Faculty and Staff
Kristin Burrows
Director, Instructor Dance, Acting, Voice, Choreographer
Kristin received her professional training at the Boston Conservatory, majoring in Musical Theatre & Dance performance. She has performed professionally in regional, off Broadway, dinner theatres throughout Boston & New York as well as principle roles in community theatre. Principle roles include Peggy (42nd Street) with Turtle Lane Playhouse, A Chorus Line, Guys & Dolls, Gypsy, Steel Magnolias, Lil Abner, and Bye Bye Birdie.
Kristin earned a Eugene O’Neill Awards nomination for best performance in a leading role “Rosie” in Bye Bye Birdie. She has also choreographed locally for the Pfizer Players productions. Directing/Choreography credits include George M (Pfizer Players), Annie, Music Man, Bye Bye Birdie, Oklahoma, 42nd Street, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Shrek the Musical, as well as numerous competition and showcase numbers. Kristin has been teaching children and adults for over 20 years. She continues her training at teachers’ conventions and seminars throughout the US. She is a proud member of the Professional Dance Teachers Association, IDEA International Dance Enterprenuer Association & National Dance Association. Kristin resides in Waterford with her husband Tom and is a proud mom of Michael, Hannah, and Ava.
Gabby
Teacher
Glastonbury native Gabriella Dominguez began her dance training at age 8, and quickly fell in love with movement. She trained and competed extensively throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, and later went on to more classical training as a student at Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School. After graduating high school, she pursued her dance education at AMDA College & Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, California. After four semesters, she moved on to dance as a company member for Geometry Contemporary Dance Company, under the direction of Mackenzie Martin, for three seasons. Throughout the last five years in LA, Gabriella has been featured in music videos such as Donovan Woods’ “She Waits For Me To Come Back Down”, and Duomo’s “What About Us” in association with Netflix’s Bridgerton. She has performed throughout Los Angeles in Choreographer’s Carnival, Club Jete, Capezio ACE Awards, and more. Gabriella has taught and choreographed at studios throughout the East and West Coast. She additionally spent time as a Dance Therapy Intern at a behavioral center for kids with Autism and hopes to explore this avenue further. Most recently, she’s spent the last year and a half working alongside IAF Studios Artistic Director, Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, as the Mentorship Program Director- additionally working as the Production Coordinator on a variety of large scale production shoots. Gabriella is so excited to bring her knowledge and experience back to Connecticut!
Martha
Teacher
Martha Tornay has over 3 decades of intensive classical ballet studies with dance masters such as Mme. Gabriela Darvash, Gretchen Ward Warren and Robert Brassel.
She performed as a soloist with regional and international ballet and modern companies including Newport News Ballet (Virginia), Israel Ballet (Tel Aviv), and The Robert Kovich Company (NYC) to name a few. After a rewarding career as a professional dancer, she founded East Village Dance Project (EVDP) in New York City in 1997. The program has been recognized for its innovative approach to dance education, and for offering pre-professional classes to all regardless of financial means. Through a partnership with GOH Productions, she conceived and co-directed The Shell-Shocked Nut, produced and performed at La MaMa Experimental Theater biannually from 2011-2018. In addition to EVDP programming, she’s taught at New York University’s Experimental Theater Wing and Bates Dance Festival annually for many years. Along with being a visiting artist at Connecticut College, she is instructing classes for community youth at the Norwich Recreation Department and at various local dance studios.
Cassy
Teacher
Cassy Surianello, originally from Buffalo NY, began her formal dance training at the age of 3. After graduating high school Cassandra moved to Pittsburgh, PA in order to pursue a career in dance, studying at Point Park University receiving her B.F.A in Dance May 2016.
Cassy has varied her studies by attending numerous training programs such as Alonzo Kings Lines Contemporary Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, San Francisco Conserva- tory of Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Chicago, Visceral Dance Chicago and Axis Connect.
Professional credits include; First National Tour of “Fiddler on the Roof”, Principal Dancer for SweetBird Productions International Tour of Rasta Thomas’ “Rock the Ballet” (Bad Boys of Dance), Dance Lab New York (Josh Prince), Dance Break (Stacey Tookey), “In This Life” (Film), , The Orsano Project, Madison Square Garden and MTV Live. Modeling and film credits include: MAKEUP FOREVER, Sephora and HBO.
Cassy Surianello, professional dancer and fitness trainer, is originally from Buffalo, NY. She graduated in 2016 from Point Park University receiving her B.F.A in dance. Professional dance credits include; First National Tour of “Fiddler on the Roof”, Principal Dancer for Sweet- Bird Productions International Tour of Rasta Thomas’ “Rock the Ballet” (Bad Boys of Dance), Dance Lab New York (Josh Prince), Dance Break (Stacey Tookey), “In This Life” (Film), The Orsano Project, Madison Square Garden and MTV Live. Modeling and film credits include: MAKEUP FOREVER, Sephora and HBO. Cassy is the Co-Founder of The Studio Fitness, an online fitness platform specializing in HIIT, Toning & Cardio.