it’s nice to meet you
JULIA SYKES OWNER/INSTRUCTOR contemporary dance, BALLET+ Dancer’s workout
Julia began dance training at the age of nine, studying ballet, modern, contemporary, tap, and jazz. After high school, she went on to earn her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in dance from Long Island University, Brooklyn campus. In New York she had the opportunity to learn and perform choreography by various world renowned choreographers, including Ron K. Brown, Bill T. Jones, Jennifer Muller, Nathan Trice, and Twyla Tharp, among others. In the summer of 2014, she joined the dance team for the Mets Affiliated baseball team, The Brooklyn Cyclones. Upon moving back to her native Massachusetts, Julia began teaching at Center Stage Dance Academy (Plymouth MA), and began dancing with various companies and choreographers in the area, including Adrienne Hawkins and Project 31, among others. She has taught classes at local dance centers such as the Dance Complex in Cambridge, and taught intensives and guest choreography at local studios from the South to the North Shore of Massachusetts. Julia joined BoSoma Dance Company from 2018 - 2021, a company the Boston Globe describes as “vigorously athletic and artistically sculptural”, and “the Alvin Ailey of New England” from audience testimonials. She also taught at BoSoma School of Dance from 2019-2022. In 2021, Julia earned her certification in Personal Training from ACE Fitness. In 2022 she began teaching at Turning Pointe Dance Studio in Falmouth, MA as well. She can not wait to begin to bring her love of dance and movement to Buzzards Bay and all of the surrounding areas.
Shelby arnold hip hop + Jazz Funk
Shelby started her dance journey at the age of three. She attended Easton School of Dance and Kaleidoscope School of Dance & Gymnastics before finding her home at Center Stage Dance Academy (Plymouth MA) at the age of 12. She grew up studying Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Modern, Contemporary and Hip Hop and took her passion for dance to New York as she pursued her Bachelor of Art’s in dance at Marymount Manhattan College. As she began to get acclimated to life in New York City, she found a club at her school that specialized in hip-hop dancing and performed at local venues. What started as an underlying love for hip-hop has turned into a full-blown affair! She was introduced to classes outside of school, and began learning from titans of the commercial dance industry including Luam Keflezgy, Miles Keeney, Kenichi Kasamatsu, Jared Jenkins, and many others. She performed at various events throughout the tri-state area and was granted access to training intensives that further enhanced her love of the commercial and street dance styles. Throughout her journey as a student, she was also given the opportunity to teach hip-hop and street movement to her fellow dancers and non-dancers at Marymount Manhattan College and local dance studios in NYC. After moving back to her native Massachusetts, she continued her dance journey by teaching at various studios in the North Shore and continuing to take classes throughout the city of Boston. Shelby is now back on the South Shore and ready to spread the confidence and strength that hip-hop makes you feel. She is determined to get everyone feeling like their own superstar!
courtney atwood Vibe pilates/XABEAT
Courtney has always had a fascination with dance and music. During her high school and college years, she experimented with belly dance, modern dance, and choreography classes. After having kids, Courtney began taking group fitness classes and discovered her love of fitness. In 2015, she combined her passions by receiving her certification in XaBeat, a high-intensity dance fitness program, and has been teaching ever since. Courtney also received her certification in Mat and Reformer Pilates from Breathe Education in 2023. She thrives on the positive energy felt in every class, as well as the relationships built with her students. Come join her to shake, sweat, and dance the calories away!
MELISSA Lehman yoga
Melissa’s journey in yoga started over 20 years ago on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. She picked up the best practices from coast to coast following decades of living a nomadic lifestyle. In 2015, she transitioned from student to teacher after receiving her certification from the Sanctuary Studio in Plymouth. Since then she has carved out a local niche as a true practitioner of both mental and physical healing. No stranger to the toll a human takes from both anxiety and PTSD, Melissa has taken her plethora of experiences in transitioning journeys and harnessed them into a succinct path so that any level of yoga student will learn how to find calmness. These experiences all culminate into an experience that will give you clear visioned mornings and restful nights. Please join her, heal from your outside-in, and project your best self from the inside-out.
