Hannah Shihdanian

Born and raised in the Boston area, Hannah has a BA in Theatre Performance from UVM and is licensed in Zumba, Zumba Toning, and Certified in Barre Above & Schwinn Cycling. She has been teaching Group Ex since 2010 and also works professionally as a Director, Choreographer, and Performer. 

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Hannah believes that dance and fitness are essential to living a happy and healthy life, no matter what your experience or limitations are! She is passionate about advocating for the BLM, LGBTQ+ rights, and rights for women. 

Cassandra Tavaras

Cassandra started taking Zumba classes in 2009 and instantly became hooked on the diverse rhythms and the combination of dance and fitness. She became a Licensed Zumba Fitness Instructor in 2016. One of her favorite things about Zumba is learning about and adding choreography with new rhythms and unique fusions, which separates Zumba from other fitness formats. 

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Cassandra loves to create a fun and engaging experience for all participants and loves to let loose in class! 

Ali Gingras

Born and raised on Long Island, Ali began dancing at the age of three at the Jan Martin Dance Studio in Huntington, NY and has not stopped moving since. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont. There she was a member of the Catamount Dance Crew and also minored in dance where she had the opportunity​ to dance on tour in both New England and Nebraska. After taking some time off from dance, Ali started teaching dance at Studio 3 in 2010 and started coaching the South Burlington High School Dance team in 2015. Ali became a licensed ZUMBA® instructor in July 2018. She is very energetic and excited to share her love of ZUMBA® Fitness with you.

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Sarah Paul Migliozzi

Sarah Paul is especially excited to be teaching at Hannah’s Dance Community in Newton MA, where she’ll be leading an 8-week Adult Beginner Tap class. She loves working with beginners and focuses on breaking things down in a way that feels approachable and easy to understand, so dancers can build confidence and really feel what they’re doing.

She brings a strong sense of rhythm into her teaching as a third generation drummer. She approaches tap as a percussive art form, helping students connect to their feet as instruments accompanying the music.

Tap dance has always been one of her favorite styles since childhood. She teaches with a deep respect for its roots as an African American art form, honoring the artists and legends who paved the way, while creating a welcoming space for students to learn and enjoy the process.

Outside the studio, Sarah Paul has worked as a hairstylist for nearly a decade. When she’s not dancing, you can find her spending time with people she loves and her two cats.

Benedicta Sowah

Benedicta is a versatile dancer, singer, and actress from Ghana. Raised in Teshie, a suburb of Accra the City of Ghana. She holds a master degree in Performance Studies with Texas A&M with a double major in Theatre and Dance from the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana. As an undergrad, Benedicta worked with choreographers from Ghana, the US, and Denmark. She has performed with Tifali Dance Company, Artistic Vision, Abibigromma, Glomus, Heritage Africa, and Noyam Dance Company. 

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Her interest is in the area of African Dance, Ghanian popular dance, and Contemporary African Dance. Benedicta loves to sing and believes in the philosophy that "if you have not danced, you have not lived."