Meet Our Amazing Teachers!

Miss Tonie started dancing at 6 years old at the Hampden Performing Arts Center (2001-2009) in Hampden, MA under Sandy Coughlin. That’s when it all began. Knowing she wanted to make dance a career, she began training in the pre-professional ballet program at the New England Dance Conservatory (2009-2013) in East Longmeadow, MA under Kenneth Lipitz and Shelley Ziebel. She studied classical ballet, modern and jazz at NEDC and continued her training at the Joffrey Ballet School (2011) and American Ballet Theater (2012) at their ballet summer intensive programs. Miss Tonie continued her dance education at Ohio University in Athens, OH, receiving a talent scholarship to attend the dance college program. There, she studied for her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance and Choreography (2013-2015). She continued her Undergraduate studies at Bridgewater State University’s Dance Department and there she excelled. During her college career she has choreographed multiple pieces, one in which was presented at the American College Dance Association Conference (ACDA) in Boston, MA (2018). She attended The National Dance Education Organization Conference in San Diego, California where she presented her research, Career Counseling Program in Dance for High School Students (2018). After graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in May 2018, she was invited back to BSU as a choreographer to work with undergraduate students in the Dance Department to present her work at the American College Dance Association Conference in Middlebury, VT (2019-2020). Miss Tonie was a member of DanceWorks Boston community for three seasons as a dancer and choreographer (2018-2020). She continued her teaching at Matta Dance Extensions Bridgewater MA, and Matta Dance Academy in Brockton MA (2016-2019). She formed close relationships and connected strongly with the students. She was saddened when the day came where she had to leave the studio in 2019 when she moved to Marlborough, Ma. What Miss Tonie didn’t know was this move was going to change her life for the better! After moving to Marlborough, MA, she found a dance teaching position at Stage Door Dance Theatre under the previous owner, Kathy Cobb. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, she didn’t expect to be given such an amazing offer to make Stage Door her own. She has taken on the responsibility as the new owner of Stage Door Dance LLC, and with her courage and hardworking determination she was able to keep the studio open during such a challenging time for small businesses and has successfully made it through her first year as a studio owner. In Miss Tonie’s first year she was able to host multiple master classes with dancers and choreographers in the Boston area, hosted a “UCAN” building confidence workshop, and was able to achieve not one, but two recital performances for her students. She has brought joy and love to the dancers, as they have to her, as well. Parents are so grateful their children can continue to go to the studio they called home. 

A Stage Door alumni originally from Marlborough, MA, Kayla Ucciferri graduated from the University of Rochester in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies. While in undergrad, she served as Captain’s Advisor for Indulgence Dance Crew in addition to studying, contemporary, tap, jazz, ballet, somatic movement practices, and West African dance through her coursework. She is the recipient of the 2018 Above and Beyond Award, as well as the 2021 Choreographic Ingenuity Award for the University of Rochester Program of Dance and Movement. Within the field of dance research, Kayla is most interested in movement theory its application to the fields of psychology and physical therapy, as she is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the Mass General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in addition to being part of the Stage Door Dance community!