Faculty 2023-2024
Heather Nuckley Giglio - owner/Director/choreographer
Mrs. Heather Nuckley Giglio is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. She began her formal training with Mr.Derek Reese, The Dance Emporium, and was a member of the Jump Street Dance Company. In 1988, Mrs. Giglio performed on television as the winner of the Discovery Talent Search. She has also had the opportunity to dance for Opryland and the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. In 1993, she qualified as a teacher of the arts and received her official teacher’s certificate. Miss Nuckley has had intensive training in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop, and lyrical.
In 1994, she continued to advance her dance education at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her degree mainly focused on ballet, modern, dance composition, music analysis, dance history, labanotation, improvisation, anatomy, and teaching methods. While at USM, Mrs. Giglio was the captain of the Dixie Darlings Dance Team, and a member of the Southern Misses. She was a two-year faculty member at La Studio in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and was the choreographer of the Hub City Dancers, the Oak Grove High School Choir, the Golden Spirits Dance Team, and the Mississippi Junior Miss beauty pageants. Mrs. Giglio's choreography was selected both her Junior and Senior year of college to represent USM at the American College Dance Festival in Alabama and Texas. In 1997, she was a faculty member at William Carey College in Mississippi. Mrs. Giglio received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance in December 1997.
In 1999, she was a faculty member at St. Peter School in Covington, Louisiana. Also, a faculty member of Jayson Michael’s Energy Source Dance Camp in Panama City, Florida where she taught modern and hip hop. In 2000-2001, she was a faculty member at Our Lady of Prompt Succor School in Chalmette, Louisiana as the Decentralized Arts Grant Dance Instructor where she taught both hip-hop and jazz techniques. In 2002, Heather Choreographed and taught the tryout dance for the University of Southern Mississippi’s Southern Misses Dance Team. Mrs. Giglio's continued dedication and past achievements have lent itself to the success of those dancers representing Modern Conceptions of Dance at a competitive level, and in-turn has earned her and her studio various awards. In 2003, Heather was selected as Teacher of the Year, sponsored by Dance Spirit Magazine, at the Rainbow Connection Dance Competition; she was chosen by the judges based on choreography, professionalism, and creativity. Modern Conceptions of Dance and Mrs. Giglio, were also honored as
Starlight’s Regional Dance Studio Champions; receiving the highest score based on criteria such as: choreography and technique. In 2004, Mrs. Giglio choreographed a competition routine for the USM Southern Misses. She also choreographed a competition routine for the Our Lady of Prompt Succor Patriettes. During this time, Modern Conceptions of Dance was chosen as Kids Artistic Revue’s Studio Champions in the Secondary & Elite Levels. In 2005, Star Systems Competition awarded Modern Conceptions of Dance with a Second Place Overall Studio Award.
In 2006, Mrs. Giglio choreographed and taught the audition routine for the 2006 NFL New Orleans Saintsations, as well as participating in the judging of the preliminary and final auditions. In 2007, Mrs. Giglio successfully continued her relationship with the 2007 NFL New Orleans Saint Saintsations. She has also managed to find time to assist St. Scholastica Academy in compiling a Captain’s routine for them to take to the American All-star Competition.
Jenna Alfonso - Jazz/Lyrical, Progressions, Contemporary, Strength & Conditioning instructor
Jenna's passion for dance and performing has existed her entire life. She began training all styles of dance at Modern Conceptions of Dance in 1999. In 2002, Jenna auditioned for the Repertoire team at MCD. She trained and competed at MCD for 12 years. Upon graduating High School and MCD in 2011, Jenna pursued a bachelor's degree in Communication, Sciences and Disorders. In 2012, she decided to further her dance career as a professional NBA dancer. She auditioned for the New Orleans Hornets Dance Team, The Honeybees, and then continued onto the Pelicans Dance Team where we focused on Jazz and Hip-Hop styles. As an NBA dancer Jenna was given many amazing opportunities, such as getting to dance in the movie, "Daddy's Home." In 2016, she traveled to China with the New Orleans Pelicans dance team twice to promote the NBA and perform in Beijing and China. As much as Jenna loves to dance and perform, she feels so grateful that she now get to share that love with the upcoming dancers at MCD! "I hope that I am able to give my students as strong a background in dance as I received so that they can pursue any dreams they have!"
Jenny lacoste - Combo, Hip-Hop, tumbling instructor
Mrs. Jenny Lacoste, originally from St. Charles Parish, started dancing and tumbling at the age of 5. She had 10 years of dance training and 12 years of tumbling lessons. Although Jenny loved dancing, she realized her passion was cheerleading. She went on to cheer at J.B. Martin Middle School (Captain), Hahnville High School (1st Co-Captain) and at Nicholls State University, where she held the Captain position for two consecutive years. While in college studying Public Relations, Jenny was a member of the Universal Cheerleading Association staff for four years and spent her summers traveling all over the southern United States teaching cheer camps and coaches clinics. Along with teaching cheerleading camps she also worked with individual middle and high schools on choreography, stunting and tumbling. Jenny graduated from Nicholls State University with a Bachelors of Arts in Communication. In May of 2007 she became a member of the New Orleans Saintsations and danced for both the 2007 and 2008 NFL Saints’ seasons. While a New Orleans Saintsation she traveled with the team to London, was part of an NFL Mexico tour and was selected to teach two Super Bowl cheer clinics in Phoenix, AZ and Tampa Bay, FL. Jenny is excited to have her first year with Modern Conceptions of Dance be their 20th year in business. She welcomes the opportunity to take the MCD Chalmette tumbling classes to the next level and produce some of the best tumblers Chalmette has ever seen! Currently, Jenny is the Director of Events at Holy Cross School. Jenny and her husband, Lance, live in Chalmette with their daughter Evie.
"Behind every dancer who believes in themself, is a teacher who believed in them first."