Michela grew up bilingually in Italian and German and lived in both countries for many years. Michela holds an M.A. in Political Science, Italian Philology, and Transport Management and a Ph.D. in Italian Philology from the University of Bonn, Germany as well as a Certificate in Early Childhood Education from the Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY.
Michela has been working at many different schools and school types and can now look back onto 19 years of vast teaching experiences from several countries, Germany, the UK, and the USA. She has been the principal and president of the German School of Connecticut since 2021. Michela lives in Rye, NY with her husband and their two daughters.
Michela is paired with Fred Astaire Professional Clemens
Clemens began dancing in Linz, Austria at the age of 15. After completing all of his examinations in dance school, he began competing in major dance competitions throughout Europe including the Austrian Open, German Open, Italian Open, Copenhagen Open, Czech Republic Open, and Blackpool.
He was recruited by the studio in 1998 and became the owner with his wife in 2001. During his time with Fred Astaire, he has won numerous New England regional championships as well as top teacher awards. Clemens has a degree in fashion and design from HBLA in Linz, Austria.
He works hard not only on the dance floor with his students, but also designing and making custom dresses for the studios competitive students, which he does in his free time.