Emily Daly

Emily Daly is the owner and director of Verve Dance. She is a dance artist, educator and choreographer based in Connecticut. Emily completed her early training with the American Academy of Ballet, Boston Ballet, the School at Steps NYC, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and The Ailey School. Emily graduated from Muhlenberg College with a B.A. in Dance and was the recipient of the Baker Award for Excellence in Performing Arts. She began her professional career in New York City dancing with Parsons Dance and Bryn Cohn & Artists. After moving to San Francisco she performed with Katie Faulkner/little seismic dance company, Risa Jaraslow & Artists and CALI & Co. She has also performed with the Teriaca Ensemble in Italy. She has toured and performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Emily was the program director of RoCo Dance in Marin County, CA for a decade where she focused on dance education and youth program development. Emily is also the co-founder of MDRN YGA, a hybrid vinyasa yoga and modern dance class that has been featured at Wanderlust Yoga Festival. After becoming a mom to two boys, Emily returned to her home state and has been on faculty at Ballet Theater Company and Miss Porter's School. She is a teaching artist in the Moving Matters program in the Hartford Public School system and has taught master classes at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. 

Meghan McDermott

A graduate of the Hartford Conservatory with a double major in dance performance and pedagogy, Meghan has extensive experience in dance performance, musical theater and dance education. Currently, she performs and choreographs with IMMIX Dance Project and is one of the four core founders. Previously, she has danced with numerous CT companies including SOMA Dance Company, dancEnlight (Lorelei Chang), Sonia Plumb Dance Company and Justice Dance Performance Project.

For the past 15 years, she has taught dance throughout the state of Connecticut at various workshops, dance schools, intensives, private schools, as well as residency programs in Oklahoma and New York. Meghan served on the Dance faculty at Westminster school from 2015-2022. Further teaching and choreography credits include: the Kingswood Oxford School, University of St. Joseph, Westminster school, Miss Porters School, Ted Hershey Dance Marathon, 5x5 Dance festival, Built on Stilts Dance Festival in Martha’s Vineyard and West Hartford Community Theater (including a Broadway Review Tour to Ravello Italy). In addition to her dance career, Meghan is a certified barre instructor with STOTT Pilates and teaches for LIFER Fitness studio in West Hartford.

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Nicole DiMauro

Nicole DiMauro is a passionate and dedicated dance educator with over 20 years of experience teaching tap, hip-hop and musical theater dance. Beyond her experience in the dance studio, Nicole choreographs musicals for Westminster School and The Theatre Guild of Simsbury, where her creative vision has been bringing stories to life on stage since 2021. She is also an active performer with Simsbury’s community theater group, The Theatre Guild, showcasing her talent and love for the performing arts.
In addition to her artistic pursuits, Nicole owns and operates Bird and Bee Wellness, a massage therapy practice in Simsbury. She specializes in neuromuscular-pain management and advanced sports massage therapy. As a certified personal trainer, she blends her expertise in movement, anatomy, and fitness to support the holistic health of her clients and students.
Nicole is deeply committed to fostering creativity, confidence, and self-expression in her students while promoting the importance of physical health and well-being in all aspects of life. Her passion and dedication continue to enrich the local arts and wellness communities.

Lili Soto

Lili St.Amand Soto has been teaching Hip Hop for almost ten years and found her love for dance at the age of six. She is passionate about spreading her love and knowledge of Hip Hop to people in all different communities. Through the years  Lili has traveled to participate in dance battles as well as judge and teach master classes. She is especially passionate about teaching Hip Hop to underserved communities. Lili has been teaching at Grace Academy in Hartford for the past 8 years, and at Horizons for the past two summers. Lili also teaches Moving Matters in the Hartford Public Schools, and at the Bridgeport juvenile detention center through The Justice Dance Performance Project. Lili has received various awards such as the Jumpstart award through CDA. She has choreographed Breakdancing Shakespeare at Hartford stage and performed in the production as well. Lili is focused on providing the best education for her students and strives to create a positive expressive environment in her classroom. 

Brandon Couloute

Brandon Couloute, aka BBoy Lectronic, is a breaker and choreographer from New England who began his professional dance journey at Tony Award winning Hartford Stage Company. Beginning as an apprentice in 09 he would eventually go on to become the lead choreographer for the theatre’s Breakdancing Shakespeare program. 

