Studio D Dance Faculty

Dona Wassell, Studio Director/Instructor began dancing at the age of three and continued as a member of the faculty at Jeannette’s School of Dance in Bridgeport and Fairfield. She studied in NYC and New Hampshire as a teacher and choreographer with master teachers such as Luigi, Janice Barringer, Al Gilbert, Daryl Retter, Jerry Rose, Ben Vereen, Jimmie Ruth White, Holly Humphreys, Mallory Graham, Alecia Lakernick-Hoctor, Becca Retter and many more. She was the Director of the Dance Program at the Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA for over ten years, teaching student’s ages two through adult and forming and teaching both a competitive troupe and performing teams. Dona also taught and choreographed a dance/exercise style aerobics program for both the Fairfield and Lakewood Trumbull YMCAs. She was also on the Staff at the Fairfield Y as an exercise/dance aerobics instructor for over 18 years. Dona has won numerous first overall placements and platinum awards with Studio D’s competitive team. She is very excited to begin her 18th year at Studio D and her 48th year as a dance teacher fulfilling her passion...to teach dance!

Kristin Granata started dancing at the age of two and started competitively dancing at the age of nine.  She has studied dance in numerous studios throughout Fairfield County.  She has danced competitively for twelve years undergrad and won numerous awards in local, regional and national competitions.  Kristin graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Dance. She was an active member of the ECSU Dance Team for five consecutive years where she trained in jazz, pom and hip hop. In those five years, Kristin was the Captain and President of the Dance Team for two consecutive years in 2009 and 2010. In 2010, she led them to the NDA Nationals in Daytona, Florida where they placed 7th in the nation! Kristin was also a member of the ECSU Dance ensemble where she trained and choreographed in lyrical, contemporary and modern. They traveled to ACDF each year to perform and attend conventions. After college, she moved on to become a professional dancer/cheerleader and captain of the UFL Hartford Colonials. Following that, she was the director of a professional dance team for the American Basketball Association. Kristin was also the coach for Fairfield University's Dance Team in 2011. Kristin's teaching experience began at the Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA's where she taught in their Dance Program teaching dance to students ages two through fourteen at both the recreational and competitive level. She has studied with many master teachers at dance conventions, teacher conventions and at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC and continues her studies there. In her years teaching with Studio D, Kristin's choreography has won several entertainment awards, special awards and choreography awards. She is also a full time human resources professional and has enjoyed helping the studio add to its faculty in the last few years. Kristin is very excited to begin another year working with her Mom and the faculty and students at Studio D!

Katie Denton started dancing at the age of 3 at a local dance school in Stratford. She was asked to join the competitive dance team at age 7, where she competed in many regional and national dance competitions. After 10 years, she joined the Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA's recreational and competitive dance teams, where she danced for 6 years. Throughout her 17 years as a dancer, she also was a student assistant and teacher at both studios where she taught students ages 3-14. She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor's degree in Communications and a Minor in Psychology. She now lives and works in New York City and is a member of the New York Celtic Dancers and takes classes at the Broadway Dance Center and Mark Morris Dance Company for recreation. She is delighted to begin another year working with the faculty and students at Studio D!

Karen Laham attended Jacki’s Dance Factory in Danbury, CT and The Connecticut Conservatory in New Milford, CT to receive the majority of her early dance training. She continued her higher level of study at Broadway Dance Center in NYC, concentrating in Classical Ballet and Pointe. Karen has also had the honor and privilege of attending classes conducted by the legendary Master Teacher David Howard of The Royal Ballet at Ballet Academy East in Manhattan. She has choreographed and performed in numerous productions, including venues such as The Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT and the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, CT. Karen enjoys continuing her dance education training by attending various workshops, conventions, seminars and online programs, thus enabling her to share with her students the enrichment from fellow instructors from around the world. Karen's teaching style incorporates both Vaganova and Cecchetti techniques with Balanchine influences. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medical Technology from Western CT State University with a Minor in Chemistry and has received training in the sciences of Anatomy and Physiology.  

