Cheryl Slauenwhite
Owner/Artistic Director
Cheryl Slauenwhite, dance instructor and owner of Art is Motion (formerly Cheryl's School of Dance), was born in Melrose, MA where she has been dancing since the age of 6. During her early years she studied all styles of dance, including tap, jazz, ballet, pointe and lyrical, under the direction of Diane Cole. After 17 years at the studio she graduated with a Certificate from the Dance Teachers Club of Boston. Cheryl continues to develop her dance training by attending workshops and master classes each season. Her love of dance, knowledge of music fundamentals, and working with children contributed to her opening Cheryl’s School of Dance in 1999.
MEET OUR FACULTY
Erin Hourigan
Erin began dancing at the age of 7 for a local studio where she trained in many styles including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, Irish step and musical theater. She joined the Art In Motion family in 2013 and has been an essential part of the studio's preschool and elementary dance programs. She graduated with a degree in Educational Studies from Western Governors University and is able to bring her extensive knowledge of childhood education and development to the studio to create fun, challenging and developmentally appropriate classes for her dancers. In addition to teaching at Art in Motion, she is a lead teacher at the Melrose Y Academy and started a popular ballet and creative movement program for their students.
CollEEn Hourigan
Colleen fell in love with performing at the age of 4 and has trained in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip hop, contemporary, musical theater. Colleen was a member or the AIM dance team and was a student teacher and choreographer of several studio classes, including the mini competition team under the mentorship of Cheryl Slauenwhite. In addition to her dance background, she has also worked at Kidstock Creative Theater in Winchester as a children's theater director and program coordinator and participated in many school and community theater productions, her most notable role being 'Mayzie La Bird" in the NextDoor Theater's production of Seussical ! Colleen also works for Melrose Public Schools as part of the special education program. She attended University of Connecticut to earn her degree in Communications with an emphasis on media and brand management. After graduating, she returned to Melrose to share her passion for performing with the next generation of Art in Motion dancers and has taken over managing the studios website, social media and merchandising!
Leslie Breen
Leslie Breen has been dancing for 37 years. Her biggest accomplishments in dance include being a member of the BCDP ambassador program at 45, Contemporize program at 44 and winning a scholarship from the Petruzello twins and being asked to perform a solo by a Lady Gaga backup dancer (even though she completely blanked on the choreo and left the room after!) at 44. Leslie attended Connecticut College for dance, was a member of the UMASS Dance Team and completed her AAFA, Dance, from Scottsdale Community College under the guidance of Angela Rosencranz. She was a certified public school dance educator in Arizona for seven years and owned her own studio for ten years. She has choreographed for Lynnfield High School’s musicals and has experience acting at the collegiate level. Leslie has a 200 hour yoga certification and just completed Acrobatic Arts Certification Module 2. She continues to train in all styles of dance at Zello Dance Studios and elsewhere. Leslie is also a biology and special education teacher and the dance club advisor at Greater Lowell Technical High School.