Looking for dancing lessons from one of the top dance studios in Stamford, CT?
Locust
Performing Arts Center of Stamford, CT
(LPAC) is a professional dance studio that offers dance classes for ages 3
through adult in Hip Hop, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Modern, Musical
Theatre, Creative Movement and Adult Dance with opportunities to
perform in studio showcases and an Annual Dance Concert. LPAC also houses
several performance companies: Locust Contemporary Dance Works I & II, Locust
Preparatory Company, Hip Hop's Finest, Kool Kidz Jr. Hip Hop Troupe,
FOCUS Pre-Professional Program (Hip Hop and Tap), Locust Elite Dance
(L.E.D.) Competitive Dance Group and Harmony Nation Anti-Bullying
Program. Professional dance lessons are available in both group settings as well
as private one-on-one instruction. LPAC also offersParty Packages.
Are you ready to learn how to dance? Please contact us or check our
schedule for times and availability. Need help finding a class?ASK KELSEY!
Artistic Director and Owner Jimmy Locust
has shared his talents internationally, working with superstars Michael Jackson,
Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Quincy Jones and Debbie Allen. He has appeared in
music videos and films and has performed at the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards
and MTV Video Music Awards. Mr. Locust was one of the head choreographers for
the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and was
nominated for an American Choreography Award in 2001 for his work on Warner
Brothers’ television show Nikki. Locust worked on the Justin Bieber Tour
in 2010 and as choreographer for the CW Television Network’s The Next
with hosts John Rich, Joe Jonas, Nelly and Gloria Estefan. Locust has also
choreographed commercials for both international and national markets, including
Sanyo (Japan) with Nicholas Cage and most recently, Rapid Advance (U.S.) which
is currently running. Locally, he has choreographed for the Stamford Symphony's
Gala and Curtain Call Theatre as well as numerous high school productions. He
also designed and wrote dance education curricula for Domus, Chester-Addison
Community Center, Stamford Family YMCA, REACH Prep and Horizons. Locust has been
a studio owner, master teacher and choreographer in the Fairfield County area
for over ten years. He is Founder and Director of Harmony Nation,
an anti-bullying educational program that performs at area schools. He also
directs Locust Contemporary Dance Works, a youth company with
performances throughout the year culminating in a New York City concert, as well
as Hip Hop's Finest and FOCUS Hip Hop pre-professional groups.
Locust was appointed by the renowned Boca Ballet Theatre in Florida as a
returning faculty member for their summer residency program. Locust was also selected to be an adjudicator (2015) and Artist-in-Residence (2016-present) for the JCC Maccabi Games Artsfests across the U.S. Locust’s multi-faceted lifestyle is chronicled
in his reality show Locust Under 5’.
LPAC STAFF - Photos by Jay Ritter TMR Imagery
- www.tmrimagery.com
Assistant Director Alyssa Fulmer started her
training at the young age of five. Her extensive training includes ballet,
pointe, modern (Graham, Limón and Horton), jazz, musical theater, tap,
character, improvisation, partnering and contemporary. At the age of 15, she
successfully auditioned to the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the
Performing Arts under the direction of Kimberly Maniscalco. She had the
privilege to train with Karen Keeler, Dana Nederostek and Yu Hong among others.
After high school, she attended Point Park University and graduated Magnum Cum
Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance. While in Pittsburgh, she received
more in-depth training from incredible artists such as Susan Stowe, Doug Bentz,
and Ernest Tolentino. Alyssa also performed for musical artists Kellee Maize,
Raekwan, and many others while producing short films and teaching dance. Alyssa
had the unique opportunity to move to New York to work as a trainee with the
Joffrey Ballet under the direction of Dorrell Martin where she performed in
shows all over the city. She has performed for renowned choreographers like
Alexandre Proia, Angelica Stiskin, Sidra Bell, and Julie Bour to name a few. She
also had the privilege to be a founding member and company manager of Alyson
Laury Dance Co. which allowed her to perform all over the East Coast. When
Alyssa isn’t performing you can find her in the studio taking class or sharing
her passion for movement with her students!
Executive Office Manager and
Marketing Director Mindy Vaccino
studied at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and in Rome, Italy,
receiving a degree in Fine Arts. She is a published illustrator, painter,
photographer and graphic designer whose work has been exhibited in the U.S. and
abroad. In the performing arts, her work in office administration and on theater
sets, prop design and performance publications has spanned over 20 years. She
has done voice-acting for animation and can also be seen in Rapid Advance's
national commercial as "The Doctor."Mindy has been with Locust
Performing Arts Center since its inception and has enjoyed both managing the
studio and creating posters, logos, signs, photographs and literature for LPAC.
In addition to her design
work, she has produced both commercial and artistic films for Locust Performing
Arts Center which have been showcased at LPAC and Locust Contemporary Dance
Works concerts. Mindy has also taught visual arts classes for LPAC, as well as
for children's ministries and public school programs.
Production Director, L.E.D. Coordinator and
Office Manager Stacy Homicki has been working
in dance education and show production for over 20 years. She grew up training
in many different styles of dance, performing and competing throughout New
England and other parts of the country. Stacy discovered her love of teaching
dance, and pursued her training as a teacher, as well as a dancer. She received
her BFA in Dance and Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Stacy taught extensively in the Boston area for many years, and she worked in
the Performing Arts Department at KING School in Stamford for 9 years. Her
experiences have offered her a strong and versatile background in teaching,
choreographing, show production, and studio office management. Stacy is so happy
to be a part of LPAC, and to be able to watch the love of dance grow in young
dancers.
