CPAA

Annabella Hartog

Ava Houle

Stacey Richetelli

Brittany is the owner of The Cheshire Performing Arts Academy. She started formally taking dance lessons at the age of six, with the majority of her training at The Dancer’s Studio, under the direction of Sharon L. DiCrosta. There, she was part of the competitive dance program through her senior year of high school. Outside of competing, she has had a variety of experiences through her love of dance; among her favorites include a summer program with the Radio City Rockettes in New York City and performing as a dancer in Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, CT. For her undergraduate degree, Brittany attended Fairfield University, where she was a member of the dance ensemble. Outside of dance, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication and attended graduate school at Merrimack College, earning a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration. She has experience working in Communications Offices in academia, as well as the Young Artists program at Choate Rosemary Hall. She has been a board member for many organizations, including currently Kids for Kids, Dancing for Life, Inc., a non-profit organization which raises funds through the art of dance to children and families in need. Brittany is proud to spread her passion for arts and community collaborations and has been a supporter and an investor in arts programs. She is a longtime best friend and duet partner of the CPAA’s founder, Erin Brady.

Erin Brady was the founder and former owner and Artistic Director for CPAA. She started her dance training at the age of three. Her training began under the direction of Sharon L. DiCrosta of the Dancer's Studio, where she was part of the competitive dance team and remained until her senior year of high school. While dancing at The Dancer's Studio, Erin also attended the Educational Center for the Arts, an arts high school located in New Haven, CT, where she had the opportunity to further her dance training and had the honor to study under Willie Feuer and Susan Matheke, two former members of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. During her high school career she had the privilege to learn and perform original works of the Merce Cunningham Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Paul Taylor Dance Company, "ROOM's'" by Anna Sokolow and many more. After graduating high school Erin attended the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, PA, for dance performance. While at UARTS, Erin was able to further her training with teachers from The Pennsylvania Ballet, Koresh Dance Company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, BalletX, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and The Jose Limon Dance Company, just to name a few.

Erin was very grateful to share her love for dance with such talented young upcoming artists. Tragically, at 29 years old she was diagnosed with ALS, which she heroically battled for over three years until she passed away in 2022. There are not enough words to express our love for her, but she will be always be remembered for the incredible woman that she was. Her legacy will live on, between those who knew her and even those who didn't have the opportunity to meet her but will join the legacy of CPAA that she began for us all. She will be with us all in spirit for all the years to come through the beautiful art of dance and through the wonderful gift of friendship that dance can bring. In honor of her, we have The Erin Brady Memorial Scholarship. This new scholarship fund will allow Erin's legacy to live on by providing financial assistance to young dancers who otherwise may not be able to afford to practice their art. If you wish to donate to the scholarship fund, please make checks payable to CPAA, and note the Erin Brady Memorial Scholarship Fund in the memo section. Checks can be mailed to: CPAA, 1484 Highland Avenue, Unit 4A, Cheshire, CT 06410. It is also our dream that ALS is cured in our lifetime. Please consider donating to research to find a cure at https://www.als.org in honor of Erin.

Brandy Brandy began dancing at the age of 5. She spent a majority of her dance journey with the Cheshire Performing Arts from the day it opened up until she graduated high school in 2018. While at CPAA, Brandy competed on the competition team while also assisting classes. After graduation, Brandy attended the University of Hartford where she majored in Secondary Mathematics Education. She now works as a 7th grade math teacher, and just started her 3rd year at Farmington Public Schools! Brandy is so excited to be back in the studio, but now using her passion for both dancing and teaching!

Cheri Cheri Forbush began her dance training in East Hartford, CT with her teacher Mary Morlock. Since then she has studied many forms of dance including tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, African, hip-hop and musical theatre. She began competing at the age of 8 at many regional and national competitions, winning several awards along the way.  She was fortunate to often spend summers in NYC studying with amazing talents, such as Frank Hatchett, Gus Giordano, Henry Le Tang, David Howard, Joe Lanteri and Mia Michaels. She is a graduate of Elon University, where she majored in Broadcasting and minored in dance. While in North Carolina, she was a member of the Elon Dance Company as well as part of a Liturgical Dance Company where she performed with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.   Cheri has been teaching for over 20 years and has choreographed several musicals for local community theaters including the Thomaston Opera House and The Goshen Players. She lives in Durham, CT with her husband and three beautiful daughters, with whom she shares her love of dance. Cheri loves being a part of the CPAA family!

Annabella Hartog was raised in Draper, Utah, and began her dance training at a local dance studio at age seven. In 2016 she was accepted into Ballet West Academy’s Advanced Division, and then continued on to participate in the Professional Training Division under the direction of Peter Merz. She had the opportunity to perform many classical corps de ballet and soloist works from La Bayadère, Coppélia, Raymonda, and Sleeping Beauty during her time at Ballet West Academy. After graduating high school, she moved to Portland, Oregon, to join Oregon Ballet Theater’s Professional Division. There, she studied with Natasha Bar (Odessa Ballet) and Lisa Sundstrom (ABT, Philadelphia Ballet), and had the opportunity to perform with the company in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. To supplement her year-round training, Annabella has attended multiple summer intensive programs at Ballet Austin, Ballet West, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Carolina Ballet. Annabella joined Ballet Hartford for the 2022-2023 Season, and is thrilled to be heading into her third season with the company. 

