We strive to empower our students to build confidence and self-esteem while bringing out the grace and beauty in each of them. Our goal is to teach our students the discipline and art of dance by exploring the different facets that make it a unique art form. We promote acceptance of all levels of abilities, while encouraging and fostering leadership in our girls.
YWCA aims to bring out the natural ability in all our dancers and guide them as they develop a technical and creative talent they can be proud of. Students are grouped within each class according to age and ability and are encouraged to achieve at their own pace. With our combination of classic dance instruction and imaginative choreography, our dance staff is focused on guiding our dancers in their journey of self-expression and nurturing an appreciation for music, dance, movement, and art.
· Dedicated and dynamic staff
· Artistic and creative choreography
· Number one dance studio in New Britain!
· Classes for all levels
· Encouraging and nurturing atmosphere
Director of Performing Arts, Athletics, and Fitness
Christine Kuzia, Performing Arts & Athletics Director, has been with the YWCA for over 40 years. Her background is extensive. She began her training with Lillian Zamayduk School of Dance where she was an Assistant Teacher for several years. She is a 1978 graduate and former faculty member of the Hartford Conservatory of Music and Dance. She went on to study with Karin Whitley at Trinity College Dance workshops where she was a substitute for Ms. Whitley. Christine danced professionally for seven years with the Connecticut Jazz Dance Company and toured around the state and performed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts as well. She has taken several classes with New York teachers including Luigi and Ronnie DeMarco. She was accepted to dance at Jacob’s Pillow. She has choreographed for Roosevelt Middle School, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Plainville High School, Berlin High, Wethersfield High, McGee Middle School in Berlin, Plainville Choral Society, Plainville Choral Society Youth Theater. She is currently the choreographer for New Britain High School Musicals and their Show Choir & Treble Choir.
Christine’s theatrical background includes Plainville Choral Society as dancer/choreographer/chorus member, Myth Farmington as dancer/chorus member, Bristol Civic Theater as dancer/chorus member, New Britain Opera as a dancer, New Britain Graduate Revues and New Britain Summer Theater Workshop. In 1991 Chris was selected to choreograph for the International Arts festival in Russia through the Wheeler Regional YMCA. Several of Chris’s students were also selected to perform with this elite group. In 2001, Chris was selected to choreograph for Gary Craig’s “We are the Children” Christmas Day Benefit at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, CT.
In addition to teaching at the YWCA, Chris has taught at many other organizations and studios including Plainville YMCA, Dance Incorporated in Plainville and United Rhythms in Meriden.
Kayla is the Performing Arts Manager at the YWCA. She has been an instructor for over 17 years. She has experience in all levels of dance from working with our Twinkle Toes to our Advanced Teens. Kayla teaches several styles of dance including tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop and lyrical. She started dancing at the YWCA at the age of two while taking dance classes from her mom “Miss Chris.” She then went on to broaden her dance experience by taking classes at United Rhythm, Beyond Performance and with Kelly Gagliardi- Dieguez from Velocity. Kayla enjoys sharing her love and passion for dance with her students.
Kacey is a head dance instructor at the YWCA School of Dance. Kacey has been dancing since she was two years old. She teaches tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop. Her favorite styles are tap, hip-hop and ballet. She also was the Assistant Choreographer for the Plainville Choral Society Youth Theater. Her greatest accomplishment is watching her students enjoy dance as much as she does.
Rebecca has been teaching dance at the YWCA for nine years and took dance classes with Miss Chris for 14 years. Dance and Disney are her two favorite things so it’s a dream come true to combine both while teaching the younger classes here! The teachers and student teachers inspire her so much with their dedication and creative ideas; they really make this place a family. She’s been having a blast here since day one and can’t wait to see what each dance year brings.
Morgan was a student at the YWCA for 15 years and began student teaching when she was 13. She thinks of the YWCA as her second home. She loved going to class every week and to student teach every Saturday. Now that she is a teacher Morgan finds herself excited to teach classes with dancers who love coming to class every week like she did. She enjoys seeing classes full of kids that want to learn to dance but, most importantly, she loves to see the kids grow up and become beautiful dancers knowing that she had helped and inspired them.
Rylie has been dancing since age 2 and was a student at the YWCA School of Dance for 11 years, student teaching ages 2 to 17. She danced at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts in high school as well, participated in a pre-professional company with DancEnlight and spent a brief time at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. “Returning to teach and choreograph at the YWCA felt like coming home after a long vacation, and I am so happy to be back!” Rylie values the artistry of dance and moving in ways that can be both comfortable and experimental with the body’s natural groove. Sharing this with students is what keeps that feeling alive
Meghan Foy
Competitive Team Coach
Meghan’s passion for dance first began at the YWCA where she grew up taking and student teaching dance classes. She minored in dance at Springfield College and acted as the treasurer for the Springfield College Dancers for three years where she organized and choreographed various performances. Meghan is so excited to be back teaching at the YWCA where she hopes to help her students fall in love with dance just like she did.
