limited space available in 2023-2024 Classes! Call or email today to register!
Heejin Thelen - Owner/Director
MHDS Owner/Director Heejin Thelen began dancing at the young age of four in South Korea. After moving to the US at eight years-old, Miss Heejin continued her dance training at numerous dance studios all over Massachusetts. Miss Heejin graduated from Plymouth State University, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in both Business and Dance, specializing in Dance Pedagogy, which certified her to teach early childhood - adult. While in college, Miss Heejin performed with the Contemporary Dance Ensemble and the Plymouth State University Dance Team. Post graduation, Miss Heejin continued her dance training and performed all over Boston, MA with various choreographers and worked as the campaign model for Health Works and City Sports.
While at Plymouth State University, Miss Heejin discovered her true calling - teaching dance and passing on her vast knowledge to the next generation of dancers. She began teaching in college and then went on to teach classes at numerous dance studios and camps in the New England area. Wherever she taught, Miss Heejin was well-known for the upbeat, positive energy that she brought into her classroom and her undeniable passion for dance.
Miss Heejin opened Miss Heejin’s Dance Studio in November 2012 and was quickly recognized for her high-quality training, award-winning choreography, and unparalleled dedication to her students. Miss Heejin believes strongly in creating a safe and nurturing environment at her studio that will help support every dancer, regardless of their age or level, reach their individual dance goals. Miss Heejin is thrilled to continue to share her over 20 years of teaching experience with her dancers and to help motivate them to be their best self, both in and outside of the studio!
Danielle Carangelo
Danielle Carangelo joins Miss Heejin's Dance Studio with extensive training in Acro, Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical/ Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop &Tap. Beginning her career as a gymnast she broadened her education through the art of dance where her talents and strengths complimented one another. Throughout her dance career she was honored with many prestigious titles and overall high score placements from nationally ranked competitions and conventions. Danielle graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Health Science from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Danielle was a part of a NDA nationally ranked college dance team and also had the opportunity to assistant teach college level classes under the head of the dance department, Liz Lapuh at UMass Boston. Shortly after College, Danielle moved to Los Angeles, California to enhance her training. There she had the chance to train under many top choreographers; Galen Hooks, Jojo Gomez, Brian Friedman, Antoine Troupe and Kolanie Marks just to name a few. She was also part of LA’s 1st exclusive elite training academy known as KreativMndz Dance Academy where she studied with many hiphop legends. The limits do not exist for Danielle but what she enjoys most is passing on her abundance of knowledge of dance and being a positive influence on her students dance education. She is delighted to share her talents and knowledge with you!
Melissa Tobin
Melissa Tobin fell in love with dance at the young age of 2 and started competing in all styles just four short years later. Throughout her 22-year dance career, she went on to hold numerous dance titles on a national and international level. Upon high school graduation, Melissa attended Stonehill College to pursue a business degree. During her time there, she continued her passion for dance and advanced her technical training on Stonehill College’s Stoneworks Dance Company as well as the Stonehill College Dance Team. Stonehill’s dance team traveled to NDA Nationals and was ranked highly amongst the other Division II college teams. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing in 2016, she became a Financial Analyst for the Army Labs in Natick, MA. Although she enjoys her work and supporting the mission of the armed forces, Melissa could not stay away from dance. She began teaching dance in her spare time to find a renewed adoration for the art. Teaching has allowed her to learn the other side of the curtain and discover an enthusiastic interest for inspiring and training young dancers. Melissa is delighted to share her passion of dance with her students and is excited to be a part of Miss Heejin’s Dance Studio.
Laura Jones
Laura grew up in Wellesley, MA where she started dancing at two years old. She trained in many genres of dance including; Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Jazz, Musical Theater, Contemporary, Modern, Acro, Tap and Hip Hop. Growing up, Laura competed at regional and national competitions across New England, scoring in overalls for numerous solos, duets and group dances, as well as receiving various invitational/scholarship awards. In High School she taught classes and summer camps for preschool and elementary students at her studio, KMDC. In college Laura joined the Northeastern University Dance Company, where she was a company dancer, lyrical choreographer and elected treasurer. She graduated from Northeastern with a BS in Business Administration concentrating in Marketing, and currently works at TJX in Merchandising. Laura is excited to get to share her passion for dance and appreciation for technique with her students.
Brittany McNally
Originally from Cape Cod, MA, Brittany McNally began dancing at the age of four and has not stopped since. Growing up, she trained competitively in styles ranging from ballet to hip hop at Dance Designs. Brittany then went on to further her education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in both dance and psychology. While at UMass, Brittany was lucky to be the co-president of The UMass Dance Company and an executive board member of Alive with Dance, where she fell in love with choreographing and teaching. After graduating, Brittany moved to Southern California to pursue her dreams of a professional dance career. While living in LA, Brittany trained with “Geometry,” a contemporary company under the direction of Mackenzie Martin. Brittany later moved to San Diego and was a Sirens Dancer cheering for the San Diego Seals Lacrosse Team under the direction of team coach Teran Brown. Brittany has recently relocated to MA And is so excited to share her love for dance and supporting her students at Miss Heejin’s Dance Studio.
Megan Mayfield
Megan grew up in Marlborough Mass and started dancing when she was three. She developed a love of musical theatre in high school, and continued to perform in college. During her time in university, Megan attended an opera intensive, performed in multiple show premieres, and traveled to Vietnam to compete in a choir competition with the university Chamber Singers. She graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a BA in Musical Theatre Performance and a minor in Dance. Megan had plans to pursue her masters in Theatre Education, and is working as an actor and makeup artist in the mean time. As much as she loves to perform, Megan absolutely lives to see her students nail routines and have the time of their life. She is very excited to be apart of Miss Heejin’s Dance Studio!