In addition to his work in theatre Brandon has performed and choreographed with several notable collaborators including Natti Natasha, Marcus Rodriguez, Tandy Beal, Joby Rogers, illuminate, Smilow and Eblens. 

Brandon has been teaching students across the US in numerous schools, studios, and universities since the start of his journey. Currently, he holds faculty positions at Trinity College and Choate Rosemary Hall. Brandon’s mission is to share his love for dance and the Hip-Hip philosophy of Peace, Love, Unity, and Having Fun. 

Caitlin Quinn (Cat)

​Originally from Windsor Locks, CT, Caitlin started her professional training at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts where she majored in Dance. Caitlin then went on to earn her BFA in Dance at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. During her time at Mason’s School of Dance, Caitlin performed in Robert Battle’s Mass and had the opportunities to learn various repertory from Mark Morris, Lar Lubovitch, Doug Varone, and others. Caitlin has performed and choreographed with various companies in CT. She was appointed as the Assistant Choreographer during her time with the 78 Dance Company, and spent several seasons performing with Dimensional Dance under the direction of Ruth Vesenka. Caitlin performs annually with CONNetic Dance’s “The Nutcracker Suite and Spicy,” under the direction of Carolyn Paine and has also served as a Professional Member of Garet&co. Caitlin has led and assisted as a teaching artist at various Hartford Public Schools and was an instructor with Metro Movement and JST Athletics and Dance. She has taught contemporary master classes in the CT area and is excited to share her love for dance with the students at Verve. 

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Grace Fields

Grace Fields is a graduate of the University of Hartford’s Hartt School, where she earned her BFA in Ballet Pedagogy with a minor in Performing Arts Management. Originally from Pennsylvania, Grace began dancing at the age of three and has trained extensively in ballet, modern, jazz, and contemporary styles. Her early training includes working with the Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Guild and later at the Naples Dance Conservatory in Florida under Abdel Roque, focusing on furthering her ballet technique. At the Hartt School, Grace had the opportunity to perform a wide range of classical and contemporary works, including choreography by José Limón, Martha Graham, and guest artists such as Hope Boykin, Tamisha Guy, and Kristalyn Gill. She was also selected to perform in Twyla Tharp’s 100 Dancers project. Her training extends internationally through her studies at the Henny Jurriëns Foundation in Amsterdam, and she has danced professionally as a trainee with Zeitgeist Dance Theatre in New Mexico. Grace is passionate about teaching and arts education. She has taught students of many ages and levels at various studios, interned with the Hartt Community Division and Magnet School, and worked administratively at the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC. Most recently, she was part of the staff at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Currently, Grace is dancing with Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet as a company artist. With a strong foundation in dance and arts administration, Grace aims to pursue a professional dance career while expanding her impact as an educator and contributing to the performing arts industry through both creative and administrative roles.

Linnea Tucker

​Linnea is a dedicated dance educator with over seven years of teaching experience in Connecticut. A graduate of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, she studied under Caroline Van Austin for 15 years, followed by four years of dance pedagogy training. Linnea was a member of the Dancentral Dance Company at Central Connecticut State University and has choreographed multiple pieces for local amusement parks. She has traveled across the country to attend various dance festivals, continually broadening their expertise. Currently, Linnea studies ballet and the circus arts locally, blending classical technique with innovative practices. Her teaching focuses on strong technical foundations while fostering creativity and personal expression. Passionate about inspiring dancers of all levels, Linnea is committed to helping students grow artistically and technically.

Annabella Hartog

Annabella Hartog was raised in Draper, Utah, and began her dance training at a local dance studio at age seven. In 2016 she auditioned into Ballet West Academy, and after graduating high school, she trained with Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland, Oregon. Throughout her training she enjoyed dancing corps and soloist roles from many classical works including Coppélia, La Fille Mal Gardée, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Paquita, and others. Due to its bright and challenging choreography, her favorite role to dance during her training was a snowflake in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker. Annabella auditioned for Ballet Hartford in 2022, and spent two years as a Trainee before being promoted to Company Apprentice for the 2024-2025 season. During her time with Ballet Hartford so far, she has had the privilege to dance in many original works of choreography, including the 2023 world premiere of Claire Kretzschmar's A Ceremony Of Carols. Annabella has thoroughly enjoyed making Hartford her home over the past few years and looks forward to all the adventures to come.