Why Join Velocity?

 

Velocity Dance Works is a performance dance school established in 2006. We teach Dance as an art-form by providing a dance environment that helps students to learn how to dance from their “soul” and not just dance from their “sole”.   

At Velocity, we take a responsible approach to teaching our students.  We wish to develop positive attributes that will last a lifetime.  Velocity offers innovative cutting edge dance instruction and choreography in a fun and encouraging environment for children and adults.  We have classes for the serious student looking to develop strong technique or the student looking for a new hobby that exercises the mind, body and soul.

 

 

Teaching our Children 

For children, our non-competition approach to children’s dance education develops attributes that can serve the child well throughout a lifetime. These include discipline, self-respect and self-confidence; improved learning skills; creativity, self-expression, imagination; and an instilled appreciation for music, dance and other art forms.

 

 

For Teens and Adults

We offer a variety of dance classes for the teen and adult with or without

dance experience.  We understand today’s student is very active and busy. We offer flexibility and understanding with our classes to accommodate the busy student who wants to study dance and has to juggle a variety of activities, academics, and work. 

 

 

 

Many of our alumni have continued to dance.

 

Current and Former Student Accomplishments Include:

  

HIGH SCHOOL

  •    Teaching Associates/Assistants  
  •     Musical theater performances; local, regional  
  •     High School Competitive Dance Team Members  
  •     High School Dance Team Captains  
  •     High School Dance Team Award Winners  
  •     Scholarship recipients for national workshops 
  •     So You Think You Can Dance "Junior" auditions

COLLEGE

  •     College Competitive Dance Team Members  
  •     College Cheerleaders  
  •     College Dance Team Captains 
  •     College Dance Ensemble Instructors  
  •     College Dance Ensemble Presidents and Choreographers  
  •     Members of pre-professional dance companies  
  •     Musical theater performances; local, regional and off-broadway  
  •     Dance teachers  
  •     Choreographers for shows 
  •     Directors of dance benefit fundraisers  
  •     Pageant Winners

 PROFESSIONAL

  •      Middle School/High School Dance Team Coaches
  •      Cheerleading Coaches
  •      Performing Artists
  •      College Dance Team Coaches
  •      Dance Teachers
  •      Gymnastic Coaches
  •      Choreographers

 

The Velocity Team

At Velocity, our team consists of a variety of trained and experienced teachers.

We have teachers with over 25 years of teaching experience who work alongside young teachers to provide a solid foundation of dance education and creativity.  

Our teachers have a combination of experience that includes:   

  •     professional teaching certifications
  •     collegiate studies of dance pedagogy
  •     dance company experience
  •     dance team performance and choreography
  •     musical theater performance and choreography
  •     collegiate cheerleading
  •     show choirs
  •     off-Broadway productions
  •     music videos 

 

Kelly Gagliardi-Dieguez (Artistic Director)Kelly has been teaching dance for over 40 years. Kelly studied music, tap, ballet and pointe locally and then went on to study tap and jazz while in college. At a very young age Kelly began her dance training with her mother, Joan Distin Gagliardi.  She furthered her dance studies at Broadway Dance Center, NYC, Woodpeckers, NYC, Alvin Ailey, NYC, pre-professsional programs in Gainesville, FL and with various master tap, jazz and hip hop artists. Kelly incorporates musicality into her dance classes.  Kelly studied music at CT Music Company and learned musical improvisation while playing trumpet in a Jazz ensemble with the late Sonny Costanzo.  Kelly holds a BA in Communications and Theater Arts and is a graduate of the American Tap Dance Institute. She has choreographed and performed in many local and regional theater productions, pageant troupes, show choirs and dance teams.  Prior to opening Velocity Dance Works, Kelly had taught in a variety of dance programs, that included recreational dance, competition dance, and pre-professional programs.  Her students have won pageants, dance competitions, gone on to perform professionally, dance in college and even have become dance teachers themselves.  In 2015, Kelly  joined The Raw Fest Hip Hop for Hunger initiative and was a judge for the The Raw Fest II battle.    

Kelly opened Velocity to bring a dance program to Central CT that focused on the artistry of dance and would give students of all skill levels an opportunity to learn in a comfortable environment.

Kelly’s Velocity alumni are now members of their college competitive dance teams and ensembles in which they also are choreographers, and dance teachers. Since opening Velocity in 2006, Kelly has watched 12 alumni students grow as dance teachers.