KATTIA BESSE BARRE 360+barre dance fusion
Kattia is Costa Rican native but has been living in Massachusetts for a long time! She has been a hairstylist for over 20 years, is a wife to her best friend, and a mother to a young man. She has loved dance and fitness for as long as she can remember! Kattia loves that Dance is a way of helping you forget your problems for a moment while also getting you in shape. Her love of dance inspired workouts lead her to take Barre classes, and these types of workouts have always been her go-to exercise. She has been certified through Barre Above, as well as the American Sports and Fitness Association. She is so excited to be part of this team at Studio 721 and she hopes to see you in class!
Holly commesso pilates + BARRE
Holly Commesso has been a Certified Personal Trainer for nine years, a Certified Pilates Instructor for eleven years, and a Certified Barre Instructor for eight years. She has taught and trained in several studios and Health Clubs across the Cape. Holly has lived in Bourne for twenty-three years and raised three children. Her philosophy is everyone needs to live a balanced life: Mind, Body, and Soul. Whether you’re a man or a woman, through strength training, core work, and flexibility, Holly will work towards finding each client their own balance.
Brogan Mulligan Jazz + Hip Hop
Brogan Mulligan started her dance training at Broadway Dance Academy in Tewksbury, MA at the age of three. She attended Broadway Dance until she joined Center Stage at the age of six. She has studied tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, modern, pointe, hip hop, and breakin'. During her time at Center Stage, she was part of the outreach and competition teams. She competed both with the team and as a soloist, including some self-choreographed pieces, and is a regional and national award-winning soloist. Brogan was also dance captain at Center Stage and was part of the teacher training program for many years. Brogan attended Worcester State University earning a degree in Urban Studies. While there, she was part of the dance club and choreographed many performances for them. Brogan has continued her dance education by taking classes with Adrienne Hawkins, Rainbow Tribe, Urbanity, and at Boston Ballet. She is currently working on her YPAD certification, her Masters of Education at Merrimack College, and is a Special Education teacher at Latham Centers in Brewster.
maggie jones Jazz + lyrical
Maggie is a pharmacist by training, but will always be a dancer at her core! She grew up in Northern Vermont and trained at North Country School of Dance in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, and hip hop. She has many fond memories competing at Dance Educators of America regional and national competitions, particularly in Springfield, MA. Maggie has been teaching dance since she was 10 years old, but she really developed a love for teaching as a teen. High school offered a unique opportunity to learn choreography technique and choreograph full pieces in the Dance Company audition group. She also choreographed and starred in multiple high school musical productions, sang in choir ensembles, and played the saxophone. Maggie joined the Avila University Glitter Girls Dance Team (Kansas City, MO) during her undergraduate education and competed in the Universal Dance Association national competition annually. Upon entering her graduate program, dance took a back seat while Maggie obtained her doctoral pharmacy degree from the University of New England (Portland, ME) and built her career, although she did continue choreographing for the University of New England Dance Team during this time. She is thrilled to have found the Studio 721 family to reinvigorate her love of dance as an adult, and is honored to be able to share her passion for this art form as an instructor.
MICHELE TRAVER DANCER’S WORKOUT
Michele is single mom of four and has been a personal trainer/group fitness instructor for 8 years. Michele has taught at Fierce Fitness, Solo Fitness, and USA Fitness for Women. She holds many certifications from AAAI, including nutrition and weight certifications. Michele teaches everything from Barre and Spin to Tabata/HIIT and Cardio Kickboxing. She is excited to being teaching at the Studio and hopes you join her for class!
EMILY SANTANGELO CREATIVE DIRECTOR
When it comes to design, Emily is truly a Jack-of-all-trades. If she had to pinpoint the core of her work, she’d say she specializes in Hand Lettering, Graphics and Photography. She’s found influence in many artistic outlets all of her life - she grew up filling pages with doodles, creating mockup fashion magazines, and picking up photography techniques from her Grandfather. She discovered a passion for Graphic Design after taking a high school course, and immediately found inspiration in designers like Paula Scher, Milton Glaser, and Massimo Vignelli. She went on to study Graphic Design in college, and graduated with a degree in Graphics in 2014. She quickly discovered how Design and Photography can be combined in the most glorious ways, and that loving letters can transform into a passion. She is the woman behind the logo of Studio 721, mostly all of its brand photography, and inherent in the creation of its image and spirit.
