training included summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre, the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet, and The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. While pursuing a Literature major at McGill University, she danced and choreographed for Mosaica Dance Company, performing on campus and in venues throughout Montreal. She entered the field of public education as a New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching ELA for three years in Brooklyn, NY. After returning to Western MA, Ashley taught at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, merging her passions for literature and dance. She is trained in the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) model of dance education and is a member of the National Dance Education Organization.  She lives in Amherst with her husband and four children.

Caddy Carlisle is both an educator and a dancer.  She received her training at the Pioneer Valley Ballet in Northampton with Gail Collins, Megan Bonneau McCool, and Jeremy Collins. There she performed leading roles in the company’s Nutcracker and principal parts in original choreographies. Her education included summer intensives at the American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet, and under the direction of Cirque de Soleil’s Michael Montanaro, she studied in the contemporary dance department at Concordia University in Montreal.  As an Ada Comstock Scholar at Smith College, she majored in dance, studying with Susan Waltner, Rodger Blum and many others, and continued to teach, choreograph and perform in the community.  She has worked with the Dance Department at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School in South Hadley, Academy of Ballet Arts formerly of Hadley, and at the Valley Dance Project in Amherst.  Caddy is trained in the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) model of dance education and is a member of the National Dance Education Organization. Caddy lives in Montague with her partner, and their children.

Ashley and Caddy have facilitated dance residencies in public schools throughout Western Massachusetts, both through DEL-PVPA and as visiting artists.  They have produced five original works, “The Last Winter,” “Beyond Sidewalk’s End,” “A 21st Century Nutcracker,” “The Enchanted Bookshelf,” “The Magic Pebble Returns,” and created a full-length adaptation of Daria Peoples-Riley’s picture book, “This is It.” Ashley and Caddy have written and recorded upwards of seventy “movement stories” based on their favorite children’s literature. In addition to their roles as co-Directors, Ashley and Caddy teach all levels of ballet, choreography labs, and The Center’s full lineup of Pre-K programming.

Faculty

Colin Niska is a multifaceted dancer and choreographer from the North Shore of Massachusetts. Colin began his dance education at Nancy Chippendale’s Dance Studio in North Andover, MA where he competed regionally, nationally, and internationally. In 2016 he joined the American Tap Company, where he traveled 3 times to Reisa, Germany to compete in the International Dance Organizations World Tap Championships. Colin and his team left with gold medals each year (2016, 2019, 2023). In the summer of 2023, Colin was a rehearsal swing dancer for Norwegian Cruise Line in the Marino 12.0 production cast. Most recently he’s been performing and creating projects with upcoming musicians around Western Massachusetts, such as Ali McGurik and Kimaya Diggs, while earning his B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Colin is also an active member in the Five College Dance community made up of the surrounding dance departments- training under Shakia “The Key” Baron, Lauren Cox, Jenna Riegel, Angie Hauser, and Duane Lee Holland Jr.. Most recently, Colin performed a new original work by Shakia “The Key” Baron, as well as a restaging of the Bill T. Jones work, “Spent Days Out Yonder”, set by a previous Bill T./Arnie Zane Company member, Jenna Riegel. This fall Colin has been cast to perform in a restaging of a Katherine Dunham work, set by certified Dunham teacher, Saroya Corbett. Come Spring 2026, Colin will graduate with a B.F.A. in Dance and a Business Minor in hopes of pursuing a dance career.

