ALL-STARS DANCE CENTER

209 North Road | Westfield, MA 01085

(413) 572-1122 | Kim@allstarsdancecenter.com

Meet the Dance Center Staff  ***

Kim Starsiak-Owner Director

Kim Starsiak - Owner Director   -

Kim Starsiak has been a dancer from day one.   As a young child she grew up competing in local and national competitions, claiming many titles such as: Jr Miss Acro, Miss Acro, Jr. , Miss Dance of CT, & Miss World Dance.  Outside of dance, she grew up on camera and the runway doing commercials for JCPenny and Cheerios, and modeling for Danskin and Capeizio.   In her teenage years she was also on the Fame Basketball Dance Team.

After finishing high school in Westfield, she began teaching Dance at the Westfield Boys and Girls Club.  She also taught for New England Dance Center and Shelly’s Dance Unlimited.   From there she opened her first studio in Connecticut for 2 years.   She then opened the first Massachusetts All-Stars Dance Center.   Kim became a member of Dance Masters of America, where out of the over 20 years she has been a member, she has been part of the board of directors for 7 years.   As a Guest Teacher, she has taught at many Dance Masters conventions.   Kim has been a judge for many competitions over the years, and has been award numerous special awards and awards for choreography.   The studio has grown leaps and bounds over the years, and she was proud to bring some of our elite dancers to perform during the Orange Bowl Half-Time Show in 2010.

In addition to the hundreds of kids she cares for in the studio, she also has two little girls of her own that love their time here at their second home.   She hopes that all of her kids will enjoy dance as much as she has, and grow as unique and expressive individuals.

Erin Casey  

Erin has been dancing since she was two years old and has been a part of the All Stars family since she was 11. This is Erin's 5th year teaching at the studio. She has a Bachelor's degree from Fitchburg State in elementary education. When Erin isn't dancing, she is teaching for the Chicopee Public School district as a technology teacher for grades K-5 and spending time with her family and friends.She is also earning her Master's degree from Elms College in elementary education. Erin loves dancing and her dance family. She looks forward to a fun and productive year!

Kari DeMarinis, R.D.  
Kari has been involved in the sport of gymnastics since 1975. She competed both nationally and internationally for 12 years. She qualified to state, regional and national competitions. She was also awarded a scholarship to University of Massachusetts for gymnastics. She has coached both recreational gymnastics and competitive gymnastics in many different settings. Most recently she has coached the All Stars competitive acro company which has been recognized on both regional and national level. In addition she has a passion for general health and wellness. She is an accomplished dietitian where she was the senior nutritionist at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires a world renown health resort.

Kari has spoken on the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship as well as numerous programs sponsored by Shape Magazine. She is the proud mother of 2 children and wife to Frank DeMarinis, P.E. Frank is a nationally accomplished wrestler as well as owner of Sage Engineering ,LLC. Her daughter Sierra, age 7, recently won a national title for acro dance and a regional title. She truly enjoys all aspects of the sport of gymnastics and hopes to inspire children of all ages.

Kelly Sheaffer Kennedy     -


Kelly is proud to have been a member of the All Stars family for the past 11 years. She began dancing 38 years ago at the the age of 6 at Anita's Dance Studio in Springfield, MA where her first dance teacher was Kathy Buldrini Hertz.  She has taken Ballet, Tap Jazz and Acro.  She loves to dance and teach an art which has taken her all over the country, as far away as Los Angeles, CA for competitions and conventions. She has continued taking classes as an adult, most recently from local tap greats, David Bovat and John Burris.  She also has a strong background in playing piano, flute and saxophone.  Recently, she was privileged to judge for New England Star, New England's version of American Idol, with televised finals along side of Floyd Patterson.

Says Kelly: "My philosophy for my students is for them to love what they do and to be proud of their performance.  I want to make classes enjoyable for them as well as productive learning experiences.  Communication is a key process. I believe in an open door policy and I want to hear from both my students and their parents. I know that you are entrusting me with your pride and joy and I am honored to have that trust. I have set up an email for this purpose so that my time at the studio can be concentrated on the children.  My students know from day one that the most important thing to do on stage is to SMILE.  My job is to make that smile sincere for if they love dance, then I have been successful."

