Christine Harris has been the director of Moving Light Dance School and Company since 2000. Moving Light Dance Company is a collaboration between local artists and students of the school. The company presents the original Green Mountain Nutcracker, a traditional Nutcracker story with a made in Vermont twist, as well as a new spring work annually at the Barre Opera House. The Moving Light Dance Summer Performance Intensive has presented original works including the Velveteen Rabbit, Wisdom of the Herbs and an original interpretation of Giselle.

Christine has choreographed and/or performed for many local community events such as Traces, All Species Day, Celebrate the Winooski, Enchanted Forest, Ice on Fire, First Night, 350 Vermont Climate Change Cabaret and the Celebration of the Earth Charter at Shelburne Farms. She danced the role of the Farmer and other farm animals and vegetables in Ballet Vermont’s Farm to Ballet. She has presented work at the Winter Dance Gala with the Vermont Dance Alliance and collaborated with duo pianist Mary Jane Austin and vocalist Erik Kroncke to present “La Belle Vie” at the Plainfield Opera House.

Christine teaches creative movement, ballet and modern classes. Her students have gone on to attend programs at schools such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Joffrey Ballet, ABT, Nutmeg Conservatory, Burklyn, Chicago Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and Boston Ballet.

She grew up dancing in NYC at the Staten Island Ballet and Martha Graham School. She earned a BFA from SUNY Purchase Dance Conservatory. During her studies at Purchase Christine came to Vermont one March with her composition teacher Tarin Chaplin for a weekend of outdoor site specific choreography. She created a dance on a clear cut hillside on a farm in Worcester. This experience was by far one of the most inspiring as well as healing. Eventually Christine, by following her heart, ended up in Vermont where she founded Moving Light Dance School and Company in 2000 in Plainfield.

Brandy Ann Perez received her Bachelor of Arts in dance from Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA. Before that, she studied at the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, with the Chartiers Valley Arts Council Dance Company (later, The Carnegie Performing Arts Center), and Pat’s Dance Studio. Her dance education has focused on ballet, but also includes jazz, tap, modern, folk, and historical dance.

After college, Brandy performed, taught dance, and choreographed for shows at Frontiertown Western Theme Park in Maryland. Since moving to Vermont, she has been a member of the Vermont Dance Collective, taught at Johnson State College and dance studios around the state, and has collaborated with many local choreographers, teachers, and arts organizations to bring dance to various communities, creating original choreography for performances and community events as well as ballets and musicals.

An Artistic Director until 2019, Brandy helped to found Ballet Wolcott, ran dance/performance programs, taught (ballet, pointe, lyrical, tap, Broadway jazz) classes, choreographed, and directed the Ballet Wolcott Youth Company and the annual Nutcracker.

Currently, in addition to teaching at Moving Light School of Dance, Brandy is Associate Managing Director at Lost Nation Theater and on the development committee for Vermont Dance Alliance.

Brandy cherishes her work with Moving Light's excellent teaching artists and supportive dance community: "I feel at home in this wonderful studio where dancers of all ages and abilities can explore dance in a safe, encouraging, and inclusive environment under the guidance of experienced and caring dance instructors."

Chloe Reynolds has always been a lover of movement, art, and music. She began dancing at Moving Light Dance at the age of 7, and later joined the Vermont Ballet Theater company at 14. In her later teen years, Chloe joined American Repertory Ballet as a trainee, and soon after moved to Florida to dance with Sarasota Ballet (also as a trainee). In addition to her extensive ballet background, Chloe is a former competitive gymnast who trained at Sunrise Gymnastics. Today she continues to explore her passion for movement in a variety of activities, including dance, rock climbing, and parkour.

Carissa Bellando is originally from New York and holds a MFA in Contemporary Dance from Case Western Reserve University and a BA in Theatre and Speech with a concentration in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance from Wagner College. She is also a Registered Vinyasa and Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RYT, RPYT) as well as certified Zumba Instructor.

Carissa performed professionally for thirteen years in Concert Dance and Musical Theatre throughout the US, Taiwan, and at sea with Norwegian Cruise Line and Aida Cruises before moving into teaching and choreographing full-time. Some of her favorite performance roles include Tumblebrutus in Cats, the Carpet in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Die Hexe (The Witch) in Es War Einmal (Once Upon a Time).

Carissa has taught and choreographed in the US and Germany for colleges, conservatories, theaters, dance companies, and numerous studios. Before moving to Vermont, she was an Adjunct Professor at her alma mater, Wagner College, for four and a half years. There Carissa choreographed five original full-length dance concerts and multiple musicals while teaching multiple levels of Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, Pointe, Tumbling, and Choreography/Composition.

Carissa’s passion for dance and love of sharing her knowledge through teaching can be seen in each of her classes. She believes that a true technical basis, in any genre of dance, is the key to learning and executing advanced movement. It is her goal to help her students hone their skills and progress in a way that best suits them, at any age or level, for each student is unique and every body beautiful.