508 . 673 . 4880 | Lindaonstage@aol.com
ON Stage Academy of Performing Arts
Fall River's Premier Youth Musical Theater Programs
Director Linda Mercer-Botelho
Linda's dedication to dance education is truly commendable, and her extensive training speaks to her commitment to excellence. With 40 years of experience as the Founder and Director of On Stage, Linda's expertise shines through.
She honed her skills with a concentration in Pedagogy at the Boston Conservatory of Music, Dance Department, and furthered her education in New York under the guidance of renowned Jazz teachers such as Charles Kelly, Frank Hatchett, Susan Samuels, and Phil Black.
Her credentials include graduation from the American Ballet Academy’s teachers Intensive at Vassar College, and she is a certified "LEAP AND LEARN" teacher specializing in classes for children aged 2 1/2 to 8, using the "Leap and Learn System."
Linda's commitment to staying updated with the latest in dance education is evident through her membership in IDEA (International Dance Educators Association) and her consistent attendance at the "DanceLife Teacher Training Conferences." This ongoing education ensures that she provides the best for her students in a continually evolving field.
As a member of the Dance Teachers Club of Boston and the National Dance Education Association, Linda keeps her skills fresh by training with world-renowned teachers and integrating innovative techniques and choreography into her company's repertoire.
Her dedication extends to producing, directing, and choreographing performances for the school for the past 40 years.
Furthermore, Linda's role as the President and Artistic Director of On Stage Theatrical Productions is highlighted by her creation of the "Give Kids a Chance Program," which is dedicated to sharing the performing arts with underserved children in Fall River.
With her wealth of experience and commitment to her craft, Linda continues to be a vital part of the arts community in Fall River, Massachusetts. We look forward to the 41 st season of On Stage and the continued enrichment it brings to the community.
Roger Botelho | Musical Director/ Musical Theater
Voice/Piano
Roger has a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the University of Lowell and a Masters Degree in Special Education from Bridgewater State College. After working as a music teacher in the Fall River School Department for 17 years, Roger has recently retired from his position as a special education teacher at Old Rochester Regional Junior High School. The leader of the Bavarian Brothers, Roger has performed throughout the country with the authentic Bavarian Band. Having performed the national anthem for the New England Patriots seven times, he now enjoys performing for the elderly in area nursing homes and with the On Stage Vocalists. Roger is the Music Director at On Stage where he teaches group, private, and harmonizing voice lessons, and works with all of our musical productions.
Karen White
Director : Musical Theater Productions here at On Stage
Musical Theater Dance/ Broadway Bound and Competition Choreographer
Karen specializes in musical theater instruction after appearing in dozens of college, regional and local productions, her favorites being A Chorus Line (“Val”), Annie (“Lily St. Regis”), and 42nd Street (“Anytime Annie”). She has directed and choreographed casts of up to 88 middle school students in
Grease, Beauty and the Beast, Bye Bye Birdie, High School Musical, most recently she has directed "A Christmas Carol", Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Lion King, And Frozen Jr. for On Stage Theatrical Productions.
An English Journalism/ Theater graduate of the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, Karen has taught master classes in musical theater instruction for Dance Masters of America Chapter 5 teacher workshops and served as a competition judge for the Greater Brockton Dance Teachers Association.
Her work with dance competition students at various New England studios has been recognized with numerous judges’ choice and choreography awards.
She is also certified to teach jazz and ballet by the Dance Teachers’ Club of Boston.
Karen worked as a freelance writer for Dance Teacher, Pointe, and Stage Directions magazines, and most recently as editor in chief of Dance Studio Life magazine where she interviewed theater and dance luminaries such as Ben Vereen, Mia Michaels, Chet Walker, Benjamin Millepied, and Leslie Browne.
Lisa Mailloux- Tap / Jazz / Mommy and Me/ Choreography
Lisa Mailloux is the former owner/Director of Steppin’ Out Dance Studio of Portsmouth, RI. The studio was in operation for 25 years, with hundreds of students passing through its’ doors. Her students have gone on to dance in higher education, own studios, perform in companies, on cruise ships and in national tours.
Lisa is a founding board member of The International Dance Entrepreneur’s Association (I.D.E.A.), founded in 2016 by Mr. Rhee Gold. She is a Certified Instructor of Rhythm Works Integrated Dance, a clinical hip hop program for students with individual learning differences. Lisa is a member of Dance Masters of America (DMA) and is a past Secretary of DMA, NE Chapter #5. She has also been a judge for several dance competitions in the Northeast.
