Faculty

Kathryn “Kat” Morrill, Artistic Director/Instructor/Choreographer

“Kat” hails from Southbridge and began her dance training at SMDC at the age of four. In her teen years, she competed in many dance competitions, as well as dance workshops, in the region.

Her training in dance continued at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where she earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Jazz Dance Performance. During her degree program, she was honored to study under professionals such as Ronen Koresh, Scott Jovovich, Zane Booker, Robert Burden, and others. 

She is one of the original members of Xhale Dance Company and has performed with them at the Fringe Festival in Philadelphia. After graduation, she danced and choreographed with Project Moshen, another Philadelphia dance company.

As a choreographer, Kat has created routines that have been performed at the baseball games of the Philadelphia Phillies.


She has since relocated to Massachusetts and has been teaching and choreographing at SMDC for more than ten years. If you have the chance, pop into one of Kat’s classes and you’ll see she “brings the heat” to her steps, pilates heat, that is. Kat is Level 1 Inferno Hot Pilates trained and loves to bring her pilates knowledge, hot and otherwise, to class.

Ashley Bousquet, Instructor/Choreographer

Ashley is currently teaching all genres of dance as well as being an Acro Arts instructor at SMDC. She attended the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public High School, studying dance and music. She went on to Dean College and later completed her BFA in dance at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in choreography and performance. 

She began her formal dance training at the age of three-and-a-half and has been teaching and creating for nearly 20 years. Recognized as an accomplished choreographer, her works have been performed up and down the east coast at venues such as Trinity College, New World School for The Arts, Bates College, and The Pulse in Boston.

She has studied dance with the likes of Bubba Chuck Davis, David Dorfman, Bill Evans, Jen Polins, Tom Vacanti, and many others.

The versatile portfolio of dance styles she teaches includes jazz, tap, modern (a personal favorite), lyrical, ballet, and musical theatre

Ashley looks to dance as an escape and a way of healing, a method to release her deepest emotions. Through creating works of choreography, she shares herself and her deepest thoughts. It’s no wonder that her outside activities include playing guitar and writing music.

Rachel Hearnlaye, Instructor & Choreographer

Rachel literally “toddled” into SMDC to begin her dance training when she was only two-and-a-half years old. Now, more than fifteen years later, she has returned to SMDC as a Dance Instructor and Choreographer.

She graduated from Auburn High School with high honors and graduated in the spring of 2021 with her Bachelor’s of Mathematics from Clark University in Worcester.

Her lifelong love of dance, and 15 years of dance training, have led her to compete in regional and national competitions with groups and as a solo dancer. As a freshman at Clark, she happily joined their Hip-Hop Collaboration dance group and became the director for her junior year. Her love of Hip-Hop started with Keith Silva’s choreography in 2010. 

The Collaboration dance group performs during halftime shows for a variety of sports, puts on its own show each semester, as well as other events at Clark and around Worcester. Besides teaching dance, Rachel works in the Student Accounts Office at Clark and choreographs the yearly school plays for Leicester High School.

When not working at Clark or teaching dance, you might find Rachel hunkered down watching episodes of Gray’s Anatomy–or baking a cake!

Catie Leasca, Choreographer

Catie Leasca is a dance artist currently based in Brooklyn, NY. With roots in Massachusetts, she has traveled and danced abroad in Israel, France, Belgium, and Germany. Catie has worked professionally with Netta Yerushalmy, Helen Simoneau Danse, Jessie Young, MG+Artists, She Me Zoo and Bryn Cohn + Artists. Catie has been awarded residencies at Gibney Dance through Work Up 5.0, New Dance Alliance through LiftOff and was a 2019 Space Grant Recipient, as well as an Upstart artist at Brooklyn Arts Exchange. She has shown her work at Movement Research through Judson Church, FAILSPACE at The Woods, Center for Performance Research, Dixon Place, Triskelion Arts, WIP IV at STUDIO4, CreateART/Dance in Bushwick, and Salt Dance Fest, among others. Catie has taught in NYC at Gibney Dance, Bridge for Dance and FAILSPACE, as well as Cedar Crest College and many studios across New York and New England. Most recently, Catie received the Masterworks Foundation Choreography Award and was a dancer in Janessa Clark's newest work, COMMUNION, a 2021 Bessie nominated work, which has been shown at American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, Here Arts Center, as well as in Stockholm and Berlin. Catie's writing can be found in Dancegeist Magazine.

