Elise Connolly (she/her) is an arts educator, choreographer, and performer with over a decade of experience teaching and creating in schools, studios, and community settings. She currently serves as the Education Programs Manager at Literature to Life, where she oversees educational programming and supports teaching artists working with young people. She has taught dance to students of all ages and backgrounds, including serving as the Dance Lead and Grade Team Lead at Success Academy Bronx Middle, where she launched the network’s first Tap Dance Club.

As a choreographer, Elise has created work for young performers, including productions of Beauty & the Beast Jr., Frozen Jr., The Little Mermaid Jr., and Mean Girls High School Edition. As a performer, her regional credits include The Heidi Chronicles (Heidi), Ragtime (Featured Dancer), and Show Boat (Featured Dancer). In 2022, she had the opportunity to work with Ayodele Casel and Dre Torres on an original tap piece for the Dance Educators Collective Concert.

Elise holds a B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University, an Integrated Performance Certificate in Musical Theatre from AMDA NYC, and an M.A. in Educational Theatre from NYU.