The Team

Alicia Manica is the Director of Stunning Dance Studio. She has been teaching dance and Acro for over 18 years to students aged two to adult. She grew up in Greenfield, MA and began dancing at Karen’s Dance Studio. From junior high to college she was a member of the Greenfield High School chorus and later a select choir member. After high school, she went on for further study at the Hartford Conservatory in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Tap, Improv, Music for Dancers, and Somatics with a concentration in Dance Pedagogy and Performance. She graduated from the Hartford Conservatory in 2007 with a diploma in Dance Pedagogy and Performance. 

 

After studying Kinesiology at the Hartford Conservatory, she went on to further her interest in rehabilitation and anatomy at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, MA. At Berkshire she also continued her love for music and dance by being a member of their select choir. Alicia graduated from Berkshire Community College in 2012 with an Associates in Science; Physical Therapist Assistant Degree. She has been practicing as a licensed PTA for 7 years now. Additionally, she furthered her dance education at the University of Utah and holds a BA in Modern Dance from their School of Dance. 

 

Alicia has an interest in teaching the geriatric population and people with neurological disorders that stemmed from her work in Physical Therapy with a focus in Orthopedics and Neurology. Alicia’s greatest passion is teaching dance to adults with disabilities and has an immense compassion for those living with autoimmune diseases. She teaches a dance class she created for those living with MS and other Neurological disorders called Dance Fusion in the summers, and volunteers for the Healing Motion Ballet Barre class for Neurological Disorders at the Skaggs Wellness Center for the University of Utah. She is a former volunteer teacher of two years for the Dance for Parkinson’s program through the University of Utah, under the direction of Juan Carlos. 

 

Some of her performance experience includes “Little Bird,” by Lauren Edson at the University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Repertory Dance Theater’s production of “Regalia 2019,” and a piece by Dmitri Peskov. She has also choreographed numerous dances for competition at Stunning Dance Studio and Karen’s Dance Studio in Massachusetts. Her choreography has won high point awards and first and third overall scores at local in person and national virtual competitions. She is also a former member of Crazefaze Hip Hop Crew from Massachusetts and was the Program Assistant and Photographer for AXIS Dance Company. 

 

Alicia also has experience choreographing and performing for local theater, choral groups, and circus routines at French Woods Performing arts Camp. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two tuxedo kitties Benny and Iris. She also loves baking and practicing her photography skills. It is her ultimate dream and passion to work with kids and have her own studio. She is happy to be living that dream at SDS!