Encore Dance Studio

The Directors

Kelly Hirling Fouchi (Owner, Instructor)

Kelly is a working professional in the local theatre community as a dancer, actress, singer, and choreographer. Considering herself a dancer first, she enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge of dance and performance with her students and fellow performers. Her favorite "role" is being a mom to her own little dancers, daughters Tess and Savannah.

As a young dance student, Kelly diversified her training by studying with several prominent local dance teachers, as well as attending conventions and workshops. As she continued, she received overall highest honors at several regional and national competitive dance events. Kelly began theatrical performing in her early teens, and attended NOCCA as a dance student. Kelly has also trained at dance studios in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York, and attended Tulane University for Dance and Musical Theatre.

She has been employed as a dancer, performer and choreographer in many different facets including conventions in New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Miami, national commercials, a Mariah Carey video, educational software, and musical theatre. In New Orleans, Kelly has performed in over 50 musicals at various local theatres including Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre, Le Petit Theatre, Rivertown Repertory Theatre, and Jefferson Performing Arts Society. Theatre critics have written that her performances were “a highlight of the musical revue,” “performed to perfection,” “a director’s dream” and she “delivers musical comedy excitement and spectacular high kicks.”

As a choreogpapher, Kelly has created works fort the University of New Orleans, Tulane Summer Lyric, Tulane Junior Lyric, Rivertown Repertory Theatre, Le Petit Theatre and Jefferson Performing Arts Society, as well as an RC Cola Video. Her performances and choreography have been awarded Storeer Boone Awards (a local theatre award whereby outstanding works are nominated and voted on by one’s peers) and have also been recognized by the Big Easy Awards. She was also on the dance faculty at Salvation Studio and NOCCA Academy as a jazz and tap teacher, and has received Ancillary Certification by the State of Louisiana to teach Fine Arts. Kelly's favorite role is wife and also mommy to her two daughters.

Kristin Danflous (Tumbling)
Kristin has over ten years experience as a competitive gymnast. She has competed on a local, state, and regional level with the YMCA and Riverbend Gymnastics. After her competitive career was over, she naturally made the move into coaching where for over five years she taught children of all ages on both recreational and competitive levels. While in college at the University of Southern Mississippi, she was certified in aerobics through AAFA. She has had two years of teaching experience at Quest Lady Fitness. She also maintains a current CPR certification. Most importantly, she is the proud mother of two future tumblebugs.

Rich Arnold (Tap)
A New Orleans native, Rich moved back home soon after Katrina and is delighted to be performing and teaching locally again. While in New York, Rich studied tap with Randy Skinner and Germaine Salsberg, among others. His credits include the 1st National Tour & Moscow companies of 42nd Street, as well as various regional theatres outside New York including the Fulton Opera House. He holds a BA in English from the the University of Virginia. Since coming home, he's been active at several local theatres including Rivertown Repertory ( Urinetown, Thoroughly Modern Millie, ...Forum, South Pacific), Le Chat Noir (Bitter/Sweet), Tulane Summer Lyric (Pippin, Showboat), and Le Petit (Sugarbabies). By day, Rich is a grantwriter for a non-profit affordable housing development company. AMDG.

Nicole Eckrich (Tap, Ballet, Jazz)

Nicole started her dancing career in Walled Lake, Michigan in 1989. From there she has been dancing, teaching, and choreographing all over the world. She has trained all over the country including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Orlando. Nicole started her teaching career after graduating high school at Dance Dynamics, the studio she grew up in. She has taught children and adults of all ages. Other credits include performing and choreographing for Celebrity Cruises, performing with Universal Studios Orlando, and Harrah's Entertainment here in New Orleans. She is also an active performer and dance captain at Le Petit Theatre.

