Board Members
Beth Fecteau, PRESIDENT AND Artistic Director
Beth Fecteau has been a performer, dance educator, and arts administrator in the Capital District since 1985 and now serves as Artistic Director for Nacre Dance Group. She trained with The New Jersey Ballet, The Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts and is a graduate of the Performing Arts School of Philadelphia. She attended Towson State University in Towson, MD as a scholarship student in dance and graduated cum laude from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY with a B.A. in Visual and Performing Arts with a dance concentration. She is currently working towards her graduate certificate in Arts Administration through the drama department at the University of Connecticut.
She has performed with New Jersey Ballet, Towson Dance Ensemble, Margaret Wagner and Dancers, Maude Baum and Company and The Isadora Duncan Dance Institute. She served as a teaching artist for the Capital Region Center for Arts in Education through SUNY Albany.
After her reign as co-director of Youth Ballet Company and School in Clifton Park, she served as Director of Arts and Programming for The National Museum of Dance and implemented the School of the Arts which now is a sustaining force for the museum. During her tenure, she had the opportunity to perform the works of American Dance Choreographers Charles Weidman, Isadora Duncan, Pearl Primus, Anna Sokolow and Donald McKayle. She created the children’s exhibit ChoreoMotion at the Museum and has overseen the installation of several exhibits. She administered the inductions of dance legends Frankie Manning, Arthur and Kathryn Murray, Bob Fosse, The New Dance Group and Bill T. Jones into The Hall of Fame.
Currently, Beth serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors for Universal Preservation Hall and member on the Education Committee for Proctor’s Collaborative.
Lauren Crispino, SECRETARY
Lauren Crispino grew up in the Capital Region and trained at Creative Dance Arts in a variety styles of dance. She went to SUNY Geneseo to receive her bachelor's degree in Childhood & Special Education with a concentration in dance then to St. Rose to receiver her master in Educational Psychology. At Geneseo, she was a very active member in the dance department as a dancer, choreographer, and student director. She was on Geneseo Dance Team, Geneseo Dance Ensemble, and Orchesis. During her four years, she had the opportunity to perform at American College Dance Festival and work with many well-known choreographers & companies. Currently, Lauren is a special education teacher at East Greenbush School District, teaches dance at Art in Motion Dance Academy, and a member of Nacre Dance Company.
Loni Lee, TREASURER
Loni grew up in Clifton Park, New York, and graduated from Shenendehowa High School. She enjoys volunteering, recruiting volunteers, and fundraising for Habitat for Humanity. She is also a modern dancer and has been dancing in the Capital Region since childhood. Her dance background has come full circle over the past few years, as she now works on the Nacre Dance Group Board of Directors.
Loni is an Investment and Planning Analyst at Atlas Private Wealth Management. Prior to joining Atlas, Loni worked for Bullard, McLeod & Associates, Inc, a financial planning and investment management firm in Albany, New York. She was responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with both clients and custodians. The scope of her duties included, but was not limited to, preparing new client on-boarding, initiating asset transfers, and coordinating client billing.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in communication sciences from the State University of New York College at Oneonta, concentrating in human behavioral studies in organizational communication.
Dani Tremblay, board member
Growing up, Dani was always on the move. She danced ballet, modern and hip-hop and practiced karate, a pairing that became lifelong passions. Today she holds her 4th degree black belt in U.S. Budokai Karate and continues to dance, performing with Nacre Dance Group, where she is also a board member.
In addition to dance and karate, Danielle shares her passion for fitness through personal training. She became an AFAA certified personal trainer and a Bootcamp Challenge Certified Trainer in 2016 and teaches several weekly fitness classes throughout the Capital Region and received her NASM personal trainer certification in 2019.
When she’s not breaking a sweat, Danielle is a Community Relations Specialist/Designer at Price Chopper/Market 32, as well as runs a freelance graphic design business, Dtrembs Designs. She holds a BFA in graphic design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. In her free time, she likes eating tacos.
DIANE LACHTRUPP, BOARD MEMBER
Diane Lachtrupp Martinez is an award winning Tango, Salsa and Swing dancer who has also been recognized for her work as a choreographer and creator. Currently a resident of Saratoga Springs, NY, Diane spent 20 years in NYC dancing, teaching dance and choreographing for stage, film and television, including training Meryl Streep in Argentine Tango. As a guest artist in South America, Europe and throughout the U.S., Diane has performed and taught with her partner/husband Johnny Martinez.
In addition, she was the founder of Stepping Out Dance Studios in Manhattan, building the studio to 80 classes per week and 30 employees, and earning the distinction of being voted the US’s second best dance studio in a national contest. During her leadership time at Stepping Out, Diane was nominated New Yorker of the week, for her creation and direction of her "Outdancing" program that was geared to the LGBTQ community.
Since her arrival in Saratoga, she has been kept busy creating, producing, and choreographing her original productions for her company Tango Fusion as well as co-directing the educational portion of the company that offers classes for children and adults. She has performed/choreographed for theatrical productions at Proctors, the Charles Wood, Opera Saratoga, The Egg, Cohoes Music Hall, Troy Music Hall, Fort Salem Theater and Home Made Theater. She was invited to participate in the capitol district’s “From the Horse’s Mouth” at Proctors.
