Meet our team
At Bridge to Broadway, we believe every child has the potential to shine. As performers and instructors with professional experience in Broadway musicals and the international performing arts world, we are passionate about guiding the next generation toward their future with confidence, discipline, and creativity.
Our mission is to be the bridge that connects children’s dreams to real opportunities. Through high-quality training, mentorship, and encouragement, we help students grow not only as performers, but also as strong, confident individuals ready to take on the world.
Because we have lived the dedication, passion, and hard work required on the Broadway stage, we believe we can inspire and guide young artists to reach heights they never imagined possible.
Founder / Artistic Director
Daniel Therrien
Daniel Therrien is a world-renowned artistic director, choreographer, and performer with a 30-year career spanning Broadway, Las Vegas, and the premier stages of Europe and Japan. A graduate of Gulfport High and a St. Martin native, Daniel has returned home to launch the Bridge to Broadway Academy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing elite, professional-level training in musical theatre, acrobatics, and dance. Having choreographed for icons like Usher and Jimmy Buffett, and served as an aerial captain in major European premieres, Daniel is now dedicated to building a bridge for local talent to reach the world’s biggest stages.
Minori Therrien is an internationally experienced musical theater performer, choreographer, director, and educator originally from Nagoya, Japan. She began her professional career with the renowned Shiki Theatre Company, performing in major productions including Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, Aida, and Wicked, where she portrayed Elphaba in Tokyo.
Her international career continued across Germany and Austria with performances in Cats, West Side Story, The King and I, Hair, and many other productions. Known for her powerful stage presence and vocal ability, Minori has performed throughout Japan, Europe, and the United States.
Now based on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Minori is passionate about inspiring and training the next generation of performers through Bridge to Broadway, sharing the professional experience, discipline, and artistry gained from her international stage career.
Minori Therrien
Co-Founder/Director of Operations
Faculty / Ballet, Pointe, modern (horton style)
Kris Cangelosi
Kris Cangelosi is an accomplished dance educator, choreographer, director, and mentor with more than 40 years of teaching and professional performance experience. She is the Artistic Director of the Cangelosi Dance Project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she has trained and inspired dancers for over 25 years.
Kris has taught and guest instructed at prestigious schools, festivals, and organizations throughout the United States and internationally, including Germany and Spain. Her choreography has been recognized at numerous national and international festivals, and she has worked on productions such as Singin' in the Rain and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
A respected adjudicator, mentor, and leader in the dance community, Kris continues to inspire the next generation of performers through her dedication to excellence in dance education, choreography, and artistic development.
Faculty / Contemporary, Jazz
Catherine Caccamo
Catherine teaches all ages with a focus on jazz, lyrical, and contemporary dance. A New York native trained in Atlanta, she brings over 15 years of experience as both a performer and choreographer. Her work has earned multiple choreography awards and platinum-winning competition numbers. Catherine’s teaching style balances fun and structured instruction, keeping students engaged, motivated, and excited to grow. Outside the studio, she is a proud mom and wife, and the owner of Bayside Babes Beauty Bar in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Faculty / Vocal, acting
Anthony Starcher
Anthony Starcher is a theatre professional, educator, producer, and talent agent with over 35 years of experience in the performing arts. Trained in Musical Theatre at Arizona State University and the University of Southern Mississippi, he has performed with professional companies across the United States.
For more than three decades, Anthony has taught voice, acting, and performance while mentoring performers of all ages. As co-owner and talent agent of Metro Models & Talent, he prepares actors and models for opportunities in film, television, commercials, and live theatre.
Anthony is passionate about helping students build confidence, develop their artistic skills, and reach their full potential. He is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of performers through excellence in education and the performing arts.
Ida Tomasi
Faculty / gymnastics
Ida Tomasi was born and raised in Salzburg, Austria, where she attended the Academic Gymnasium Salzburg and graduated in June 2026.
She has been involved in artistic gymnastics since the age of two and was part of the Austrian junior national team.
Since October 2022, she has been coaching young competitive gymnasts in Salzburg, sharing her experience and passion for the sport.
She also has been a member of the Salzburg Festival and Theater Children’s Choir since 2015, through which she has gained experience in acting, opera, and especially musical Theatre.
Sandy Starcher
Faculty / Piano, Music
Sandy Starcher has been involved with music and theatre arts for most of her life. She received a Bachelor of Music Education from USM, and a Master of Music from FSU. She is a past winner of the Yamaha National Electone Keyboard Festival, and represented the U.S. in Hong Kong at the International competition. At Gulfport Little Theatre, Sandy was musical director/arranger for Trial of the Big Bad Wolf, which won the grand prize at the Chuncheon International Theatre Festival in South Korea. She has been a teacher, arranger, and field representative for the Yamaha Corporation of America; and worked as an arranger for Hal Leonard Publishing.
Sandy has been rehearsal pianist, orchestra member, conductor, and/or music director for many musical productions on the Gulf Coast. She was also a co-owner of Broadway South Repertory .She has maintained a private studio for many years, teaching lessons on piano, organ, and keyboard. She also taught several years in the music department at MGCCC. Sandy enjoys both teaching and performing; and also helping students to develop and share their talents at their own pace.