Our Team

Valerie Amaral has loved music and dance for as long as she can remember. Refusing to leave the house without wearing a tutu, she began taking dance classes at age three. Valerie joined Step By Step as a student in 1999, taking Hip-Hop classes. She quickly became a classroom assistant under the direction of Pamela Caira. Between 2005-2009 Valerie was the Step By Step Office Manager in addition to teaching preschool classes, Kinderdance, tap, jazz, and hip-hop. She has a BA in Corporate and Organizational Communication from Framingham State University. As Communication Coordinator, her goals are getting the world to sing and dance together. 

Shannon has been dancing since before she could walk, introduced to the art through her parents, who were country western partner dance instructors. She began taking studio dance classes at age five at the Boston Ballet School and joined the Step by Step family as a student at thirteen. During her time at Step by Step, Shannon was a member of the NSDC, performing at halftime for the Harlem Globetrotters, NYC Fleet Week, and Walt Disney World. She was also named co-captain for the 2019-2020 season. Shannon recently graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. She has performed in works choreographed by Daniel Moore, Janice Rosario, Larry Keigwin, Maiya Redding, and Christina Lynch Markham.

Demetra has had a passion for performance arts her entire life, beginning her study of dance at age three. She joined the Step By Step family in 2012, and currently serves as the studio Office Manager and Dance Team Director (Next Step Dance Company). Her students have been honored at dance competitions and performance showcases, winning overall and specialty awards for choreography, technique, costuming, and concept. Always seeking to provide additional performance opportunities, Demetra’s students have traveled and performed in Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, NYC Fleet Week, Faneuil Hall Tree Lighting Spectacular, pregame for the Boston Celtics, and halftime for the Harlem Globetrotters. She is extremely excited to add Nashville, Tennessee to the list in the summer of 2025! Community-based performances are her favorite, notably the Boston Marathon tribute “Beat As One” music video.

She is grateful that Step By Step has given her the opportunity to work with numerous charitable organizations including Dancing with the Waltham/Newton Stars, the Andrea Rizzo Foundation, Christmas in the City, the Boston Firefighters Burn Foundation and most recently, Burn Survivors of New England. She finds immense joy in nurturing her students’ confidence and growth, teaching a variety of classes from elementary combo to jazz, contemporary, musical theatre, and technique for middle and high school students. Demetra considers Step By Step her second home, cherishing her role within the studio family.

Amanda Dragani is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, adjudicator and media creator located in the Boston area. She grew up immersed in the competition circuit and continued on to study dance collegiately. Amanda graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance concentrating in Dance & Media. This prestigious program was under the direction of Katie Langan. While at Marymount, Amanda studied under Nancy Lushington, Alberto Del Saz, and Francois Pender in a variety of styles, with tap as her main focus. She also was able to vigorously train at both Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway with various professionals including: Keenan Cooks, Chio, Ryan Daniel Beck, Charles Renato, Sarah Reich, and Derick Grant. Upon graduating, Amanda began teaching both recreational and competitive dancers in the New England area as well as touring nationwide with dance competitions.  Alongside her competition-based work, Amanda coordinates social media and marketing efforts for dance-related businesses. Most recently, she has become a member of Drumatix Tap Company and performs at events coordinated throughout New England.

