locustperformingarts.comLPAC Dance Studios | Dance Lessons | Dance Classes | Stamford, CT

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 offers Party 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! Before registration, please review our policies. CLICK TO REGISTER OR ACCESS ACCOUNT . IN THE NEWS: LPAC's anti-bullying group HARMONY NATION FEATURED ON T.V. , JIMMY LOCUST IN STAMFORD MAGAZINE , JIMMY LOCUST IN DANCE STUDIO LIFE MAGAZINE Photo by Jody Frank 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. FOCUS Tap Director Christina Merrill earned her BFA with a focus on Jazz Dance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Her extensive training included ballet, modern, and studying tap under the legendary LaVaughn Robinson. After college, she moved to Chicago to study with Jump Rhythm Jazz Project and later became a member of Chicago Tap Theatre, a tap company with strong focus on storytelling and innovation. Highlights include Jazz Dance World Congress at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s tribute to Bill “Bojangles” Robinson choreographed by Lou Conte, a tour of southern France, and sharing the stage with The Polyphonic Spree at Lollapalooza. Christina is also a certified Pilates mat instructor and is looking forward to another year at LPAC! 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...