From students to owners at New Milford’s award-winning dance studio

For Elizabeth Frabizzio and Zoe Czerenda, the studios at FineLine Theatre Arts in New Milford, Connecticut hold a lifetime of memories. Both women grew up there, first as students, then as young teachers. Last September, they became the studio’s new owners.

The studio was founded in 2006 by Broadway veterans Elizabeth Parkinson and Scott Wise. Parkinson, a former principal with the Joffrey Ballet, and Wise, a Tony Award winner for “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway,” built the school on professional-level training paired with a strong sense of community. As they prepared to step back from running the school, they didn’t look far for successors. In September 2025, they handed the studio keys to two dancers who had come up through its ranks.

“It felt like the natural progression of my career,” Frabizzio said.

Frabizzio joined FineLine as one of its earliest students during her senior year of high school. Not long after graduating, the founders offered her a small class to teach.

“They gave me my first class as I was dabbling in the professional world and auditioning and performing,” she said.

Her career soon took her well beyond New Milford. She performed as an ensemble dancer in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, with the modern dance company Momix, and appeared in Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan.”

Over time, teaching pulled her back toward the studio. About 10 years ago, after getting married, Frabizzio began gradually taking on administrative responsibilities and helping run the school behind the scenes.

Also a New Milford native, Czerenda began dancing at FineLine as a child and later joined the studio’s pre-professional repertory company, Artists in Motion. By age 15 she was assisting with classes.

A FineLine ballerina.Provided

Today, Czerenda and Frabizzio share the day-to-day work of running the studio. Their first school year as owners has come with a few surprises.

“It’s been kind of a wild ride,” Frabizzio said, laughing. She welcomed her second child last summer, just as the transition to ownership began.

“I’m so lucky that I have Zoe,” she said. “She’s an amazing partner. She kind of steered the ship and ran the show the first trimester of the year.”

While the leadership is new, the philosophy of the studio remains firmly rooted in what Parkinson and Wise built.

“I’m definitely preserving the technique and the passion that Elizabeth and Scott brought to FineLine,” Frabizzio said.

The founders’ Broadway backgrounds shaped the studio’s approach to training, emphasizing strong technical foundations for dancers of all levels.

“A solid technique is something that anybody would want, regardless of aspirations,” said Frabizzio. “If you want to be a professional or if you want to be a recreational dancer, it’s important to learn the right way.”

FineLine now serves more than 100 students ranging from age 3 through adults. Classes include ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, acrobatics and musical theatre, along with vocal performance and drama. The theatre program is led by Robin Frome, who also runs the Sherman Playhouse.

Students at FineLine Theatre Arts.Provided

The studio recently received another sign of its local support, earning first place in Litchfield Magazine’s 2026 Readers’ Choice awards.

“We were really excited to come in first place,” Frabizzio said. “It’s so great for the area.”

At the same time, the new owners are mindful of how demanding dance culture can sometimes become.

“What I pulled from the professional world was how toxic it could be,” Frabizzio said. “I just want these kids to feel loved. I want them to feel empowered and to know that they are enough at any ability.”

For the past 15 years, Frabizzio has primarily taught children between the ages of 3 and 10 — often their first introduction to dance.

“I don’t take that role lightly, especially now that I’m a mom,” she said. “I know what those first impressions are and what they mean.”

Her goal is simple: “I want them to walk away with love and joy,” she said. “I want them to be excited to come to class.”

Accessibility is also part of the studio’s mission. This school year, FineLine awarded $23,000 in scholarships to students through an application process supported in part by community performances at the studio.

Looking ahead, FineLine will present its annual spring performance at the end of May, followed by its summer programs in July and August.

For Frabizzio and Czerenda, the studio’s next chapter is less about reinvention than stewardship.

“We’re really trying to preserve what they gave us,” Frabizzio said. “And that’s the love and the joy of dance.”

“Being an educator has been the greatest blessing of my life,” said Czerenda. “To be a safe space, a light of positivity or an outlet for these kids is what makes this experience so special. They teach me how to be a better educator and I like to think I help them become better humans as well as dancers and performers.”

Find out more and sign up for a class at finelinetheatrearts.com