Kicks Dance Center

Kicks Dance Center at 295 Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton, Connecticut offers dance education for children and teens in a deliberately fun and non-competitive environment. It is a multi-generational family business tracing back to 1946, when Zita Carrano took over the local studio she had been dancing at, originally as Zita Carrano Dance Studio; her daughter Nancy Altieri now directs it as second-generation owner, and Nancy's own daughters and staff continue teaching. Nancy trained from age three, began professional training in New York City at twelve, studied across genres at Broadway Dance Center and ballet at Steps of NYC and Ballet Etudes of CT, and taught and performed ballroom for fifteen years. Broadway theatre has been a strong influence on the studio's work. The school stresses a safe environment where students express emotion through art and build positive self-image, and its calendar includes holiday parties, end-of-year rehearsals and a spring showcase.