Our Team
Celia Bassett
Director & Teacher
Celia started Irish dancing at the age of ten in Santa Fe, NM. It was an instant passion, and she continued to learn, perform, teach and compete without pause! She has also taken a variety of other dance forms; bellydance, clogging, Scottish, ballet, tap and others! Celia has guest-performed with Lunasa, Natalie MacMaster, Eileen Ivers, and Trinity Irish Dance. She competed nationally as well as in Ireland. Celia is credited as a dancer in the western film Jane Got A Gun Starring Natalie Portman.
Celia has a degree in Anthropology (B.S) Exercise Science (A.A.S.) and certificates in Elementary Education and Montessori (early childhood). She is also an ACE certified personal trainer. She enjoys uniting her passions for teaching, choreographing, child development, and working to preserve traditional forms of Irish Dance! Outside of dance, Celia is a teacher, avid hiker and knitter, and lives in Santa Fe with her young family.
Vicky Hypes-Mayfield
Teacher - Irish Dance
Vicky started dancing in 2000 and has been an Irish dancer as long as she can remember. Her competitive career spans two continents, five countries, and three decades. Vicky has danced in multiple World and National championships and toured New Mexico with Gaelic Storm. As a dancer and dance teacher, she has a passion for competitive choreography and combining her athletic expertise in weightlifting and powerlifting with Irish dance training. Outside these activities, she loves riding down mountains on either skis or bikes and exploring Santa Fe restaurants with her husband.
Sam Italiano
Teacher - DanceEx, Tap, Jazz
Sam Italiano was born and raised in Colorado, and continued her dance education at Elon University in North Carolina, being mentored by Gene Medler. Sam has studied in various styles including ballet, ballroom, jazz, modern, and a strong emphasis and passion for tap dance. Sam has performed as a guest artist with Untapped Co. and Kaleena Miller Company, in Little Rock and Minneapolis respectively. As an educator, Sam is passionate about this living piece of history and beautiful art form, and she is continuously learning and growing alongside her students. No matter the setting, she emphasizes dance history, rhythmic intricacies, and performance skills, hoping to ignite a fire in her students as Sam’s teachers have done for her.