Lisa is a former NFL cheerleader with the New England Patriot “Spirits” and has studied with many of the leading names in dance today. She regularly attends continuing education conferences throughout the country and has also been the Director of the Tiverton and Portsmouth High School Color Guard/Dance Teams for the past 20 years.
Lisa is looking forward to sharing her love of dance with today’s families and future generations. She is presently a faculty member at two dance studios in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts and is an Independent Consultant for Dance Studio Owners. She resides in Portsmouth, RI with her three children.
Stacy Wong- Ballet/ Tap/ Jazz/ Hip Hop/ Hippity Hop / Private Lessons - Competition Team
Stacy is a graduate of Providence College with a double major in Biomedical Engineering Accounting and Accounts Management. A member of the Providence College Dance Team, Stacy lead her team to win awards at the national level in both Jazz and Hip Hop. Stacy is an On Stage Alumni with over 18 years of experience with On Stage. She began her dance training at ON Stage at the age of 3. Her training has included Broadway Dance Center, Festival Ballet, and the many guest teachers that have worked with the Providence Friars Dance Team.
Throughout her studies at On Stage she concentrated on Classical Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern Dance, Musical Theater, Acting, and Voice. As a member of the dance company she was awarded many 1st place awards in Ballet, Tap, Contemporary and Jazz. She has traveled to and performed with the Company in Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Six Flags. Stacy has attended the DANCE LIFE TEACHER CONFERENCE and looks forward to sharing all she has learned with her students at On Stage this season.
Elle Gendreau- Theater Jazz
Elle Gendreau started her training at On Stage Academy of Performing Arts at the age of five. During her time at the studio she studied ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, modern, lyrical, musical theatre and voice. She went on to further her dance training with Roger Williams University as well as Bridgewater State University. Elle has performed in Walt Disney World’s Magic Music Days program, trained with the New York City Rockettes, and has performed in several local theatre productions.
Most recently, she was given the opportunity to choreograph Scrooge: The Musical (2023) and Bye Bye Birdie (2024) both for the Little Theatre of Fall River, a non-profit theatre organization in Fall River MA. Elle is thrilled to be returning to On Stage, this time as a member of the faculty!
Christopher McIntyre
Private Voice/ Diction/ Acting
Musical Theater- Diction Coach
Christopher is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music with a BFA in Musical Theater. He has been performing from a very young age and has honed his skills through professional regional productions of A Christmas Carol, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, and The Sound of Music, among others.
As a trained triple threat performer, Christopher excels in voice, acting, jazz, and tap. Additionally, he possesses the unique skill of performing voice overs and is particularly adept at mimicking Mickey and Donald Duck.
GUEST TEACHERS
Alexander Cruz
Boys Classes, Senior Company Jazz/Tap
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Featured Dancer- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
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Featured dancer- Saturday Night Live
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West Side Story National Tour
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A Chorus Line-National Tour
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EVITA- 5TH AVE THEATER
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Graduate of RI College- BA in Communications and Dance
Direct from New York
Alex is a member of
SAG and AFTRA
with professional experience in
television and stage.
Alex is currently performing
ON BROADWAY in the musical
Moulin Rouge
Deborah Y. Wilson (Debbie)
Deborah Y. Wilson (Debbie), a native New Yorker, is a performer, choreographer, and dance educator. After majoring in dance at Brooklyn College, she joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Certificate Program. From there, she attended Broadway Dance Center and became a Frank Hatchett Dancer and teacher, and eventually got her own class. During her more than 30 years of teaching at BDC, she is one of the only teachers that has taught, Jazz, Commercial Jazz, Musical Theater, Street Jazz, Jazz Funk, and TV/Video Jazz.
Recently, Debbie got accepted into the Stage Director and Choreographer’s Foundation Observership Class which led to her being an Apprentice Director/Choreographer to Jerry Mitchell for the Pretty Woman National Tour (101 Productions).
Performance credits include “Sesame Street Live” and “The Wizard of Oz” national tours, “Porgy & Bess” (Bregenz, Austria), and “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular.” Debbie has
assumed the role of Performance Director for “Sesame Street Live” and Production Assistant for “American Prophet – Frederick Douglass...In His Words” at the Apollo Theater, and “Dancin Feet” Video Series featuring Lane Napper.
Debbie’s international teaching gives her a unique perspective on dance and music styles from around the world. She is currently on faculty at Broadway Dance Center and has taught at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Steps on Broadway, Peridance Capezio Center, and Dance Theatre of Harlem.