Faculty

With unmatched experience and expertise, our faculty empowers dancers to reach their goals, refine their technique, expand their artistry, and thrive in a warm, supportive environment.

  • Founder · Owner · Director

    Michelle Chwastiak is a choreographer and instructor with 17 years of teaching experience. She began her dance training under Charlotte Klein in Worcester, MA, and went on to earn her BA in Dance from Dean College, graduating Summa Cum Laude, as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and as the recipient of the Joan Phelps Paladino Award for outstanding talent in dance and promise in dance education.

    During her studies, Michelle trained internationally at the Laban School in London and Dock 11 in Berlin. After graduating, she moved to New York City, where she continued her professional development at the Ailey School, Broadway Dance Center, and Steps on Broadway. She performed with several contemporary dance companies and later launched her own company, presenting work throughout NYC.

    After more than a decade in New York, Michelle found her home on Cape Cod in Yarmouthport. She continues to travel to NYC monthly to choreograph and teach for the elite competition team at Nadia’s Performing Arts Centre in Queens. Her choreography has earned consistent recognition at both regional and national competitions, reflecting her unique artistic voice and commitment to excellence.

    Michelle currently teaches modern dance at Cape Cod Community College and, after founding and directing the Cape Symphony Dance Company for the past four years, she is proud to step forward with her own vision: Danceport, a brand-new dance studio and training center opened in November 2025.

    With deep passion for both teaching and choreography, Michelle is dedicated to developing the next generation of dancers—helping them reach their highest artistic and technical potential. She also welcomes adults of all backgrounds, inviting movers with or without prior training to discover, rediscover, and deepen their love of dance.

  • Seth Swoboda is an actor, choreographer, and teaching artist.  His credits include such roles as Adam/Noah in CHILDREN OF EDEN, Smudge in FOREVER PLAID, Bobby Child in CRAZY FOR YOU, Peter in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, Don in A CHORUS LINE, and Murray in THE ODD COUPLE.  He has performed off-Broadway and regionally at The Goodman, Paper Mill Playhouse, Denver Center, Theatre Under the Stars, 5th Avenue Theatre, Sacramento Music Circus, Marriott Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Music Theatre Wichita, Ogunquit Playhouse, The Cape Playhouse, Florida Stage, National Jewish Theatre, and Coconut Grove Playhouse.  Seth has worked under some of theatre’s most renowned directors and choreographers, including Susan Stroman, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Robert Falls, Vivian Matalon, and Marcia Milgrom Dodge.

    A late start to tap dance (at age 21) began around the kitchen table of his childhood - when he and his siblings would coax their mom, Maydean, to stand up and tap dance alongside Arthur Duncan during “The Lawrence Welk Show.”  From the grins and laughter of that shared family time, a spark was lit.  That spark lay dormant until his senior year in college - but his sheer enjoyment of this dance form guided him away from the career for which he’d trained as a hospital administrator and back to his passion and love for the performing arts.  He is a summa cum laude graduate of Wichita State University with a B.S. in Health Care Administration, and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA.

    Seth has performed with such legendary tap dancers as Dormeshia and Tony Award winner Hinton Battle.  He has been privileged to study with dozens of tap dance instructors over the years, including luminaries such as Sarah Petronio, Brenda Bufalino, Germaine Salsberg, Alex MacDonald, and his initial teacher, Sharon Rogers.

    As a teaching artist, Seth has served as adjunct faculty at Columbia College Chicago School of Theatre and Dance and at Roosevelt University/Chicago College of Performing Arts, as well as teaching at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago/Lou Conte Dance Studio and River North Dance Studio.

    Seth combines his training and parallel career as a medical exercise specialist (MES, ACSM/CET, NASM-CPT) with his approach to dance instruction.  Equipped with this knowledge, his goal is to teach classes which promote joyful, safe and healthy movement for students of all ages.

  • Amy Hatch is a longtime yogi and certified yoga teacher with over two decades of teaching experience across Massachusetts, including yoga studios, gyms, chiropractic offices, homes, and schools.

    Drawing from years of study and participation in many yoga styles, she created her signature class, Head to Toe Yoga, a mindful full-body practice that integrates yogic breath and awareness.

    A favorite among her Cape Cod students, her class is designed to support strength, mobility, and balance from start to finish.

    Please Note: All yoga class attendees must send in an RSVP form sent by 5pm the day before to ensure attendance for teacher.

  • Guest Faculty Member

    Born in Italy, Francesca Ruini trained under Donatella Sturam of the Aterballetto Dance Company in Reggio Emilia. She continued her studies at the prestigious École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower in France. Her training includes Ballet, Pointe, Pas de Deux, Floor Barre, Variations, Jazz, Contemporary Dance, and Mime, under the guidance of internationally renowned masters such as Daniel Frank of the Paris Opera, Jose Ferran, Monica Saez, Rosella Hightower, Claude Winzer, and Miss Claire of the Joffrey Ballet.

    Miss Francesca brings over 25 years of teaching and choreography experience across Europe and the United States. She has taught Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Choreography, Floor Barre, and Stretching, and has held faculty positions at Salve Regina University and the Portsmouth Abbey School. Her students have gone on to attend elite programs, including the Youth America Grand Prix Finals, summer intensives at the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet, and year-round training at the American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, The Rock School for Dance Education, Master Ballet Academy, and the Annarella Sanchez Conservatory of Ballet in Portugal.

    Francesca nurtures the joy of dance in students of all ages, emphasizing discipline, teamwork, curiosity, and a deep love for the art form. Her teaching is rooted in French, Vaganova, and Cecchetti techniques, offering a rich, well-rounded classical foundation for every dancer she guides.

  • Kumara Sidhartha MD MPH grew up in India, immersed in a rich culture of ancient classical dance and energetic Bollywood beats. This diverse background sparked his passion for dance, which eventually led him to the world of Latin dancing.

    As the winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Dancing with the Docs competition in 2018, Dr. Sidhartha brings a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm to his Latin dance classes. His instructions in Salsa and Bachata are grounded in a deep understanding of human anatomy, body mechanics, and musicality. Known for his easy-to-follow teaching style, Dr. Sidhartha ensures that his students not only learn dance movements but also have fun in the process.

    Dr. Sidhartha is an affiliate artist with the Movements Artists of Cape Cod. He also contributes to the Cape Cod Latin Dance organized by the New England Wellness Foundation, sharing his love for dance with the community.