Teachers & Staff

Amy began dancing at the age of 3 at Dance Forever located in Braintree, MA.  She has danced and taught at many studios since then and has had experience instructing all ages and abilities. She currently attends Bridgewater State University where she majors in Physical Education with a concentration in Adaptive PE and Motor Development.  Amy has completed her dance minor while being a member of the Dance Company on campus.  She served on the Dance Advisory Committee and was a representative of the BSU Dance Company in the 2017-2018 school year.  She performed in many shows and choreographed her own piece at the school her junior year.  Dance Forever turned over ownership to Dance Now and Forever, and now has been turned over to ADK Dance Studio.  Amy has been there through it all, assisting and teaching her own classes since she was in middle school.  Her amazing teachers gave her opportunities to compete at Dance Ovations, Elite Dance Competition, and many more! She danced with the Braintree Varsity Dance Team at the Braintree High School.  She has also taught at a variety of studios including South Shore Dance Academy, Classical Ballet Arts, and Miss Kay's School of Dance.  She loved her experience at each of these places and is overjoyed to now own her own studio with her wonderful mother- Carolyn Killian.  She can't wait to grow and succeed with ADK Dance Studio.

Coming Soon!

 Emily Crosta is a local theatre performer and teacher, and is overjoyed to join the ADK team! Emily graduated in 2022 from Eastern Nazarene College, holding a BA in Theatre for Social Justice and a BA in History. She began dancing at Joan’s Olympic Gym in Braintree at the age of 4, and found herself performing in her school shows by age 9. At Quincy High School, she worked her way up from the drama club’s  dance captain to choreographer by her senior year, choreographing Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly!, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In college Emily was honored to choreograph her Sophomore show, Titanic! A New Musical. Although tap has always been her favorite style, she also loves jazz and lyrical. In her free time, Emily enjoys drawing, singing, and learning German. She owes her love of dance to her late grandmother, Celia Finochio. 

Polly started  the Dance Forever Studio in 1983.  She had started dancing at UMass in Amherst, taking ballet and jazz, and doing the role of Anybody’s in the university production of West Side Story.   After college,  she continued her dance training at the Joy of Movement Center, studying with Adrienne Hawkins, Danny Sloan and Consuelo Atlas, a former Alvin Ailey principal dancer.  Polly danced in Consuelo’s company “Expansion” where Consuelo shared some of Ailey’s choreography and inspired in Polly a love of jazz and gospel dance and music.  She studied ballet with David and Terry Shields and danced in their ballet company Boston Festival Ballet doing roles in Nutcracker (Arabian Dance) and Coppelia, as well as much original choreography.  Polly also performed with the Boston Opera Company under the direction of Sarah Caldwell in the Opera House in Boston. She dance in Orpheus in the Underworld as a can-can dancer, and as one of the Muses in “The Underworld” scene.  After teaching at several of the Joy of Movement Centers, she bought the Braintree site and started Dance Forever in 1983.  The studio offered classes for adults, children from 2 1/2 to 18 (Amy Killian was one of those children!! ) and a Tender Tap program for men and women over 65.  Her Mother and Father danced with the Tender Tappers.   In 2008,  after 25 years, Polly gave up the running of the studio, but continues to teach and dance and perform with her friends of many years.   She is thrilled that Amy and Carolyn will continue the tradition of sharing a love of dance and the joy of teaching others to dance. 

 Caroline Gardner started dancing at 3 years old and grew up at the Dance Studio of Braintree. She is trained in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, musical theatre, and pointe. She was a member of Braintree Ballet Company where she performed in Coppelia, Cinderella, and The Nutcracker, where she performed as Dew Drop Fairy, Spanish, Swanhilda's Friend, and many other roles. While in high school she was the choreographer and dance captain for the Braintree High School Show Choir. After graduating, she studied dance professionally in New York City and majored in Musical Theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she was the dance captain for every semester in every dance class. She has taught dancers of all ages and abilities in many different styles of dance and is passionate about sharing her love of dance with others. She is thrilled to be joining ADK Dance Studio.  

Michele has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and has been teaching tap for over 25 years. She helped to develop a senior tap program for men and women over 55 at Dance Forever in Braintree and directed and choreographed a group known as the “Tender Tappers”. She also taught tap for several years at Carver Dance Center and is a member of the Greater Brockton Dance Teacher’s Association.  Michele performed in the Community Theatre productions of Mame, Damn Yankees and Bells Are Ringing, as well as many benefits and charitable events throughout the region.  She studied under Caroline “Bubby”

Mahar as a child and later with Kathy Quartarone, Julia Boynton and Brian Jones. She continues her

studies today by taking weekly advanced tap classes with Charles Holbrook and attending workshops

whenever possible. Michele resides in Canton, but has lived in Colorado and Australia. She enjoys traveling with her husband and loves her family, friends and tap shoes!

Carolyn is not the typical dance studio owner as she did not grow up dancing!  She has taken many beginner jazz/tap classes at the former Dance Forever and has been a very involved 'dance mom' for the past 20+ years when her daughter, Amy, started dancing under Miss Polly and then later under Miss Kathy.  Carolyn received her certification to teach children's yoga & relaxation in June 2020 and began children's classes.  She has also added easy stretching/relaxation classes for adults to the schedule, and hopes to help bring a sense of relaxation and peace to adults, teens, and children through her classes.  Carolyn also has over 30 years of business and event planning experience,  which she puts to good use in running the studio behind the scenes, planning our fun summer camps, "kids night out" evenings, and special events.  In her spare time, she has written and published three children's books in the Bea Beluga book series which can be found on Amazon!  

Carolyn lives in Braintree with her husband Scott, some kids, and crazy lab Boomer!  She and Scott are not quite empty-nesters but are pretty close!

Much love! 

Amy & Carolyn Killian