Meet our founder…

Emily Branigan has been dancing since the age of three and has excelled in many areas of dance, though her true passions are musical theatre, jazz and tap. She was a fifteen year student of Ms. Sharon DiCrosta of The Dancer’s Studio of North Haven, Connecticut, and has also received training both in New York and Los Angeles in dance, on-camera acting and musical theatre. Emily began teaching at the age of sixteen utilizing the motto that she was taught at a very young age, “dance comes from your heart…not your feet!” For over 10 years, she has taught primarily in the Los Angeles area to a wide array of students with various ages and abilities in multiple genres. She also travels the country as a competition judge and guest teacher and is a part of Impact Dance Adjudicators. Emily is a Member of Dance Educators of America. She is also a Y.P.A.D (Youth Protective Advocates in Dance) certified teacher and program ambassador.  Her choreography and teaching style reflect her focus empowering her students to make a difference in their communities through their art. Emily has been seen on stage, screen, print and television both nationally and internationally. She has been fortunate enough to work in multiple areas of the entertainment industry. She’s worked both in New York and LA as a model, an actor and of course her first love and passion, a dancer. A few of her favorite credits include Nike, Macy's, Mercedes Benz, Loreal, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Freeform Network. Emily has also been a volunteer with Kids for Kids, Dancing for Life, Inc., a non-profit organization which raises funds and support for sick and needy children primarily through the art of dance since the organization’s founding in 1994. Since 2005, she has served on the Board of Directors. Emily is the founder of The emPower MOVEment. A social platform, in studio workshops and classes, that offers support for the developing human spirit in young people through dance and related activities to promote positive growth of both mind and body. After spending over a decade in Los Angeles, performing, and teaching, Emily could not be happier to be back in her home state of Connecticut sharing her passion for dance.