Emily West, a member of the Connecticut Ballet in Stamford, has joined the faculty of the Ballet Department of The Ridgefield School of Dance.

“Emily is a beautiful dancer and will be a great asset to the school and our students,” said school director Nancy Baldwin.

Ms. West is replacing Diane Fagan, a teacher who recently retired.

According to Ms. West, the professionalism of the school and faculty drew her to The Ridgefield School of Dance. “I love that this school upholds the highest standards of discipline and technique without forgetting that the dance studio is supposed to be a fun place,” she said.

As a new teacher she observed that “each student has a different level of potential in their own way. Because of the quality of training I see, I believe each student has potential to go far in the dance world. The training they receive at The Rigdefield School of Dance will give them a solid base in order to achieve goals in life - dance-related or not.”

Ms. West holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance performance from Northern Illinois University where she trained under Randall Newsom, Judith Chitwood and Paula Fraz. While there, she performed many soloist and principal roles in ballets such as Paquita, Les Sylphides, Fragments, Coppelia and Giselle.

After graduating, Ms. West performed with many Chicago-based dance companies, including The Chicago Ballet, Momenta and The Schaumburg Dance Ensemble. She has taught dance at The Academy of Movement and Music and at The Naperville Park District, both studios in the Chicago area. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, she began her studies under Irina Vassileni-Uralsky at The School of Ballet Iowa and under Susan Snider at Vine Street Ballet.

For the Connecticut Ballet’s 25th Anniversary Gala, Ms. West performed in “Indian Summer” choreographed by Joe Lacarro and in “The Dance of Celebration” choreographed by Brett Raphael. In the fall of 2005 she performed in “Goose Pimples” and “Paganini,” both choreographed by Brett Raphael. This coming June, she will be performing with Connecticut Ballet in “Paquita” restaged by Oksana Konobeyeva.

Ms. West will teach lower and intermediate level ballet classes.

Contact Ms. Baldwin at 431-6134 or  www.theridgefieldschoolofdance.com for more information.