About Finer Pointes
Founded in 1989 by dancer and dance teacher Jenna Little, Finer Pointes is one of New England's most established and respected dance stores. In addition to offering a diverse, up-to-date selection of dancewear, shoes and accessories for dancers in every genre and every stage of development, Finer Pointes has become renowned for providing personal, professional pointe fittings.Visitors to Finer Pointes experience the comfort of shopping in a warm, nurturing environment, where staff members have a high level of expertise and take a genuine interest in individual dancers' needs and development. Personal attention is always available to assist with selection, including recognition of individual needs and preferences, as well as adherence to particular studios' dress codes and other requirements.
Finer Pointes offers innovative services for studios (see Services) and is active in the community, including donations to benefit studio programs, individual dancers and international relief programs.
Staff
Jenna and Allen Little, ownersJenna Little grew up dancing! When she founded Finer Pointes, she drew on two decades of dance experience, with a focus on ballet. With her own knowledge of dance training and performance as a starting point, she delved into specialized training, research and practice in pointe fitting, which has always been a specialty of Finer Pointes. Also an experienced ballet teacher, Jenna founded the store with her mom, Harriet MacKeil, who retired in 2004. Allen Little, a graduate of Boston University, came on board that year as operations manager, and has since revolutionized the inventory and ordering systems for the store. Jenna and Allen are the proud parents of Zachary, 19, and Hannah, 6, both of whom have helped contribute to the family-friendly atmosphere at Finer Pointes.
Rachel WillisRachel Willis has performed with Bangor Youth Ballet, Robinson Ballet, the National Youth Ballet and the PORT Opera, and joined Portland Ballet as a principal dancer in 2000. Her featured roles have included both classical ballet and modern dance. Rachel attended Walnut Hill School for Performing Arts and Thomas School of Dance (under Ivy Forest), and has studied with such renowned artists as Eleanor D'Antuono, Richard Rein, Cathy Batcheller and Peter Kalivas. She teaches ballet, pointe and modern, and has been on the faculty of Dance Studio of Maine since 2006, and of Dance House Productions since 2009. Her contemporary choreography has appeared frequently in the annual "Portland Dances!" Rachel joined Finer Pointes in 2007.
Andrea LucasCurrently performing as a principal with Portland Ballet, Andrea Lucas is originally from St. Louis and holds a bachelor's degree with honors in dance pedagogy from Butler University in Indianapolis, where she attended on a Talent Award Scholarship. She has studied and performed internationally, including summer programs with American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Internationale and the Radio City Rockettes, training in St. Petersburg, Russia and the National Ballet School of Poland in Warsaw, and performance at Poland's National Opera Houses. Additionally, she has been a print model for Motionwear and Dancewear Solutions, and has choreographed for Regional Dance America/MidStates. Andrea joined Finer Pointes in 2009.
Laura HansenLaura Hansen has studied dance since age 2, starting at The Dance Center in Auburn, where she currently teaches jazz and creative movement and performs modern and ballet with the Androscoggin Dance Company. Throughout her teen years, she attended the Young Dancers Workshop and Professional Training Program at Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, studying ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban dance and improvisation with the Festival's renowned guest artists. Currently a student at New England Bible College in South Portland, Laura traveled with Youth with a Mission to Germany, Asia and Italy, where she studied classical painting in Florence. She joined Finer Pointes in 2009.