MEET THE CREATORS of DDP

Contemporary, Jazz,Tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Musical Theater, Pre-ProfessionalTraining,

Dance Fitness, Adjudicator, Competitive Coach

Choreographer for The Derryfield School

Manchester NH, Judge For Miss America Organization

Phyllicity Is Certified in :

Phyllicity Drennan is the Founder and Artistic Director of Drennan Dance Project, located in Concord, New Hampshire. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, she relocated to New Hampshire 22 years ago. As a competitive coach and instructor, Phyllicity has garnered numerous awards for her exceptional choreography and outstanding dancers throughout the competition scene. Her expertise spans various genres, including Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Musical Theater, Acro, Pre-Professional Program, and Fitness. Phyllicity is a certified teacher for Child Growth Development and Learning Center at Inspiring Minds Learning Center in Concord, New Hampshire, and Kitchen Manager at The White Birch Center in Henniker NH. She is also CPR certified. Phyllicity emphasizes the importance of having fun while perfecting skills to succeed in the dance world. She has trained with renowned dance masters in the industry, including Lynda Gache, Phil Black, Michael Owens, Debbie Dee, Gus Giordano, Bob Rizzo, Frank Hatchett, Celia Marta, Anastasia Brusnitsyna, Nadia Zhivotenk, and Robert Christopher. Phyllicity has taught workshops and master classes nationwide and has judged various competitions, including Miss America Organization beauty pageants in New Hampshire and New York. She credits Lynda Gache for most of her dance training. Phyllicity has also trained dancers at St. Paul’s Academy School in New Hampshire and BOCES Cultural Art Center on Long Island, New York. Her professional experience includes working with DEA, DMA, and touring with Art Stone’s Dance Olympus. Her stage credits include Hello Broadway and 42nd Street. Phyllicity has choreographed for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and a portion of the 1996 Super Bowl. She also choreographed the opening act for Selena Gomez and the Scene’s concert at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion in 2011. Phyllicity’s students have gone on to perform professionally in various Broadway shows, including Stomp, Swing, Tap Dance Kid, Tap Dogs, The Gene Kelly Story, Disney World Japan, and High School Musical Disney World Florida. Her students have also performed in the Broadway tour of Revolutions Tap Show, as Rockettes in New York and on tour, and in the Broadway show Legally Blonde. Currently, one of her students is featured in Jersey Boys, playing one of the lead roles of Joe Pesci and Frankie Valli.

PARENT TESTIMONIAL My daughter has been attending Drennan Dance Project for the past two years. Phyllicity has consistently invested time and effort into each dance piece. This past season, my daughter decided to compete, and although it required a significant time commitment and hard work, it was the best decision. My daughter has created countless memories with Phyllicity and her dance friends. I have also formed lasting bonds with the other mothers. The studio fosters a welcoming environment, akin to a family. We often organize team-bonding activities, such as attending plays or simply going out for ice cream together. Phyllicity has created an exceptional space for my daughter to shine and grow as a dancer. Alexis Cahill

PARENT TESTAMONIAL

My daughter has been going to the movement box dance studio for the past two years. Phyllis has always put so much time and effort into each dance piece. This past season my daughter decided she wanted to try competition. Even though I knew it was going to be a lot of hours put in and hard work that my daughter knew she was going to have to put in we did it and it was the best decision! My daughter has made countless memories with not just the teacher but with all her dance friends. I have made some great friends along with her, with the other moms. It truly is like a family. We all try to get the kids together to do things as a group for team bonding. Such as go to plays together or even simple things such as going out to ice cream together. It’s truly such a great and welcoming environment and it’s a great place for my daughter to shine and grow as a dancer.

Alexis Cahill

ANYA KELLEY

Anya Kelley has spent most of her life studying dance, and has a rich and varied background in the art form.  In her younger years, Anya trained under some of the most accomplished ballet dancers of our time. She spent five summers at the Russian Kirov Academy in Washington, DC and three at the Bossov Ballet Academy in Maine in the pursuit of the Russian Vaganova Ballet method, studying under famous dancers such as Angelina Armeiskaya, Andre Bossov and Ludmila Morkovina, all graduates of the Vaganova Academy of St. Petersburg, Russia and former principal dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet or the Kirov Ballet.  During the regular season, Anya studied with former principal dancers of American companies like the Boston Ballet and Ballet West, and was a member of the Southern New Hampshire Youth Ballet Classical Company. She performed in countless local ballets and musicals, including The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, West Side Story, Greece, Giselle, Les Miserables, and Sleeping Beauty.

Anya’s experience is not limited to ballet however.  An accomplished jazz and tap dancer, Anya was a member of a competition company for many years and placed in the top ten at nationals with her senior solo Contemporary entry. She was also a member of the Senior Jazz and Tap companies, and studied with well known local teachers like Mary Beth Marino, professor of dance at UNH, and Sue Harrington. After high school she spent a season with The Gulfshore Ballet in Florida working with a former New York City Ballet principal dancer, and then went on to study Fine Arts-Ballet at Utah Valley University.  There, along with ballet, she studied advanced Jazz, Character, Modern, Chorography, Dance Composition, and Ballroom, she was a member of the Repertory Ballet Ensemble, and performed at Regional Dance America.

