FACULTY AND STAFF

Our friendly staff and talented Dance Instructors can help you realize your dance goals – and you’ll have lots of fun doing it! All of our instructors are experts in the genres they teach, with real industry experience, so your dancer will receive the best education and skilled instruction available in the area. Browse this page to meet our team of certified Dance Professionals and learn about their qualifications and experience, then call us, and get started today!

HAYLEY CLOUD

Owner/Studio Director

Hayley Cloud is a native of Ascunsion, Paraguay, and was raised in Westfield, Massachusetts. Her training started at two years old at New England Dance Centers. After she graduated, she was asked to become a full time dance teacher. During this time, she auditioned, and was a featured dancer and made it to Vegas twice on “So You Think You Can Dance.” (Seasons 6 & 8) Soon, she realized her true passion was teaching dance. For over a decade, this has been her career. Today, Hayley is a nationally acclaimed choreographer, with awards and honors for contemporary, acrobatic, contortion, and jazz routines. She has trained students who went on to appear on the national tour of the Broadway show Newsies, CATS, Cinderella and many NFL and NBA dancers and cheerleaders. Hayley trained two students who have appeared on the Lifetime Network television show, “Dance Moms.” She is also a judge for many dance competitions such as Starpower and Elite Performance Challenge here nationally and internationally.

ASHLEY LINDELAND

Co-Director

Ashley Lindeland is one of the current directors at New England Dance Centers. She specializes in a variety of styles and works with dancers of all ages. Her choreography has earned numerous national titles and she has had the opportunity to train dancers who have gone on to professional careers in the dance industry. Ashley is a graduate of Pace University with a dual BA in Commercial Dance and Psychology. She has choreographed for New York Fashion Week and an off-Broadway production of “Queens Boulevard” through Pace University. When she’s not teaching, she loves to being a mom and making costumes!

Idrissa Mccallum

Dance Teacher

Miss Idrissa is from Northhampton, Massachusetts and has a love for all things dance. She graduated from Pointe Park University with a Jazz-Dance Major. She also has in depth training in Ballet, Modern, Jazz/Contemporary, and Tap/Musical Theater. Idrissa was a Convention Assistant at Excel in Motion from 2013-2014 and had the experience of assisting professional dancers such as Alex Wong, and Kent Boyd (to name a few). Idrissa enjoys working with all students, in many different styles and age groups.

GINA KELLEHER

Dance Teacher

Miss Gina has been a dance Instructor for over 40 years, she specializes in Recreational Dance. She is the former cheerleading coach at St. Mary’s High School and a graduate of Holyoke Community College.

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EVELINE VERGNANI

Dance Teacher

Eveline Vergnani is a dedicated and accomplished dance artist, born and raised in Western Massachusetts. She began her dance training at the age of two and quickly developed a deep passion for the art form. At six years old, she joined the competitive dance and gymnastics teams at New England Dance Center, where she spent sixteen years honing her skills in a wide range of styles including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, and Tumbling.

Throughout her competitive career, Eveline earned numerous top awards at both regional and national levels, distinguishing herself as a standout performer both in group and solo categories. She furthered her professional training at the prestigious CLI Conservatory in Southampton, Massachusetts, where she studied under leading choreographers in the industry. She also attended the AMDA College summer program, expanding her training in performance arts.

Eveline has performed as a soloist and professional member of the local dance company Garet & Co., contributing her artistry to various productions and performances. Her dedication, versatility, and experience make her a passionate and inspiring presence in the dance community. She is excited to inspire and support the next generation of dancers here at New England Dance Center.

AUDREY GUYOTT

Dance Teacher

Audrey Guyott is a native to New England Dance. Starting classes there when she was 2, she had many amazing experiences growing up, including dancing half time for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. She continued her dance training at New England Dance all the way through high school graduation. She went on to earn Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education and Special Education. She teaches 2nd grade by day, dance classes by night, and enjoys tap dancing and running long distance races in her spare time!

LAUREL BARBOSA

Dance Teacher

Bio Coming Soon

Karina MarchENKO

Ballet Mistress

Ballet Mistress Karina grew up in a theater family, and she fell in love with ballet at a very young age and performed in professional ballet productions since age of 5. She studied classical ballet, character dance, choreography, piano and music history at Lithuanian National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art and graduated from Ukrainian L’viv State Choreographic School. As part of her studies she performed in classical ballet productions of “Sleeping Beauty”, “Cinderella”, “Nutcracker” in Vilnius and L’viv Ballet Theaters. After graduation she performed as a principal dancer at Odessa Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy where she danced solos and ensemble for classical operettas such as “The Merry Widow”, “Die Flittermouse”, “Die Bajadere”, “The Csárdás Princess”, “The Gypsy Baron” as well as contemporary musical favorites like “My Fair Lady”, “Pinocchio” and others. After moving to US Karina performed with Sonia Plumb Dance Company in the production of “Letting Go” and taught classical ballet by the Method of Vaganova (Russian School), point, modern and jazz at multiple dance studios and schools of New England. She has been a resident Ballet Mistress at New England Dance and Gymnastics Center since 1997, choreographed and trained many national winning routines and champions. Miss Karina is an active certified member of Dance Educators of America since 2001. She lives in Simsbury, CT with her husband, daughter and two cats, and when she is not teaching dance she works as a Software Quality Engineer.

