At Scarborough Dance Center our teachers are highly experienced dancers, teachers, and are great with children. Our teachers must continue with their education and travel to seminars and conventions throughout the year. The teachers keep updated with cutting edge choreography and learning techniques.
Melissa Willey (Owner Director)
Melissa has been teaching in Maine for over 25 years. She bought the dance center in 2004 & strives on making the studio a home for both young & young at heart, beginner thru advanced. Her training began with Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical and Modern. She competed regionally and nationally winning top awards for technique and performance. Melissa danced in New York with finale performances for ADA and DEA as a young dancer. She traveled to New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire to competitions and conventions. Melissa took classes with ADA, Dance Masters of America, Talent America, Jump, Boston Ballet,Dance Educators of America, Maine Dance Teachers Club and several other organizations. Melissa has taught workshops for Maine Dance Teachers Club in both Ballet and Lyrical. She has taken classes at Broadway Dance Center, Boston Ballet, Steps, Janette Neil & Portland Ballet. She has studied Cecchetti, Balanchine, Vaganova and RAD Ballet technique. In the last couple of years her Ballet emphasis is on RAD technique working with a detailed syllabus and influences of Vaganova style. Melissa is part of several dance organizations to continue her education while taking classes weekly and talking internationally with teachers and studio owners from all over the world. She believes a great teacher never stops learning, so she prides herself on taking classes to improve herself & the studio. Melissa has recently taken a focus on the anatomy of dance as well where she teaches proper, alignment placement and strength. Melissa is a Pilates and Barre Sculpt certified teacher. Melissa is a Acrobatics Arts certified instructor. Melissa is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique. Melissa continues her education in anatomy and teaches injury prevention along with developing and maintaining a strong mind and body. She has taken classes from. Jolenta Valikete, Peter De Hart, Frank Hatchett, David Howard, Rhapsody, Chio. Linda Giancaspro, Juan Sanchez, Dan Barris, & Brian Santora. Melissa’s love for teaching is rare and her smile welcomes you every day. She cares about each student and pushes them to their highest level. Melissa won Businesswoman of the Year from the National Association of Professional and Executive woman in 2008. Melissa has choreographed pieces that have performed for the Celtics, Red Claws and in London, England in 2012. Melissa’s Choreography has won Top choreography awards all over the country. Several former students have gone off to have professional dance careers. Melissa was invited to choreograph for American Associates of Professional Arts Educators, where her dance and dancers perfumed in an internationally dance festival outside the 2012 London Olympics. Melissa has been invited to choreograph for them again in 2016 and 2018. Scarborough Dance Center was named best dance studio in the state of Maine by Dancer magazine in 2009. Melissa Choreographed and directed SDC’s 3 full performances of Nutcracker and several other Holiday productions. She has a positive attitude and urges students to never to give up. She lets students know they can achieve anything if they work hard enough for it. Melissa has won numerous awards; unique choreography, best technique, best ballet technique, precision, most entertaining, most dramatic, best use of props, best patterns, & top score prizes. Melissa has worked with American Cancer Society, Toys for Tots, Perform for a Cure, Maine Veterans Home, Atria Nursing Home and Project Graduation. Melissa brings a true love for dance to the classroom & every student leaves inspired.
Miranda Emmons has been a teacher at Scarborough Dance Center since 2004-2005 dance season. She began dancing at the age of three and competed at many regional and national competitions including: Dance Educators of America, Dance Master of America and Headliners where she earned silver, gold and platinum awards. Miranda has danced in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and at Walt Disney World in Florida. She has participated in Dance Master of America Teacher Training Program for four years and is a certified Dance Masters of America teacher. Miranda is certified in Pre-School Acrobatic Arts. Miranda is warm and compassionate and loves working with children.
Juliette has captivated audiences for years as a dancer. She is sought after throughout the state as a dancer, teacher and choreographer. Her dance training began at the age of 5 with the Dorothy Mason School of Dance (now the Maine State Ballet School for the Performing Arts) where she studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Modern dance.
