Casey Harkness Andrade

FSPA Dance Director, Dance Company Director; Instructor of Jazz, Contemporary, and Dance for Musical Theater

Casey Harkness Andrade is a professional choreographer, educator, and performer. She received her B.A. in dance performance from Rhode Island College where she trained and studied with exceptional choreographers such as Clay Talifaro, Sean Curran, and Mark Taylor. After graduation Casey continued her education at Broadway Dance Center in New York City and Boston Ballet, where she studied weekly in a variety of classes. While a dancer of the Andary Dance Company, Casey had the opportunity to perform at the Cunningham School in New York City and tour the northeast. As a new member of the Franklin Performing Arts Company Casey has enjoyed roles such as Morticia in The Addams Family Musical and the Amayzing Mayzie in Seussical. Casey has also been an adjunct faculty member at Rhode Island College and Dean College, teaching jazz, tap and working with the RIC dance company as assistant rehearsal director. She recently joined the dance faculty at Salve Regina University, once again sharing her passion for jazz dance with SRU dance majors. In 2010 she became an adjudicator and choreographer for the Elite Dance Challenge regional and national competition. Later Casey joined the judges panel for Celebration Talent Competition and Sheer Elite International Dance Competition. Currently Casey is the dance department director at Franklin School for the Performing Arts and the director of the FSPA Dance Company. She teaches a variety of classes in dance and musical theatre as well as creates and facilitates curriculum, placement of students, and performances for the school.  She joined the FSPA faculty in 2011. candrade@fspaonline.com  

Kellie Stamp

FSPA Dance Department Coordinator, Director of FSPA Dance Ensembles, Instructor of Tap and Jazz

Kellie Stamp is a graduate of Stonehill College where she was an active member of the Stonehill Theater Company.  She served on their Board of Directors and competed at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.  After receiving her Masters of Performing Arts Education from Emerson College, she continued her tap and jazz training at the On Stage Academy for the Performing Arts, as well as with Rosemarie Boyden and at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Kellie has also studied Dance for Musical Theater with Broadway actress and choreographer, Leslie Woodies. In addition to teaching dance classes as FSPA, Kellie choreographs for Electric Youth, Broadway Bound, Broadway Light and many FSPA and FPAC productions. She is also the Director and choreographer of CenterStage and Next Step.  Kellie first joined FSPA in 2001. Her performing credits include lead roles in 42nd Street, West Side Story and Sweet Charity, as well as many roles in FPAC productions including Addams Family, Anything Goes, Into the Woods, Humbug!, The Miracle Worker and Little Shop of Horrors.  Her choreography credits include FSPA and FPAC productions of Humbug!, Anything Goes, 'Tis the Season, Cabaret and many others. kstamp@fspaonline.com

Cheryl Madeux

Ballet Franklin Artistic Advisor

Cheryl Madeux, a Connecticut native, received her training at the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts under the direction of Sharon Dante and Donna Bonasera. She has enjoyed a long professional career, dancing with such venerable companies as the Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and principal dancer with the Hartford Ballet under the direction of Kirk Peterson. Madeux performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe and has been coached by such ballet luminaries as Igor Youskevitch and Eleanor D’Antuono. Her extensive classical repertoire includes all the full-length classical productions as well as principal roles in The Nutcracker, Giselle, Coppelia, The Firebird, Balanchine’s Serenade, Spectra de La Rose, and much more. It also includes works by choreographers such as Gerald Arpino, Kirk Peterson, George Balanchine, Michel Fokine, Anthony Tudor, Martha Graham, Margo Sappington, and others. Among her early accomplishments, Madeux was awarded first place in the National Society of Arts and Letters Ballet Competition at the age of 15, as well as a finalist at the III International Ballet Competition in Paris and the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland. She was later recognized by the White House Commissions Program for excellence in academics and dance and was awarded a Level One Presidential Scholar in the Arts. As an educator, Madeux has been a guest teacher and coach for many ballet institutions across New England. In 2005, she became ballet director at Franklin School for the Performing Arts and assisted in developing their conservatory ballet program, as well as choreographing and directing their full-length ballet productions. In 2009, she successfully completed her certification in the ABT National Training Curriculum for Primary through Level 7 & Partnering and was later appointed to the prestigious Board of Examiners for the curriculum. In addition, she became a summer faculty member for the ABT Young Dancer Program and ABT summer intensives, as well as an assistant instructor for the NTC teacher certifications. Madeux was a guest judge for the Connecticut Classic Ballet Competition in 2014 and 2019, an adjunct professor for ballet and pointe at Dean College and successfully coached dancers from FSPA to the YAGP finals in NY. Madeux resides in Wrentham, MA with her husband and two children.  

