Michelle Birmingham
Owner
Michelle fell in love with dance at age three and her passion for movement has shaped her professional career. She studied all forms of dance including tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and musical theater. In college she majored in Dance and Performance studies where she was introduced to and trained in Modern Dance. She entered the fitness world in 2012 and in that time has taught Zumba, Barre, Yoga, as well as dance classes for children and adults at Nantucket Ballet, of which she is also the director and owner. In addition to her passion for dance, she has a passion for anatomy - all of her classes have a strong emphasis on fundamental alignment and body mechanics. Michelle believes movement can and should be fun, her classes are designed to help you challenge yourself, in a safe supportive space.
Our Instructors
Aleksandra Nikolic
Manager, Lead Instructor
Dance and movement have been an essential part of Aleks’s life since the age of 3. At age 14, she decided to leave her small local dance studio to focus her training solely on classical ballet at the world renowned pre-professional school, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Upon Graduation, Aleks was accepted into Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s Graduate Program. In 2017, Aleks moved to Nantucket and right away became involved with Nantucket Ballet, teaching and performing. Over the years she has become an integral part of the school’s training program and productions. Besides dance, Aleks has also spent her years on the island teaching fitness and yoga.
Katie has had a love for health and wellness since a young age. She studied Biochemistry and Dietetics at Simmons College and Nutrition Communication at Tufts. She has worked as a Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist for 15 years. Since moving to the island, she has focused on her family and has found a love for coaching field hockey and girls lacrosse. In the past, she has taught step aerobics and cycling on the Cape. She is so excited to get back to teaching and has found a new passion for trampoline class.
Katie Sullivan
Bounce, Sculpt
With nearly a decade of experience in the fitness industry, Jamie brings a deep passion for movement and holds a genuine love of empowering others to feel their best. Having a background in both Pilates and Barre, she creates balanced, mindful, beat-driven classes focused on strength, alignment, and functional movement. When she’s not on Island, Jamie lives in Newton, MA with her husband and their four children.
Jamie Golden
Sculpt, Barre Fusion
Kristin Dean
Sculpt, SHiNE Dance
Kristin is an AFAA certified group fitness instructor with over 30 years of experience in the industry. She’s been rocking the dance floor since her childhood, and her passion for movement is evident in every step she takes. She is certified in various disciplines including SHiNE Dance Fitness™, Barre, LaBlast® Fitness and the NIA Technique. Dance fitness isn’t just a job for Kristin; it’s her fun-filled hobby that she loves sharing with others.
Kristin’s love for fitness doesn’t stop at dancing. She’s an all-around fitness enthusiast! You’ll often find her striking yoga poses or conquering the slopes with alpine and nordic skiing. She’s a fan of outdoor activities like walking, biking, jogging, and paddleboarding, always embracing the fresh air and staying active.
When Kristin isn’t busting moves or staying fit, she’s expanding her knowledge. She’s a proud graduate of Salem State College and the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. She is a native of Marblehead, resides in Belmont with her husband and two boys, and is a move manager with Out of the Box Moves. Her first visit to Nantucket was in 1987 and now she loves spending time on island with her extended family.
Jennifer is a passionate dance and yoga teacher, movement artist as well as a bodyworker who has a strong desire to help others tap into their own inner alchemy, strength and joy through mind body movement practices. She has studied various dance styles such as contemporary, ballet, fusion belly dance, urban dance as well as a flow based movement practice called one movement. Her dance palette draws from her unique blend of influences as well as her own organic movement exploration which she transmits through her personally created modern fusion and movement lab classes. She is also certified in vinyasa yoga flow through the yoga realign method which focuses strongly on alignment and biomechanics, and has been trained in restorative yoga and qigong practices. Her teachings are an extension of her personal practice, research and years of working with students with what she feels is an all encompassing, therapeutic and enjoyable way to seek balance on a mind-body-spirit level. Jennifer is based in Spain throughout the year but summers in Nantucket and is beyond happy to be able to share dance and yoga on the island.
Jennifer Parratto
Dance, Yoga
Zoe DiPinto is thrilled to be a part of the dance scene on Nantucket. She has been dancing since she could walk and thinks of dance studios as a second home. Zoe’s dance experience includes competition dance (2013-2016), directing two college student led dance groups (2018-2020), choreographing college musicals (2017-2020), and teaching an adult hip hop class in Worcester MA (2018-2022) before moving to lovely Nantucket. She works locally as a mental health counselor and tries to incorporate mental wellness into each class.
Zoe DiPinto
Dance
Our Studio
Located mid-island at 15 Teasdale Circle, with plenty of parking, The Dance Space is truly a gem. Our front entrance is warm and welcoming, there is space for you to transition out of your day and into your class.
The studio itself is over 1,000 square feet. We are most proud of our Harlequin spung floors. A sprung floor has a trampoline affect for dancers, the floors reduce impact from jumping which prevents injury and keeps dancers dancing. These are the same floors you’d find at New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Alvin Ailey to name a few.