In 2014 she was voted the winner of the competition - “So You Think You Can Choreograph.” Throughout 2015-2016, and again in 2021, she played Isadora Duncan for Nacre Dance Company in the dance play “Revolutionary.” She is also a guest choreographer for Nacre Dance Company. In addition to concert dance, Diane has choreographed for musical theater productions including; “Fame,” “Rent,” “Into the Woods,” “Mamma Mia,” and “The Sound of Music.” Recently, she created a Ballroom Dance Show for Proctors Theater's new television station.
OWEN SMITH, BOARD MEMBER
Owen Smith is a proud Capital Region native and resident of Cohoes, and has served as the Producing Artistic Director of Playhouse Stage Company for the last 13 years. A former graduate of Park Playhouse’s summer youth program, he has led the organization through a period of significant growth since 2010. From 2012-2018 Owen also served as the Managing Director of the Palace Theatre where, alongside the wonderful Palace team, he helped to lead significant growth in the historic venue’s programming and financial performance. In 2014, he was pleased to be named one of the Albany Business Review’s 40 Under 40, and he received The Norman Rice Arts, Culture & Education Award from the Downtown Albany BID in 2015. Before returning to the Capital Region in 2010, Owen was a founding member of The Clockwork Theatre in New York City, and directed several productions off-Broadway for the company. During his time in New York, Owen served as the Assistant General Manager at New York’s Theatre for a New Audience, and his work as an actor was seen in the 40th Anniversary National Tour of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Owen is a native of the Capital Region and was inducted into the Bethlehem Central High School Hall of Fame in 2017. He is pleased to support the efforts of Nacre Dance in the Capital Region community.
Suzanne Beczak, Board member
Suzanne grew up in Central New York, and relocated to the Capital Region to attend Siena College, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in finance. Continuing her career in the financial industry, Suzanne obtained her master’s degree in business administration from The University at Albany, and earned her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification and currently works as a Senior Financial Planner for Atlas Private Wealth Management.
After starting (and ending) her dance career at a very young age, Suzanne decided that her talents were better served on the ice, where she began her competitive figure skating career, eventually becoming a medalist at the Empire State Games with her synchronized figure skating team. In an effort to continue to fuel her creative side, Suzanne is also a new volunteer with the New York State Special Olympics figure skating teams, and is excited to further the creative efforts of the Nacre Dance Group as a board member.
Teresa Visconti, VICE PRESIDENT
Teresa began dancing, as many dancers do, at a young age, but it wasn’t until she met Beth Fecteau that she truly understood what being a dancer meant. Teresa began dancing with Beth in 1989 and when Beth started her own school in 1991, she followed her to continue her training. During her time at Youth Dance Company, Teresa danced in numerous repertory concerts in both featured and corps roles. She also danced many parts in the company’s productions of the The Nutcracker including the lead roles of Ribbon Candy and the Snow Queen which were her favorites. While performing Teresa became an instructor at the school teaching creative dance for young children and ballet technique. Later she assisted Beth with rehearsals for The Nutcracker. Currently, Teresa is a Kindergarten teacher at St. Madeleine Sophie School in Schenectady, NY. She has a B.S. degree in Dance from SUNY Brockport and a M.S. degree in Elementary Education from Sage Graduate School. Teresa holds a New York State permanent teacher certificate for grades PreK-6. She also serves as rehearsal mistress for Saratoga City Ballet’s Nutcracker with Beth.
JAMIE GRAH, COMMUNITY OUTREACH SPECIALIST
Jamie Grah grew up in Clifton Park, NY and graduated from Shenendehowa. She attended the State University of New York at Geneseo where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Childhood and Special Education and a concentration in dance. Later, she completed her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Central Florida. Jamie has taught elementary aged students in New York, Florida, and South Carolina. She’s also virtually taught English to students in China. In addition to her role as a teacher, she’s coached new teachers and developed curriculum as a writer and editor.
Jamie spent her childhood dancing at Youth Dance Company. She was fortunate to dance in various repertoire performances and in the annual production of the Nutcracker. She continued to perform at Geneseo as a member and student assistant director of the dance ensemble. One of her favorite dance memories is touring in Greece with the Isadora Duncan International Institute and dancing alongside her mother on stage.
Jamie facilitates Nacre Dance Group’s Choreography Lab, connecting her passion for teaching and dance. She is honored to serve as the Community Outreach Specialist.
JOHNNY MARTINEZ, BOARD MEMBER
Johnny Martinez started his career in ballet and modern dance, then began working in musical theater, performing in national and European tours of West Side Story and Damn Yankees. He also appeared throughout the US in regional productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Fiddler on the Roof, Hamlet, In The Heights and An Evening of Agatha Christie One Act Plays.
More recently Johnny has worked with a wide variety of regional theater and dance companies as performer, director or choreographer. Johnny is on the faculty of SPAC’s School of the Arts at the National Museum of Dance teaching creative movement, jazz, tap and ballet and has taught ballroom at Skidmore College
With his wife Diane Lachtrupp he co-directs Tango Fusion Dance Company, teaching ballroom/Latin and partner dance to adults and children Through his collaboration with Diane, Johnny has taught and performed in Argentina (the 5th Annual Tango Congress); San Sebastian, Spain; Rome, Italy, The Dance Flurry; Moonlight in Vermont, Brandon Vermont; Stepping Out Dance Studios, NYC; and Tango Fusion’s Ballroom Dance Show with Proctor’s Collaborative Studio, which he co-hosted and co-created.
Johnny is a guest performer for Nacre Dance Group and is co-producer for Nacre Dance Group’s “So, You Think You Can Choreograph?” annual production.