In her college years, she was one of only four freshman dancers invited into the Utah Valley University Ballet Company where she performed professional classical and contemporary pieces.  Anya returned to New Hampshire after college with a great deal of training and performing experience, and feels privileged to share her experience and love of dance with the next generation. Recently her company pieces have scored high awards and titles at competitions, and she has entered pieces in the Youth America Grand Prix, the most notable classical pre-professional ballet competition in America.  

MAILLE ZELKO

Welcome To The DDP Creators Team !!!!

MAILLE ZELKO

Drennan Dance Project is excited to have

Maille Zelko Join our Dance Family!!!

Maille has been dancing since she was four years old. She is an alumni of Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater in Bedford, NH where she studied Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap and Hip-Hop, She has a love for choreography and has trained at the National Choreography Intensive twice as an emerging choreographer as well as attending Regional Dance America NorthEast Festivals while with Southern New Hampshire Youth Ballet. Maille has performed roles such as Dew Drop Fairy and Spanish soloist in “The Nutcracker”, and Pigtails Girl in “Graduation Ball”. She has also performed in several works by Ashley Pabst including “The Ugly Duckling”, “Cinderella”, “Princess and the Pea”, and “Snow White”. Additionally, Maille has performed in Ms. Pabst’s contemporary pieces that have won multiple choreographic awards. Come see @maille_z_03 perform on Saturday November 26th in “ A Journey through Christmas” to include a suite of @limondance #limon75 Jose Limon’s “There is a Time” www.robyngoulette.com for tickets. Photo by @annmarielidmanphoto

ELLA ROBERTS

New Team member @ DDP Ballet/Pointe Bio Below Ella Roberts danced at New England School of Dance (NESD) for nearly 12 years where she completed RAD examinations Grade 3 through Advanced Foundations and is currently a sophomore at UNH majoring in chemical engineering and dance. While at UNH, Ella is a part of UNH Ballet Company, a teacher and performer with Northeastern Ballet Theater, and newly a ballet instructor for the Movement Box Dance Studio. Previously, Ella has attended numerous summer intensives at NESD, Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory, Bossov Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hartford, and Festival Ballet Providence/Ballet Rhode Island. She has also done various master classes with notable artists like Christina Johnson, Paul Craig, Desmond Richardson, Sascha Radetski, Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside, Francesca Hayward, Caesar Corrales, Kathleen Breen Combes, Yuri Yanowsky, Rickey Rhodes, and more. At NESD, she competed in various dance competitions from American Dance Awards to Youth America Grand Prix where she placed in the top 24 senior classical division at YAGP in 2021, the top 12 senior contemporary division 2022 at YAGP, and was awarded the highest score for ages 13+ for her self-choreographed solo at ADA 2022. Finally, she has had the opportunity to perform lead roles such as: Tinkerbell, the Scarecrow, Sugarplum, Cinderella, Dewdrop, the Enchanted Garden Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, and the 1st Shade from La Bayadère.

CAITLIN SCOTT

Caitlin has been dancing since she was 3 years old. Her first 10 years of training were spent at N-step Dance Center, where she was a member of the competition team for 7 years. While at N-Step she trained in numerous styles including ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, and contemporary. She had won numerous high score awards and was Miss Teen Emerging Arts at Starquest. She also attended many conventions including Jump, Stars, Nuvo where she received a scholarship in jazz and contemporary, and Rebel where she received a performance scholarship. At the age of 13 she began to train and compete at New England School of Dance and Theater. Caitlin had the honor of training under the instruction of Alison Hart, Rachel Bobek, Kelly O’Brien and Peter Pawlyshyn. She also attend many dance competitions with NESD&T including American Dance Awards where she was 3rd overall for 17 year olds, Youth American Grand Prix, and Headliners. She also had the opportunity to dance for Boston Community Dance Project as a Teen Apprentice. Caitlin is currently a faculty member at NESD&T working in their office and substitute teaching. She still continues to train in dance by taking as many dance classes as she can including company class with N-Squared Dance. She is excited to start working with these amazing students and cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Amber Epstein is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and entrepreneur. She has recently finished out a year with the CLI Conservatory training under top choreographers in the industry. Some of them include the conservatory’s director, Teddy Forance, along with artists such as Brian Nicholson, Lex Ishimoto, Talia Favia, and many more. While at her time at the conservatory, Amber was able to help co-choreograph her first show, “This Is Not A Show,” directed by Madison Cundiff. She also recently traveled to Montreal to study under Victor Quijada and his company RUBBERBAND. Amber is a spirited and enthusiastic artist who yearns to share her passion for the arts to those around her.