Jai Fuller (Intermediate Ballet) has worked with children in many capacities her whole life. She is a certified childcare provider, and has worked alongside her parents in their holistic daycare center for over 15 years. Jai founded the Khalsa Camp in 1999 and has been co-directing the program ever since. She has presented children’s programs at both The Omega institute and Kripalu, as well as at the Sat Nam Fest, Yoga and Music festivals. In addition to being a dance teacher, Jai also teaches yoga and meditation to children and adults. She has especially enjoyed working with prenatal and postnatal students over the years. Jai began her dance training at The Pioneer Valley Ballet under the direction of Gail Giere Collins. She attended summer programs at The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet and The Boston Dance Company. Jai danced professionally with the Boston Dance Company from 1999 through 2001 where she danced leading roles in ballet classics and contemporary pieces. In 2002 Jai began studying West African dance under numerous masters in the field such as, Sekou Sylla and Youssouf Koumbassa. She traveled to Guinea and Senegal to further her training in 2004 and 2005. She has taught West African dance at Greenfield community college and Marlboro College, as well  as many local community classes around the Pioneer Valley and Brattleboro Vt. Currently in her free time, Jai is enjoying learning various styles of partner dancing as well as partner acrobatics. She especially loves this time of year when she gets to be a part of the magic and community spirit that is always present for “A 21st Century Nutcracker!”

Kate Martel (Ballet, Book & Bar(re), Theme & Variation) relocated back to the Pioneer Valley in 2017 after 15 years in New York City. While in NYC, she performed and choreographed as an independent dance artist. Most notably, she has been a collaborating artist with Laura Peterson Choreography for ten years, performing throughout NYC and internationally. She has also danced for choreographers Rebecca Brooks, David Hurwith, Luis Lara Malvacias, Juliette Mapp, Nora Stephens and Sarah White-Ayon. Her own choreography has been presented by Women in Motion, Triskelion Arts, Dixon Place, Center for Performance Research and Rooftop Dance Series. She was a collaborator on Nicole Wolcott’s solo PaperPieces, and Conor Simpson’s film Jux Lucid, which premiered at the Flatlands Dance Film Festival. Kate has been part-time faculty at Adelphi University, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and Western Connecticut State University. She has also taught at Newport Academy of Ballet. She earned her BA from Goucher College and MFA from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Kate is an AmSAT board certified Alexander Technique teacher who studied under Ann Rodiger at the Balance Arts Center. Kate has choreographed numerous contemporary and ballet pieces for The Center Dance’s spring productions and A 21st Century Nutcracker.

Kylie Gregory (Hip Hop 3 & 4) began dancing at age eight and has always found herself drawn to a plethora of dance styles. Being from Harlem, NYC, good music and rhythm were hard to escape and she has enjoyed access to many traditions, such as West African, hip hop, funk, street jazz, contemporary and more. Kylie honed her skills as a choreographer while serving as co-director of her dance company, and is currently the Creative Director of her Five College hip hop club, Smoovez. Kylie attends Smith College, where she is pursuing a major in Africana Studies and a minor in Psychology. She joined The Center Dance Studio’s faculty this past fall, and will return to teach Hip Hop 3 and Hip Hop 4 for the studio’s Winter/Spring ’24 Session.

Tiffany Joseph (Hip Hop 1 & 2, BIPOC Ballet) is a woman full of education, experience, gifts, and talents. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor’s in Communications and a Masters in Social Justice Education. Presently, she facilitates community discussions and workshops around the Pioneer Valley surrounding different social justice issues including sexism, internalized racism, storytelling, financial aid, and elder abuse. She is a dancer, a writer, a poet, a spoken word artist, peer mentor, dance teacher, a Yoga instructor, and Zumba instructor. Tiffany has danced since the age of 3, studying ballet, contemporary, hip­ hop, jazz, lyrical, modern and tap, with Day Dance Center and with Joan Sherry Studio. She attended  Burncoat Senior High School, a performing arts school in Worcester, MA, where she began her career as a dance team member, traveling dance team ensemble member, choreographer, and co-facilitator of community dance teaching programs. During her college career she worked at the Woman of Color Leadership Network, where she then joined the group Body Politics, an award winning spoken word performance group, creating original productions by and about women of color, exploring a diverse number of topics ranging from body image, mental health, intimate relationships, family, and oppression. Tiffany performed in this group for three years, and then became the artistic director for two years.

Sadie Arundale: