meet the faculty

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Artistic Director-Acting, Hip Hop, Modern, Revolution Competition Team, Pom, Tap

Casey Nemec has been in the performing arts for 36 years, and instructing dance for over twenty years. She was formally trained in tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and ballet at the Phil Osterhouse Dance Studio and The Dance Network in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Casey also grew up competing in Winter Guard International, where she honed her dance and performance skills throughout the nation. Her choreography has been seen on stage, on screen, winning awards in studio dance competitions, state championship high school dance team competitions, and even on the basketball court of her alma mater, Florida Gulf Coast University (Go Eagles!), where Casey was a Magna cum Laude graduate. She has been certified to teach through both Dance Educators of America and Dance Masters of America. In addition to dance, Casey trained at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre School of Theatre Arts, having been both a lead actress and a teaching/choreography assistant in their prestigious Summer Stock Program. Casey became a professional actress at the age of 12 when she appeared as the lead actress in the touring production of The Troll and the Elephant Prince. She has appeared in international campaigns for Sega, WWE, Buick, and Artistry Beauty, among others, numerous theatrical productions, and made her silver-screen debut in the Academy-award winning film Dreamgirls. Casey has also been featured in print modeling campaigns, commercials, documentaries, runway shows, as a feature model on the Home Shopping Network, and on the cover of best-selling novels Could I Have this Dance?, For the Rest of My Life, and All I’ll Ever Need. She is also currently working as an on-air Fashion Contributor for the Home Shopping Network. Casey has been a guest instructor at Beer City Barre in Grand Rapids, and frequently attends teacher workshops and master classes throughout the nation to continue her training and inspiration! Casey also holds her Master’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts. 

Assistant Artistic Director- Acrobatics, Hip Hop, Jazz, Lyrical, Revolution Competition Team

Sarah McBride began dancing at the age of 5. She was formally trained in jazz, contemporary, acro, tap, hip-hop, ballet, pointe, and circus. She has performed for Disney and the Sailor Circus in addition to competing in dance competitions regionally. Sarah began choreographing a wide variety of genres of dance for children ages 2-18 when she was 15 years old. In 2008, she graduated from USF in Tampa with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She currently teaches acro, jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop, and is an award-winning choreographer. Sarah has a passion for dance, and inspiring children to have a love for dance as well. 

Acrobatics, Children’s Combination, Hip Hop, Revolution Competition Team, Tap

Ali Gregoire-Baker started dancing when she was 8 years old, and soon after started to dance competitively around the state and country. Ali is formally trained in jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop, and ballet. Ali recently graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Children’s Mental Health. While attending USF, she was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, and choreographed a number of performances for philanthropic events. She is very excited to be a part of Studio Seven and can’t wait to see what is in store for this season!

Ballet

Ms. Sarah started dancing at the age of 3 in Warren, Ohio. She started her competing career at age 9 throughout the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and South Carolina. She moved to Florida where she continued competing throughout the state. Upon graduating Venice High School in 2004, she followed her love of dance to college at Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where she graduated with a degree in Dance Management. While attending school she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, Students of Arts Management, and Relay for Life. Ms. Sarah worked in numerous concerts, dance competitions, and theatrical productions, learning all aspects of show business.  Sarah moved back home to tend to her family, and continue her love for kids and dance. Ms. Sarah is a first grade teacher at Deep Creek Elementary School, and their team captain for Relay for Life.

Acrobatics

Megan Lebeau began taking dance lessons at the age of five. When she was nine, Megan joined a competitive dance team that traveled throughout the state of Florida. She attended numerous workshops, where she was provided the opportunity to train under many well-known dancers and choreographers. Over the years, Megan studied ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, pointe, acrobatics, circus, and gymnastics. In 2010, she graduated from Warner University with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education and exceptional education. She taught at the elementary level for five years, and is now teaching and coaching track and field at her alma mater, Charlotte High School. Megan loves working with children, helping them build confidence and a love for learning.

Children’s Combination

Jennifer, an Ohio native, began dancing as a toddler. She went on to become a competitor (and award winner) on the national stage, and danced her way through the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Jennifer holds her Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, and her Master’s in educational leadership. She is a second grade teacher at Deep Creek Elementary School, and is excited to return to preschool dance instruction!

Acrobatics, Ballet, Children’s Combination, Hip Hop, Jazz, Leaps and Turns, Lyrical, Revolution Competition Team, Tap

Miss Abby danced from ages three to five, when she decided to take a hiatus and pursue cheerleading. At twelve, she began taking dance lessons again at Studio Seven, training in all genres. When she is not teaching or taking class, Abby is finishing her marketing degree at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where she is set to graduate in the springl. Abby also enjoys fitness, nutrition, and all-things nature. 

