Miss Karen’s absence

Dear Dancers and Families in Miss Karen’s Ballet classes,

We wanted to write to you to share information and dispel rumors about Miss Karen’s absence. We waited to do so because we wanted to make sure that we had talented and highly qualified dance teachers to cover her classes while she is attending to personal matters.

Miss Karen is taking time off for personal reasons. We all miss her but I can assure you that she will be fine and she deeply regrets leaving without more notice. She will not return this season, but we are hoping she will be back at Studio D this summer and/or next Fall.

We also wanted to clear up misinformation about a police officer who came to Studio D about two weeks ago. Miss Karen was involved in a minor car accident in which no one was hurt, right before she arrived at the studio to teach her class. She had to speak to the policeman because of her involvement in the accident.

We respect Miss Karen’s need to take this time for herself because we love and support her and we hope that you will show your support by respecting her privacy.

Dancers, we know that many of you have felt her absence on a very personal level, and we completely understand, as we do too. However, as we are sure your parents have instilled in you, change happens continually in life, and there are many people in your life from whom you will learn. In dance, to have the opportunity to work with numerous different teachers with varied styles and experiences is a gift.

Miss Martha who taught at Studio D for 12 years will return to teach on Mondays. Martha Zaharevich has a BA in Dance from UC Santa Barbara and she trained at several local dance schools, Nutmeg Ballet, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and Jacob’s Pillow.

Miss Jessica Cipriano will be teaching on Wednesdays and has a BFA from UNC School of the Arts. She went to college and danced with Ben Coalter, who highly recommended her for Studio D.  Jessica has been dancing and teaching in NYC for the past six years and currently teaches at dance schools in Wilton and New Canaan in addition to Studio D.

Miss Maggie Lynn Heron-Heidel will be teaching on Thursdays and is an experienced dancer and published author; she came to us highly recommend by Ginny Zellner (Mrs. Z).

Those of you who were scheduled to work with Miss Karen on choreography for the upcoming show will be working with one of our current teachers. We hope that you will welcome our ballet teachers and embrace this opportunity to learn from them. Please feel free to speak with me personally, if you have any questions.

Most sincerely,

Miss Rebecca