Catie graduated with her B.F.A. in Dance from The University of the Arts, under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. She received the Dean’s Award for Excellence and the School of Dance Sustainability award upon graduation. Catie studied intensely under Katie Swords and Jesse Zaritt, among many other incredible mentors.

Keith Silva, Choreographer

Keith Silva is the Director/Choreographer for the dance company "Movement Specialists" established in Fall River in 2006 (2015-2016 Prelude New England Hip Hop Dance Competition Champions, , 2019 2nd place, 2017 3rd place). 

Keith has choreographed for Jordan Knight (lead singer for New Kids On The Block) solo tour "Live and Unfinished"; for the comedy group "The Portuguese Kids"; for XBOX Dance Central (Assistant choreographer to Nick DeMoura) and for The Boston Celtics various dance teams.  Keith first visited Dance Designs as an "Artistry In Motion" intensive guest teacher in 2013 then joined our faculty permanently in 2014.   

As a performer, Keith can be seen in “Ghostbusters 3” (2016 Feature Film, Dancer), "Passionada" (2002 Feature Film, Dancer) & "Jungleland" (2019 Feature Film, Actor/Extra).  He also is a Videographer & Custom music mix producer/editor working for shows including The Monsters of Hip Hop in LA.  

Keith furthers his own training with The Monsters of Hip Hop Workshop; The Pulse Tour; Broadway Dance Center (NY); Alvin Ailey Studio (NY); Millennium Dance Complex (LA); The Debbie Reynolds Studio (LA); Movement Lifestyle (LA) & The KAOS Tour.

Tim Fournier, Choreographer

Tim's professional experience includes Broadway's Peter Pan, West Side Story, Radio City Music Hall, Walt Disney World, Mirimax Films, Children's Television Workshop, International Dance Performances on Stage and Television and Dance Choreographer for Concerts, Competitions, and Music Videos.

Tim has recently returned to the United States after living/working in Thailand's Pop Music Industry. Tim is also known as a Host, Judge and Special Awards Judge for American Dance Awards Dance Competition. He has worked with American Dance Awards 20 years since age 16. Tim has also been on faculty as a master teacher for Dance Masters of America chapters across the US and Canada as well as Dance Olympus and ADA South Africa. Finally Tim has performed as a dancer in China, Japan, Thailand, France, Switzerland, Germany, Carribean, and the United States.

Jaime Tinevez, Instructor & Choreographer

Jaime began her degree in Contemporary dance at the University of Calgary in 2005, and left in 2008 to dance professionally for many years. She later finished her degree in 2016. From her experience as a professional dancer to her current role with Lime Entertainment, she brings a unique and well rounded perspective to the industry today.

Claire Crossman

Claire has danced for 17 years, 9 at SMDC. She graduated from Marianapolis Preparatory School in 2023. She now attends Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Claire is currently studying Elementary Education & English. Her love for dance has continued through college as she is on Assumption's division II Dance Team. She is beginning her second year on the team. This team competes for a national title in Daytona Beach, Florida every year.

Julia Moberg

Julia began her dance training at SMDC back in 2007. Immediately something clicked, and she this was where she wanted to be. She then went on to compete in several competitions and conventions throughout her 14 years with SMDC... both as a soloist and as a part of an amazing team of dancers. She graduated from Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in 2021. Since then the has returned to the studio to reflect her love for dance on to the next generation!