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Lauren Beck is originally from Arlington, Massachusetts.  Lauren graduated with a BFA in Jazz Dance from the University of the Arts in 2008.  Lauren has performed in many venues in the Philadelphia area including the Merriam and Drake Theaters. After, graduating, Lauren continued on to the seas, working for PGT Entertainment, as a dancer,  on board the Sea Princess cruise ship. Lauren joined Forty Steps Dance in 2009, and has recently returned from a two-year sabbatical with her husband in Australia.  

Alana has been dancing since the age of two and it truly became a lifelong passion. Alana graduated from the Dance Teachers Club of Boston Training School in 2007. She holds a Certificate in Dance Education, Summa Cum Laude, and an Associate Degree in Dance, Magna Cum Laude from Northern Essex Community College. Alana also graduated from Salem State University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science also in Dance, Cum Laude. Alana has been teaching multiple genres of dance since 2007. Alana loves dance because it combines the power of athletics with the creativity of art, the perfect combination! Alana is a newer member to the group and is enjoying every minute of it. Alana joined Forty Steps Dance September 2019

Emma Limperis is from Methuen, MA, and has studied under various instructors and choreographers from the Boston Ballet, Urbanity Dance, and Backhausdance of California. Emma graduated with a BA in English from Endicott College in 2018, where she additionally earned a Minor in dance and performed with the Endicott Repertory Dance Ensemble. At Endicott, Emma founded and presided the school’s first student-run dance club, Endicott Dance Group (EDGE). More recently, Emma can be found teaching and choreographing in the Greater Boston area. She currently teaches at the studio where she grew up dancing, the Center for the Performing Arts in North Andover.

Teresa was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up in Stoneham, MA after a short stint in Lugano, Switzerland. She began training at a young age at Sandra Marie’s School of Ballet in Melrose, MA which operates today as the Northeast School of Ballet in Reading, MA. During that time she had the opportunity to train with Minneapolis Dance Theatre under Gloria Govrin (who trained under George Balanchine) and also with the Boston Ballet School in Boston’s Back Bay. She performed various works including The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and an original work with the Boston Musica Viva based off the tales of the Brothers Grimm.  She earned a BS in Psychology from Fordham College at Lincoln Center and had the opportunity to perform with some of Bushwick’s most avant-garde movement artists in the 2016 production, “Authority Figure” choreographed by Monica Mirabile (FLUCT) and Sarah Kinlaw. Since returning to Boston she has been an active member of Nozama Dance Collective and has participated in the Salem Arts Festival, Dance for World Community, and various other local festivals and events. She teaches ballet and tap at A Dancer’s Dream in Marblehead, MA and has been a member of 40 Steps Dance since December 2018.

Samantha Wilson has been an active member of the Boston dance community for over 17 years. She has performed with Forty Steps Dance for over ten years. Additionally, Samantha has danced with Kelley Donovan & Dancers, Disco Brats, teXtmoVescollaborative, Rozann Kraus, Jenny Oliver, Caitlin Corbett Dance Company, Perceptions Contemporary Dance Company, Weber Dance and more. She has performed in Dance for World Community, 12 Dancers Dancers, Charles River Dance Festival, Salem Arts Festival, Across the Ages, etc. When Samantha is not dancing, she is educating youth in mathematics. Samantha joined in 2009 as a dancer and was Director for our most recent season 2023-24. (2009-2024)

Chelsea Zawadzki grew up in Bangor, ME, where she trained at the School of the Robinson Ballet and danced with the Robinson Ballet Company for eight years, performing throughout Maine and New Hampshire in their annual “Nutcracker” and Spring Concerts. Chelsea received her B.A. in dance at Dean College in 2012, where she graduated with the Trustees’ Prize for the Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance. At Dean, she was a member of the Dean College Dance Company and performed in faculty and student productions. Chelsea began dancing professionally in 2011 with the Adagio Big Band, a jazz band based in Lowell, MA performing at dinner theaters, sporting events, and the annual Merrimack Valley Jazz Festival. December 2012 and 2013 she performed in Tony Williams’ production of the Urban Nutcracker in Boston. When Chelsea isn’t dancing, she can be found at Center for the Performing Arts in North Andover where she teaches dance and is Studio Manager. Chelsea joined Forty Steps Dance in 2013 as a dancer and was Assistant Director for a time. (2013-2023)