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

Our Founder, Director & Dance & Fitness Instructor

Rachele Kakles founded The Dance Haven for one reason: her passion to teach and share her knowledge with anyone who has the desire to dance. She opened this dance "haven” so that all students could be properly educated and gain appreciation for dance and the performing arts.

She studied dance with retired instructor Anne Marie Chiampa Pace (Anne Marie’s School of Dance, Winthrop MA) for 15 years where she assisted and discovered her love for teaching. In addition to her dance experience, Rachele has training in gymnastics, theater, and voice. She holds a Business Degree with a Marketing Concentration, Minor in Dance along with a Certification in Physical Fitness & Training. her studies in dance are on going. Through various conventions and entertainment groups Rachele has trained with many renowned dance professionals over the years.

Rachele's dance teaching methods are fueled by her passion for dance, her training and creativity. Rather than adhering to one style of training, she draws the best from many styles. Primary emphasis is always placed on correct alignment, positive attitude, and on a graded approach to material so that the dancers extend their skills in a balanced way, without injury and help students to appreciate the art of dance and music. They are prepared to go on in their training in many forms of dance. Rachele encourages her students to take dance to the level that is fun and rewarding for them individually and believes that dance is a positive way to improve your quality of life.

Rachele enjoys working at various local gyms, schools and at community,events and fundraisers. She loves teaching in a community based environment because it allows her to give personal attention, build relationships and help individuals to strive towards their dance and fitness goals. Rachele has been a licensed Zumba® Instructor and Zumba Gold® Instructor since 2009 and has received rave reviews from clients with and without past dance and fitness experience. She teaches a variety of group fitness and dance classes for all levels. When not volunteering to run the studio, she works a full time job in Recruitment & Human Resources and loves to travel and spend 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

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 all 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 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!

Meagan McGuinley - 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 20th 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!

Jasmine Schena- Instructor

Jasmine started dancing at The Dance Haven when she was three years old. She has studied many genres of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, Hip hop, lyrical and musical theater. Jasmine has been teaching with the Dance Haven since 2017, being first an assistant teacher then an instructor. Jasmine has gone to school for early education at bunker Hill Community College. She is also a certified Cosmetologist and makeup artist with the state of Massachusetts. She's excited to be back in the studio this again season!

Sophia Camelio- Instructor

Sophia started dancing at The Dance Haven when she was four years old. She danced at The Dance Haven for 16 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.

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.