Jaci started dancing at a young age quickly accelerating to the competitive level in hip-hop. At the age of 18 she became a professional dancer for the United Football League's Hartford Colonials as well as a New Haven team for the American Basketball Association. Jaci went on to study as a Dance Major at Dean College where she furthered her dance education at the collegiate level with performance and academic courses such as dance composition, dance history, rhythmic analysis and more. She was selected to be a member of Dean College's Elite Hip-Hop Dance Company studying under Ricardo Foster Jr. who has danced and choreographed for celebrities such as Jay-Z, Usher, NSYNC and more. During her training with the Elite Hip-Hop Dance Company she learned the foundation of various styles within hip-hop to further her extensive training. Amidst graduating with her Dance Degree in 2014 Jaci moved to the Boston area where she was selected to be a Professional Dancer for The Expressive Movement Dance Company. During this experience Jaci participated in several elite hip-hop competitions and performances such as World of Dance, Prelude Urban Dance, and the IT Factor, travelling throughout New England and Canada for such performances. During her experience on The Expressive Movement she also participated and taught at several workshops for various dance studios around New England, and furthered her training in hip-hop, contemporary, freestyle, and other styles. She has been a Dance Instructor in multiple states including Connecticut, Massachusetts and Colorado, and her choreography in Hip-hop and Contemporary has won numerous awards at competitions. Jaci is passionate about teaching and strives to ensure that her students feel safe and comfortable to grow as dancers and individuals in her classes! 

Lily Griffin started her dancing journey at Studio D at the age of 2 with Miss Dona. At the age of 10 she joined the DanceStarz dance team, eventually joining the Competitive teams. During her 5 years as a competitive dancer, she earned high gold and platinum awards. While attending the Pennsylvania State University, she took ballroom dancing and yoga classes. Lily graduated from Penn State in May of 2023 with degrees in Microbiology and Spanish. She now looks forward to returning to her ‘home away from home,’ and choreographing for the upcoming competitive dance season!

Rachel Baron started dancing at the age of 3, and has been dancing at Studio D with Miss Dona for many years.  She joined the DanzStars dance team at the age of 7 and continued on to the competitive team at the age of 9. While a member of the Studio D Company, Rachel has earned high gold and platinum awards, as well as special judge’s awards.  She is also a member of the Studio D Ensemble group. Rachel began her teaching experience at Studio D during our summer program for Camp D where she taught dance in multiple styles for 2 consecutive years.  Rachel is currently a co-captain of the Trumbull High School dance team, where she helps run rehearsals, choreographs, and performs. The team rehearses and performs hip hop routines at football and basketball games, as well as special events.  She plans to attend college this fall with an interior design major and dance minor.  She is very excited to have the opportunity to work with the faculty and students at Studio D!

Nikki Ryane Valles was born in Norwalk, Connecticut. She was raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut which is where she began doing hip-hop at a small studio. Her high school years included dancing on the Bunnell High School’s dance team and taking classes at Regional Center for the Arts and Performing Arts Center of CT. These arts programs are both located in Trumbull Connecticut. In the summer of 2009 Nikki studied at Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts summer program. Through high school and college she continued to expand her repertoire in dance becoming certified to teach K-12 dance in CT through Naugatuck Valley Community College. Nikki has worked in the Norwalk community performing at Pride in the Park and Trail Mix Thursdays. She became a member of Generation 8 of Team Leggoo in 2019 . At the end of 2019, she began to work with artists in the area. Nikki has performed in the NY-CT area with both music and choreographer artists. She has experience teaching dance classes in Fairfield, CT at Double Up Dance Studio as well as coaching Flood Middle School Dance Team in Stratford, CT and is currently teaching jazz in Newtown, CT. Nikki is currently focused on continuing to grow as a student of dance, taking classes of all styles to become a better informed teacher

Amorise began dancing at the age of 12. While many consider that a late start, he considered it the perfect start.  He began by taking Ballet and Jazz dance at Neighborhood Studios of Fairfield County. Two years later at the age of 14 he began training in other techniques such as Tap, Hip-hop, Salsa, West African, and Modern Technique.  It was also at the age of 14 that he choreographed his first piece. From that point he knew that choreography was something he wanted to take very seriously. Over his teen years Amorise trained at the Regional Center for the Arts, Performing Arts Center of CT, and the Ailey School in NY.  While training at these dance schools he has had the opportunity to open for various dance companies such as Dance Theatre of Harlem and Ailey II. By the age of 18 Amorise had choreographed 15 pieces in various styles of dance. As an adult Amorise continues his studies by taking dance classes at the Ailey School and Broadway Dance Center. Although Amorise does not have a formal dance degree he currently holds a B.S. in Accounting and has most recently completed an MBA in Accounting and a M.S. in Data Analytics.