GPAC FACULTY
Karen Goodman~ Artistic Director/Owner
Karen began dancing at the age of 3 and has never stopped! Her passion for dance and dedication to the Arts is evident in everything she does. Being professional dancer, teacher and choreographer for over 45 years has earned her many accolades. Karen is particularly proud of creating her "Kindergarten Readiness through Dance" program funded by the Jamie Hulley Arts foundation. Karen taught her innovative program for over 10 years to underserved children enrolled in the ABCD head start program in Bridgeport. With the help of Dianne Wycoff and Diana Zitnay, Karen 's program has touched the lives of hundreds of inner-city children. Miss Wycoff often referred to her as the "Pied Piper" of the little ones!
As a child, she studied dance with Betty-Jane Turner in Manchester CT. There she was given many opportunities to study with leading teachers in the dance industry and spent her summers training in NYC. She studied with dance greats such as Phil Black, Luigi, Dennis Denehy, Frank Hatchett, Maurice Hines, Lee Theodore, David Howard, Finis Jhung and the list goes on. Karen's first professional job right of high school was "Dance,Dance,Dance" at Hershey Park. She went on to perform with many regional theater companies across New England. Some of her favorite roles were Lily St Regis in Annie, Velma Kelly in West Side Story, Roxy Hart in Chicago, and chorus roles in 42nd street, Guys and Dolls and South Pacific. She was the Dance captain and swing dancer in the National tour of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, with Stella Parton and A Player in Pippin with Ben Vereen. Her off-Broadway credits include Giggles and Garters which later became the Broadway show Sugar Babies and she was the choreographer for "This could be the start" a musical revue written and directed by Steve Allen.
Karen also served as co- artistic Director for over 25 years with the New England Ballet School and Company. Her tenure with that organization allowed her to choreograph and direct hundreds of dancers across Connecticut and to work with many professional artists as well. She is proud to have performed in and co- directed many the company's productions including, The Nutcracker, Firebird, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Peter and the Wolf, The Adventures of Little Red Riding Hood as well as choreographing many repertory pieces for the company. Goodman Performing Arts Center has an established competitive dance team, which over the years has earned her and her dancers' numerous awards for choreography, technique, passion and precision. They were also crowned National Grand Champions for the Turn it Dance Challenge. "Miss Karen" hopes to continue serving her community through her talent, commitment, love of her students and the arts for many years to come.
Caitlyn Hydeck
Caitlyn was born and raised in Connecticut where her passion for dancing would grow and flourish through all of the styles of dance she studied. Her first loves were jazz and tap which would eventually be accompanied by ballet, contemporary and hip hop. She went on to study at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro where she earned her Bachelors of Fine Arts in dance and performance. During this time she expanded her repertoire with more styles such as breakin’, popping, and locking. Her love for performance and creating movement continued as she took classes in New York, North Carolina, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Connecticut. She began teaching and choreographing award winning hip hop routines at various studios through out New York and Connecticut. She has danced for artists such as Kat Deluna, Flo Rida and Def Jam productions and has appeared on networks such as MTV2. She has also been dancing with Double up Dance Company as well as CT Theater Dance Company for the past eight years. She has been coaching and choreographing for the Fairfield University Dance Team and teaching contemporary dance for the Sacred Heart University dance program. She has been dancing for twenty eight years now with Ten years of experience in choreography and loving every minute of it.
Danielle Rathey
Danielle has studied classical ballet for 40 years. She started her training in Massachusetts and continued in Florida where she trained at a local competitive studio and Southern Ballet Theater.
Danielle was accepted to Boston Conservatory and has trained with leaders in the field including Gretchen Warren, Ballet Mistress of ABT II and John Parks of Alvin Ailey.
In addition, Danielle holds a Ph.D. in counseling Psychology, is a school Psychologist and adjunct professor of Applied Psychology at New York University where she teaches courses oriented toward mental health and wellness, research methods, and counseling methods.
She has a blog that connects psychology and dance and is currently writing a book on psychology and emotional wellness in dance. She continues to study and teach ballet here in Connecticut and New York
Taylor Conant
Taylor P. Conant is a Milford, CT native! She began her dance training here in Connecticut before moving to New York City to train in The Ailey School’s Fellowship program on scholarship. During her training she auditioned in NYC and landed the role of Graziella in the International Broadway Tour of West Side Story. From there, she continued to pursue a career in Musical Theatre and joined the company of the International Broadway Tour of Chicago the Musical. She has since been a part of the show over the last few years, traveling across the United States and world. In addition to dance, she has appeared in multiple commercials and continues to teach/train in ballet, jazz, singing, and acting. She is signed with the CESD Dance Department in NYC and you can follow her work through her website www.taylorpconant.com.
Pamela Subtil
Coming soon...
Alejandro Ulloa
A native of Nicaragua, international freelance artist Alejandro Ulloa began his dance training at the Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Nicaragua under the direction of maestro William Herrera, and launched his professional dance career with the Compañía Ballet de Nicaragua where he quickly became a principal dancer. He was later invited to be part of the contemporary company Danza Contemporánea Universitaria UNAN-Managua. In 2015, Alejandro and Maestro Herrera launched the first-ever ballet and neoclassical ensemble at the Nicaraguan University, where Alejandro became the Cultural Promoter for the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, as well as Director for the “Taller de Líneas Clásicas”. Later that year, he also became co-producer, teacher, and choreographer for Compañía Ballet de Nicaragua, as well as a ballet and contemporary teacher at the Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Nicaragua.
Alejandro’s vast repertoire has ranged from classical to contemporary works, as he has worked with a plethora of directors and choreographers. He has appeared as a guest artist for Gainesville Ballet, Danse Etoile in Costa Rica, Island Moving Company, Neglia Ballet, Ajkun Ballet Theatre and Connecticut Ballet Center, among others.. He has also participated in many festivals, such as Jacob’s Pillow Festival in Lenox, Massachusetts, APAP Festival in New York City, Bitef Theater and Terazije Theater in Serbia, the International Ballet Gala in Nicaragua, the 50th anniversary of Universidad de Campeche-Mexico, the 20th Anniversary of Fundacion Ballet de El Salvador, and Great Friends Dance Festival in Newport, Rhode Island among others. In addition, Alejandro was an integral part of the Art and Science Unite as Psychological Treatment in Adults and Youth Workshop, developed by the Yale Hispanic Mental Health Clinic, and in 2016 he was awarded the “Artist of International Projection of the Year” by the Nicaraguan Artist Association.
Alejandro is currently a principal with New England Ballet, a soloist with Connecticut Ballet, and a member of Thomas Ortiz Dance Company and Ballet with a Twist. He is also a dance instructor for New Haven Ballet, Connecticut Theater Dance School, Nutmeg Performing Dance Center, New England Ballet, New England Dance Arts, and The Dance Connection. Most recently, Alejandro co-founded East Coast Contemporary Ballet.
