Elevé Academy Instructors
Kristen Veale
Founder & DIRECTOR
Kristen began her dance training at the age of 2 studying a variety of dance styles. Kristen began her dance training at LMT Dance Academy in Webster, MA and performed with the Dance Prism Ballet Company out of Concord, MA. She continued dancing at Westfield State University and was elected as the dance club president. Kristen worked with the school to establish a dance team to perform at sports events and competitions. Kristen earned a BA degree in Mathematics from Westfield State University and a MS degree in Operations Research Systems Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology.
Kristen began instructing jazz and tap classes at the age of 16 at LMT Dance Academy. Kristen has experience teaching and choreographing for both recreational and competitive dancers in ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary at Dance Sensation Dance Studio in Douglas, MA and the JCCNV Dance Academy in Fairfax, VA. Throughout her teaching career, Kristen has received choreography, entertainment, and technique awards for her work and dedication to developing well-rounded performers. Kristen continued her dance education at Joy of Motion Dance Center in Washington, DC and Ballet NOVA in Falls Church, VA. Kristen has also taught dance workshops at Ryerson Elementary School in Madison. In addition to her dance background, Kristen completed undergraduate coursework in Early Childhood Education, helping shape her passion for working with young children. She loves introducing children to the performing arts and helping dancers build confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of dance in a positive and encouraging environment.
Julia Advento
choreographer & instructor
Julia Advento is a dancer, choreographer, and neuroscience undergraduate with a lifelong passion for movement and artistic expression. She began dancing at the age of two and has trained extensively in a wide variety of styles, including ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, ISTD Modern, and even Irish dance. Having grown up overseas, Julia received much of her early training in international dance programs, developing both technical versatility and a unique artistic perspective.
Julia trained competitively for six years with the company at CenterStage Dance & Theatre School in East Brunswick, New Jersey, where she earned multiple regional and national titles alongside her teammates. Throughout her competitive career, she developed a strong foundation in performance, musicality, and storytelling while training under accomplished educators and choreographers.
Currently, Julia is pursuing a degree in Neuroscience and Behavior at Wesleyan University. There, she founded WesNeuroArts, a student organization dedicated to exploring the intersection between neuroscience and the arts. She is also an active member of Precision Dance Ensemble and FXT Collective, performing and choreographing contemporary, jazz, and hiphop for the Wesleyan community.
In addition to her performance experience, Julia spent two years working as an assistant dance teacher at CenterStage, where she discovered her passion for mentoring young dancers.
Julia is excited to join Elevé Academy this fall and share her diverse training and love of dance with the next generation of performers. She hopes to inspire dancers to embrace new challenges, explore different movement styles, and use dance as a powerful means of self-expression.
Ariyanna McDaniel
choreographer & instructor
Ariyanna McDaniel, from Middletown, CT; has been dancing for 16+ yrs. She is always seen in the studio, at a convention or even on the big stage with professional gigs. When not dancing for herself; she uses her time to choreograph for friends, teammates or even high school dance teams. Being able to see the training and guidance she gives to her young dancers pay off by witnessing their growth shows she is in the right place. Her greatest accomplishments have been the recognition for her choreography, placing 1st at numerous competitions and becoming an Elite Dancer for a 3rd year.
Ariyanna plans to follow her forged path to the professional world of dance by first stopping at Dean College for a BA in Dance Science with a minor in Business. See you on the big stage!
Rory Joslin
choreographer & instructor
Rory Joslin is currently pursuing a B.A. in Dance at Wesleyan University. His work centers on contemporary dance, improvisation, composition, and collaborative creative processes, with a growing interest in interdisciplinary performance.
At Wesleyan, Rory serves as Director of the Precision Dance Ensemble, leading a company of 25 dancers and overseeing the artistic and logistical coordination of rehearsals and performances. Rory has directed, choreographed, and danced in Precision’s numerous productions.
His training spans Contemporary, Modern, Hip-Hop, West African, Capoeira, Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. Informed by his education at Wesleyan, he believes that anyone can dance regardless of technical training and ability and strives to foster a fun, inclusive environment.
In Fall 2026, Rory will be participating in the Trinity/La MaMa Performing Arts Program in New York City, an immersive semester that connects students with professional artists, companies, and performance spaces across the city. He is excited to return to Connecticut in the Spring and to continue to work with Elevé Academy.
D'vine Straughter
Choreographer & Instructor
D’vine Straughter brings a passion for movement, creativity, and hip-hop culture to Elevé Academy. A graduate of Wesleyan University with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance, D’vine has spent the past four years choreographing, performing, and inspiring others through dance. While at Wesleyan, D’vine led multiple dance and performance groups, collaborating with fellow artists to create dynamic hip-hop showcases for the community.
Specializing in Hip-Hop and funk styles, D’vine has experience in a variety of street dance forms, including popping, locking, and voguing. A strong believer in honoring the foundations of hip-hop, D’vine blends old-school and new-school styles to help dancers appreciate the history of the art form while developing confidence, musicality, and personal style.
Teaching has become one of D’vine’s greatest passions. Through work with children’s summer camp programs, D’vine discovered the joy of helping young dancers build confidence, express themselves, and develop a lifelong love of dance. Every class is designed to be positive, energetic, and welcoming, creating an environment where dancers of all ages feel comfortable learning, growing, and finding their own groove.
Whether introducing students to their very first hip-hop class or helping experienced dancers refine technique and performance quality, D’vine is committed to building strong foundations while celebrating the creativity, history, and joy of hip-hop.
Ruby Cullen
Choreographer & Instructor
Ruby Cullen is a dancer and choreographer from Houston, TX. She has been training as an aerialist (specializing in silks and static trapeze) for a decade and began studying dance pre-professionally with Open Dance Project six years ago. Since then, she has trained professionally in, choreographed, and taught contemporary, modern, hip hop, ballet, commercial, aerial, and heels techniques with students ranging from young beginners to collegiate dancers. Her dance philosophy hinges on fusion between styles, with her movement vocabulary most frequently borrowing from release technique, waving, and various forms of floorwork. She is in her senior year of undergrad at Wesleyan University, pursuing a BA in Dance and a BA in Creative Writing. At Wes, she is a director of the FXT Dance Collective and member of Precision Ensemble, where she dances, choreographs, and teaches hip hop/commercial styles and contemporary/lyrical styles, respectively. She is currently writing her senior thesis in dance, researching and experimenting in score dance, self-soothing methods, and safe & uplifting pedagogical practices. This past summer, she worked directly under the director of the Bates Dance Festival as the festival's Producing Intern and became an Acrobatic Arts Certified Teacher. She is overjoyed to be bringing her love of dance and passion for teaching to Elevé Academy this year!