Meet the Instructors

• Samantha Puleo is a proud native of the Mt. Washington Valley. Her dance training began in North Conway at the age of five. Jeanne Limmer was the first to teach Samantha about the beauty and simplicity of body, space, force, and time. Over the course of 13 years Samantha danced, trained, apprenticed and taught at the Jeanne Limmer Dance Center, as well as spending the latter years as an active member of Axis Dance Company. Upon graduating from Kennett High School in 1998, Samantha attended Keene State College. Under the direction of Marcia Murdock and William Seigh, she spent four years training, performing, and choreographing in the tri-state area. In 2002 Samantha received the Alta Lu Townes Memorial Dance Scholarship, a prestigious award granted to a senior pursuing a career in the performing arts. Throughout her stay at KSC Samantha was fortunate to study with present day dance greats such as David Dorfman, Peter Pucci, Pearson/Widrig, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Rennie Harris. With a BA in Theatre and Dance as well as a BS in Elementary Education, Samantha set out to experience dance training in New York City! For the next four years she trained at Peridance Center, Dance New Amsterdam, and the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio. While expanding and improving her dance technique, Samantha was introduced to Pilates training and educated as to its direct link to the dance world. In 2005 she received her certification as a Pilates instructor from Sal Anthony’s School for Developmental Dexterity. She then went on to establish her own Pilates business, Personal Pilates Plus. She privately trained fellow dancers and movers alike in the New York and New Jersey area. Upon her relocation to the valley, Samantha helped to co-found the White Mountain Dance Ensemble, performing throughout Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire areas. In 2007 Samantha found the space of her dreams above a small laundromat in Conway Village. With much renovating and many finishing touches, this space became Creative Sole Studio! Samantha feels honored to live her passion each day with dancers young and old!

• Gretchen Brown began her early dance raining in Center Harbor, NH with Paula Vinzi. At age 15, she decided to further her ballet training in Portsmouth, NH with Ballet New England. At age 16, Gretchen became an apprentice with the professional performing company, dancing corps de ballet in ballets such as “The Nutcracker” and “Les Sylphides”. She then went on to further her training and teaching in Maine at Maine State Ballet. Her ten year stay with Maine State Ballet consisted of full-time teaching in Balanchine technique under the direction of Linda Miele. Gretchen’s resume consists of dancing many prestigious rolls from MSB’s repertoire in ballets like “Sleeping Beauty”, to a featured dancer in George Balanchine’s “Serenade”, staged by director Linda Miele at MSB, Don Quixote and Cinderella to name just a few. Over the years she moved from corps de ballet, to soloist, to principal soloist where she danced her two favorite rolls as “Dew Drop Fairy” in The Nutcracker and “Alice” in Alice in Wonderland. After gracing Merrill Auditorium in Portland Maine, and many other stages throughout New England for more than a decade, Gretchen retired from her professional performing career to start her family and honor her other favorite passion of teaching Balanchine technique to children of all ages. In the fall of 2009 Gretchen was hired on as head of the ballet curriculum at Creative Sole Studio. With her arrival, the studio gained added experience, love, dedication and support. Her knowledge and drive are key factors in making Creative Sole the nurturing/professional space that it is. In December of 2009 Gretchen decided to expand her love of movement even further by completing her Pilates Mat Certification from Creative Sole. Gretchen currently teaches Ballet III, Ballet IV, Ballet V, Company Ballet and Pointe.

Karen Richardson grew up in East Wakefield, NH and brings her small town values, love of children, and her management experience to Creative Sole. Her first job was babysitting, followed by over 15 years of retail management, and she now runs her own Thirty-one business. She loves interacting with the public, especially as ‘Studio Mama’ to all of the Creative Sole dancers. Karen has two Creative Sole dancers of her own, while her husband has been in the military since 2014. Not only does she keep the Creative Sole family going, she’s also the foundation for her own loving family.

Julia Marchetti is a new teacher to Creative Sole and is beyond excited to once again find herself surrounded by the love of dance! Julia grew up in Massachusetts and began dancing at the early age of 3 and has never looked back! Julia has trained in numerous styles of dance and has had the privilege of taking classes from an array of famous and influential choreographers.  Julia is one of the lucky few who grow up in their hometown dance studio, beginning as a student, maturing into an assistant and upon graduation, hired as a teacher! Not only does Mrs. King have years of dance instruction experience, but she also holds a BS in early childhood education and is a local elementary school teacher here in The Valley. The love, passion and appreciation Julia has for dance has only grown and strengthened as she herself gets older. Dance has the power to shape someone into the best version of themselves all while teaching them lessons they will carry with them for a lifetime. Julia cannot wait to dance and work with the amazing dancers and staff at Creative Sole! She is honored to join the family!