FACULTY

Elizabeth Troxler is a NYC based director & choreographer with a passion to create stories full of emotion and heart.  She has performed principal roles in ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Les Sylphide & Don Quioxte with the Nacional Ballet de Panama and other classical companies.  Elizabeth has performed in national tours and regional theater productions of Brigadoon, Sweet Charity, Beauty & the Beast, Mame and many more.  Elizabeth has directed and choreographed new works (Daughter of Society, The Emily Dickinson Project - On This Wondrous Sea), many musicals (Cabaret, Bright Star, Matilda), various ballets (The Snow Queen, The Nutcracker, The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg), and a recent (COVID safely filmed) dance production entitled (Dancing Through…) in conjunction with The Tank & many NYC, regional & Broadway choreographers & performers.  She is a certified teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance and guest teaches and coaches students around the world.  As a master teacher, she seeks to empower dancers of all levels to create a multifaceted versatility and strength of character that spans not only various dance styles, but also seeps into life.

 Evelyn Toh is Team TADA's Assistant Director.  Evelyn is a Visiting Assistant Professor at SHSU, a Company Member for Noblemotion Dance, and she holds not only a B.F.A in Dance from The Boston Conservatory, but also an MFA in Dance from SHSU.  She also holds an Advanced 2 RAD Certification with Distinction.  In addition to teaching master classes locally and abroad, Evelyn has also taught ballet and modern at Singapore's School of the Arts and at Sam Houston State University.  She was recently recognized by SHSU for Outstanding Teaching.  Evelyn has performed with the John Mead Dance Company, Ballet Rox, Nimbus Dance Works, Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, Joshua Manculich’s Whirlwind, MOMIX, and more, and has performed all across the world in Europe and Asia.  Evelyn’s choreographic work has been presented at Barnstorm Dance Festival (TX), T.H.E Dance Company’s New Vision (Singapore), ACDA South-Central Gala, and Dance Gallery Festival (TX).  Evelyn is a company member with Noblemotion Dance.  You may email her at TeamAD@dancetada.com

Becky Kiser is the Director of Marketing and Culture at TADA.  She is a certified Life Coach and consultant for women and small business owners; speaks at women’s events; hosts the Hearers & Doers with Becky Kiser podcast; and authors books and Bible Studies. In 2020 Becky founded Online Women’s Ministries, which has helped more than 10,000 women. Becky and her husband, Chris, live in The Woodlands, Texas, with their three girls who are all on the competition team at TADA! 

Links: 

Website: http://www.beckykiser.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckykiser

Douchane is a native Houstonian and has been dancing for 16 years. He found the love for dance in 5th grade where he then joined a dance company named, “FLY KIDS” they performed at Dance Houston, MA Dance, World of Dance, and many Houston events. He then wanted to take his dancing further and joined Soreal Dance Studio. Since dancing at Soreal he has had the opportunity to train in many genres of hip hop dance and compete in many competitions such as Body Rock and World of Dance. He also was a director for University of Texas at San Antonio’s Filipino Student Association modern dance team. Now he is resident teacher at Soreal. Douchane’s main goal for his students is for them to have a space where they can just be free and be their authentic self, and most importantly have fun!

 ​Ana Acevedo comes to us from El Salvador, where she received her training at the National School of Dance, Morena Celarie.  She was a member of the prestigious Teatro de Danza Contemporanea  (contemporary ballet company based in El Salvador) for many years, dancing to sold-out performances throughout El Salvador and the United States.  She was honored to appear as a soloist in several performances including Paquita, Don Quixote, and Swan Lake among others.  In 2005 she received her certification at the Royal Ballet Academy in London to teach the most advanced levels of ballet and pointe, and to submit students for testers for the RAD Global Examination.  She has directed and choreographed numerous ballets, including The Nutcracker, Cats, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and was the Director of Ballet at HFAC in Houston.   

Jenette Anzalone holds a BA in Ballet and Contemporary dance from the La Salle-SIA College of the Arts.  A veteran teacher of over 20 years and the owner of Dance Circle Studios in Singapore, she has taught jazz, contemporary, hip hop, ballroom, and ballet at various international schools, including La Salle-SIA and the National University of Singapore.  She has choreographed and performed in several major productions including Broadway Our Way, Tune In and Turn Out, Sunrise, Sunset, among others, and was the lead dancer in Mercury Rising, the Musical and That’s Kit.  She also starred in John Meade Dance Company’s production ofIcons.  Throughout her career she received numerous accolades, including honors of distinction at the UK Royal Academy of Dance and the highest awards at The Dance Excellence International Dance Festival in Los Angeles.  Jenette has an incredibly passionate and enthusiastic style of teaching all of her students, toddlers through adults!  

Alexis Zanety is a ballet and contemporary teacher and choreographer, and former first soloist for Cuba’s National Dance Company (CNDC). He graduated in 1989 from Escuela Profesional de Instructores de Arte in Villa Clara, Cuba, graduating with honors and receiving the coveted Diploma de Oro award. He joined CNDC from 1995-2002, there he performed emblematic works of Cuban Modern Dance such as Sulkari, Golden Bird, Metamorphosis, Macandal, amongst other, touring on events like Holland Dance Festival, Nervi Festival, Aida Opera at the reopening of the theater La Fenice, and other worldwide venues. In 2002 he relocated to Mexico where he was invited by Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara to choreograph. He then performed the principal role of “Don Jose” in Carmen by choreographer Adriana Quinto at the Cervantine Festival. He was then invited to portray the leading role in the musical Besame Mucho (2003) produced by OCESA.   Alexis combines the information he has learned from Afro-Cuban, neoclassical, classical ballet, and Caribbean rhythms and enjoys exploring movement to Cuban Rumba in his own technique called Dibujo Circular de Movimento (Circular Drawing Movement). In 2015 He was commissioned by CNDC to choreograph Retorno (2015) and in 2016 by Centro Morelense de las Artes in Mexico to choregraph Sombras y Destinos en Imágenes en Desequilibrio. Alexis relocated permanently to Houston, Texas early in 2017. Since then, he has been teaching independently in several cities in the US and has provided master classes at Cornish College of the Arts, University of Washington, University of Houston, and participated at the 2018 and 2019 International Association of Blacks in Dance Congress as guest teacher. Since January 2019 he has been teaching and choreographing at Feijoo Ballet School in Texas. In 2021 his choreographic work won 1 st place at the Open Dance Project and 3 rd Place at the Youth American Grand Prix.