Morgan was a student at the YWCA for 15 years and was a student teacher for many years. Student teaching helped her discover her passion for working with children. Morgan loves working with our dancers and helping them learn and grow into the amazing dancers they will become. The YWCA was such a huge part of Morgan’s life and she loves to be part of inspiring the younger students.
Registration is now closed as we begin preparing for our Annual recital in April 2025. For more information please contact Chris Kuzia 860-225-4681 ext 213 or email ckuzia@ywcanewbritain.org.
Tuition is due on the 1st of the month. After the 10th a $10 late fee will be applied. All returned checks are subject to a $30 charge. No refunds for missed classes.
Tuition
1 class/wk– $60.00/month Payment in full $460
2 classes/wk– $92.00/month Payment in full $716
3 classes/wk– $116.00/month Payment in full $908
4 classes/wk– $144.00/month Payment in full $1,132
5 classes/wk– $167.00/month Payment in full $1,316
6 classes/wk– $184.00/month Payment in full $1,452
*$20 Discount for payment in full is already deducted from above price.
YWCA Annual Membership Plans
Please note, dance registration will not be accepted without a current YWCA membership and a zero (0) balance from the previous dance season.
New Students must contact Miss Chris for proper placement. 860-225-4681 ext. 213.
Annual Recital will be held at the end of April 2025.
Costumes are $90 per costume.
Fundraisers are offered throughout the year to help defray your child’s costume cost.
YWCA New Britain’s award-winning School of Dance offers our students a way to take their training to the next level as part of our competitive dance team.
Dear YWCA School of Dance Alumni,
As I look back on my 42 years as Director of the YWCA School of Dance, I am so proud of how far our program has come.
Who would have thought a little eight week program would have turned into a successful dance studio? Our accomplishments, community involvement, and history is rich in cherished memories and friendships that have remained with us all these years.
Our alumni have always been a big part of who we are, and I have decided to start a YWCA School of Dance Alumni Association. My goal is to engage graduates in leadership opportunities, build lasting connections, and plan alumni weekends, master classes, and even alumni performances. This group will even have a Board of Alumni Directors who will help to support and guide our program long after I am gone.
Our accomplishments are many and our alumni involvement is growing. We recently began a Competition Dance Team under the direction of Meghan Foy, a 2013 graduate of our program. Our preschool dance classes are under the direction of Becca Swol Critelli (2013) and assisted by Morgan Ruszczyk (2017) and Morgan Giantonio (2020). Kelly Foy (2008), Victoria Farrell (2018), and Elizabeth Farrell (2019) have continued to help with our recital since they graduated. Rylie Shaw (2018) has been teaching Contemporary and Lyrical classes. Kacey Kuzia (2009) teaches our K and up classes and Kayla Kuzia Gibson (2006), Performing Arts Manager, teaches all age groups.
In addition, we have added a theater program and trips to New York City. We have performed at National Night Out, Bees Baseball Games, Main Street USA, and the New Britain Tree Lighting to name a few. Our iconic Thriller dance has been featured on WFSB 3, NBC 30, and Fox 61. We were guest performers in a dance showcase at Western New England University in Massachusetts and featured performers for the Juvenile Diabetes fundraising walk at Quinnipiac University. Our studio was voted the best in the area 5 years in a row!
And last, but certainly not least, in 2015 the YWCA established the Christine Kuzia Scholarship Fund. This fund provides financial assistance so that every student who wants to dance will have the opportunity, and that no one is left out due to financial reasons. This fund is very near and dear to my heart. It has paved the way for girls of all backgrounds to be given a chance to dance and experience what each and every one of you had the opportunity to do.
Now more than ever we need the support to ensure that the program we have worked so hard to build and love so dearly never goes away. Please join us on the Alumni Facebook group. I hope you will consider joining us as we continue to grow and share our love of dance.
With love,
Miss Chris
Be Watching for Alumni Classes, Events and Get Togethers
It is hard to believe that over 42 years of dancers have learned the foundations of tap, jazz, ballet, and the discipline of dance with us. The heart and soul of the YWCA School of Dance is our incredible director, Christine Kuzia. “ Miss Chris” as she is fondly known to everyone, has been with the YWCA for over 40 years, sharing her passion of dance and her indomitable spirit with thousands of students.
One of the greatest testaments to Miss Chris is the number of her students that remain with the program to teach younger students and carry on the tradition and style of her teaching. Miss Chris has made sure that every student who wants to dance will have the opportunity, and that no one is left out due to financial reasons.
In 2015 the YWCA established the Christine Kuzia Scholarship Fund as a special tribute to Miss Chris . This fund provides financial assistance so that every student who wants to dance will have the opportunity, and that no one is left out due to financial reasons. It has paved the way for girls of all backgrounds to be given a chance to dance.
Please help us prepare for next year by making a gift to support the YWCA’s Christine Kuzia Dance Scholarship Fund. Thank you for your support!
We can’t wait to meet you! Get in touch for a one-on-one tour and we’ll answer all of your questions
