Staff

Monika Benson
(Modern, Ballet, and Performance Ensemble)
Monika holds a BA in Dance from Dean College. Upon graduation, she completed an internship at the Boston Ballet School as a Teacher's Assistant in the Children's Program. In December 2018, Monika published her first book titled "Dance: The Movement of Life" which emphasizes how dance never stops throughout the duration of one's life. Her most notable performances include Young Choreographers Festival at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, Accept Me at Joyce Theatre, and Dancers Responding to AIDS Dance from the Heart at Cedar Lake Theatre. Monika continues to share her love of dance through teaching and choreographing throughout the region. Her choreography has been recoginzed at dance competitions on a regional and national level. Monika is grateful to have the opportunity to train the next generation of dancers and looks forward to a fantastic season of dance.

Michael Diaz
(Hip Hop)
Michael was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. At the age of 11 he was inspired by a video of Chris Brown, and hasn’t stopped dancing since. While in Jenks Jr. High School he was mentored by the notable teacher, Nikki Carrara, who introduced him to the professional dance world. While there he studied Jazz, Modern, Ballet and Tap. Wanting to expand his knowledge of dance and improve in his favorite style, hip-hop, he studied under the Hip-hop master teachers Kelvin Fabian and Nino Perez. Michael graduated from the JMW School for the Performing and Visual Arts as a dance major, where he was mentored by Tovah Bodner Muro. He is known for his ability to improvise, his musicality, and his body control in a wide range of urban styles including Popping and Housing. Having participated in the national convention, Masters of Hip-Hop in Freestyle battles, Michael won 3rd place overall in 2012 and 1st place overall in 2017. He was awarded scholarships to study at both the Alvin Ailey School, and Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Michael performed with the Hip-Hop dance crew “Empire” in World of Dance BOS15 presented by Paul Mitchell. He is currently a member of the Rhode Island urban dance crew “Livelihood”. He is excited to be a member of the Fusionworks Dance Academy staff.
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​Sheramy Keegan-Turcotte
(Creative Movement, Pre-A)
​Sheramy was born and raised in Massachusetts.  She holds an MSc in Dance Science with Merit from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory, and also holds an AA in Dance from Dean College. While living in New York she had the pleasure of performing with artists including Jana Hicks, Noemie LaFrance's SENS Production, Isabel Gotskowsky and Dancers,  Avila/Weeks Dance, Cornfield Dance, Ko-Ryo Dance Theater and Silver Brown Dance among others. She has also performed nationally and internationally with the Next Stage Project and has performed in works by Kevin Wynn, Oliver Steele, Doug Elkins and Jane Franklin. She danced with Fusionworks Dance Company from 2007-2018, and was a member of their educational team which worked to bring curriculum-based modern dance into the public school system. Sheramy is also a certified Pilates instructor, and has worked extensively as a dance researcher, grant writer and arts administrator. Her award winning research has been presented at the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science conference, and has been published in the Medical Journal of the Performing Arts. Sheramy is currently an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Dean College, Franklin, MA. 

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Brittni Laquidara
​(Pre-B)
Brittni is a dancer, visual artist, and mother of two from Central Massachusetts. She
received her initial dance training from the Dancing Arts Center in Holliston, MA and spent her
summers training at schools such as Central Florida Ballet, Bossov Ballet Theatre, and the
Taylor School. She graduated from UMass Amherst with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Fine
Art in 2013 and has been dancing, teaching, and working as an independent visual artist for the past serveral years.

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Kalyn Messier
(Tap, Jazz, Lyrical)
Kalyn started dancing when she was 3 years old in her mother's gymnastic and dance school Shake Rattle & Roll, located in North Attleboro MA. When she was five she continued her ballet training with her grandmother at the renowned Sarizan's School of Dance. At eighteen, she started teaching classes at the studio and increased her knowledge with studies in lyrical, jazz, tap and hip-hop. In 2014, after the passing of her grandmother, Kalyn became the owner of the studio and renamed it My Forever Stars Dance Studio! After a year, she realized that she would need to close down the school in order to pursue her own education and to better herself as a teacher. In addition to teaching at Fusionworks, Kalyn has taught at Inspire Dance Academy in Franklin, and has been coaching youth cheerleading for the last 6 years. She also works at a Robbins Childrens Programs, and is going to school full time at Rhode Island College. She is excited to be part of the Fusionworks family where she teaches a variety of forms including Tap, Jazz, Ballet, and Lyrical.

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Stephanie Stanford Shaw
(Ballet, Modern, Jazz) 
Stephanie has been with Fusionworks Dance Company since 1992 and retired from her professional dance career with Fusionworks in 2013 to concentrate more on teaching. She currently teaches at the Fusionworks Dance Academy and in public and private schools and studios throughout the area. Her formal study began with prima ballerina, Anamarie Sarazin at the Sarazin School of Dance, she then went on to perform as a principal dancer with Cumberland Company and received her BFA in dance from the Boston Conservatory. Stephanie is a member of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts' Artist in Residence Educational Roster.