The Studio at Mariner Square
140 Point Judith RD #36
Narragansett, RI 02882

CALL TODAY (401)865-9821
Or email: thestudioct@cox.net


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ABOUT US



Owner and Artistic Director



Marilyn Smayda



Marilyn Smayda studied ballet with Lydia Pettine. She danced professionally with American Festival Ballet in Augsburg, Germany and toured Europe with the group. While in college she performed with the Modern Dance Company of URI and taught ballet in Kingston. She has studied in New York with David Howard and Finis Jung and at Jacob's Pillow and Mary Mount College in Pennsylvania.



Adult Ballet Teacher



Debra Deslandes



Debra started ballet at the age of 5 with Madalyn Sarazin of North Attleboro, MA, and studied with her daughter Annamarie Sarazin, principle dancer with Boston Ballet for many years. At age 19 she was teacher trained and taught and choreographed at Mrs. Sarazin's studio. Debra has also studied with guest teachers from Festival Ballet and Boston Ballet and performed many different variations of Classic Ballets. Debra has studied the Vaganova method and continues to take advanced ballet classes. Debra has also studied Yoga and became Pilates mat certified in early 2000.



Teen/Adult Ballet Teacher



Chelsea Kearns



Chelsea started her dance training at Michelle's L'ecole de Dance in Westerly, RI. She studied Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Lyrical. After graduation she enrolled at The Studio in Narragansett, RI, where her focus shifted to Classical Ballet with Marilyn Smayda. Chelsea studied the Vaganova syllabus with John White and Rose Marie Flachs in Pennsylvania and attended a Finis Jhung Teacher's Workshop in 2018. Chelsea's enthusiasm with Ballet makes her a favorite with beginner dancers and dancers returning to the barre.



The studio staff is diverse and firmly committed to extending the joy of dance through quality instruction



BRIAN JONES



Tap Dancer Brian Jones has been performing since 1975. Known for his Rhode Island dance company (The All-Tap Revue) and his son-and-dance team with Susan Boyce (Jones & Boyce) and his street performances with Donal Suthard (Street Tap). Brian has toured vaudevillian from Hawaii to Europe. He has shared the bill with The Persuasions, Wally Rose, Robert Goulet, Ethel Merman, Savion Glover and the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. A musical populist, Jones improvises with live musicians, or synchronizes to classic recordings of ragtime, jazz, swing. Latin, country, classical, Broadway, even Techno.



LOUISE TURRILLI



Louise is a teacher and choreographer who started ballet at the age of 6 with Lidia Pettine. From the age of fifteen she spent her summers in New York City studying ballet at the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as well as with Mrs. Pettine. She was a founding member of Festival Ballet and on the board of directors of RI Civic Ballet. After she retired from performance, she taught and choreographed for Festival Ballet as well as many other RI dance schools including The Studio and The Dance Art Forum. Her classes have been called "Lydia classes" as she teaches very much like her legendary teacher.



JACQUI GRANJA



Jacqui began her ballet instruction in Gulfport, Mississippi under direction of renowned dancer, Delia Stewart. While attending the University of South Alabama she was a soloist in the university's ballet company "Dance USA" and was an apprentice to Ballet Mobile. After moving to Huntsville she was a principle dancer for Huntsville Ballet Company for 10 years. Since moving to Rhode Island she has taught at The Loft, Fusionworks and here at The Studio.



Heather richardson



Heather's parents enrolled her at The Studio, A Dance and Performing Arts Center at the age of eight. Heather studied Ballet under Marilyn Smayda, Chamoni Mossa-Simone and many other instructors. She went on to study dance at the college level at Slippery Rock University, graduating in 2012 with a BA in Dance. While at college she both performed and choreographed for SRUDT, the Jazz/Tap concert, and the Senior Synthesis concerts. She stayed in Pittsburgh and began teaching at Richelle Lyn School of Dance, where she was able to teach many different styles, ages and levels. We are happy to have her back at The Studio teaching and dancing with us again.





CATHY BLANEY



Cathy Blaney started out as a gymast/dancer as a child, and has specialized in jazz dance since 1997 when she became a student of Erja Fischer, who studied with the renowned Matt Mattox in Europe. Cathy began teaching jazz nearly twenty years ago and her classes are based in Matt Mattox's technique, though bringing in other influences as well. Cathy teaches Teen Broadway Jazz/Tap combo classes in periodic sessions that run 6 to 8 weeks at a time.




CALL TODAY: 401-865-9821 or email - thestudioct@cox.net

the studio a dance & performing arts center



140 point judith rd, #36, Narragansett, ri 02882