Our Facility

Southington, CT

Located less than one mile off I-84, our facility can be found on Spring Street off of Exit 32 East and West bound. Directly off Queen Street, it is the prime location to service dancers from over 20 Connecticut towns. Our 6500 square foot location is home to four dance floors that run classes Monday-Saturday.

Alex Puglisi-Salvatore

Owner and Studio Director

A graduate with collegiate degrees in both dance and business management, Alexandria opened Apogee Dance Academy in 2013. An award winning dance instructor and choreographer, she has taught throughout the entire east coast. She brings over twenty years of dance experience and is thrilled to be entering her 13th season as director of Apogee Dance Academy.

A competitive dancer herself, Alex is no stranger to the competitive aspect of the art. Having won numerous overall dance awards she understands and appreciates the hard work and determination needed to succeed. Her other credits include being a member of the UCONN dance team, making the top 200 dancers on the hit television series So You Think You Can Dance, and winning the overall talent award at the Miss Connecticut Scholarship Pageant in 2009, 2011 and 2014. In 2015, she was also selected as a Bootcamp finalist for the NFL Patriots Cheerleading Squad.

As a choreographer, her students have held high adjudications and overall awards throughout Connecticut and New York. Some of these include 2023 Overall Regional Choreographer at Showbiz, 2022 KAR National Choreographer of the Year and 2019 National Dance Educator of the Year. Miss Alex's Extreme Team has also brought home multiple national Grand Championships since 2014, most recently in Daytona Beach, Florida at Kids Artistic Revue Nationals Championship in 2024. Miss Alex resides in Southington with her husband, Chris, and is grateful to have the opportunity to help children grow in confidence, character, and creativity within the community she loves.

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Meet the Team

Apogee is so grateful for their highly educated award winning staff.

Meet the team that brings our studio vision to life!

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Assistant Extreme Team Director

Ariana Puglisi

After completing four incredible years as an Apogee Extreme Team dancer, Ariana Puglisi is thrilled to return to the team—this time as a member of the faculty. A proud member of the National Dance Education Organization, Ariana has built a strong foundation in both performance and education. In 2021, she completed a prestigious internship as a summer faculty member for the Boston Ballet School.

A nationally award-winning dancer, Ariana has earned widespread recognition throughout her 17-year competitive dance career. One of the many highlights of her journey was representing the United States in Germany at the National World Dance Showcase. As a choreographer, Miss Ari has received numerous accolades for her work—both regionally and nationally—earning praise for her creativity, storytelling, and technical expertise.

In addition to teaching and choreographing, Ariana has served as a dance adjudicator for a nationally recognized dance competition since 2021, offering professional feedback and mentorship to dancers across the country. She is also an Acrobatic Arts certified instructor and is continually working toward additional certifications to expand her skill set and deepen her impact as an educator.

Beyond the studio, Ariana has performed lead roles in numerous theatrical and vocal productions across the state, including Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, and A Christmas Carol. She was also actively involved in the Miss America Organization during her youth. Among her many achievements, she placed in the Top 5 at the 2017 Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen Pageant and again in the Top 5—with the Overall Talent Award—at the 2019 Miss Connecticut Competition.

Most recently, Ariana graduated summa cum laude from the Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance at Dean College, earning a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Performance and Choreography. She brings passion, professionalism, and a deep commitment to the next generation of dancers.

Instructor

Helene Albert

Miss Helene began her dance journey just before the age of three. By five, she had entered the competitive dance world, where her dedication and talent began to shine. In 2014, at ten years old, she became one of the original members of Apogee during its first season. As a member of the Extreme Team for eight years, Helene trained extensively and had the opportunity to compete nationwide, earning multiple national titles. She also trained with Hartford City Ballet, performing in productions of The Nutcracker.

