Keltie McCatherin Collins,

Artistic Director & Founder of KDC

    Keltie has been teaching dance and choreographing for 33 years. She has choreographed for private studios and dance organizations all over the East Coast. Her studies include aking class and assisting for such jazz dance legends as: Gus Giordano, Luigi and Ben Vereen. Keltie has also choreographed ballets for Andrei Bossov; former principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet of St. Petersburg Russia and currently Artistic Director of the Bossov Ballet Theater. For two consecutive years, she has coached all the area dancers who performed in The Moscow Ballet’s "Nutcracker" at the Augusta Civic Center. She also traveled to Nagoya, Japan with three of her students who were selected to compete in the professional division at the International Ballet and Modern Competition. For five summers, Keltie was the department head of Dance for Camp Vega, an elite, all girls sports camp in Kents Hill, Maine. Keltie was also on faculty as a jazz instructor for Andrei Bossov's Bossov Ballet Theatre.  She now coaches Cony High School's Dance Team for all students who are interested in pursuing their talent of dance within the school.  Keltie's Theater Dance career has included choreographing for community theaters and area high school productions all over the state. Waterville Opera House's "Chicago", "Footloose", "The Wiz", "God Spell", "Funny thing happened on the way to the Forum", and "Bye Bye Birdie" are just a few of her favorites. She has also choreographed for Cony High School’s Chizzle Whizzle for the past 31 years. Keltie has won numerous awards for excellence in choreography, including "Dance Portland", "Dance Educators of America", "Dance Olympus", "The International Invitational Dance Festival in Hollywood California".  She was awarded a grant by the University of Maine in Augusta to choreograph "Hidden Canyons" a thirty minute dance piece composed by Tom Hoffman; a former professor of music at the University, who is now a world renowned composer and jazz musician. Keltie’s greatest passion is to teach the very young dancer and watch them bloom into self-confident young adults who will go on and pursue a career in dance professionally or simply enjoy their love for this wonderful art. Along with all of Keltie's accomplishments, she is most proud of her two beautiful daughters, Heather & Holly, and her loving and supportive husband, Joe. Keltie is so pleased with her new state of the art 3 studio dance facility on Civic Center Drive. Built by her friend, Richard Paradis of Paradis Builders.  For more information on our talented builder,

 see www.paradisbuilders.com

(Pat Michaud Photo)

Andrea Michaud Tracy,

Ballet Mistress

    Andrea Michaud Tracy, 26, has been dancing with Kennebec Dance Center since the age of 4 and has been on the staff as Ballet Mistress and contemporary/modern teacher for 9 years. She has had extensive ballet training in the Russian Vagonova technique with former Kirov Ballet choreographer, Andrei Bossov whom she later performed opposite in many performances, along with Irena Lebediva, Natalya Getman, and Nicole Getchell. She has been accepted to numerous summer programs throughout the years including Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, The Rock, Ballet Met, Hubbard Street Dance and attended School of American Ballet in NYC. At the age of 13, Andrea, along with two other members of Kennebec Dance Centre, was 1 of 7 dancers chosen to represent the USA in the 2nd International Ballet Competition in Nagoya, Japan. That same year she also won 1st place and Best Presentation in the Dance Olympus Competition performing a variation from Sleeping Beauty. At the age of 14 she was accepted into Kennebec Dance Center's elite jazz and tap company"Encore", and won many awards for their performances. In 1998, Andrea won a gold medal for her performance as the Black Swan from Swan Lake and was also awarded 3rd runner up for Miss Dance New England in the American Dance Awards Competition.  In 2002, Andrea was offered a full dance scholarship to the University of Arizona Dance Program.  Mrs. Tracy has also been on the teaching staff at Bossov Ballet Theatre as a ballet and jazz teacher. She has performed numerous Principle roles with Bossov Ballet and currently is a Principle Dancer with the  Portland Ballet Company and in 2005 she performed with the ABT Studio Company in "La Vivandiere" as a guest artist. Andrea has taught guest master classes at the Maine Dance Teachers seminars. Lead roles and performances have included: Medora in "Le Corsair"; Queen of the Willies in "Giselle"; as Scheherazahd in "Scheherazahd"; Lead Soloist in "Don Quixote"; as Carmen in "Carmen"; The Fairy Godmother and a Step Sister in "Cinderella"; as Clara, The Snow Queen, Ribbon Candy, Lead Spanish, Rosebud, Sweetheart Rose and Sugar Plum Fairy in both Portland Ballet and Bossov Ballet Theatre's productions of "The Nutcracker"; "Coppelia"; "Channels and Winds"; "Meetings Along the Edge"; "A Few Ballroom Dances"; soloist roles in:"Raymonda","Bolero", "Paquita","La Bayadere", "Sleeping Beauty", and in "Carmina Burana". Andrea has also had featured dance roles in the following musicals; "FAME", "West Side Story", "Oklahoma", "The Music Man","The Wiz", and she has choreographed "Bye, Bye, Birdie" and was a co-choreographer and featured dancer for "Chicago". She has also appeared with the Portland Ballet as a guest artist in the popular Portland Symphony Orchestra's holiday production, "The Magic of Christmas".
Andrea has won many awards for her choreography in classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance, including "Best Choreography" and "Highest Score of the Day". Also, when Andrea was just 9, she had the honor of being a dancer in a music video that was shown on MTV and VH1.

