meet our faculty - we can't wait to welcome you to our world

Our Founder, Director & Dance & Fitness Instructor

Rachele Kakles is the Founder and Director of The Dance Haven, established from her passion for dance and her commitment to providing quality education in dance and the performing arts. Her vision has always been to create a welcoming environment where students of all ages and abilities can learn, grow, and develop a lifelong appreciation for dance.

Rachele studied dance for 15 years with Anne Marie Ciampa Pace of Anne Marie’s School of Dance in Winthrop, MA, where she discovered her love of teaching. She has additional training in gymnastics, theater, voice, and fitness. She holds a degree in Business with a concentration in Marketing, a minor in Dance, and a certification in Physical Fitness & Training. She continues to expand her dance education through conventions, workshops, and training with renowned dance professionals.

As an instructor, Rachele emphasizes proper technique, alignment, creativity, confidence, and a positive approach to learning. Her teaching draws from a variety of dance styles, allowing students to build strong foundations while developing their individual abilities and appreciation for the art of dance.

In addition to directing The Dance Haven, Rachele teaches dance and group fitness throughout the community. She has been a licensed Zumba® and Zumba Gold® instructor since 2009, 200 Hour Yoga Certified and enjoys creating classes that are welcoming, energetic, and accessible to all fitness levels.

Outside of the studio, Rachele works full time in Recruitment & Human Resources and enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and family.

“ Dance, it is a constant in my mind; it’s all I ever wanted to do. Now I get to share it with others.” Rachele R. Kakles

Smiling woman with wavy hair inside a car.

team work makes the dream work

Christine Daly - Instructor

Christine began dancing at age five, training in ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical, and studied ballet for many years under Frances Kotelly. She continued her love for dance in college and beyond attending dance conventions and trainings nationwide and continues to grow as both a dancer and educator.

A certified NSCA-CSCS professional, she is passionate about combining fitness and dance to promote strength, health, and longevity in dancers. She loves using creativity and storytelling in her choreography to help students connect with their movement.

She has been at The Dance Haven for over 20 years and she is proud to be part of its close-knit, family-oriented community alongside her longtime friend Rachele.

Jillian Russo- Instructor

Jillian began dancing at the age of three and has been in love with dance ever since. With over 30 years of dancing experience and more than 15 years of teaching, she is passionate about sharing her knowledge and helping her students reach their goals. Jillian loves watching her dancers grow throughout the year and finds it especially rewarding when a student masters something they’ve been working hard on. She enjoys celebrating those wins and helping her students connect emotionally to their movements and tell a story through dance. Jillian teaches a variety of styles including tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and hip-hop. She studied dance at UMass Boston and Bridgewater State University and trained in The Dance Haven’s pre-professional program. Jillian has been dancing and teaching at The Dance Haven for the past 20 plus years and loves creating choreography that challenges her students to grow and reach their full potential. One of her greatest joys is now teaching her four-year-old daughter, Rian, and watching her love for dance grow each week. In addition to dance instruction, Jillian is licensed to teach Zumba and Zumba Gold.

Jenna Lossio Coakley - Intructor

Jenna is a Boston based choreographer, educator and dancer who holds degrees in dance and elementary education. She has been an educator for 10 years, and grew up dancing at The Dance Haven! Her passion for the arts has given her the opportunity to choreograph for theater productions like Finding Nemo, Bye Bye Birdie, Seussical the Musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and more. She has performed in companies like Danceworks Boston, and has taught several creative movement and dance programs for children of all ages in the Boston area. Nothing gives her more joy than helping others discover their love for dance, especially in her home studio that she has been a part of for over 20 years!

Liv Kierce - Instructor

Liv began dancing at The Dance Haven at age two and spent the next 15 years studying many genres of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, lyrical, and modern. While in college, she was the choreographer for the Stonehill Musical Theater Club and choreographed for Be More Chill, Percy Jackson the Musical, and Evil Dead the Musical. She graduated from Stonehill in 2025 with a B.A. in English and a Minor in Creative Writing and Gender & Sexuality Studies. She’s excited to be back at The Dance Haven and helping new dancers find their passion. Liv began dancing at The Dance Haven at age two and spent the next 15 years studying many genres of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, lyrical, and modern. While in college, she was the choreographer for the Stonehill Musical Theater Club and choreographed for Be More Chill, Percy Jackson the Musical, and Evil Dead the Musical. She graduated from Stonehill in 2025 with a B.A. in English and a Minor in Creative Writing and Gender & Sexuality Studies. She’s excited to be back at The Dance Haven and helping new dancers find their passion.

Anya Casieri - Instructor

Anya has been part of the DH family since opening day over 20 years ago! The Dance Haven has always been such a special place for her, providing a sense of belonging, stability, and love, as well as a space to truly express herself through dance while growing up.

Now in her third year of teaching, Anya loves spending her Saturdays working with the studio’s young dancers. She hopes to contribute to their positive experiences as students and members of the DH family, just as her own teachers did for her throughout the years. She is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the studio that has played such an important role in her life and to help create the same meaningful experiences for the next generation of dancers.

Anya is a graduate of Merrimack College and is currently working full time while preparing for her upcoming wedding in 2027!

Sophia Camelio- Instructor

Sophia started dancing at The Dance Haven when she was four years old. She danced at The Dance Haven for 17 years studying many genres including ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theater, contemporary, modern, and lyrical. Sophia had experience as an assistant teacher at The Dance Haven from 2018-2022 and has been a summer dance instructor since 2022. Currently in college, she dances on the Emmanuel College Dance Team performing pom and hip hop, competing hip hop at local and regional competitions and UDA Nationals in Orlando, Florida. She will graduate from Emmanuel College in May of 2026 with a B.S. in Nursing, aspiring to be a pediatric nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is CPR/AED and First Aid certified. She’s excited to be back at the studio and teaching with us this season.

Meagan McGuinley - Substitute Instructor

Meagan started dancing at The Dance Haven when she was five years old. She danced at The Dance Haven for 12 years and continues to dance now entering her 21st year of dance! While she was a student at the Dance Haven she took many genres including ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, hip hop, musical theater, contemporary, modern, and lyrical.

While in college, she was on the Umass Lowell dance team for four years performing pom, jazz and hip hop and competed at NDA Nationals in Daytona, Florida. She graduated from Umass Lowell in 2022 with a B.S in Exercise Science with clinical option and a minor in Psychology where she gained experience with personal training. Post college, she auditioned for DanceWorks Boston and has continued dancing with the company for seven seasons now as well as being selected to choreograph two pieces for them. She is also a member of Fusion Dance Collective and was in their film piece Midnight Oil over the summer (2025). She loves being involved in the Boston dance community and hopes to continue to have the opportunity to do so in the future!

She is Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED certified and currently works as an Exercise Specialist in Woburn. She works with clients of all abilities/ capabilities and a variety of medical complications. She teaches fitness classes there once a week as well as duo and one on one training. She loves to help people reach their fitness goals and watch her clients succeed! She’s excited to see all the students shine on stage at the recital and watch their hard work throughout the year!