Courtney Copper
is a former Radio City Rockette based in New York City. She was raised in Pennsylvania and began dancing at the age of three. Courtney graduated Magna Cum Laude from West Chester University with a degree in Education/Dance. While studying, she performed
with many dance companies including Brandywine Ballet. She went on to perform with the Broadway tour of Annie Get Your Gun and several production touring companies. Courtney also travelled the world with Royal Caribbean, Regent and Holland America Cruise Lines as a dancer, singer and dance captain. You may also see her in many television shows and films. Courtney has been teaching and choreographing for over 20 years, working with all ages and styles of dance
A Stamford native, Kelsey Emmett
trained in various techniques throughout Fairfield County while growing up. She
attended SUNY Buffalo and graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Dance. Shortly
after moving to New York City, she spent a year traveling the world and
performing on a cruise ship, followed by various performances in NYC including
Couture Fashion Week, Young Choreographers Festival, Project Dance, Gotta Dance
at The Wild Project, Brooklyn Bowl, Little B's Big Holiday Wish and several
Aerial workshops. Kelsey has worked with ALMA NYC, a dance company that
incorporates outreach and performance with which she climbed Kilimanjaro to
support The Bethel School in Burkina Faso. Kelsey has taught gymnastics and
dance throughout the tri-state area and loves to challenge students to achieve
more than they think is possible!
Kara Malloy
is a lifelong resident of Stamford. She has trained and performed throughout the
Tri-state area but her true passion is sharing her love of dance with her
students. For more than 20 years, Kara has dedicated her life to training
dancers of all levels in ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical. She has been a member of
Dance Educators of America and Dance Masters of America and her choreography has
won many competitions throughout the Tri- state area. Above all Kara believes
that dance should be fun and accessible to all.
Angelina Bajra has trained in Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz,
Ballet and Modern dance. She is a graduate of LPAC and was a member of Locust
Contemporary Dance Works and Hip Hop's Finest performance groups,
under the direction of Jimmy Locust. Angelina was featured in LPAC's Love to
Dance commercial and has performed throughout Fairfield County and in New
York City. She is excited to be back at LPAC to share her passion for dance with
her students!
Aaron Bantum is an accomplished Dancer, Actor and Singer from Stamford, CT who has performed for Broadway, television and film. Aaron received his dance training from Locust Performing Arts Center under the direction of Jimmy Locust and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. Aaron’s Broadway credits include Finian’s Rainbow and Kinky Boots (pre-Broadway). His film credits include Last Vegas, Carry Me Home and Demolition and television’s Law and Order SVU, A Gifted Man and Are We There Yet. Aaron is an alumnus of LPAC’s elite performance group Hip Hop’s Finest and has taught dance throughout Western CT, including FOCUS master classes and summer programs at LPAC.
Sara Weissman is a Native New Yorker and recently moved to Stamford. Sara has trained for nearly twenty years in hip hop, jazz, and ballet. She danced at North Shore Performing Arts and U Gotta Dance in Long Island, NY. Sara has participated in numerous competitions and has taught students during her time at both studios. She is also a professional corporate event planner. Sara is thrilled to be able to have an opportunity to share her passion of dance with the youth of Stamford!
Caroline Fitzgeraldstarted her dance training at Suzanne’s Dance Connection in Burlington, MA at the age of three. While dancing for the company at SDC, she was awarded numerous titles and scholarships on both regional and national levels. Caroline toured the country with West Coast Dance Explosion’s Fuzion Dance Company 2015-2016 and assisted with workshops, backstage and performing. Recently, Caroline graduated Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Modern Dance. Caroline has had the opportunity to work with many distinguished choreographers such as Jessica Lang, Claudia MacPherson, Katie Langan, Pedro Ruiz, Loni Landon, Alberto del Saz, Nancy Lushington, Michael Thomas, Channing Cooke, Craig Dionne, Rhonda Miller, Nick Lazzarini, Al Blackstone, Kenny Easter, Kim Wolf, Dee Caspary, Marissa Osato, and Andy Pellick. Caroline is currently living in New York City and is proud to be continuing her education further in dance while she auditions for various shows and dance companies, which allows her to share her knowledge with students while teaching. While her primary studies included modern and ballet, Caroline enjoys teaching contemporary, jazz, lyrical, tap and hip hop. As a passionate dancer and an equally passionate teacher, Caroline firmly believes that dance education extends far beyond the movement.
Office Manager Roxanna Bajra
Locust Performing Arts Center
of Stamford is rapidly expanding their program to provide a variety of dance
classes for recreational and pre-professional dancers.
Tenemos personales que
hablan español viernes.
LPAC serves the students of Greenwich, Norwalk, Fairfield, Westport, New Canaan,
Darien and Stamford in Fairfield County, CT as well as Westchester County, NY.
LPAC dance studio is conveniently located near downtown Stamford.
Please email or call us today to
arrange a NO-OBLIGATION TRIAL DANCE CLASS with one of our professional
instructors.