In 2022, Helene was honored to be selected as a KAR Protegé, training in Anaheim, California. She later toured as a master assistant for KAR Conventions, where she worked closely with and learned from renowned choreographers from across the country. Since then, Helene has continued to grow her credentials. Recently completing her Module One Certification through Acrobatic Arts, as well as specialized training in back handspring and aerial techniques. She also holds certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS) and First Aid, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all her students

Currently, she continues to share her passion for dance as an instructor at Apogee and works as a Certified Nursing Assistant at LiveWell. This fall, she will begin the Respiratory Therapy program at her college.

Instructor

Alexa Aldi

Alexa’s dance journey began at the age of two and she entered the competitive scene by five. She completed her competitive career with two seasons on Apogee Dance Academy’s Extreme Team, earning numerous regional and national awards alongside her teammates.

Currently, Alexa is pursuing her undergraduate degree at Fairfield University, where she will begin her junior year this fall. She is proud to balance her college education with her role on staff at Apogee.

Apogee has always been Alexa’s second home, and she is thrilled to now be giving back to the studio that helped shape her into the dancer and person she is today. She looks forward to inspiring and supporting the next generation of dancers through her teaching for years to come.

Instructor

Brittany Martin

Brittany’s love for dance started at the age of 7 when she enrolled in her first dance class. During her 11 years as a student, she enjoyed learning many forms of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern and acrobatics. Her passion grew quickly as she dove right into the competitive field, where she won various dance awards and competed for many dance titles.

Brittany has always grown up with a love and passion for working with young children. She holds a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and is currently a 5th grade teacher in the West Hartford Public Schools utilizing over 14 years of teaching experience. Her most important role and passion in life is family, being a devoted wife and mom to her husband, daughter, and son.

Brittany is so excited to join our Apogee family and looks forward to sharing her gift and love of dance with the next generation of dancers!

Instructor

Jordan Greene

Miss Jordan discovered her love for dance at a very young age, starting dance classes at the age of three. She danced for most of her childhood, and has been close to the Apogee family since 2019 and has loved every second.

In her free time, Miss Jordan loves spending time with her sister who is on the Extreme Team, pushing her towards becoming the best dancer she can be. Miss Jordan currently attends Grand Canyon University and is working towards getting her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She has worked with kids since she was in high school currently and is so excited to be an instructor at Apogee.

Instructor

Amanda Sullivan

Growing up in Manahawkin, New Jersey, Amanda began dancing at just two years old and quickly developed a deep passion for the art. By age six, she was competing regularly and continued to do so through her graduation at eighteen. She trained at The Rehearsal Hall in Manahawkin until age eight before continuing her dance education at Ovations Performing Arts Academy from age nine, graduating in 2016. Throughout her training, Amanda studied a wide range of styles including ballet, lyrical, tap, pointe, jazz, acrobatics, contemporary, and musical theatre. After graduating, she continued her education by training and taking classes at Broadway Dance Center in New York City.

Amanda began teaching dance at Ovations at the age of seventeen, sharing her love of movement and performance with the next generation of dancers. Her choreography and competitive work have earned multiple first-place finishes, choreography awards, and national recognition. As a performer, she danced under the direction of Ashlé Dawson in Six Flags Great Adventure’s “Dead Man’s Party” show during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and also had the opportunity to dance in many of Ashlé Dawson’s concept videos, gaining valuable professional and commercial dance experience. In addition to her studio and performance work, Amanda choreographed a halftime performance for the Drexel University Dance Team in 2022.

She is beyond excited to be joining the Apogee family and is grateful to call this studio her new home, where she looks forward to inspiring dancers, building confidence, and helping students grow both technically and artistically.

Instructor

Caileen Gioia

An alumna of Apogee Dance Academy’s Extreme Team, Miss Caileen is so excited to return to her home studio now as an instructor. No stranger to the competition stage, Caileen has competed at both the regional and national level, finishing her competitive career in 2024 with a national grand championship win alongside her team in Daytona Beach. Most recently, she performed with the Fordham Dance Company and will now be continuing her education at Quinnipiac University, where she is pursuing a degree in Health Sciences with aspirations of becoming a speech pathologist.

