Meet Our Studio Team
Fred Astaire Dance Studios Professionals & Staff
Director - Michelle Fox
Michelle Montanez Fox has been a professional ballet, contemporary, and ballroom dancer for 20 years. Her first professional role was as a soloist for the North Star Ballet, and then as part of the ensemble for Full-Force Dance Theater in Hartford, CT. Michelle graduated the Hartt School with her BFA in dance performance in 2003, and started a career with the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Belmont, MA. Ms. Fox became six-time Open Rhythm champion for Fred Astaire New England, and 2010 Rising Star Rhythm Finalist of the Fred Astaire World Championships. She was a featured dancer with the cast of Dancing with The Stars in the Disney Christmas Parade of 2009, and has been featured on NECN’s “wedding week” as a guest instructor in 2008. As a dancer, Ms. Fox has performed all over the world, and she continues to occasionally perform and choreograph as a guest in a variety of dance companies and schools all over New England. Ms. Fox became a manager for the Belmont and Dedham studios, and then started a Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Franklin in 2014. After a few years, she started working with Maximize Your Impact LLC, training dance studio owners, managers, and instructors all over New England in many aspects of the dance industry. In addition to being an adjunct instructor for the dance division at Dean College, Ms. Fox has helped to develop some of New England’s top dance instructors, and successful dance competitors and studio owners. Recently, in 2021, Michelle and her husband Adam became Area Directors for the Northern New England region of Fred Astaire Dance Studios and looks forward to continuing to help dancers find their own path successfully in the dance industry!
Instructor - Adam Rutkowski
Adam Rutkowski is originally from Chicago, and has been a performing artist since the age of 10. He started his dance education in high school, and has been passionate about music and dance ever since. Adam was accepted into the Disney College program in 2016, but his passion for performing led him to Los Angeles where he developed as both a dancer and singer. Adam started social dancing as a young adult, and started seriously pursuing dance instruction during his time in Arizona, where he also released his first international EP! Adam moved to Portland from there to be part of the opening team of Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Adam has had a passion for teaching since a young age, and both of his parents have helped inspire him to enrich the lives of adults through music and dance education. Adam brings a positive attitude, enthusiastic energy, and witty sense of humor to our team. He describes himself as an “introverted extrovert” and really enjoys helping his students from “caterpillar students” to “butterfly dancers!” In his free time, Adam enjoys political activism and advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights, and using his performing art talent to enrich the community wherever he goes.