Tiffany-Leigh Jacquier  

A dancer from the age of 4, Tiffany has been trained in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Modern, and Hip-Hop for over 20 years with many different choreographers. Most of those years were spent at Dancer’s Image of Westfield with then owner, Tina Girard, but additional training during the summers at Broadway Dance Center in NYC exposed her to the professionals in the dance world like Frank Hatchett. Tiffany spent her childhood traveling to NYC and Boston to dance, act, and model in national and international commercials and TV shows. In 2001, she was invited to take part in the StarPower PowerPak Tour on the East Coast for the summer to perform at StarPower’s National Dance Competitions and Walt Disney World on the East Coast. Tiffany’s teaching and choreography experience has grown over the years from being an assistant at age 11, to a co-instructor at 14, to having her own competitive classes at 17.

While receiving her BA in Marketing and Advertising from Western New England College, Tiffany started teaching at All-Stars in 2005 and is currently teaching many classes, solos, duos and trios, including competitive level lyrical, jazz, open and tap classes. An "Outstanding Choreography" Award winner in 2009, Tiffany takes pride in all of her choreography to make every dancer look the best, and invites everyone to come in, stretch, or just watch any class, anytime!

In July 2010, Tiffany and husband, Mike, welcomed their baby girl, Chelsee. A diva and dancer the beginning, she made her first on-stage performance at the 2011 recital. More performances from Mommy's little choreographer to come!

Lisa Thompson  

Lisa began dancing at the age of 4 at Kathy’s Dance Studio in Holyoke, Ma. It was there she began her love for dance. She has over 25 years of experience as a dancer and teacher in all styles of dance. She enjoys teaching all ages and styles. Lisa has enjoyed performing and competing, and has won numerous awards both as a teacher and a dancer. Lisa attended Star Systems National Competition in Myrtle Beach and Studio Performances at Hershey Park, in Hershey, PA.

Lisa received a Certificate in Dance Education from Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, MA, where she earned High Honors and performed with the Still Point Dance Company.

"I hope to share my love and passion for dance to all, so that they may see how dance can enrich your life forever."

Wendy Holmes 
Wendy E. Holmes received her BA in Dance/History from Mills College in Oakland, CA. She is also an alumna of Walnut Hill School, in addition to the Boston Conservatory Dance Division, Boston Ballet and Harvard's Summer Dance Program in Massachusetts. Ms. Holmes' extensive career in dance as a performer and educator has given her the opportunity to work with artists from all over the world. She has trained extensively in the Cecchetti (Italian) and Vaganova (Russian) traditions of classical ballet. Ms. Holmes has held the position of adjunct faculty in ballet at Mt. Holyoke College, Bridgewater and Springfield Colleges. She has performed with Classical Ballet and Early Dance Companies throughout the U.S.A. For over 10 years, she has owned The Dancers Studio of Duxbury, and has directed private high school, recreation and conservatory ballet programs.

Danielle Demers  


Danielle started her dancing career with tap at the age of 3 and quickly added into many other styles of dance, such as jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, point and litergical. By the age of 12, she was an assistant instructor pursuing what she always knew would be many years of dance to come. She has participated in local competitions and conventions, as well as taking numerous trips to New York City's Broadway Dance Center and Alvin Alley Studio, to dance with some of the world's most known choreographers, such as Frank Hatchet. Many other opporunities have allowed her to also dance with admired choreographers like Brian Santora, Tamara Squires, Michelle Butterfield, Teddy Forance and Travis Wall. Inspired by these teachers, she attended Dance Masters of America, in Buffalo, NY, for teacher training, where she received her certification. In addition, Danielle has recently become a member of NADAA. Starting at All Stars Dance Center just a few short years ago as a "hip hop" teacher, she has since become involved in all forms of dance, including both competitive and recreational classes. She started teaching 11 years ago to children of all ages. As a nanny for several years, working with kids has always been her passion, and what better way to be a part of their daily lives than to share the love and art of dance with them!!!

