Meet Our Team
At the heart of our team, you'll find highly talented instructors and Coaches. With our years of experience and expertise, we bring a wealth of knowledge and passion to every class. Dedication to our craft is evident in our ability to inspire, challenge, and guide our dancers and athletes towards excellence.
Our passion extends beyond our own skills and accomplishments. We are deeply passionate about helping our sdancers and athletes excel. We believe in their potential and are committed to providing them with the tools, guidance, and support they need to reach new heights. We take pride in nurturing their growth, instilling confidence, and celebrating their achievements, both big and small.
At Creative Dance Workshop and Ultimate All-Stars, we are united in our pursuit of excellence. We create a warm and inclusive environment where every dancer and athlete feels valued and supported. We foster a sense of belonging, encouraging teamwork, respect, and collaboration. Together, we celebrate each other's successes, uplift one another during challenges, and create lifelong connections that extend beyond the studio.
Co-Director
Ana McKenna
Ana (Cutting) McKenna was raised in Concord, New Hampshire. She began her dance training at the age of two and has continued to live her love of dance for over forty years. Ana has shared her passion for dance and performance all over the New England and New York areas with children and adults of all ages and abilities. She earned a Master's Degree from Granite State College and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications from Saint Bonaventure University, where she was a Division I cheerleader for the legendary Bonnies. Ana continues her service in the US Army with a military career spanning 23 years--currently serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserve.
Ana is completely dedicated to growing and developing children to become resilient, capable and confident leaders-- in dance/cheer, in school and in life. She recently founded an assistant teaching and leadership program at CDW, where she applies skills learned along her journey to help kids become the best version of themselves.
Ana has taught dance to all levels for over twenty-five years in New York, Boston and New Hampshire. Ana continues to further her dance education locally and in Boston and New York. Ana has loved teaching dance to the wider Capital Area for over almost 20 years, first with McKenna Dance Center, and now with Creative Dance Workshop.
The Creative Dance Workshop is committed to age-appropriate movement, music and costuming, as well as fostering an inclusive, warm environment where everyone has the opportunity to shine.
Co-Director
Bridget Edinger
Bridget Edinger has been dancing since the age of 3. She studied dance at Bradford College where she was a member of the Bradford Dance Company, performing in numerous events throughout the Boston Area. In order to combine her love for dance with her love for children, Bridget went on to get her degree in Early Childhood Education. Bridget has taught dance for over 26 years. She has taught locally at her own studio, as well as classes in Massachusetts before founding Creative Dance Workshop of Bow.
Working with Community Arts is very important to Bridget, and she has choreographed many shows for the Concord City Auditorium fundraisers under the Direction of Irene Deschenes. She also choreographed performances to raise money for the American Red Cross, Concord Public Library and the Rotary Club of Concord. Bridget encourages her dancers to give back to their community as she does, by participating in numerous community service events each year and directing a charity performance during the Holiday Season to raise money for the Friends of Forgotten Children and other local non-profit organizations in our community.
Bridget is an active member of the Womenade of Concord, past board member of the Junior Service League and is a member of The Dance Teachers Club of Boston. Bridget is thrilled to merge this year with McKenna Dance Center, and to touch even more lives through the art of dance. When not in the studio, Bridget enjoys spending time with her family, boating on the lake and watching her son play hockey.
All-Star Cheer Coordinator
Stephanie Stillings
Stephanie has been coaching cheerleading for 24 years. She has coached recreational cheer, Pop Warner, AYF, middle school, and she has specifically been coaching All-Star cheer and dance since 2001. She enjoyed cheering in middle school, high school, and college and also cheered on a couple of open co-ed All-Star teams and even a parent team! Cheerleading became a passion of hers in 8th grade when she first started cheering, and it really grew when she became a coach for the first time in 1998.
Stephanie has her Bachelor’s degree in childhood studies and she is a certified special education teacher. She was Franklin High School’s Teacher of the Year in 2018 and she was the former Royalty Elite’s Coach of the Year for the 2019-2020 season. She currently is employed as a special education teacher at Franklin High School, also serving as a team leader. Stephanie’s favorite part of coaching is watching her athletes achieve their goals as both individuals and as a team. She loves to see her athletes gain confidence in themselves, their skills, and their teammates over the course of a season. Seeing an athlete’s face light up when he or she achieves a new skill for the first time and seeing a team “hit zero” for the first time are always the most meaningful moments for her as a coach. She also really enjoys seeing her teams recognized for their sportsmanship and positive attitudes at competitions. Coach Stephanie can’t wait to start working with our Ultimate All Stars as our Head Cheer Coordinator!
All-Star Cheer Coach
Ashley Panzino
Coach Tay is so excited to continue her coaching with us at CDW’s Ultimate All-Stars! Taylor has cheered since 8 years old and has done just about every version of cheerleading you can think of (All-Star, high school, and college!) An incredibly strong tumbler, Taylor’s passion for cheerleading has carried over into her coaching career, where she now helps athletes of all ages thrive in and off the mat! We are so thrilled to have Taylor join our CDW family as part of Ultimate All-Stars! You will see her leading classes for both dance and cheer programs, helping our tumblers achieve their goals.
All-Star Cheer Coach
Makaylah Willey
Makaylah has been cheering for 10 years. She has cheered at the recreational and the all star level and she has competed on all star teams levels 1-5. In addition to having successful seasons with her teams, Makaylah has also won awards for top tumbler and top jumper at various events.
Makaylah has coached teams at the tiny and mini level. She also coaches tumbling classes at all levels with all age groups and she teaches private tumbling lessons. Makaylah also enjoys being a “buddy” on our Cheerabilities team where she works with athletes with special needs, and she has assisted with this type of program for 3 years.
She can’t wait to get started working with our new program, Ultimate All Stars!
All-Star Cheer Coach
Taylor LeBlanc
Coach Tay is so excited to continue her coaching with us at CDW’s Ultimate All-Stars! Taylor has cheered since 8 years old and has done just about every version of cheerleading you can think of (All-Star, high school, and college!) An incredibly strong tumbler, Taylor’s passion for cheerleading has carried over into her coaching career, where she now helps athletes of all ages thrive in and off the mat! We are so thrilled to have Taylor join our CDW family as part of Ultimate All-Stars! You will see her leading classes for both dance and cheer programs, helping our tumblers achieve their goals.
Careers at UAS
We are always looking to connect with dynamic and experienced teachers, choreographers, coaches and staff who love children. Interested in joining a supportive, creative team of professionals? Please send us your resume and reel if you have one.
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