Helene Joy Chapman (Owner/Director/Instructor)
Miss Helene began dancing at the tender age of 7, at which time the she realized this was what she wanted to do forever. In 1982, she became certified by test to teach through Dance Masters, and her lifelong dream of being a Studio owner came true.
Helene has enjoyed using her dance knowledge through different outlets throughout the years. She has judged for many Dance Competitions, Pageants and choreographed many productions for Schools and Theater groups.
In 2009 Helene developed her “Adaptive Dance” Program, and it’s been a big hit ever since! This is a class designed for children that “learn differently” (children with high functioning autism and other special needs) to learn dance movement with the help of assistants to cater to each child individually. Students work on dance steps, while learning structure of lines and formations in the classroom and are accompanied by “Dance Buddies”. Helene decided to create this unique dance experience when a parent reached out to her, looking for a dance program for her daughter.
Helene’s love for dance is personified through her dance instruction. Through the years her students have won numerous awards in dance and many have gone on to dance professionally, teach, choreograph and some have become studio owners themselves.
Shayna Chapman (Instructor)
Miss Shayna has over 30 years of dance experience with a strong focus on pre-professional and competitive dance. She began her dance training under her mother, Helene Joy Chapman at the early age of 2. Her passion for dance grew immensely and by the age of 14 was selected to tour the country with the Dance Olympus faculty and performed in the closing show in each city.
Shayna trained as a competitive dancer for over a decade, competing regionally and nationally across the New England Area. During her senior year of dancing, she placed first at nationals with her self-choreographed routine and won the elite award that landed her a spotlight feature in “Dance Spirit Magazine”. She was picked amongst hundreds of dancers for her outstanding versatility and diverse sense of style.
By the time she was 17 years old, Shayna was teaching at the YMCA, local elementary schools as well as her home studio – Helene Joy School of Dance. She continued to teach dance to multiple dance studios in Massachusetts for several years, building her dance resume and touching the lives of hundreds of students she had the pleasure of working with.
Shayna has recently trained and is now certified to teach Progressing Ballet Technique which certifies that she has learned the understanding of activating muscle memory to activate “turn out”, “adage movements”, “allegro”, “batterie” and controlled landings. She has certification how to break down the exercises, build the exercises, the appropriate age relevant to each exercise, use of correct muscle groups that assist each movement and how to transfer the muscle memory into dance class.
She has trained many students for 20 years who have competed regionally, nationally and also invited to compete in the World Dance Championship where her students placed in the top in the World. She is incredibly passionate about teaching dance and crafting creative and unique choreography for each student.
Amanda Thomson (Instructor)
Miss Amanda is originally from East Boston Massachusetts, where she started dancing at the age of 5. She grew up attending conventions and dancing competitively at Sheila Rosanio’s School of Dance and Gymnastics. She studied the art of commercial dancing at Phunk Phenomenon Dance Complex and Green Street Studios. Amanda continues to take various amounts of master classes from choreographers as well as assisting them.
Amanda has traveled on tour across the United States and internationally working for worldwide leader in dance competitions, Starpower National Talent Competition. Being on tour has given her the opportunity to travel and encounter the most amazing dancers and choreographers.
With over 5 years of teaching experience she continues to specialize in hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, jazz and acrobatics/tumble. Amanda hopes to share her creative concepts and visualizations with her students of HJSOD!
Madi Brianne (Instructor)
Miss Madi is a versatile and dynamic dancer and actress with extensive experience in both competition and professional performance. Growing up in Ipswich, Massachusetts she began her training in all styles. With an unwavering love for Ballet, Contemporary, Modern and Jazz.
Throughout her career, Madi has danced in music videos, including high energy shoots in Los Angeles and a performance based project in England, showcasing her flair across different artistic environments. In 2019, she continued her journey in Los Angeles, California, attending Hussian College, where she focused on acting and commercial dance, as part of her BFA in acting.
Miss Madi has also been chosen on a panel of judges for a premier dance competition, sharing her love and knowledge of dance to students from across the country.
Madi is dedicated to teaching and choreographing, working with dancers of all levels. Her training philosophy emphasizes both technique and performance quality, empowering her students to unlock their full potential. Madi continues to inspire and share the next generation of performers while evolving in her own artistic craft.
