NORWICH – A former dance instructor, Travis St. Denny, 28, of Norwich, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday after admitting his guilt relating to the molestation of one of his students, and encouraging another to make pornographic material.

District Attorney Joseph McBride said the investigation involved the touching of at least one victim and the solicitation of several other underage dance-youths to either engage in sexual acts or send the defendant inappropriate images.

McBride said the investigation involved at least seven victims and expanded activities over the last 10 years, when St. Denny worked as a dance instructor at the Perkins School of the Arts in Norwich. He pleaded guilty in July to two counts of criminal sexual act and promoting an obscene performance of a child; all D-class sex-crime felonies.

Downey gave St. Denny two five-year prison terms, one for each criminal sex act charge, for a ten-year total sentence. The sentence was part of a plea-arrangement with prosecutors. The incidents occurred in May of 2010, according to the indictment.