Company

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)

Deanna Beattie-Gallant has studied dance for over 25 years. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance and Philosophy from Plymouth State College. She has performed and choreographed in several venues across the country, collaborated with Kee Chin of the Dance Complex, and studied with Jody Weber of Weber Dance in Cambridge, and continues to perform and choreograph in the Boston area. While living in San Francisco, Deanna also performed with the Natasha Carlitz Dance Ensemble. She previously performed with Forty Steps Dance in Lux Aeterna in 2009, and is happy to be back for the 25th anniversary season! Deanna joined Forty Steps Dance in 2009 and returned in 2018.

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.  

Devon grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and has been studying dance since she was four years old. She danced locally in a family owned studio until she graduated from high school. During high school she had the chance to perform on a cruise ship and in Walt Disney World. She also attended theater camp and was part of several musical productions in the Worcester area. Devon received her B.A. in dance with a minor in psychology from Dean College in 2012. While at Dean, Devon performed in dance and theater shows, including The Producers, and Dance Company. Devon had the opportunity to attend the American College Dance Festival in 2012, and the piece she was a part of was chosen to perform at the Kennedy Center in D.C. Devon began performing professionally in 2011 with Mill City Dance. Since graduation from college, Devon has had the opportunity to perform in the Silicon Valley International Dance Festival put on by The Lively Foundation, where she had the chance to perform in the San Francisco area. Currently, Devon is attending Lesley University in pursuit of her Master’s degree in Expressive Therapy, with a concentration on Dance Therapy. Devon joined Forty Steps Dance in 2013.

Kelsey grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she fell in love with dance at the age of 10. She trained primarily in ballet at the Academy of American Ballet in Redwood City, California, where she was also first exposed to modern dance. While attending the University of California at Berkeley, she pursued her love for ballet, dancing with the student-run Ballet Company at Berkeley. She also solidified her classroom training in modern dance technique, earning a minor in Dance and Performance Studies under the guidance of professors and choreographers Lisa Wymore and Amara Tabor-Smith. She moved to Boston to begin her PhD, and while she devotes most of her time to her neuroscience research, if you can’t find her in the lab, you’ll certainly find her in the dance studio. She loves to take dance classes in Boston and Cambridge, and she’s thrilled to be dancing with Forty Steps this season!

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

Elissa is a seacoast NH native and has been dancing for nineteen years. She started her training at Steppin’ Out Dance Academy, where she was able to perform in multiple venues across the country. Elissa continued her education at Franklin Pierce University and achieved a degree in Arts Management and Dance. While at Franklin Pierce she was given the opportunity to study abroad in Lyon, France to experience “La Biennale de la Danse”. She was also able to choreograph and perform for multiple events while teaching and studying the NHDI curriculum. Since graduating, Elissa has continued to share her passion and joy for dance by teaching and performing with local studios as well as serving as an administrative and production manager for the past four years. She is very excited to have this opportunity with Forty Steps Dance!

When being asked why he is a dancer, Ricardo will explain that he worked as an extra at the RLT Neuss (Schiller’s Intrigue and Love) and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duesseldorf Germany (Aida, The Abduction from the Seraglio) to pay his rent for his studio apartment as a student. At the opera he was exposed to the magic and beauty of numerous live operas and classical ballet performances in the evenings. Taking ballet and dance classes would offer significantly better paid jobs as an extra so he began his endeavor as an adult dancer. As a student at the University in Duesseldorf, he was able to attend a wide range of complimentary evening dance classes in ballet, modern and contemporary dance they offered, He has continued taking regular evening drop-in classes in universities and ballet schools in Germany, Austria, UK, USA and other countries for over 17 years. He has been trained by numerous notable teachers and currently with Sallee Slagle since early 2019. Joined Forty Steps Dance 2019.

Darcy began dancing at 5 years old. She has studied classical ballet, pointe, character, modern dance, jazz, and contact improvisation. She has shared the stage with principals of American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and National Ballet of Canada. Some of Darcy’s roles include Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, sylph soloist in Les Sylphides, Swanhilda in “Dance of the Wheat” from Giselle, lead soloist in Monsoon Winds and Five-One Progression by contemporary choreographers Sally Rousse and Lisa de Ribère. Darcy studied at St. Paul’s School, The School of American Ballet, and The New York State Summer School of the Arts, and has her B.A. from Lesley University. Additionally, Darcy trained in modern dance and improvisation with members of Graham, Humphrey, and Tharp dance companies, and Janet Craft at Ipswich Moving Company. She is currently teaching ballet and modern dance at Great Bay Academy of Dance in Kittery, ME, and loves her job as stay-at-home mom to daughter, Calista.

Johanna is originally from Massachusetts’ North Shore, she started dancing in Newburyport, MA at The Dance Place at the young age of three and didn’t want to do any other activity. Johanna was a member of the Joppa Dance Company studying and performing jazz, ballet and modern across the North Shore for several years. Johanna moved to Virginia to attend Roanoke College, after graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration, she stayed in Virginia before making the move back to Massachusetts. While in Virginia, Johanna took classes at local dance studios to maintain her skills and keep pursuing her passion. Johanna is grateful to have found Forty Steps Dance where she can dance with likeminded, talented dancers, elevating her skills to a new level. Johanna currently works in the accounting and billing field for a North Shore based company but loves spending her free time dancing.