Our Staff - Experience, Creativity, Dedication for over 30 years!
GRACE Noyes, artistic director
Following her lifelong dream, Grace realized her passion for teaching dance when she founded the Needham Dance Theatre in 1987. She nurtured and carefully grew her school one student at a time. She believes that every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive through a positive dance education. Each student should be challenged, supported and allowed to feel the organic happiness that comes from the NDT dance experience. She prides herself on building a very special community of dancers, teachers and parents at NDT. With over 40 years of dance teaching experience, Grace has taught for the Weston Public Schools and at the prestigious Edra Toth School of Ballet, under the direction of Boston Ballet soloist Edra Toth. Grace studied ballet in New York City and was a BFA candidate at the Boston Conservatory and studied dance at Smith College. Grace is mom to four children and is the owner and founder of our sister school, Millis Dance Theatre.
JESSICA Arruda, Assistant director
Jessica, our high energy, Assistant Director has studied ballet, jazz, hip hop and tap since she was a young child and is a graduate of Needham Dance Theatre. She has earned a B.A. in dance at one of the Boston area’s most respected dance programs at Dean College. With a vivacious personality and excellent training, Jessica is a natural teacher. Along with her expertise in ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap and tumble, Jessica is an amazing Hip Hop teacher who leaves a lasting impression on her students. Her classes are a happy, encouraging place for students to learn and develop their dance skills. Our busy Jessica also coaches the Needham High School Varsity Dance Team, teaches Barre Method fitness classes and is AcroArts certified.
JESSI LEARY
Jessi is a treasured alumni of Needham Dance Theatre and a graduate of UMass/Amherst where she performed extensively and choreographed jazz and contemporary pieces as a Senior Board member of the Mass. Dance Company. She also worked with IMPACT Dance Company and was a member of the Needham High School Dance Team for four years. Jessi is a fierce hip hop teacher with movement that is rigorous and innovative. She has studied and excelled in ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary and hip hop. We are delighted to have Jessi on our staff. With her warm personality, creative style and passion she will offer a high quality and inspiring class for her students.
NIKI THELISMOND
Niki is a vastly experienced Hip Hop teacher who is known for her innovative choreography and compassion for each of her students. Teaching at Suzanne’s Dance Connection of Burlington and directing EnMotion Dance Company/Cambridge, Niki studied performing arts at Suffolk University. Our program is enriched by Niki’s commitment and passion for Hip Hop. Take a glance at one of Niki’s classes; you will agree that she is a force of nature and a very special teacher. For our 2024 -25 season Niki is on sabbatical.
AURA TAVARES
Aura serves as Assistant Director at the Uptown Dance Center in Dorchester where she teaches Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, Acro and Hip Hop. She has studied a variety of dance styles from a very young age at Boston Ballet School, Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre and Tony William’s School of Dance. She attended the renown high school, Boston Arts Academy, as a dance major studying with many talented instructors including Bill McLaughlin (a former NDT staff member). She learned from the best in the dance world including Cosmin Marculetiu, principal dancer in the Romanian National Ballet and Thai Jiminez, soloist of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She performed as a featured soloist in Urban Nutcracker. Choreographing for the NDT Dance Team, Aura received the Choreographers Award for excellence in innovative choreography. We are proud of Aura who holds an Acro Arts certifications. We are happy to have her on our staff bringing her expressive movement and strong knowledge of technique to our program.
LAUREN WARD
Lauren began dancing at the age of 5, studying at the Ballet Guild of Lehigh Valley and Kathleen Magyar School of Dance in Bethlehem, PA. At Ithaca College, Lauren studied ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and graduated with minor in dance education. She is a certified Acrobatic Arts instructor and a member of Acro Dance Teachers Association. While living and performing in NYC and Los Angeles, she continued her studies at Edge Performing Arts Center. She has completed an intensive teacher training program at DanceLife under the direction of a well respected dance innovator, Rhee Gold. Lauren’s magical way with her students has made her a cherished member of the Needham Dance Theatre staff as well as at our sister school, Millis Dance Theatre. Along with her teaching responsibilities at both our schools, Lauren and her husband are raising three active children.
Ariel Charles
With a sincere appreciation for the art of dance, Ariel has experienced a variety of dance styles throughout her career. She studied dance at Regis College in Weston, performing in Contemporary, Jazz, Haitian Folklore and Kizomba. She then went on to become Hip Hop Program Director and choreographer at Regis College. Since 2002 Ariel has trained and performed with Jam’nastics Inc. This is where her love for Hip Hop began. In 2010 she was accepted into Boston University’s REACH summer program where she trained in Modern, Ballet, and Krump. More recently she has worked teaching gymnastics to elementary age children. Ariel brings big energy, exciting choreography and fun to her classes.
Angela Cole
Angela performs as a featured soloist Providence Ballet Theatre and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Roger Williams University, where she was the recipient of the Kelli Wicke Davis Outstanding Achievement in Dance Award. Upon graduating, Angela received the Young Artist in Residence Award and has performed as a freelance artist. She has danced for Natalie Johnson Dance in Cambridge, MA and is co-founder of ProviDANCE Project, a contemporary dance collaborative with her artistic partner, Ellen Oliver. Angela teaches various dance techniques throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Angela is passionate about inspiring students to find joy and their own individual voice in dancing. We are pleased to have this accomplished artist, Angela on our NDT staff.
