Donna Schipani

Director

In September of 1986 Miss Schipani opened the Academy in the Hampstead Town Gym, just two days a week with only 50 students. The Academy has now grown to accommodate students from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Donna is a certified and fully accredited member of Dance Masters of America and the National Dance Council of America.

Ms. Schipani has extensive training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Pointe, Contemporary and Lyrical dance. She has studied with such notable instructors as Eleanor Rubino, Mandy Moore, Travis Wall, Twitch, Ray Leeper, Allison Holker to name a few. Miss Schipani exposes her students to a variety of workshops and conventions to expand and broaden their knowledge in dance and to prepare them for whatever avenue in the Performing Arts they wish to pursue. Donna prepares her students for Professional Auditions, College Auditions, Dance Teams and Community Theatre Auditions. Ms. Schipani also offers Teacher Assistant Training opportunities for those wanting a career as a Dance Instructor. Her students have performed at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida on 5 separate occasions and return every four years. We have performed at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH, the Monarchs Hockey Games, Recycled Percussion, Fisher Cats as well as several community events.

Here at the Academy, we strive to have well educated, certified and very dedicated staff who will instill their passion of dance with your child. We offer an atmosphere where every student will feel safe and comfortable. It is our goal to have your child Be the Best They Can Be.

Students of the Academy are Regional and National Dance Champions and several have gone on to professional dance companies as well as careers in major motion pictures and television.

Students of the Academy have volunteered their services for innumerable community and school programs for the Arts including: Atkinson Library Enrichment Day, St. Catherine’s Church Musical Theatre Camp in Nashua, Student Enrichment Day at Danville Elementary School, Timberlane Regional High School Career Day, St. Anne’s Summer Craft Festival-Hampstead, Sandown Old Home Days and the Miss Hampstead Pageant, as well as Move 4 the Movement a charity benefit for Breast Cancer Research.

Miss Schipani is the past Secretary/Treasurer and Membership Chairperson to Dance Masters of America and held the position of stage manager to the Miss Massachusetts Program—a preliminary to Miss America— for 11 years. Donna established both the HDA Performing Arts Co. as well as the Northeast Performing Arts Co. Both companies represent the Academy and allows dance students the opportunity to perform as part of their dance training.

The Hampstead Dance Academy was awarded the Top Studio Award in both the Dance USA and Sophisticated Production Regional events and Miss Donna, herself, was awarded the Class Act [Teachers] Teacher Award for her dedication to her students.