About Our Team

    

Rebecca Borowik - Store Manager

Rebecca is a trained actress and vocalist and holds a BA in Theater Arts from Marymount Manhattan College. She brings to Attitude extensive retail experience, social media savvy, and creativity. She is responsible for the design and marketing of our tee shirt line and the rise in popularity of our Instagram account.

In her spare time she is very active in local community theater and has recently had the opportunity to perform some of her dream roles, Cinderella in Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Amalia in She Loves Me, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, and Maria in The Sound of Music.

    

Lesley Oberstadt - Senior Fitter

Lesley has been working in the dance retail business since 2006. She trained at Monroe Dance Academy, and studied ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, and lyrical. She holds a BBA in accounting and works as a financial planner.

Lesley has been fitting pointe shoes since 2013 and continues to hone her skills under Kristin's guidance. Fitting pointe shoes is her passion, and addressing each individual dancer's needs is her priority. She has been a valued member of the Attitude team since 2017.

   

Silvia Laracca - Senior Fitter

Silvia earned her Bachelor's Degree in Dance at Dean College. She studied ballet, jazz, modern, and tap, dance history, pedagogy, kinesiology, and dance composition and was a member of their elite performing company. She is a dance instructor and choreographer at D’Valda and Sirico and The Spot and also trains other teachers for Dance Teacher Web.

Silvia has been working at Attitude since 2016 and is happy to be able to apply her many years of training and extensive education to each of her pointe shoe fittings.

   

Mairead Moore - Fitter

Mairead is from Iowa City, Iowa.  She began her pre-professional ballet training at age fifteen and continued at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet with an Outside Field in Exercise Science.  Throughout her training years, she attended summer intensives at Interlochen Arts Academy, Houston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Cincinnati Ballet, and the Chautauqua Institution.  

After college, Mairead began her professional career at Connecticut Ballet and now does freelance dance work in the New York City metropolitan area and across the country.  While at IU, Mairead developed a love for teaching which she continues to pursue today alongside her performing career.

 

Clarissa Zapata

Ballet has played a large role in Clarissa’s life from a very early age. She started her training under former New York City Ballet soloist Diana White, and also trained at Steps on Broadway. Clarissa was president of the dance company at the Masters School, attended summer intensives in Colorado and North Carolina, and continued to dance while at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. After college, Clarissa spent a decade working on Madison Avenue at large ad agencies including BBDO and McCann.

When Clarissa is not at Attitude, you can find her skiing in Winter, going for long distance runs in the warmer months, or driving long distances year-round to bring her daughter to Greenwich Ballet Academy. Clarissa lives in Westport with her husband Bob and her daughter Catalina. Clarissa is so excited to be part of the Attitude team!

Emily Hull

Emily Hull has been teaching ballet for the past 25 years. She danced professionally with the Pennsylvania Ballet and New York City Ballet. Her training began with Carol Sumner and continued at the School of American Ballet. After college she worked for seven years alongside Rockette and studio owner Betsie Andrews as teacher, performer, choreographer and Assistant Director. Following a summer session training with Jacques D’Amboise at his National Dance Institute in New York City, Emily began working in public schools sharing her love of dance and theatre outside the private dance school setting. 

Upon moving back to Fairfield County years ago, she taught ballet and musical theatre dance at Ballet Etudes/The Studio in Norwalk. Emily has recently found a perfect outlet for sharing it all at the Darien Arts Center. Her first love is and always will be ballet, and it is her joy to share it with the Attitude community. 

Maddie Ruggieri

Maddie is pleased to finally join the Attitude team after 12 years of being left home alone. She is an accomplished greeter, and has recently been honing her skills as an assistant fitter. She loves attention, snuggling, and following Kristin around the store like a puppy.

Maddie rejects the very concept of "Nepo Babies" and is determined to prove herself worthy of a spot on the Attitude Team. She is adored equally by her coworkers and the customers she lovingly interacts with.