ZOE SIMONS

Ballet Mistress

Zoe Simons, originally from San Rafael, California, trained at Marin Ballet under Artistic Director Cynthia Lucas. Upon graduating high school, Zoe was accepted to Miami City Ballet School’s Pre-Professional Division. In 2019, she joined BalletMet as a Trainee, where she performed in Edwaard Liang’s world premieres of Tributary and Alice in Wonderland as well as The Nutcracker. In 2021, Zoe joined Minnesota Ballet and performed in Karl Von Rabaneu’s Sleepy Hollow, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker: A Duluth Tale, and Bruce Wells’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Zoe joined Ballet Theatre Company in Connecticut in 2023 performing soloist roles in Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker and Snow White. She has also performed as a guest with The Albany Berkshire Ballet in their production of The Nutcracker. Zoe is currently a soloist with New England Ballet Theatre in Avon, CT. In addition to ballet, Zoe is also a certified pilates instructor who brings an anatomical approach to her teaching in the dance studio.

HARVEY STOCKHAMER

Acro Coach

Mr. Harvey grew up in Longmeadow and competed on the Longmeadow High school Gymnastics Team for 4 years, he competed on pummel hoarse and rings. He owned Stoney Hill Gymnastics Gym for 13 years and had gymnasts on the Junior Olympic team as well as compete for UCLA mens gymnastics team. He was assistant women’s gymnastics coach at West Springfield High School for one year, women’s gymnastics coach at Longmeadow High School for 17 years and women’s gymnastics coach at Westfield State College for 2 years. He was assistant director of Springfield College gymnastics camp for 3 years. He has been the gymnastics coach at Somersault Gymnastics Gym for 2 years and has been at NEDC for 21 years as an Acro Coach.

BRIDGET CARRIER

Dance Teacher

Bridget Carrier grew up at New England Dance Center, where her dance journey began in a recreational ballet class as a toddler. From those first tiny ballet slippers to years of training, performing, and competing, NEDC has always been home. Now, Bridget is excited to begin her next chapter, not as a student but as a teacher sharing the knowledge, passion, and life lessons she has gained with the next generation of dancers.

Bridget's teaching philosophy centers on building strong technical foundations while helping every dancer discover their own unique artistry. With a strong background in contemporary and lyrical dance, she emphasizes clean technique, precise movement, expressive emotion, and musicality. Bridget is passionate about bringing out the best in every child, encouraging them to grow in both confidence and skill while challenging them to reach new heights. Above all, she strives to help each dancer tell their own story every time they step onto the stage.

CAROLINE FAIR

Dance Teacher

Having grown up training at New England Dance Center, Caroline is thrilled to continue her journey as an instructor at the studio that shaped her as both a dancer and an artist. Drawing from her extensive performance experience and deep passion for mentorship, she is dedicated to inspiring and guiding the next generation of dancers.

As an instructor, Caroline's philosophy extends beyond perfecting choreography and achieving strong performances. She is committed to creating a positive, supportive environment where dancers are encouraged to grow with confidence, resilience, and a genuine love for the art form. By fostering an uplifting studio space, she strives to develop not only technically skilled performers but also compassionate, self-assured individuals who can thrive both on and off the stage.

SAMANTHA MERRILL

Acro Instructor

Samantha “Miss Sammie” Merrill is a certified Acrobatic Arts Instructor (Primary–PreProfessional Level 3) with over 12 years of teaching experience. She specializes in Acrobatics and Contemporary, while also bringing experience in Lyrical, Jazz, Musical Theatre, HipHop, and Heels.

Samantha’s movement journey began in competitive gymnastics, where she trained and competed through Level 8 before transitioning into dance and acrobatics at the age of 12. She continued her training as a member of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts (PVPA) Contemporary Dance Company under the direction of Jen Polins, where she also discovered her passion for choreography by creating and presenting her own student works.

Since then, Samantha has dedicated her career to teaching and mentoring dancers of all ages and abilities.

As a choreographer, Samantha is known for creating meaningful, story driven pieces that connect with both dancers and audiences. Her choreography has earned recognition at regional and national competitions, receiving top overall placements, judges’ awards, and choreography awards.

Samantha continues to train through professional classes, workshops, conventions, and industry education.

Her teaching philosophy emphasizes safe progressions, proper technique, strength development, artistry, and confidence, creating an environment where every dancer feels supported while being challenged to reach their full potential.

BARB ROGERS

Office Manager

Barb has been a part of the NEDC family since she can remember, she danced with Loree Cloud and Miss Gina when they were young. Her daughter Kenzie is now an NEDC alumni and she started dancing when she was 2 years old. Barb has worked behind the front desk at NEDC since 1999, but she does so much more than that! Barb can answer (almost!) all of your questions about the studio and helps keep things running smoothly from day-to-day. She does so much behind the scenes and we wouldn't be NEDC without her!