Ava has been part of the CPAA community since its founding, at first as a student in our competitive program here who found a passion for the teaching side of dance as a classroom assistant where she excelled. She has volunteered countless hours at CPAA and other organizations. Due to her commitment, her creativity and her nature in and out of the classroom, we were very excited for her to join the teaching staff this year. Ava is trained in various styles including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern and contemporary. While she is not at all new to the CPAA community, we did not want to miss the opportunity to officially welcome her to this new position.

Aliza began dancing at the age of 6. She competed with the Cheshire Performing Arts Academy, during which she was trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, and modern techniques under Jessica Zaczek, Brittany Danek, Erin Marcucci, and Luke Bermingham. She attended UConn where she studied nursing and is now a pediatric nurse in Hartford. At UConn, she was a part of the UConn Dance Company for four years, serving as the president her senior year. She choreographed numerous dances, instructed weekly classes, and organized semester showcases. Upon graduation, she has been working as a guest teacher and substitute at CPAA and is now looking forward to teaching throughout the year. She loves sharing her passion and love for dance to the next generation of CPAA dancers.

Julia began dancing at age 3 at the YWCA School of Dance under Chris Kuzia in New Britain, CT. She was Captain of the Cane-ette kickline dance team in 2014 as well as student choreographer of all musicals during undergrad at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she double majored in Early Childhood Education and Performing Arts. In 2018, presented at NCUR and received a grant to create a main stage show at the university which was only movement based. Julia is teaches Kindergarten in New Britain and is so happy to be in the studio continuing to share her love of dance.

Jillian has been dancing since the age of two and is proficient in all genres including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical and acro. She received her training at Seven Star School of Performing Arts in Brewster, New York as well as at various intensives throughout the world, including the Dubrovnik Tap Festival and Sarah Reich’s Tap Music Project. Jillian’s passion for dance led her to achieve top honors at various competitions and conventions in the United States and abroad. She has been named IDO female Word Tap Champion on four occasions and was the first person ever to hold the title in all three age divisions. Jillian has also received the titles NUVO Breakout Artist, JUMP VIP, 24/7 Nonstop Dancer, ADA Regional Dancer of the Year, Kids for Kids Diamond Dancer and Hall of Fame Inductee. Jillian began teaching classes and private lessons while a student at Seven Star School and officially joined the faculty as a teacher and choreographer upon graduation. She soon joined the staff of several other studios in the New York and Connecticut area as well.  Her work has been recognized with multiple choreography awards and honors. While Jillian loves teaches all styles, her true passion is tap. In 2019, she was honored to organize and coordinate a group of over thirty dancers from the tri- state area who qualified to represent the United States at the World Tap Championships in Riesa, Germany. Collectively, the Team earned six medals for the United States. In early 2020, Jillian formed the American Dance Collaborative, an official member of the United States Dance Sport Competition Federation, to continue her efforts in bringing together dancers and choreographers to represent the United States at international events.

Stacey is a native of West Haven, Connecticut. She graduated from Montclair State University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance performance. As a member of the MSU Repertory Dance Company she has performed in the works of Larry Keigwin, Martha Graham and Camille A. Brown. Stacey’s formal dance training began at the age of 2 at The Dancer’s Studio in Northford CT, under the direction of Sharon DiCrosta for fifteen years along with her high school studies at The Education Center of the Arts in New Haven, CT. She is trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern, and Hip Hop. In November of 2019 she was a part of the United States of America's Tap Team. They competed in The World Tap Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany, where she took home the BronzeMedal in the adult formation category. In the summer of 2015 she was awarded the Craig North Memorial Young Choreographer Award from the American Dance Awards. Stacey’s summer training included multiple summers at the Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts. She has also been a member of Kids for Kids Dancing for Life, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting many children’s charities. Stacey has started a new chapter in her dance journey as a judge. She loves that she is able to share her knowledge with amazing dancers along the New England area. After graduating from MSU in 2017 Stacey drove into the world of teaching and loves it. Along with being a dance teacher, Stacey is going back to school to continue that love for teaching. She is currently studying at Southern Connecticut State University where she is working on receiving her Masters in Elementary Education for grades 1-6. Being a dance teacher has given her the tools and strength to become a classroom educator.

Angie trained at the Seven Star School of Performing Arts for 15 years in and was trained in many styles as a member of their Collective Dance Company. With tap being her favorite, Angie has competed at the regional, national and international levels. She has performed tap routines choreographed by Anthony Morigerato, Mike Minery, Jillian McNamara, and Alicia Monaco. She is a member of the USA Tap Team and has represented the United States at the World Tap Championships, winning a gold medal in 2017 and bronze in 2019. She has been selected for consecutive years as a soloist competing in Riesa, Germany. Angie is pursuing a degree at Western Connecticut State University. She looks forward to sharing her love of dance with others!

Assistants

We are so thankful for our classroom teaching assistants as well! They are each teen and preteen students who have taken special interest in working with younger students. They are so helpful in making sure classes with some of our youngest dancers run smoothly. They are role models in their dancing and beyond and we are so grateful to have them.