Jackie Coutoumas
Jackie began dancing in the Cambridge area at the age of three, where she found a love of dance and performing. Throughout her youth, Jackie developed her technique and showmanship which allowed her to perform across the United States. Jackie attended Dean College to pursue a bachelors degree in dance and a minor in business. She learned the importance of being a versatile dancer as well as to take advantage of opportunities and networking. Jackie was able to study under Jill Silverman, Todd Shanks, Milsy Davis, William Evans and Julianne O’Brien Pedersen. Jackie performed and choreographed in multiple shows a year during her college career and performed as a company member. Since graduating college, Jackie has lovingly taken on the responsibility to educate and inspire children to dance from their hearts through dedication and discipline. Her passion in her teaching and choreographing encourages creativity, confidence and being active! Jackie is excited to be apart of Miss Heejin’s Dance Studio team and to share her love of dance with her students.
Emily Entingh
Emily Entingh trained in Southern California and at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. She joined Houston Ballet II in 2010, Boston Ballet II in 2012 and became a company member in 2014. In 2019 she was promoted to Second-Soloist.
Her repertoire includes Florence Clerc’s La Bayadere; Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty; Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; John Cranko’s Onegin; Leonid Jakobson’s Rodin and Pas De Quatre. Harald Lander’s Etudes; Sir Fredrick Ashton’s Cinderella; Justin Peck’s Increases; Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, Glass Pieces and Fancy Free; George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Serenade, Coppelia, Jewels, Symphony in Three Movements, Episodes, and Theme and Variations. Entingh has performed featured roles in William Forsythe’s Pas Parts 2018 and Blake Works I; Jorma Elo’s Bach Cello Suites; Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker; and as “Myrtha” in Larissa Ponomarenko’s staging of Marius Petipa’s Giselle. Entingh's teaching experience includes Southeastern School of Ballet, Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy, and Methuen Ballet Ensemble.
JBIZZ
JBIZZ is an in-demand choreographer who has trained and performed in numerous forms of dance. He loves teaching & choreographing multiple genres but specializes in hip hop, jazz funk, and “Popping.” He Spent part of his young dance career in the group "I.T.M", performing in professional venues, such as the Boston Celtics. His dance career has lead him along side various artists, including Training at Britney Spears Performing Arts Camp. He also judges and teaches at several conventions and competitions throughout the country. JBIZZ is delighted to be part of Miss Heejin’s Dance Studio and is looking forward to exposing dancers to movement as an art-form & creative outlet.
Kristen Brownell
Kristen was born and raised in Southern California, and grew up as a competitive dancer at Just Plain Dancin under the direction of Terry and Mandy Schulke. She won many awards, scholarships, and opportunities to travel and perform. She got to train and learn from many well known choreographers like Mandy Moore, Dan Karaty, DJ Guthrie, and Jackie Sleight, just to name a few. After graduating, she went on to be a member of the Orange Coast College dance team where they were undefeated in the nation that year. From there, Kristen followed her passion for performing and auditioned for the Disneyland Resort where she remained performing in parades, shows, and media events for 9 years. While working at Disneyland she was given the opportunity to perform with Nick Cannon, as well as the cast of Disney's Teen Beach Movie. For the last few years, Kristen began realizing her true passion was teaching and being involved in the dance competition industry. She has been teaching, choreographing, and judging ever since. She is so excited for this new opportunity at Miss Heejin's Dance Studio and cannot wait to get to work with all the amazing dancers there.
Emily Constantine
Emily began dancing at the age of three in her hometown of Buffalo, New York. She competitively danced in tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, modern, and ballet throughout her youth until graduating high school. While on the competition team, she competed at regional and national competitions along the East Coast. In 2011, she performed with her studio as a part of the Office Max float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Emily graduated from Stonehill College with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 2016. While in college, she competed at the national level with Stonehill College Dance Team. She is currently studying at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to obtain a nursing degree. Emily has continued to be involved in dance through teaching to share her passion with the next generation of dancers.
Guest Instructor/Choreographer - Kat Pantos
Kat Pantos received her B.S. in Dance Performance and Management from Plymouth State University. Upon graduation, Pantos toured nationally with multiple contemporary dance companies. She has worked with artists such as Robert Battle, Roni Koresh, Amanda Whitworth, & Tommy Neblett, among others. In 2012, Pantos moved to New York City with a vision to expand her artistic library and research. She founded Pantos Project Dance (PPD) and moved the professional company to Boston. PSU featured Pantos as an 'Alumni in the Arts' commissioning PPD for an evening of dance splitting the bill with Whitworths, Tributary Dance. Since the inaugural season, PPD has performed in venues across New England, PA, & New York, including Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out stage. Pantos is sought out for her educational classes and innovative choreography. PPD holds annual intensives and a pre-professional youth program, the MOVERS, composed of dancers looking for additional training and performance opportunities. In addition, Pantos choreographs commercial work for studios throughout the New England area and is an adjunct faculty member and guest choreographer at University of New Hampshire, Salve Regina University, Rhode Island College and Endicott College (spring 2024) November 2023, PPD Company will bring Rain or Shine to Endicott College as a part of their Encore series. Most recently Pantos Project has set ground in Waltham to house the professional company, the adult collective, the pre-professional youth company, and welcoming the growing artist into our studio programming. Pantos strives to inspire students to develop their own artistic abilities while continuing to advance technically and create choreography that is stimulating to the artist and audience alike.