(Pat Michaud Photo)

Holly Collins,

Dance Educator/Choreographer/Associate Director

    Holly Collins, 30, began her training at Encore Dance Centre, now known as Kennebec Dance Centre at the age of 3. She studied with Keltie Collins, Nancy Durham Glynn, Beverly Lowe, Linda Miele of Maine State Ballet, Mary Hussey Stride, Nicole Getchell and Andrei Bossov of the Kirov Ballet. She was honored to be Mr. Bossov's very first student in the U.S. when he arrived from Russia. Growing up, she participated in Maine State Ballet's The Nutcracker for several years and traveled to Massachusetts every weekend to take class with master teacher, Steven Boyd. Along with her mom and sister, she occasionally traveled to New York for classes with Joe Tremaine conventions, competed successfully in the Dance Olympus Competitions where she was awarded a gold medal (1st place top soloist) for her solo tap performance of "When the Saints Go Marching In" along with several others, and remains a member of the Maine Dance Teachers Club. Holly, along with numerous encore students, had the pleasure of performing under Keltie Collins's choreographic direction in singer Thomas John Veilleux's music video for "A New Generation" which aired on MTV and VH-1. Her experience in teaching has extended for over ten years at Encore Dance Centre as well as six years for Scott Stevens of Studio One for Dancers in Oakland. Her concentration in teaching jazz and musical theatre encompasses much of her training in college from the techniques of: Luigi, Phil Black, Matt Maddox, Ron Lewis, Jack Cole, Bob Fosse, Gus Giordano. Following her love for performing, she discovered master teacher/choreographer, Tom Ralabate of Buffalo, NY. Mr. Ralabate was able to recruit Holly to UB (State University of New York at Buffalo) where she majored in Dance. She is a 1999 graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance. As a member of the Golden Key National Honors Society, she graduated with honors achieving Magna Cum Laude status. Her concentration areas of dance include jazz, tap, musical theater, ballet, and modern. Holly was a member of the university’s Zodiaque and Studiowerks dance companies, and was selected by the faculty to choreograph for the Young Choreographer’s Showcase and Studiowerks Dance Company. While in school, Holly was offered a job performing for Bush Gardens in Virginia, which she turned down to finish school.  She was also the assistant to the department head of dance at Camp Vega for the two summers of 1997 & 1998. Holly's first job following her college graduation was in Wausau, Wisconsin where she was hired to expand and develop the professional ballet school's jazz, tap, and musical theatre programs. While in Wausau, Holly had the opportunity to choreograph the Fossils for The Carnival of the Animals which was narrated by actor Tony Randall. While under contract, Sesame Street Live offered Holly a performing position, touring Europe, which she, unfortunately had to decline.  Back in Maine, Holly enjoys her opportunities to travel to Boston, New York, and Chicago as often as she possibly can for open classes with masters such as: Luigi, Gus Giordano, Jeannette Neil, Joel Hall, and Frank Hatchet to name a few. Holly often works with the Waterville Opera House to choreograph  some of their shows such as: "And the World Goes Round", "Chicago" (a select few numers), "Fame" the musical & also played the role of Carmen Diaz. She also choreographed "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Suds" the rockin' 60's musical and also with Hallowell's Gaslight Theater to choreograph "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Soup".    Holly's roles and performances have included: UB's Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of "Cabaret" as one of the two ladies, "Standing Room Only" a UB senior's final project musical review, which Holly co-choreographed with other UB students, "Adelaide" in "Guys and Dolls" under the direction of the late Susan Rasmussen ("Raz"), June (Squish) in WOH's "Chicago", a Burlesque Dancer in WOH's "Oklahoma" a Gypsy Dancer in WOH's "Man of La Mancha", "Marge" in WOH's "SUDS", a prostitute in WOH's "Little Shop of Horrors", Rosalia in the Waterville Opera House's "West Side Story", the young dancer in "Working", "Ariel" in The Company of Angels' production of "Footloose",  Carmen Diaz in "Fame", The Dance Captain in "Fame Forever", the U.S. Premier of the show! "Carmina Burana", "Bolero","Sleeping Beauty", "Fantasia", "Hansel & Gretel" "The Bear",  "Meetings Along The Edge",  lead Snow Princess and Spanish in the "Tap Nutcracker".  In addition to being KDC's Associate Director, Holly works as a Personal Fitness Trainer and Aerobics instructor at the Eastside Wellness Center in Augusta, The Dance Director ofThomas College in Waterville, and also as a national judge and master teacher for Dancer's Inc. Competitions.

