Originally from the Island of Guam, "Miss Kristan" has been teaching and choreographing for over 25 years. After moving to Texas in 1999, she became the director of a local dance studio’s competitive team in The Woodlands, repeatedly winning top recognition at national competitions for her choreography. Miss Kristan was trained on Guam with SKIP, Guam’s most elite dance company, by faculty from the Philippines, Japan, and the Mainland U.S., and also over several years under industry notables such as Ray Leeper (of NUVO), Tina D’ Amato-Sidoni, and more. In the summers, she competed all over the United States, and performed at major venues such as the Jazz World Congress in D.C. She attended the University of Hawaii on a dance scholarship, danced professionally in Hawaii and New York City, and has choreographed and taught for several local performing arts troupes, drill teams, high schools, as well as SHSU. She also directed the casting and choreography for country singer Clay Walker's concerts. In addition to Miss Kristan's love of art in dance, she also loves art in words, which is why she not only holds degrees from the University of Hawaii and SHSU, but also a Ph.D in literature from The University of Houston. She and her husband Sam Ballard officially opened TADA in 2014, and with gratitude have seen it expand and thrive thanks to TADA's incredible faculty, dancers, and families. They live in The Woodlands with their two children Addison and Bailey.
Amy Leonards is Director of TADA's Ballet Program and holds a BA in the Performing Arts. Originally from Louisiana, Amy is classically trained in ballet, tap, and jazz, with a specialization in teaching Vaganova, Cecchetti, and RAD ballet methods. Miss Amy developed and implemented ballet curriculum as ballet director over several years for two performing arts schools in Los Angeles and San Franciso before joining us at TADA, while also pursuing a professional career in theater. She is a proud member of the Actors' Equity Association, and some of her favorite roles include Hope in Anything Goes, Rose in Enchanted April (World Premiere), Marian in The Music Man, Maggie in A Chorus Line, and Jellylorum in Cats, to name a few. Amy also has international, national, and regional commercial and print credits, including Ford, Legal Zoom, LeapFrog, and Salesforce. We are honored and proud to acquire her as Ballet Director in 2021!
View more about Miss Amy on her website at https://www.amyfranklinleonards.com/
You may email her at ballet@dancetada.com
Hayden Stark is TADA's Youth Ballet Conservatory Director. He retired in 2021 as a Soloist with Houston Ballet and is known for his outgoing and knowledgeable style of teaching. Hayden grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He began dancing at 3 years old, toured with Minnesota Ballet at ten, and, at fifteen, left home to attend North Carolina School of the Arts. After graduating in 2012, Hayden joined Houston Ballet II, was hired into the Houston Ballet Company in 2013 and has since been elevated to Soloist. Hayden has enjoyed performing the lead role of Ariel in David Bintley’s The Tempest and soloist roles of Fire God in Stanton Welch’s La Bayadere and Indian Boy in Christopher Bruce’s Ghost Dances, to name just a few. Mr. Hayden became TADA's YBC Director in May of 2021! You may email Mr Hayden at ybc@dancetada.com
Jessica Norwood is the Team TADA Director. Jessica grew up in Houston, where she trained with North Harris Performing Arts, an icon in the community for excellence in dance, eventually becoming a teacher and a partner in the NHPA facility. She became a member of the performing arts company REVOLVE, where she had the opportunity to work with an array of prominent dance figures such as Wes Veldink and Mia Michaels of NYC, Randal Flinn of Dance Ad Deum, as well as Houston Ballet's Barbara Bears, Fred Stroble, and Naomi Glass. In 2009 she became a Houston Texans Cheerleader, eventually becoming a captain and choreographer; she currently continues to give the cheerleaders technique classes. She has performed at venues and outreach programs all over the world and is exemplary in an array of disciplines. Miss Jessica has two beautiful girls, Parker and Jaden! You may email her at team@dancetada.com
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
Robyn Hinojosa is TADA's Studio Manager, but she has also been a dance instructor in the local area for over twenty years. Originally from Conroe, Miss Robyn has been teaching and choreographing award-winning dances for TADA's competitive dance team for many years. In addition to her love of teaching, she is also CPR Certified and OSHA trained, and was a Pediatric Dental Assistant for 25 years. Robyn is the proud mom of two recent graduates. Her senior Abi danced on the Elite team at TADA, and is now majoring in the Performing Arts at Oklahoma City University. Miss Robyn is outstanding in creativity and professionalism, and we are grateful to have her on staff! Her email address is officemanager@dancetada.com
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.