Juliette is a founding member of the Maine State Ballet, and has performed in nearly every production with the company. As a child, Juliette performed with the Windham Center Stage Theater, and The Children’s Theater of Maine-allowing her to spread her “theatrical wings”. She performed with the Dance Theater of Southern Maine, and also as a soloist with the Ram Island Dance Company.
You may have seen Juliette, as a featured performer, in several benefit performances including Inspired Voices, The Best of Broadway, and as a dancer in The Maine Tap Event. Since 1994, Juliette has been a teacher here at the Scarborough Dance Center. She is a dance instructor for the Maine State Ballet School, the Ballroom in Harrison, and a guest teacher for the Maine Dance Teacher’s Club workshops. Juliette contributes choreography for the Windham Center Stage Theater, the Sanford Maine Stage Company and the Cape Elizabeth High School Theater. Juliette is a magnificent teacher with a great eye for technique.
Bryanna Bride
Bryanna has been a dance teacher at SDC since 2022 and grew up dancing here from age 7 to 18 where she competed on the competition team for 8 years. After graduating she continued her dance career in college by joining the dance team, choreographing and dancing in the dance production and the Cheer Squad at Franklin Pierce University. Bryanna is a certified module 1 Acrobatic Arts teacher, NASM personnel trainer, and American Barre Technique instructor. Bryanna is a positive and loving teacher who kids adore!
London Ferre
London grew up in Nashville, TN and trained with Nashville Ballet for 9 years. She moved to Indiana to train at Indiana Conservatory Ballet for 2 years. She has since been a trainee for Philadelphia Ballet, and in the Studio Training Company for Texas Ballet Theater closely working under Ben Stevenson O.B.E and Tim O’Keefe. She will be dancing for Maine State Ballet Company for the 2024-25 season. London is a kind and encouraging teacher. We are lucky to have her at SDC!
Bruce Tracy
Maddie Zurawski
Maddie Zurawski, originally from Michigan has been dancing since she was three years old. Madelyn grew up dancing, competing, and teaching with Trenton School of Dance. There, she completed six grades of Cecchetti passing with highly commended, and has attended many summer intensives and competitions on scholarship, including Cecchetti Council of America, Complexions, American Ballet Theater, and Grand Rapids Ballet summer intensives.
After graduating high school, Madelyn danced with Charlottesville Ballet in Virginia as a trainee 2022-2023. She also taught in Charlottesville’s academy.
In 2023 She joined Portland Ballet as a trainee, and after a year of having the privilege to dance in many pieces, she was promoted to apprentice and is thrilled for this next season with the ballet! She was also introduced to Scarborough Dance center, and has the honor of teaching Ballet and tap to the younger children, dance camps, and ballet to the older dancers as well! She loves getting to share the knowledge she has learned, and continues to gain with aspiring dancers at a studio so similar to the one she grew up at! She is thrilled to be apart of the SDC fam!
Teall Dibiase
Krysta Raymond
Hi, my name is Krysta Raymond! I’m a college student who has been dancing for twelve years. I spent all twelve of those years training here at Scarborough Dance Center. During that time, I was a part of the competition team and traveled to multiple different competitions taking classes from many different accredited teachers. I was trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, acro, and hip-hop. I was in several routines which placed at competitions and conventions throughout the years. Krysta worked privately for years with studio Owner, Melissa Willey. Krysta brings high energy and smiles to all of her classes!
Madison Duguay
Madison Duguay grew up in Scarborough attending classes at Scarborough Dance Center. She started dancing at five years old and joined the competition team at six years old. She danced competitively with SDC for 12 years. She attended various competitions and conventions. These include Headliners, Groove, Jump, Dancers Inc. and many more. At these events, she was in various dances that scored and placed high. She started teaching at SDC her junior year of high school and graduated in 2024 from Scarborough High School. She now attends The University of Southern Maine for nursing. She teaches various styles of dance and loves it!
Guest Teachers
Ray Dumont
Yunhee Keough
Michelle Bruckner
Jenn Fink
Andrea Michaud Tracy
Abi Sears
Ava Foley
Sarah Rosen
Annabel Phinney
Aiden Fortier