Meet Sharon DiCrosta, Owner of The Dancer's Studio Shoreline

Right in Northford's backyard, world-traveled and New York City-trained Sharon DiCrosta has taken her expertise and shared it with kids, teens and adults across the gamut at the .

From classical Russian ballet to contemporary hip-hop, DiCrosta and her team of five dance teachers are shaping future professionals and advancing the techniques of the young and the old with between 250 and 300 students a week.

As she celebrates four decades of teaching at The Dancer's Studio Shoreline, DiCrosta takes a break to share her story with Patch. 

North Branford Patch: How did you get involved in teaching dance?

Sharon DiCrosta: I had danced my whole life and enjoyed teaching so I decided I'd make a little money teaching dance. It just stuck and I never stopped doing it. When I started teaching, I was able to teach enough to afford to take classes and train I opened up my first studio when I was 20 in New Haven. I built up a very strong clientèle and when my building went up for sale, I decided I wasn't ready to retire. The place I'm in now was available so I relocated. At first it was a struggle, financially, but business has been well over the years so we went with it.

North Branford Patch: How did your own dance career begin? 

DiCrosta: I started off early on in the New Haven area and then as a teen moved on to New York City. I enjoyed that, it was fun. It wasn't too terrible there since there was no auditioning. The auditioning process started later, which is tough. It's difficult like anything else in the arts.

North Branford Patch: What type of dance do you teach?

DiCrosta: I teach primarily jazz, tap, acrobatic, hip hop, ballet – ballet is my favorite.

North Branford Patch: What do you and your staff do to keep your own talents growing? 

DiCrosta: I continue to study, my staff are always taking classes and I find new material. Ballet is a technique that combines French and Russian methods – I don't teach any Cecchetti, though I am familiar with it. There wasn't a lot of tap way back when so it has evolved and is a continuing process. Luckily I was able to study with some of the better teachers. 

I've done my own share of judging and teaching master classes as well and performing. in town, is actually a ballet teacher, too. Her young daughter dances with me and she has taught in my summer programs. It's very funny seeing her in ballet class and owning a .

North Branford Patch: What ages do you teach?

DiCrosta: We start at age two and through adult. There's a creative movement class for the two-year-olds, which is good for social skills, following directions, becoming adjusted to music and movement, but all geared for two- and three-year-olds. A good starting time for dance is seven or eight years, but I teach two and up.

North Branford Patch: Are there any performance or competitions your students attend?

Dicrosta: We actually have a competitive team and recreational team. A lot of kids enjoy the competitive team, it's maybe 30 that dance competition and they call themselves the Legacy Dance Team. There's a Benefit Fest on March 10, which acts as a sort of dress rehearsal. We charge for tickets and that money goes back into a general expense fund for travel and things. We also have an annual recital in June.

North Branford Patch: Has dance ever taken you outside of America?

DiCrosta: I went to Germany several times for the tap dance championship and in 1998 I took team of pre-teens to Slovenia where they won the championship. We had 18 dancers between the ages of 10 and 13 and I took all of them and their mothers, many of whom had never been out of the country. It's a lot of fun. There's some kids now who are really expressing an interest. It's quite the experience.

North Branford Patch: Do any of your students move on to dance careers?

DiCrosta: Actually quite a few. Most end up as teachers. Former students have their own schools or teach at schools. Several have moved on to Los Angeles and New York or are in college majoring in dance and performing. It's fun to follow them and watch kids whose parents maybe didn't really support that choice, and then find out years later they're dancing professionally or going to college for dance and their parents have come along. Mine were always very supportive. 

North Branford Patch: What do you love about your job?

DiCrosta: It's the best job in the world because I have different faces and students every day. I really enjoy the kids and enjoy what I do every day.

For more information on classes or the Benefit Fest on March 10, DiCrosta can be reached at (203) 484-2100.