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.
Tyler Orcutt is currently an MFA candidate with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship position at Sam Houston State University. Former dancer with Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) from 2012-2020, Tyler has toured the west coast performing in lead roles choreographed by Modern Dance pioneers Humphrey, Limón, Shawn, McKayle, and Cunningham. With RDT, he also worked with current choreographers Bebe Miller, Lar Lubovitch, Danielle Agami, Tiffany Rae-Fisher, and Zvi Gotheiner, among many others. He has guested with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company during a collaboration with RDT and the Eccles Theater, as well as St. Petersburg Opera and Moving Current Dance Collective. He most recently joined NobleMotion Dance in the summer of 2020. Tyler holds a BFA in dance from The University of South Florida, during which he performed in works by Bill T. Jones and Doug Varone.
Amy Aloma grew up in the Houston area where she trained in multiple genres and began performing and competing at the age of three. She has been teaching dance for over twenty years and was the owner/director of SSCDANCE, LLC - home to her award winning SSCD competitive company. Amy’s dancers as well as her choreography have received numerous top regional and national awards over the years. Amy is married to her childhood sweetheart and a proud mother of three sons, Ethan, Aidan and Rylan. Aidan is a product of Amy’s passion for dance as she raised him in the studio in the disciplines of Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary & Hip Hop. After closing her studio, Amy and Aidan became part of the TADA family where he enjoyed being a part of the elite team and she enjoys teaching. Amy also works as a guest choreographer for the middle and high school dance teams in her hometown.
Jason Anderson has been teaching and performing for over 30 years in Texas and abroad. He specializes in various dance genres such as hip hop, breakdancing, house, waacking, and street jazz, and is known for his unique style. His work is also influenced by a focus on yoga, breath work, nutrition, and cultivating connection - all of which are often incorporated in his classes. With over 500 performances as an entertainer, Jason has trained and performed with some of the best in the industry in NYC, LA, DC, and Tokyo. Jason has performed at Cirque De Soleil, the White House, and all across the world with Planet Funk Academy. He was also the director of Hip Hop for Planet Funk, and has been a back up dancer for numerous major artists. Jason’s other interests include: photography, graphic design, participating in outdoor activities and helping others find true meaning in life.
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!
Originally from Lousiana, Zoe Boyd graduated Magna Cum Laude and is currently in the Honors College at SHSU pursuing a BFA in Dance. Zoe began dancing at the age of 2, and has danced competitively in all genres including jazz, tap musical theatre, hip hop and ballet. After five years with her previous studio, she joined the TADA competitive team in 2014 and instantly fell in love with the open and welcoming environment. Throughout her teen years at TADA she was a dance captain and also frequently assisted or subbed. In 2019, Zoe not only joined the TADA convention track but she also began her first year as an official instructor teaching tap! Zoe will continue teaching and choreographing at TADA, sharing her passion for dance with kids of all ages and levels!