Zoë Isabel Elizee was born and raised in Miami, Fl, where she took her first dance class at the age of 4. She began her technical training at the Vladimir Issaev School of Classical Ballet. There, she was involved in several productions, including The Nutcracker and Chipollino. At 10, Zoë was accepted into the performing arts dance program at the South Miami Middle School where she trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, hip-hop, and tango. She participated in workshops and performed in multiple school rallies, some of which she collaborated with her classmates to choreograph. Zoë moved to Belmont, MA for high school and continued her dance education at Step-by-Step Dance Studio. There, she found a safe space where she could further grow her love for dance surrounded by people she came to call friends. In her sophomore year, she was appointed to the Senior division of the Next Step Dance Company, a position she held until her senior year. She explored a range of dance styles, from traditional African dance to musical theater and percussive dance. In addition, she got the opportunity to perform at the halftime show for the Harlem Globetrotters at TD Garden in Boston, MA and on the USS Intrepid Aircraft Carrier in NYC. Upon graduating high school in 2019, Zoë pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Psychology at Wellesley College. There, she joined a hip-hop dance organization called Freestyle where she performed on- and off-campus events. As part of their Executive Board, she produced showcases, choreographed multiple pieces, and led workshops to beginner and intermediate dancers. She was also involved with Wellesley College Dancers, a ballet and contemporary dance organization. She graduated Cum Laude in 2023 and is preparing her applications to medical school to attend in 2025. Zoë is excited to join Step-by-Step’s teaching staff to push artistic boundaries and inspire future generations of dancers in the studio that did the same for her.

Born and raised in Boston, Ricardo has been involved with the entertainment industry for over 25 years. Using his special talents as a dancer, choreographer, performer, actor, comedian, stunt coordinator/choreographer, and singer with his love for education, Ricardo has had the opportunity to teach every level of schooling, from elementary to college. Due to his involvement with highly recognized projects and being showcased on different platforms of entertainment, Ricardo has been dubbed a world-renowned choreographer while continuing to be a devoted school teacher. While using comedy, simple physical analogies, and a story-like premise behind all his classes, he looks for his students to find a new appreciation for themselves as well as the subject he is teaching.

Tracy Martocchio is a Boston native with a passion to move. Her love for movement and exploring the body’s physical capabilities started long before her dance training did. As a small child climbing trees and the 30-foot mountain in her suburban backyard were her happiest moments. Tracy started her dance training at what some might call the late age of sixteen. She trained in a pre-professional program in Medford, MA at The Dance Heaven. Her raw talent combined with her unwavering dedication to perfect her art form granted her accepted into Dean College’s Dance Program where she earned her BA in Performing Arts, 2014. After college Tracy moved to Miami, FL where she began her teaching career at the prestigious dance studio of In Motion Performing Arts Center. She taught and performed in South Florida regularly for 3 years and relocated back to Boston in 2017. Her versatile training allows her a wide range of genres she can teach in the classroom. Such as Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, acrobatics and Hip-Hop. She is excited to begin her sixth season at Step By Step. 

Nathalie Valentin’s love for dance started when she began classes at Step By Step at the age of 6. For 12 years she trained in various styles and was a member of the Next Step Dance Company. She also performed in numerous Waltham High School productions and served as dance captain for senior revue and Dance Theatre in her senior year. After graduating in 2019, she attended UMass Amherst where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. While attending Umass she continued to dance as much as possible, taking classes and performing in shows by the UMass Dance department. Nathalie continues to be a proud SBS alumni and joined the teaching staff  of Step by Step in 2023. She hopes to continue growing as a dancer and share her love for dance with Step by Step students.

Sophia Valentin has always had a passion for dance. She started her artistic journey at the age of five with Step By Step Dance Studio, where she studied various styles, was a member of the Next Step Dance Company from 2014-2020, and served as captain in 2020. In addition to her learning at Step by Step, she participated in several shows at Waltham High School and held the position of dance captain for Senior Revue and Dance Theatre in her senior year. After graduating, she looked to further her dance career at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. At UMass, she performed in numerous faculty and student works, choreographed several of her own pieces, and served as artistic director for her junior and senior year student-produced shows. She graduated in 2024 with dual bachelor’s degrees in Dance and Psychology. Sophia was awarded the prestigious Arnhold Summer Fellowship for the Dance Education Laboratory at the 92nd Street Y in New York, where she was able to further develop her knowledge and skills in dance education. She strives to spread her love for dance through her teaching and choreography and is excited to take on a new role in the Step by Step family.