About Us

Eduardo Vazquez

Creative Director / Co-Owner

Originally from Puerto Rico, Eduardo trained at the Concierto de Puerto Rico, studying ballet and several other disciplines. He also studied at the Ensayos Dance studios, performing in Aladdin, Carnival of Sin, and the Nutcracker. In 2008 he moved to Las Vegas to pursue his dream of becoming a professional performer. Upon arriving he became the director of Dance and a gymnastics coach at Desert Gymcats, a highly regarding facility in the Las Vegas Valley. Later the same year Eduardo accomplished his dream by joining the cast as a character in Cirque Du Soleil’s ‘Mystere’. He later took his talents around the world. He toured around Europe and had a residency in China.

Eduardo is very passionate performer and strives for perfection in his art form. After being in Connecticut for nearly 3 years he is excited to bring his experience, technique and his love for teaching to the area.

Gabriella Tuxbury

Tap Director

Gabriella Tuxbury will be the Tap Director at the Center of Dance Excellence. She began dancing at the age of two and continued on to spend eight years on a competitive dance team in Connecticut. She then began assisting classes her senior year in high school, and continued teaching tap, jazz, ballet, and hip hop during her freshman and sophomore years of college. In addition to teaching she is a competing member of the University of Connecticut’s Tap Team. This will be Gabriella’s 18th year dancing. She is extremely passionate about the art form and sport that is dance and wishes to share her love of it with each and every one of her students. Gabriella is currently a junior at the University of Connecticut studying chemistry and mathematics.

Leanne Baldwin

Ballet Director

Leanne is very excited to be the Ballet Director at the Center of Dance Excellence. She began dancing at Connecticut Concert ballet when she was four years old. There, she studied classical ballet and modern for fourteen years. At the age of 11, she began as an assistant teacher in both ballet and modern classes, and began subbing classes at age 16. In the summer of 2013, she traveled with Burklyn Ballet Theatre to Edinburgh, Scotland, to perform for two weeks in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She began working with a local modern company, dancEnlight, in the year 2014, and performed with them for three years. After graduating high school, she began working at Connecticut Concert Ballet as a regular faculty member where she continues to teach. Leanne has an intense love for the art of dance and couldn’t imagine her life without it. She finds that sharing this passion is very fulfilling, and hopes to inspire her students to find that same love themselves.

Grayson Stranko

Beginner Ballet Teacher

Grace MAclean

Assistant Acro Teacher