Travis Lake is an interdisciplinary artist focusing on choreography, music composition, and digital production. Based in Texas, he serves on faculty in the Department of Dance at Sam Houston State University where he currently researches the relationship

between conflict and connection in narrative-based artwork. He holds a BFA from the University of Utah (American Dance Movement National Scholarship) and an MFA from Sam Houston State University (Jonathan Charles Endowed Scholarship). Travis Lake’s dynamic style and enthusiasm have made him one of the most sought after dance team choreographers and teachers in the United States. In the last 10 years, his innovative choreography  has won 15 state championships, 5 national championships, and 3 consecutive USASF world championships (the only USASF

certified choreographer to also receive the highest score each year). He haschoreographed over 50 works for organizations, including NobleMotion Dance, University of Minnesota, Brigham Young University, University of South Carolina, Sam Houston State University, and West Virginia University, among others. His work has been presented in venues such as: Capitol Theatre (UT), Disneyland (CA), ESPN’s WideWorld of Sports Complex (FL), Marriott Center for Dance (UT), Hard Rock Resort (FL), The Ocean Center (FL), Daytona Beach Bandshell (FL), James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center (TX), and the Rose Wagner Blackbox Theatre (UT).As a composer, Travis’ original music compositions have been commissioned and presented by notable organizations, including the Guggenheim, Ballet BC, Ballet West, Nederlands Dans Theater II, Arts Umbrella, NobleMotion Dance, Juliano Nunes, Ethan Colangelo, Flockworks, and Emma Portner. View more about Travis or to download music from his website: www.travis-lake.com

Courtney Meier grew up dancing at Boni’s Dance and Performing Arts studio in The Woodlands, Tx. She took her love for dance and performing with her to college at Whitworth University in Washington. After spending three years in Washington, Courtney ended up at Dallas Powerhouse of Dance. It was here where Courtney discovered her love for teaching kids. She was Assistant Director of the Power Squad performing team, Power House Mini competitive team and taught many of the recreational classes. Since moving back home, Courtney has taught at many area studios and has worked with numerous students to strengthen their technique and competition choreography. She is excited to call TADA home and looks forward to working with the kids. 

Wesley Cordova started dancing at the age of eight, and was instructed in various forms of dance at North Harris Performing Arts. While teaching at N.H.P.A Wesley became a member of Revolve Dance Company where he worked with Amy Cain and Dawn Dippel. Additionally, he was a cast member of Gothic South Production's, Revolve on Camera; a series of several dance films, directed by Benjamin Epps. He also performed in several East meets West productions, performed along side the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and has worked under Wes Veldink, the creative director of the Wes Veldink Movement in NYC. While acquiring his B.F.A. in dance at Sam Houston State University, he became a member of Noble Motion Dance and performed with the company for three years.  Most recently he was a performer and dance captain for two Houston Grand Opera productions. He has studied under; Lindsey McGill, Randall Flinn, Elijah Alhaji Gibson, Andy Noble, Dionne Noble, Manuel Vigoulle, Amy Cain, and Dawn Dippel.

Davis Stumberg graduated from the University of North Texas with his BA in Dance in 2014.   Davis' areas of specialty include modern, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, aerial arts, and acrobatics.  His teaching style is one of a kind, energetic and uplifting, and he often incorporates elements of balance, strength, and flexibility into his teaching method.  He is often requested at TADA, as his love of teaching and care for his students is truly magnetic.  Aside from his dance training he was a collegiate and competitive cheerleader, and has taught gymnastics and cheerleading for many years.   He has been a guest artist for Noble Motion, and performed in the Houston Grand Opera’s productions Rusalka and Faust. He has performed professionally with Open Dance Project and FRAME dance, and performs frequently at various venues locally and nationally.  

Rebecca Bryan, originally from Charlotte, NC, has been teaching dance to students of all ages for over 30

years. She has been a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance since 1996 and been a mentor to other teachers studying for their certification. She continues to enter students for

examinations in the Grades and Vocational levels consistently earning high marks, ranging from Merit to High Distinction. Ms. Bryan is an accomplished choreographer. Her original and staged repertoire includes Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Nutcracker, Of Kingdoms and Fairies, The Snow Child and many more. She has also choreographed overall award-winning pieces and coached students to compete at leading competitive organizations such as, YAGP, Revel, NYCDA, Groove, Nexstar, Platinum, In10sity and others. In 2017 she choreographed the opera “Vanessa” with the Sarasota Opera. Currently Ms. Bryan owns Sarasota Dance Academy in Sarasota, FL. She oversees all their programs and competitive teams. She is also working on certifications in Progressing Ballet Technique, Acrobatic Arts, and Adult safe practice of dance in “Silver Swans” of the RAD. Ms. Bryan enjoys passing on the love of ballet and all forms of dance to future generations of dancers. She also loves working with dancers one on one, coaching solos and ballet variations, building technique, and dance conditioning/flexibility training. She is very excited to bring her passion of dance and unique teaching style to TADA, where she hopes to inspire her students,  small to tall, and nurture their love of dance.