Megan Sauzer Harms (Acting)
Megan is from Luling, LA and graduated from LSU where she studied theatre. She worked extensively for Theatre West Virginia as an actress and acting instructor, starring in a regional tour of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and performing in mainstage summer musicals. Megan also performed in several shows for Swine Palace Productions in Baton Rouge, including a collaboration with Shakespeare and Company of Lenox, Massachusetts. Megan has performed in New Orleans for Le Petit Theatre, The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane, DRAMA, and The Tennessee Williams Festival. She recently earned a Storer Boone Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama for her work in Tennessee Williams' Something Cloudy, Something Clear. She is recognized by the Society of American Fight Directors for her proficiency in rapier and dagger stage combat and was awarded the Examiner's Award of Excellence for her proficiency in unarmed stage combat. She currently teaches the Talented Drama program at several schools in St. Charles Parish

Carrie Black (Ballet)
Carrie Black began her dance training at the Giacobbe Academy of Dance where she studied with Joseph and Maria Giacobbe, Richard Rholden, Ceyhun Ozsoy, and others. She was an original member of the New Orleans Youth Ballet with whom she performed in multiple full-length ballets such as Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. With Delta Festival Ballet, Carrie performed in The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, and Sleeping Beauty. Carrie's summer studies included two summers with the Boston Ballet, one summer as a trainee with the Joffrey Ballet, and the Musical Theatre Project of Tampa with Ann Reinking. She also attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, studying with Alton Geno, Denise Oustalet, and Lula Elzy. Carrie received her Bachelor of Science degree from Tulane University where she was a member of the Newcomb Dance Company from 1994-1998. Carrie then received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. While in Atlanta, Carrie continued taking classes at the Atlanta Ballet. Carrie has been an active member of the New Orleans theatre community since 1995.

Frannie Rosenberg (Hip Hop/Street)
Frannie has been teaching dance for the past 12 years, though she has danced for over 20. Usually found in the theater, she has recently been seen on stages across the New Orleans area, including The Jefferson Performing Arts Society, Rivertown Repertory Theater and Le Petit Theatre. She is the co-director/ choreographer of Overall Productions, a New Orleans community theatre group that specializes in musicals. Graduating cum laude from George Washington University in 2001 with a BA in theatre, she went on to be the Chair of the Dance Department at a private school in Maryland. Frannie has studied Dance and Dance History in New Orleans, DC and New York, and enjoys working on Video Choreography, dancing based on the works of MTV choreographers. She currently teaches Talented Theatre for St. Tammany Parish at three different schools.While in DC, Frannie taught Hip Hop at a local studio until she moved back home to New Orleans in 2002. Since then, she has been the creator and instructor of her own seminars in Hip Hop for the past six years.

Ruth Beron (Adult &Teen Beg/Int Tap)
Ruth began dancing at the Heslin School of Dance, but most of her childhood, teen and young adult years were spent under the instruction of “Mr. Anthony” Alessandra, performing in the usual dance reviews, high school variety shows and at local conventions and Mardi Gras Balls. As a young mom she studied ballet at LeClercq Ecole d'Ballet. Ruth never missed the opportunity to perform in parent variety shows when her children were in school. She embraced the opportunity to put the dancing shoes on once again when she accompanied her daughter to enroll her granddaughter at Encore the first year it opened. Soon she found herself back on the stage, and loving it! She performed in her first ever musical at Rivertown as a Pick-a-Little Lady in The Music Man (2002). Ruth has lent herself as a substitute class instructor on occasion, and approached Kelly with the idea of helping "beginner" adults who came to class and felt a little lost. The Adult “Learn to Tap” class began in the Fall of 2006. Her hope is to share her love of tapping with other adults (young and old), teens who have always wanted to give it a try and to those, who like herself, felt the burning desire to put the tap shoes on again! She will teach all the basics you need to go to the next level and beyond! Ruth is very proud of her two granddaughters, Breah and Bailyn Bender, who are Encore students.

Heather Kachtik (Pilates)
Heather has been teaching both Mat Pilates and Personal Training with Pilate’s equipment at Elmwood Fitness Center for the last year. She received her instruction and certification through Power House Pilates and her interest in Pilates came from her own issues with sciatic nerve pain. Pilates has proven to be the only exercise for her that provides relief.