Ballet

Barbara Marangon was born in New York, and received pre-professional ballet training at Balanchine’s School of American Ballet. While studying, she had the opportunity to dance with the Royal Ballet in Sleeping Beauty, with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Later she performed with the Garden State Ballet and the New York Dance Ensemble until she received a contract to dance with the Stadttheater of Klagenfurt, Austria. She has danced in classical ballets, operas, musicals—and the circus. During her career she has danced in a variety of famous venues such as the Metropolitan Opera, Madison Square Garden, New York World’s Fair, and Italy’s historical Teatro Goldoni in Venice. Barbara taught and choreographed ballets in Italy, the Czech Republic, and Spain. Before Carla Fracci’s appointment, she was the choreographer for the Italian Renaissance Festival, La Dama Castellana, for five years. Students from her ballet school, Scuola di Danze American Ballet, near Venice, Italy, were awarded 26 scholarships to Vignale Danza, admitted to La Scala Ballet School, and represented  Italy in the Prix de Lausanne competition in 2000. At the International Dance Grand Prix in Barcelona, Spain, her dancers won a Best Ballet Award for their interpretation and her choreography of L’aprés midi d’un faune. She has restaged full-length classical ballets including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Firebird, Petrouchka, the musical On Your Toes, in Italy, and assisted in productions of Swan Lake, Pas de Quatre, Harlequinade, and the opera, Lucia di Lammermoor for the Oklahoma Festival Ballet. Barbara has an MFA in Dance from the University of Oklahoma where she taught ballet and was the recipient of the Ballets Russes Fellowship. She has written 2 books, Detour on an Elephant, A Year Dancing with the Greatest Show on Earth and Chasing Castles, Nineteen Years Living and Teaching Ballet in Italy. www.barbarafilemarangon.com

Conditioning

Born and raised in Punta Gorda, Amanda is a proud alumni of Charlotte High, where she holds the record for the most varsity letters earned by a male or female student athlete – 17. Her athletic career includes competing in the 2016 Olympic Games, representing her mother’s home country of Thailand, a gold medal from the 2014 Asian Games, and an ACC collegiate athlete at both NC State and Florida State in Women’s Soccer and Track & Field, respectively. Following the Olympics, she returned to Punta Gorda, where she helps manage Charlotte BMX (a not-for-profit organization), and is the head coach for the Lady Tarpons soccer team. Amanda is currently pursuing a career in aviation.

Hip Hop

Sofie Hansen has been involved in the arts since the age of four, and began her time with Studio Seven in the year 2014. In addition to studying jazz, hip hop, tap, modern, and ballet, she also enjoys watercolor painting, cooking, and theatre. Sofie is currently a sophomore at Charlotte High School, and is working on graduating with her AICE diploma as part of a Cambridge program, in the year 2024. Sofie has been seen in numerous Charlotte Players musicals, and is very involved in the theatre program at her school. She plans on attending a university with a focus on psychology and art history, and using these skills to have a career reliant on helping others. Sofie finds joy in spreading kindness to others, and can’t wait to continue doing that this year. She looks forward to having another great year at Studio Seven!

Acrobatics

Emma has been dancing at the studio since she was 9 years old, and is a member of the Revolution dance team. She enjoys all styles of dance, but has a special place in her heart for ballet, lyrical, and tap. Besides taking numerous classes at the studio, Emma has been assisting in dance classes and dance camps for the last several years. She attends Charlotte High School, where she is enrolled in honors classes. Emma is also a varsity football cheerleader, and loves cheering on her teammates both at dance and on the football field. After high school, she plans to further her education at the university level in order to become a teacher. Emma is also a member of Deep Creek Community Church, where she volunteers in kids ministry teaching preschool-aged children. In any free time she may have, she loves going to the beach, working out, or lounging around watching Netflix.

Vanessa started dancing at the age of 4 practicing ballet, jazz, and tap in Windermere, FL. At 14 years of age she began studying other genres like lyrical, modern, and contemporary and began dancing competitively with Joan Crawford School of Dance (currently known as Shooting Stars School of Dance). She was on her high school dance team who also competed and traveled with the school marching band performing at football halftime shows. After graduating high school, Vanessa was chosen for the NBA’s Orlando Magic Dance Team, the Orlando Magic Dancers, from 2001-2006 and team captain for the last two seasons. As an “OMD,” she performed at Orlando Magic home games and promotional events, and was invited by the Armed Forces Entertainment to perform for the US Military and their families in several countries overseas. Vanessa graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in event management from the University of Central Florida, and later worked as Development Associate for the non-profit organization “Be a Star” Foundation, in North Palm Beach, FL from 2008-2011. She moved to Punta Gorda with her husband and two children in 2015, and is excited to return to her passion for dance inspiring young dancers.