ROSE GILIO
We are thrilled to have Rose on the NDT team. Studying education at Endicott College, Rose has worked as an assistant teacher at the Chickering School in Dover. Rose is a skilled dancer who started dancing at age 3 at Erin’s School of Dance and grew to become an award winning competition dancer with Broadway Bound Dance Center. Her areas of expertise are ballet, jazz, contemporary, acro, hip hop and tap. Our well rounded, Rose stands out with her warm demeanor and her true love of teaching. After graduation she plans to explore her passion for photography, teach high school English and of course, continue to enjoy every minute of working with her dance students.
KatHerine DiBona
Katherine DiBona began her training at the age of six with the Boston Ballet School, where she studied intensively in the art of Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Character, and Flamenco. She spent six years dancing in Boston Ballet’s holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker” at the Wang Theater. Miss Katherine has studied at the Royal Ballet (London, England), The Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet (St. Petersburg, Russia), New York City Ballet (NYC). Attending Elon University in North Carolina, she majored in Molecular Biology with a minor in BFA Dance. Miss Katherine is a knowledgeable and accomplished ballet teacher. This past holiday season, she choreographed a full-length presentation of “The Nutcracker”, which included over 75 local children and adults. We are pleased to have this creative and dedicated teacher working with our students at Needham Dance Theatre. She will surely elevate their training to the highest level. This summer, Katherine will serve as a guest teacher in our Intermediate Intensive Program .
LEXI FOTOPOULOS
Lexi, our Open Acro Supervisor is a cherished member of the Needham Dance Community. She has a natural infinity toward children, inspiring and supporting them with her positive and enthusiastic approach. Lexi has trained in many dance styles at NDT since she was a preschooler. She is an accomplished and dedicated dancer competing with great success on the NDT Dance Team as well as the Varsity Dance Team at Needham High School. Lexi has been teaching for several years in the NDT Summer Program. She has volunteered throughout Needham and finds herself running toward any opportunity to work with kids!
Lindsey Mcevoy
Lindsey has pursued her love of dance, inspired by 13 years of training at Needham Dance Theatre. Lindsey continued her training and earned a degree in dance and creative advertising from James Madison University, where she performed with the Contemporary Ensembles. Lindsey choreographed several modern based works and had the opportunity to study dance abroad in London under the direction of various European dance professionals. Lindsey continues her training with the dynamic DanceWorks Boston, where she choreographs and is a featured performer. Teaching at both our Needham and Millis locations, Lindsey has a natural way with children. We are thrilled to have her back at NDT as she guides her students to achieve their full potential.
RACHEL LEWIS
Rachel began dancing at Needham Dance Theatre at age three and has grown up in our program as a treasured member of our dance community. She now takes on the role of Head Teacher. Rachel is an exceptional dancer, teacher and person. She has extensive training in ballet, hip hop, jazz, and contemporary. She competes on our dance team at the highest level as a team member and soloist. Along with her NDT classes, Rachel teaches dance over the summer at URL Eisner Camp and runs Treasures for Smiles at Needham High School, raising funds for Children’s Hospital Boston. Children learning from Rachel enjoy her friendly, caring approach along with her deep knowledge and creativity. Welcome to Rachel.
Chloe Christen
Chloe began dancing at Needham Dance Theatre at age five and has been a dedicated and exceptional dancer ever since, training in ballet, jazz, and contemporary. During Chloe’s time at Needham Dance Theatre she competed at a high level on our dance team for many years. Chloe enjoys the intensity of her rigorous dance schedule, competing on the Needham High School Varsity Dance Team. She enjoys her demanding dance schedule and technique training in Pom. After working with our Artistic Director, assisting young children in dance class, we are very pleased to have Chloe take on her own class with her warm demeanor and excellent knowledge of ballet and jazz.
BEKAH BLAIR
Bekah teaches dance and musical theater at Charles River Creative Arts Program in Dover. She has choreographed award winning routines for our Needham Dance Theatre Dance Team including her forte - production numbers. She established and taught a wide variety of dance techniques at the Master’s Dance Academy and led the competition dance team at Dana Hall School in Wellesley. Bekah double majored in dance and psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree in social work.
Bekah, with her positive attitude, beautiful choreographic style and decades of dance experience is passionate about sharing her boundless creativity with her students. Bekah is now the new owner and Director of Millis Dance Theatre.
Minami Kikuchi
Minami Kikuchi, a talented dancer and teacher, hails from Japan. She has an impressive academic background, having graduated from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. During her time at university, she undertook a rigorous curriculum that included ballet, contemporary, jazz, theory and composition, anatomy, kinesiology, and dance history. Minami's performance repertoire includes selected choreography pieces such as “Sakura Saku,” “BODY,” and “Invisible Things.” She has showcased her versatility and dedication to dance by performing.
In addition to her academic and performance achievements, Minami is teaching for the Contemporary Summer Intensive 2023 at Urbanity Dance in Boston. Moreover, she is a member of the Contemporary Dance Association of Japan and has honed her skills at Studio Makino. Welcome to Miami!
See more of our talented Miami with this link:
Maddie Varga
Maddie is an outstanding alumni of Needham Dance Theatre. After training in hip hop, contemporary, ballet, pointe and jazz, she went on to dance at several prestigious dance programs such as Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Gelsey Kirkland Academy, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Festival Ballet of Providence. Maddie has dedicated herself to the art of dance for the past 17 years. She has performed extensively with Dance Prism as a Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet soloist. Maddie is a talented teacher with the ability to guide young students with thought and creativity in every genre from graceful ballet to a fun and lively jazz class. Maddie is currently studying graphic design at Mass Art and substitutes at NDT as needed.