About Us
Vicki Frantz
Vicki is the founder, director, and main choreographer of Vicki's School of Dance. When she opened her doors in 1977 she was only 17 years old. Vicki knew from the start that dance was her passion in life and she was determined to one day open her studio. When she first opened she taught out of her garage with only 18 students. It only took her a few years to grow out of the garage and then she built her beautiful in-house studio. Vicki has been teaching students from ages 2 to adults for the past 46 years. Vicki and her students have performed in many shows, parades, and events in the area. The Senior Dance Company has won multiple awards over the years in dance competitions, parades, and performances including the National Dance Competition in Florida. Vicki has had students go on to dance in college, teach dance at the collegiate level, dance for the Red Claws, and open their studios.
In and out of High School Vicki took multiple business classes to prepare her for life as a business owner. She has attended many dance conventions and dance studio owner groups so she could keep up to date with the latest dance techniques and moves. Vicki has also had the privilege of learning from many renowned choreographers. Vicki loves working with children and the art of dance. She works hard to pass that passion on to them. She continues to pass to her students all of her knowledge, love of dance, and positive self-image which she hopes they will carry with them through life. This season will be her 46th season teaching dance. Vicki has always had high expectations for herself as well as her students and will continue to strive toward dance excellence.
Ballet, Jazz, Tap & Dance Companies Instructor
Shanay Gilbert
Shanay has been a member of the Vicki's School of Dance staff since 2014, teaching a large number of our classes. When she's not in the studio teaching, she runs the studios' social media pages and teaches private dance lessons. She started dancing for Vicki at the age of two and hasn't stopped since. During her time as a dancer at Vicki's, she was a member of both the Junior & Senior Dance Society and was on the competition team. She has performed in numerous shows, musicals, performed at the Portland Pirates, danced with the Rockettes, and has over twenty competitive titles under her belt. Shanay graduated from the University of Maine in 2018 where she majored in Kinesiology and Physical Education with a concentration in Exercise Science. With this background in the body, she is the perfect teacher for our private lessons and technique classes. Along with her degree, she also minored in dance. While at UMaine she took classes in the style of Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Ballroom, and Choreography. When she wasn't in class she was attending dance workshops put on by many prestigious dance companies including Alvin Ailey, and BodyTraffic. There is never a time you will not find her dancing. Dance is her passion and she one day plans on following in her mother's footsteps, by taking over more classes at the studio and eventually one day own the studio when Vicki retires.
When Shanay is not in the studio she enjoys spending time with her fiancé and their gold retriever Gus.
Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Pointe & Private Lesson Instructor
Christina Gardner
Christina has been working at the studio for over 20 years. She is a studio assistant in the Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade classes. You can see her love for ballet and jazz when shes working with the students. Before becoming a studio assistant, Christina taught Ballet at the studio for over 20 years. She has since stepped back so she can spend more time with her children, and getting to watch them excel in their school activities and jobs. Christinas dance education started when she was just three years old. She took dance class from her local studio in Florida where she grew up. In college she was on both the dance team and cheerleading team. When in college, Christina performed at numerous places, including Disney World in Florida. When not working at the studio, she is a full time Kindergarten teacher. In her spare time she enjoys crafting, traveling and spending time with her husband, their four sons and their dog.
Studio Assistant (K-2 Classes)
Alison Dyer
Alison has been with the studio for over 19 years. She was a member of the studios dance company for seven years and competed in numerous competitions during her time in the Dance Society. Dyer was happy to pass on her passion of dance to her daughter who is now a member of Vicki's dance company. When Alison is not working with the little dancers, she works for the State of Maine.
Studio Assistant (3-4 & 4-5 Combo Classes)
Studio Assistant (3-4 & 4-5 Combo Classes, 3-4 Grade Classes)
Emma Charest