Alexandra Cardi

Instructor of Commercial Dance

Alexandra Cardi fell in love with dancing at the age of three. She has experience in a variety of styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and contemporary dance. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Dance from Plymouth State University in 2015 and a Masters in Holistic Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Salve Regina University in 2022. She was an active member of her undergraduate university’s Contemporary Dance Ensemble and Dance Team as a performer, choreographer, and captain. Her senior year, the dance faculty selected Alexandra as the recipient for the Contemporary Dance Ensemble Award. This merit award is given to a senior who has shown a strong commitment to faculty and student choreography within the dance division over four years of study.  Throughout her years at Plymouth, under the direction of Amanda Whitworth, she had the opportunity to work with professional guest artists such as Mziyanda Mancam, Urbanity, Bosoma, and Pantos Project. In 2018, she had the opportunity to perform at the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival as a dancer for Alchemy Movement.  Currently, Alexandra is working as a mental health counselor in Providence, R.I. and is a movement artist for Alchemy Movement, a New England based company.  Alexandra  joined the FSPA Dance Faculty in 2017.  

Mallory Cash

Instructor of Ballet

Mallory is a professional dancer and dance teacher based in New England. She
graduated from the University of Arizona with her B.G.S in Arts, Media, and Entertainment in 2022. Through her career she has danced with Ballet Tucson, Providence Ballet Theatre, Metamorphosis Dance Company and Rhode Island Women’s Choreography Project. She has also been a guest artist with AMA Dance Theatre and New England Ballet Theatre. She has taught at New Bedford Ballet, Synergy Dance Studios, Providence Ballet Theatre, Premier Dance Academy, Metamorphosis Dance Company, and Abilities Dance Boston. Her primary goal in teaching is to create a welcoming supportive environment where everyone can thrive. She believes that dance is for everyone and is very grateful for opportunities to connect with others through dance.

Xochitl Tejeda-Cerda

Instructor of Ballet/Pointe

Xochitl is a professional dancer trained in the classical Russian and Cuban ballet traditions. She received her degree in Dance from the National School for Classical Dance in Mexico City where she was a Ministry of Fine Arts Scholarship recipient. During her formal education, she trained under the tutelage of luminaries such as Alicia Alonso, Fernando Alonso, Nellie Happee, and Carlos Lopez. She began her professional career at the age of 16 with Mexico’s National Ballet, where she performed soloist roles such as The Romantic/Good Girl in Graduation Ball, Swan Lake’s Pas de Quarte, and Sleeping Beauty’s Jewels Pas de Trois. Additional early accomplishments include receiving honorable mentions from Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts for her contribution to the diffusion of classical dance across the country as well as achieving quarter finals at the First New York International Ballet Competition. Her career continued with a long engagement with The Ohio Ballet, where she held Soloist, Principal, and Prima Ballerina roles as well as serving as a Regisseur and Ballet Mistress. During this time, Xochitl toured extensively throughout the United States and Latin America performing numerous main roles in productions such as First Violin in George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Pas de Deux, in Paul Taylor’s Aureole, Pas de Deux in Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, and Venus in Ruthanna Boris’ Cakewalk. Additionally, Xochitl premiered numerous principal and solo roles from acclaimed choreographers such as Heinz Poll, Donald Byrd, Laura Dean, Alonzo King, and Lynn Taylor-Corbett among others. Xochitl also performed extensively as a guest artist with companies such as Hawaii Ballet, Dayton Ballet, and Minneapolis Ballet, among others and her classical repertoire includes all full-length classical productions with principal roles in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Paquita, Le Fille Mal Gardée and much more. As an educator, Xochitl served as a faculty member at The University of Akron Dance Institute and the University of New Hampshire College of Liberal Arts and has taught many aspiring dancers as Guest Faculty at institutions such as Oberlin College, The University of Akron, Canton Ballet, Wayne Center for the Arts among many others. Xochitl received the Ohio Arts Alliance Outstanding Artist Award in 2001, representing the first time this organization recognized a dancer for their contributions to the arts.