(Pat Michaud Photo)

Heather Collins Barlow

Instructor

Heather Collins, 31, began her training at Encore Dance Centre at the age of 3.  Dancing was in her blood from day one!  Her training included studies with: Keltie Collins, Nancy Durham Glynn, Beverly Lowe, Mary Hussey Stride, Nicole Getchell, Andrei Bossov, Maine State Ballet, Portland School of Ballet, Boston Ballet Childrens' Summer Workshops, School of American Ballet, Houston Ballet Academy, Feld Ballet, and Dance Aspen.  At a very young age, Heather develped a love for dance, especially ballet.  This talent and love brought her all over the country for various studies and summer programs.  In the 8th grade, Heather moved to Houston, Texas, where she was accepted and enrolled at the Houston Ballet Academy.  She lived there for 2 years and returned home after developing homesickness.   Her ballet training continued at home with Andrei Bossov, formerly of the Kirov ballet.  She honorably partnered with Mr. Bossov for numerous ballets and performances.  Following her Graduation from Cony High School in 1995, Heather attended North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem, NC where she majored in Ballet and Modern. After attending for two years, she returned to Maine to finish her undergraduate education at University of Southern Maine and University of Maine at Augusta.  Heather still pursues her love of dance and coaches the Dance Team for Winslow High School.  She is employed by MBNA of Belfast and resides in Winslow.  Heather's roles and performances have included: The Tornado in The Wiz, NCSA's Brigadoon, various companies' The Nutcracker roles of The snow princess, Lead Rosebud, Lead Arabian, Ribbon Candy, Portland Ballet's Carnival of The Animals Kangaroo narrated by Christopher Reeves, Bolero, Carmina Burana, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel & Gretel, Coppelia, and many more.  Heather currently resides in Winslow with her husband Josh Barlow and their  beautiful daughter.

Instructors: Maggie Simpson, Keltie Collins, Holly Collins, & Andrea Tracy

(Pat Michaud Photo)