Debbie Lamontagne
Debbie Lamontagne became the co-director of Marilyn’s School of Dance in 1973, and went on to launch and direct her own school, the North Andover School of Dance & Gymnastics, in 1986. Her teaching experience is diverse working with all ages at her own studio and reaching out to the community teaching children with special needs, as well as various after school and child care programs.
She manages a faculty and staff of more than 10; owns her own building and is very involved in her community. Debbie received the Village Hero Award from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) for her contributions to children and their families. In 2006 she received the Project Motivate Excellence Award for her efforts to help a fellow dance school owner within her same town who lost her school in a flood. The story doesn’t end there, in 2014 Debbie’s son, Leo, married the daughter of the school owner Debbie assisted. The two schools exist within the same community and set a shining example of how dance school owners can respect each other and flourish.
Debbie maximizes her facility by offering a full range of summer programs, birthday parties, choreography for weddings, and other creative income generating programs. She has been attending Rhee Gold’s seminars from their inception and recently presented at the 2015 DanceLife Teacher Conference. She is an active member of the Dance Teachers Club of Boston and has served in various position for them over her 40 years as a member.
Debbie and her husband, Leo, have two adult sons, Leo and Matthew; they reside in North Andover, MA
You can learn more about Debbie’s business by clicking here.
Lamontagne, Debbie
Debbie Lamontagne graduated from the Dance Teachers Club of Boston Education Course in 1973, is now Co-Chair of the program and is a 45 year member of that organization. While attending Castle Junior College in Windham, New Hampshire, Debbie became the co-director of Marilyn’s School of Dance in 1973. She then became the director of North Andover School of Dance & Gymnastics in 1986.
Debbie’s early dance training took place in Lawrence, Massachusetts under the direction of Madeline Mahoney and her sister Marilyn Twomey. She studied during the summer months with the late David DiMarie in Buffalo, New York; Gene Murray in Salem, Massachusetts; and with Gus Giordano, Diane Walker, Julia Boynton and David Howard, just to name a few. Debbie has performed in summer stock and attended numerous dance festivals across the country.
Debbie has taught all levels of dance, preschool through advanced, special needs children and adults, for 43 years. She has taught in many after school and child care programs, choreographed many school musicals, and brought her students to perform on Royal Caribbean cruise ships and at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. She has won numerous awards and trophies and is most proud of the Village Hero Award from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) for her contributions to children and their families of our community.
For her generosity, Debbie was awarded the Project Motivation Award For Excellence. The plaque was presented to her on July 30, 2006 and read:
“Thank you for setting the example for all dance educators. Your unselfish desire to help a fellow dance teacher and her students in their time of need has taught us all that appreciating, respecting and assisting each other can be accomplished among the dance profession. You are a SHINING LIGHT in the DANCE TEACHING WORLD.