Victoria Collins

Instructor of Ballet/Pointe and Children's Program

Victoria Collins, a former FSPA Ballet Conservatory student, has been featured in the Franklin Performing Arts Company's production of The Nutcracker as Clara. Other ballet credits include Cinderella, Coppelia, and other repertoire concerts. After her time at FSPA, she continued her studies at Dean College in Franklin. At Dean, she had the opportunity to continue learning from Cheryl Madeux and other credentialed faculty such as Marc Arensten (Dean of the Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance), Jill Silverman, Roshni Pecora, Kimberly Calore-Sedlak, Dina Ternullo Melly, and Todd Shanks. Her knowledge of dance expanded after newly receiving her ABT certification in pre-primary-Level 3 and she plans to continue her certification in the other levels in the future. Victoria is glad to be a new addition to FSPA faculty that she has long admired.   

Eivar Martinez

Instructor of Ballet

Eivar Martinez graduated from the Youth Ballet of Venezuela and was offered a contract with the National Ballet of Caracas under the Artistic Director Vicente Nebrada, where he quickly rose to the rank of principal dancer. He was featured in Nebrada’s Coppelia, Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Paquita, Diana and Actaeon, Le Corsaire, Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pa de deux, Nuestros valses, Batucada, La Luna, Pentimento, Fiebre, among others. He has toured Europe, the USA, China, and South America. As a Finalist competitor in the June 2000 New York International Ballet Competition, critics and audiences noted his technical virtuosity and athleticism. Mr. Martinez danced for three seasons as a member of Tulsa Ballet in Oklahoma. He was featured in Romeo And Juliet, Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Lila York's Celts, Paul Taylor Company B, Amadeus Amodio Carmen, Balanchine’s Who Cares? and well as many other contemporary works by Nacho Duato. Eivar then joined Festival Ballet Providence as a Principal dancer during its 25th season, RI audiences enjoyed his technical brilliance and virtuosity in many roles, including Giselle, Don Quixote, Diana And Acteon, Le Corsaire, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Anthony Tudor's Leaves Are Fading, Agnes De Mille's Rodeo, Spring Waters, Victor Plotnikov Carmen and Coma and others. Mr. Martinez then danced as a Principal dancer of Dance Alive National Ballet for its 2009/2010 season, where he performed such works as Dracula, Cavalier in Nutcracker, Black Swan pas de deux, and contemporary works. Eivar has appeared as a Guest Artist with Colorado Dance Theatre, Coastal Youth Ballet, State Ballet of RI, Minnesota Ballet, Heritage Ballet and others. He appeared as Guest Principal Dancer for Kentucky Ballet Theatre where he performed Grand Pas Classique and Sugar Plum Grand Pas. Here he was recognized by the Kentucky Council of the Arts for his performances. Mr. Martinez has appeared as a Guest Artist, Master Instructor and Choreographer with numerous Ballet schools and Companies throughout the Country. Currently, he teaches for Newport Contemporary Ballet company and multiple ballet schools throughout New England. 