Katie McAninch began dancing at her local studio at age four in Modesto, CA, as well as an extensive competitive background in gymnastics, cheer, tumbling/trampoline, and sports acrobatics. In 2009, she moved to Houston, TX continuing to dance in the studio as well as joining her high school drill team. After high school, Katie began working for Crowd Pleasers Dance Company, traveling across Texas choreographing and teaching. Katie continued her education at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, TX, competing on the Blinn Treasures dance team and winning a National Dance Alliance (NDA) collegiate title in 2014 while Captain. From Blinn, Katie went on to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX where she continued competing in dance on the SFA dance teams. Katie won three more NDA Collegiate titles at SFA and as Captain her second year. During these three years at SFA, Katie was heavily involved in the dance program studying Dance Pedagogy along with Theories and Principles of Dance. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Dance with a minor in Communication Studies in 2017. Katie received her MFA from Texas Woman’s University in 2020 where she researched and explored possibilities to enhance artistry in the competitive dance team culture. Katie just finished her first year as a Dance and PE teacher at Independence High School as well as the Assistant Director of the Royals Drill Team. She is moving on to her next position as the Head Cheer and Dance coach starting the inaugural spirit program at The University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX.
Ms. Moy brings a depth of knowledge, insight, joy and inspiration to her teaching that is matched only by her unwavering quest to find the best for her students. An acclaimed dancer of extraordinary versatility, Ms. Moy’s career has taken her around the world. With the Boston Ballet Company, under the Direction of Founder E. Virginia Williams she has danced the works of: Petipa, Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, and others. She has also danced for Ohio Ballet, Spokane Ballet, Rhode Island Festival Ballet, Ballet Theater of Boston, and the Boston Dance Company. The New York Times wrote of her featured performance as Amour, in Rudolf Nureyev’s “Don Quixote”, “.. Stephanie Moy’s great success as the Cupid figure, A more darting, mischievous and totally alive in the classical spirit, was well deserved!”. These are qualities her students might well recognize in her classes. She has taught at the Boston School of Ballet, Boston Conservatory, Ballet Theater of Boston, Ohio Ballet & Festival Ballet of RI. In addition, she was the director of the American Academy of Dance in Mansfield MA from 2001 to 2014. Ms. Moy’s charisma is matched by her professionalism, making her classes inspiring for all who study with her.
Colette R. Kerwick, from Santa Fe, New Mexico received her BA in dance from New Mexico State University, where she worked as an Adjunct Lecturer, and an Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from Sam Houston State University. She is currently an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Dance. In her fourth season dancing with NobleMotion Dance, she is Programming Director and is also, Artistic Director of their pre-professional company, NMD2. Previous experience includes Adjunct Lecturer with University of St. Thomas in teaching dance. She has presented choreography at the American College Dance Association, The Dance Gallery Festival (NY, TX), William Evans Somatic Dance Festival (NY) and the Keshet Dance Festival (NM). Kerwick has also had the privilege of performing works by Lux Boreal, Mike Esperanza, Gabrielle Lamb, Jennifer Mabus, Joshua Manculich, Andy and Dionne Noble, Dana Nicolay, Jennifer Pontius and Vanessa Voskuil. She has also performed and trained at festivals and intensives including: Dance Italia in Lucca, Italy, the American Dance Festival, Josè Limon and has toured with NobleMotion Dance in New York City, NY, Palm Springs, CA, Corpus Christi, TX and Phoenix, AZ. This season Kerwick looks forward to performing at the Kennedy Center with NobleMotion Dance in 2022.
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.
Genie Lanfear was born in San Antonio Texas where she began her ballet training. At fourteen she moved to Dallas to study under Natasha Krasovska before moving to New York to attend the School of American Ballet (SAB) on scholarship. In 1975 she joined Lyric Opera Ballet with artistic director Maria Tallchief and had the opportunity to work with George Balanchine. In 1980 she attended Houston Ballet Academy and a year later joined the company under the direction of Ben Stevenson. Ms Lanfear was a company member for twelve years. She returned to Houston Ballet in 2006-2013 as the shoe coordinator, and she has taught ballet for over twenty years including teaching for Houston Ballet and the University of Houston. She owns her own Pilates studio in historic downtown Houston.
Bio coming soon
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.
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