Says Danielle: "I have been very fortunate in life to share my enthusiasm for dance with many people (including both of my very talented sisters) with the love and support of my amazing parents. I truly believe there is nothing more rewarding."

Courtney Janisieski 

Courtney has been dancing since 1994 at All-Stars Dance Center as a 2-year-old Tiny Tot. This is Courtney's first full year teaching at the studio; however, she has been assisting classes for the last 10 years. She is currently enrolled at Bay Path College studying child psychology, graduating in 2014. When Courtney isn't teaching, she is still dancing at Bay Path with the Dance Company with their winterfest Performances and in the 2012 performance of "Chicago." Experienced in all types of dance, Courtney excels in Tap and Jazz. In her many years of dancing she has participated in many Dance Masters of America conventions, and learned from many different instructors. Her love for kids shows during her classes. Courtney is looking forward to a fun and exciting year!

Heather Fairley 

Heather began dancing at the age of 4 with a love for acro. From her first classes at the Westfield YMCA, she grew to love all dance and began at All-Stars Dance Center at the age of 8. As an assistant to competitive classes at 16, she was able to help others grow their love for dance. During her time at All-Stars, she was able to perform at the Orange Bowl for the half-time show in January 2010. After graduating from Westfield High School, she began training her own acro and tumbling classes for both All-Stars and Roots Gymnastics Center.

Heather is currently pursuing an education in Cosmotology at Creative School in Enfield, CT, and will be graduating in December of 2012 with ambitions to open her own salon and spa.

Alicia Barden 


Alicia Barden is a graduate of the University of Hartford, Hartt School of Dance, class of 2005, with a B.F.A. in Ballet Pedagogy. While in college, she has had the opportunity to work with many amazing instructors and choreographers, such as Peggy Lyman, Adam Miller, Katie Stevenson-Nollet, Susan Brooker, Hilda Morales, Alla Nikitina, Amy Marshall, Peter O'Brien, Ralph Perkins, Pascal Benichou and Rebecca Anderson Darling. She has performed in various works by Martha Graham, Jean Grand-Maitre, Marius Petipa and Joanne Whitehill. Additionally, she has performed with the Albany Berkshire Ballet in their annual Nutcracker from 1990-1997, in which she has had the pleasure of dancing in many different roles, from a reindeer to a soldier and even including the main role of Clara. Alicia has also attended the Burklyn Ballet Theater for two summer programs. Her beginning ballet training includes Dance Arts, while it was under the directorships of Debora Wright Haskins and Lisa Baldyga Harty. Upon graduating, she had the pleasure of becoming the artistic director of Dance Arts for five years before having been welcomed in to the All Stars Dance family in 2011.

Paige Fortier 

Paige Fortier is excited to be part of the All-Stars Dance Center family and teaching staff. Paige has been dancing since age 2 and has been dancing competitively at All-Stars since she was 4 years old. Paige has studied tap, jazz, lyrical, and ballet. She has also studied tap at Steps on Broadway in New York City with Andrew Black as well as at college with Josh Hilberman. Paige was very involved in her high school’s music department where she was dance captain of the show choir for 3 years and has had leading roles in numerous musicals including “Grease” and “Bye Bye Birdie”. She also has been the choreographer of her town’s middle school musicals since 2009. Since the time Paige was 15, she has choreographed her own competitive solos and duos, as well as group dances and other solos for her classmates at school to perform in talent shows. When she was 16 she began teaching two tap soloists here at All-Stars where her students have received Platinum awards, high scores, and titles. Paige was also the Overall Title
Soloist for ages 13 and up at Sophisticated Productions Regional Dance Competition in 2012. Paige graduated from Windsor Locks High School in Windsor Locks, CT., in 2012 as Valedictorian. She is now attending Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, where she is double majoring in Dance and Mathematics. She hopes to obtain her Dance Teacher Licensure while at college and to open a performing arts center once she graduates. Paige is very excited to gain much more experience as she teaches students of different ages and is able to share with them her love of dance.