Analisa Palla (Instructor)
Miss Analisa began her dance journey taking classes at Helene Joy School of Dance. Dancing from age three to high school graduation, Analisa knew that she could always have a dance family to come back to during school breaks once attending Keene State College to receive a BA in Dance and a BS in Business Management. Under the mentorship of Cynthia McLaughlin, she studied modern-contemporary dance technique and Laban technique for choreography research. In 2023, her piece titled ‘di sec tion’, was chosen to represent the college at the American College Dance Association. Analisa attended the American Dance Festival in the Summer of 2023 with the help of one recreational scholarship and one academic excellence scholarship from the college to advance her dance studies. Also a member of the Keene State College Dance Team, Analisa competed at the Universal Dance Association competition in 2023 and 2024, becoming a 2024 UDA Open Gameday Division finalist. Closing out her 4 years in Keene, she received the Alta Lu Townes Memorial Dance Award at the 2024 Honors Convocation award ceremony. Analisa is excited to work with the future generations of HJSOD dancers and the staff that trained her into the person and dancer she is today.
Therese Eisner (Instructor)
Miss Therese has over 40 years of dance experience. She began at the Taylor Dance studio at the of 4. After the closure of that studio she transferred to Ferreira School of Dance where she studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz. Competing annually at the Terpsichore Awards. She began teacher training as an assistant in 1983 under the direction of Diane Ferreira. She continued her education attending teaching workshops at Dance Olympus in Boston and New York. During this time, she decided to focus on her first love, Ballet. She began teaching her own classes in 1985.
In 1989 she Graduated from Salem State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography. While there, she continued her dance education in Ballet with a variety of faculty at Salem State. Therese began Teaching Ballet, Tap, and Jazz at Helene Joy School of Dance in the early 1990’s at the Beverly studio. Moved with Helene to the Middleton Studio Concentrating mostly on Ballet & Pointe. She has instructed beginner, intermediate, adults and advanced students.
In the early 2000’s she took a break from teaching to raise her family. During this time, she continued to dance, taking classes at various studio’s including Andover School of Ballet and Boston Ballet School. Most recently expanding her dance knowledge taking Ball Room Dancing for fun.
Therese has recently trained and is now certified to teach Progressing Ballet Technique which certifies that she has learned the understanding of activating muscle memory to activate “turn out”, “adage movements”, “allegro”, “batterie” and controlled landings. She has certification how to break down the exercises, build the exercises, the appropriate age relevant to each exercise, use of correct muscle groups that assist each movement and how to transfer the muscle memory into the ballet class. She is excited to bring her knowledge to her students at Helene Joy School of Dance.
Laura Pettis (Instructor)
Miss Laura grew up in Medway, Ma. She started dancing at the age of 4 at a Massachusetts dance studio and continued her training there until she graduated high school.
She is trained in contemporary, jazz, lyrical, acrobatics and hip hop. Through her years of dancing, she has won numerous titles and top placement awards at various competitions. Laura was chosen with her studio team to participate in the “10th World Gymnaestrada” in Berlin Germany in 1995, where she was the youngest dancer. After graduating high school, Laura continued to further her education by taking master classes all over New England.
Along with being an accomplished dancer, Laura is, also, being recognized as an accomplished dance teacher and choreographer. While teaching at studios within Massachusetts she has won numerous choreography awards for her contemporary, jazz, and lyrical pieces. Her students have received amazing recognition, winning top placement awards, and receiving scholarships to dance in Hollywood & New York.
Laura is well-known for her unique style and innovative choreography. Laura takes pride in passing along her love and knowledge for dance to each and every one of her students. She is incredibly honored to work with the dancers at Helene Joy School Of Dance for many years to come.
Jody Shea (Instructor)
Miss Jody has been dancing since the age of 5, and teaching since she was 19. She graduated from Salem State University in 1981 and obtained her certification from Dance Educators in Boston Mass. Shortly after she opened Dance etc. in Middleton, Mass in 1982. Miss Jody has shared her love for dance with generations of children. Her passion for dance is superseded only by her love for children. She looks forward to continuing educating the children of the community about dance for many years to come.
Kathleen Robertson (Instructor)