Caileen began dancing at just three years old and entered the world of competitive dance at eight, spending six years as a committed member of the Extreme Team. Through years of training, performing, and competing, she developed not only her technical skills but also a deep love and appreciation for the art of dance. She is eager to share that passion with her students and hopes to inspire young dancers to find the same joy, confidence, and self-expression that dance has brought to her life.

Ballet Instructor

Meghan Keller

Miss Meghan started dancing at age three and all throughout grade school she studied ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, and character dance. She furthered her training in high school by primarily studying classical ballet. In 2024, Miss Meghan graduated summa cum laude from the University of Hartford Hartt School, receiving a B.F.A in Ballet Pedagogy with a minor in Business Administration.

During her years at the Hartt School, she broadened her view of dance by studying classical ballet, classical modern techniques and contemporary dance forms. Throughout her college career, she performed a diverse repertoire including works by the Hartt School faculty as well as guest choreographers such as Hope Boykin and Thomas Vacanti. She also performed classic works by Marius Petipa, José Limón, and Martha Graham. She was honored to have invaluable opportunities performing Martha Graham’s 'Primitive Mysteries’ at the University Partners Showcase at the Joyce Theater in New York, training at the Limón Italia workshop in Rome, Italy and dancing as one of the first young artists at the Trentino Music and Dance Festival in Primiero, Italy.

Miss Meghan is currently a trainee dancer with Ballet Hartford for their 2024-2025 season. She is incredibly excited to be a part of the Apogee dance faculty and hopes to spread her love of dance through performing, choreographing, and teaching.

Instructor

Abbey Wheeler

Abbey began dancing at the age of three. Her passion and love for the art eventually led her to DeSales University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. While studying at DeSales, Abbey performed in numerous faculty- and student-choreographed productions. In 2006, she choreographed an original piece titled Dark Shadows, which was selected for adjudication at the American College Dance Festival.

Following her college career, Abbey toured across the United States and Canada, performing dance integrated with American Sign Language (ASL) as a member of the inFlux Dance Company. She later joined the New Street Dance Group as both a company dancer and choreographer.

Most recently, Abbey spent five years working as a dance instructor at a studio in Killingworth, Connecticut. She took a hiatus from teaching in 2017 to grow her family. Now, with her daughters having danced at Apogee for the past seven years, Abbey is thrilled to deepen her connection to the Apogee family as an instructor.

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Dance Medicine Physical Therapist/Pilates Practitioner

Stephanie L. Foresi, MSPT Owner F.I.T

Stephanie has worked as an orthopedic/sport physical therapist and private personal trainer/sports specific program specialist for over 29 years. Stephanie Foresi received her Master's in Physical Therapy from Springfield College (1997). Stephanie competed in Division II Collegiate Gymnastics at Springfield College 1992-1995, and served as the assistant coach in 1996. Stephanie has specialized in Dance Medicine and Pilates Rehab/Pilates Training for over 22 years.

Certifications/Specializations include: Polestar Pilates Rehab Practitioner, DMEI Dance Medicine Trained, Harkness Center Of Dance Medicine Pointe Readiness Training, AFAA Certified Personal

Trainer, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, Balanced Body Barre Teacher. Bridge Dance Project Central Connecticut Member & IADMS MEMBER

Manual Training includes: Mulligan, McKenzie, Cyriax, Paris, IASTM Practitioner & Taping

Operations Manager

Christopher Salvatore

Chris Salvatore, MS is a graduate from Central Connecticut State University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Finance and his master’s degree in Technology Management. Throughout his education he specialized in lean management focusing on continuous improvement and respect for people.

Chris brings over 10 years of experience in management, HR and marketing/sales. He has a passion for helping others while improving processes to become more efficient as an organization. He has received numerous accolades in his career such as President’s Club and several Professional Awards. He is excited to utilize his knowledge to continue to expand an already thriving studio while also overseeing day to day operations.

Our Facility

Alex Puglisi-Salvatore

Meet the Team

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