Clyde Nantais

Instructor of Ballet/Pointe - Guest Faculty

Clyde Nantais joined the FSPA Dance Faculty in 1992. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston Conservatory and a Master of Education from Temple University. He has performed leading roles in Equity Summer Stock and dinner theater productions. Mr. Nantais danced with Boston Ballet for seven years before teaching in its school for 17 years. He was the principal ballet teacher at the National Institute of the Arts in Taipei, Taiwan. He has served as Ballet Master for the Boston Conservatory Dance Theater, the Berkshire Ballet, and the Pioneer Valley Ballet. As choreographer, he has staged over 50 original works for more than 40 companies and schools worldwide. Mr. Nantais was also the Executive Director of the Boston Dance Company Studios and Associate Director of the Boston Dance Company. He recently retired from teaching Ballet for Musical Theater students at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and has also retired from the faculties of the Boston Ballet and Charlotte Klein Dance Centers.   

Nikki Sell

Instructor of Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, and Tap

Nikki Sell began her dance education at a small studio in Western Nebraska.  As a teen, she spent her summers studying dance at the Ballet/Aspen program in Colorado and at the Dupree Studios in Los Angeles.  She completed her high school years at the Idyllwild School of Music and Performing Arts in California, graduating Valedictorian of her class.  She then studied at The Boston Conservatory, earning a BFA in Dance and graduating Summa Cum Laude and Salutatorian of her class.  Ms. Sell performed regionally and internationally with Prometheus Dance (Artistic Directors Diane Arvanites and Tommy Neblett), ACE Entertainment (Allen Collier, Tommy Coye, Jimmy Viera and Jeannette Neill), Impulse (Adrienne Hawkins), and Boston Dance Company (Jimmy Reardon and Clyde Nantais).  Her commercial and industrial credits include a leading role in an industrial video for Spalding sports equipment and a TV commercial for W.B. Mason office supplies, for which she was also the choreographer.  Ms. Sell also choreographed the 2006 Weston Drama Workshop production of “Ragtime” which won the prestigious Moss Award.  Ms. Sell has also presented two seasons of work with her own company, Hyperbole Dance. In her 20+ years of teaching, Ms. Sell has been on the faculty at Jeannette Neill Dance Studios, Boston Youth Moves, Walnut Hill School & Academy, and The Boston Conservatory.  She has appeared as a master teacher for the Regional Dance America/SW Festival, San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, Brandeis University, Framingham State College, and Arts Rochester.  She is excited to join the faculty at FSPA!  

Johanna Stipetic

Instructor of Voice, Children's Dance, and Musical Theater

Johanna Stipetic is a professional performer, director/choreographer, and theatre educator who holds a BFA in Drama with Minors in Music and Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Select regional credits include Legally Blonde (Elle Woods), Something Rotten! (Portia), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena), Hello, Dolly! (Ermengarde / Dance Captain), TARZAN (Ensemble), etc. Johanna is the Director of Theatre Education at the Cape Playhouse as well as the primary Musical Theatre instructor at the Arts Edge Dance Company. Along with performing and choreographing all throughout New England, she actively serves in Music Ministry as a soloist across multiple churches all over Cape Cod, and has her own private studio where she works 1-on-1 with students on voice, dance, acting, and college audition preparation. @johanna.stipetic

Tyler Hanes

Broadway Faculty - Voice and Dance

Tyler Hanes was only 17 when he was discovered by Ann Reinking while attending Broadway Theater Project in Tampa, FL. She cast him in the 1st national tour of the Tony Award winning musical Fosse. Following the tour, he attended Carnegie Mellon University, leaving after a year to make his Broadway debut in the 2002 Broadway revival of Oklahoma! Soon after, he appeared in the original Broadway companies of Urban Cowboy, The Boy From Oz, The Frogs, the 2005 revival of Sweet Charity, and as Larry in the original revival company of A Chorus Line. Tyler also appeared in the Broadway companies of Hairspray and the 2014 revival of On The Town. He starred as Rum Tum Tugger in the highly anticipated Broadway revival of CATS, for which he was nominated for a Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway show.
Off-Broadway, he was featured in the musical Juno opposite Victoria Clark, Stephen Sondheim's A Bed And A Chair: A NY Love Affair, opposite Bernadette Peters, and American Dance Machine for the 21st Century. 
As a choreographer, his credits include Kristin Chenoweth: For The Girls on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre, Dancing With The Stars, Kristin Chenoweth’s Some Lessons Learned World Tour, Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home for PBS, The American Country Awards, Prohibition with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, The Way You Look Tonight with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, and the Latin American premiere of El Chico De Oz in Lima, Peru. He is currently producing and starring in the upcoming dark comedy “Ms. Guidance.”

