Denise began her dance training at a small dance studio in Marblehead, where she soon learned that she loved classical ballet technique and wanted to learn more. In 1976 she began taking classes at Boston Ballet School under the direction of E. Virginia Williams. She performed as a student for several seasons in The Nutcracker, and then attended School of American Ballet the summer before entering Skidmore College in the fall of 1980.
At Skidmore College, Denise performed with the Skidmore Repertory Ballet while pursuing a double major in English and Spanish. She was also given her first opportunity to teach adults, which she thoroughly enjoyed. After college Denise performed with the North Atlantic Ballet in Boston and with Tslila and Dancers in Brookline. She also taught adults and children at the school of the North Atlantic Ballet (formerly the Marie Paquet School of Classical Ballet).
In 1987, Denise was invited to audition for the Master’s Degree in Fine Art program at Smith College. She was accepted, and began to teach introductory ballet classes at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College.
Upon completion of the MFA program in 1989, Denise returned to teach at the school of North Atlantic Ballet, where she taught adults and children until 1998. For the past decade Denise has studied modern, jazz, and ballroom dance. She joins us at Boston Ballet School to share her first love of classical technique and movement with teens and adults.