Tyrick Wiltez Jones

Broadway Faculty: Dance and Acting

Tyrick Wiltez Jones has been in the entertainment business since he was 16 years old and has been fortunate to work as a performer, choreographer, and director. He was last seen on stage playing Jagwire in the US Tour of Bat Out of Hell. He is currently playing the role of Kent in Stick Fly at Michigan's Meadow Brook theatre, a production for which he is also  assistant director. Broadway credits include: Howard in Finian’s Rainbow, Hairspray (for almost 4 years). Broadway National Touring credits include: Miss Saigon, Seussical, Fosse, and Show Boat. Regional credits include: Johnny Manhattan, Mom’s Gift w/Cindy Williams, Higher Education, The Wiz, Once On This Island, Witness Uganda, From My Hometown (WILDE Award), A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Chicago, and many others. Other credits include: 60th Annual Grammy Awards 'Sam Smith Performance' (background singer), New York City Center ‘ENCORES!’: Finian’s Rainbow (Henry). Concert: PHISH 2011 New Year’s Eve concert at Madison Square Garden (featured singer/dancer), Mary Wilson of the Supremes Motown/Rock and Roll North America Tour (featured background singer), and US Premiere of Sacred Ellington starring Jessye Norman with the Carnegie Hall ‘HONOR’ Series. Tyrick has been featured in many readings/workshops in NYC and has made numerous film and television appearances throughout the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Some Film Credits include: Back to Me (Independent Short), Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah & Dolly Parton as the Assistant Choreographer and Nickelodeon’s Shimmer and Shine. Tyrick’s voice was heard singing background off-Broadway and around the world on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships in John Tartaglia’s Imaginocean.  Although Tyrick’s passion is Acting, he particularly enjoys working with young, up-and-coming performers.

Christopher Rice-Thomson

Broadway Faculty - Voice, Dance, and Marketing

Christopher Rice-Thomson most recently was seen performing in Broadway tour of HAMILTON. Broadway: Pretty Woman, The Book of Mormon. Tours: West Side Story (Baby John, Tony understudy) and White Christmas. His viral #Tappy YouTube videos have received over 10 million views and been featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, The Meredith Vieira Show, On Air with a Ryan Seacrest, and more. Chris has appeared with Franklin Performing Arts Company as Jack Kelly in Newsies and in his own creation: Christopher Rice’s The Tappy Christmas Special: LIVE!  Follow Chris on Instagram & Twitter: @ChrisRiceNY

Clay Rice-Thomson

Broadway Faculty - Voice and Dance

Clay Rice-Thomson is currently performing on Broadway in Moulin Rouge (Ensemble).  He has also performed on Broadway in King Kong (King’s Company), Newsies (Spot Colon), Matilda (Michael Wormwood), and the Broadway National Tours of Wicked (Chistery), West Side Story (A-rab), and Cameron Macintosh’s Oliver. TV credits include: Saturday Night Live, The TONY Awards, MACYS Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Tonight Show, GMA, The Late Show, The View, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and more. Clay has performed at events featuring Shawn Mendes, Harry Styles, and Pharrell Williams. He recently choreographed the Franklin Performing Arts Company production of Matilda and starred in Christopher Rice's The Tappy Christmas Special: LIVE! For more, follow Clay on Instagram and Twitter @claythomson!