2020 instructors

  "Miss Kristan" has been teaching and choreographing for over 25 years.  She was the director of a local dance studio in The Woodlands for 13 years before she opened TADA, and has repeatedly won top recognition at national competitions for her choreography. Miss Kristan grew up training and competing under Ray Leeper (of NUVO) and other industry notables, and she attended the University of Hawaii on a dance scholarship.  She has performed at major venues such as the Jazz World Congress in D.C., has 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 choreographed 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.  Miss Kristan is extremely honored to bring you TADA dance studio, where all dance classes for kids and adults are taught by an amazing cast of bright and beautifully talented teachers!  

 Originally from Sacramento, California, Elise Elliott retired from the Houston Ballet as a Soloist in 2017. Following four summer programs, she became a member of the Houston Ballet in November 2007.  She  enjoyed being featured in works by many choreographers, including Stanton Welch, Antony Tudor, Ben Stevenson, Jiri Kylian, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Christopher Bruce, Sir Kenneth Macmillan, Wayne MacGregor,  and John Cranko. Elise has had the pleasure to teach with TADA since they opened their doors in 2014. In April of 2017, Elise became TADA's Ballet Director, as well as Artistic Director of TADA's Youth Ballet Company. Elise is happily married to fellow TADA teacher, Rhodes Elliott. They have a daughter, Annie, and a son, Henry.    

  Jessica Norwood grew up in Houston, where she trained with North Harris Performing Arts, 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--jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, and more, and she loves teaching students of all ages and levels!  Jessica has two beautiful baby girls, Parker and Jaden!   

    ​​Jenette Anzalone comes to us from Singapore, where she graduated with a degree 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!  She is proud of her daughter Estrella who currently competes on the elite level with the TADA Company.   

Originally from Singapore, Priscilla Nathan-Murphy received her classical ballet training in the Royal Academy of Dancing Syllabi and has also been trained in oriental dance mudras, modern dance and jazz. Ms. Nathan-Murphy has a certification from the British Royal Academy of Dance in teaching and has acquired a Teaching License Diploma from the British Association of Teachers of Dance. She has also recently completed a teachers seminar and course in the Cechetti method in London. Some of the teachers and masters of dance that she has worked with include Rose Eberwein, Eve Pettinger, Kitty Daniels, James Clouser, David Horchoy, Bill Evans, Doug Varone. Ms. Nathan-Murphy taught creative movement, ballet and modern dance in the pre-professional and professional division of Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy since 1985, where she held the position of Principal over the Pre and Lower School Divisions for 12 years, as well as headed the modern program. While on staff with the Houston Ballet Academy, Ms. Nathan-Murphy further developed and delineated the syllabi for the Creative Dance Program, as well as introduced the Pre-Ballet Syllabus. She was also instrumental in introducing Improvisational Composition, Cultural Dance and Musical Theater into the curriculum of Houston Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program. She has also been a teaching artist with the Texas Institute for Arts in Education for several years and has held the position of adjunct faculty at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts for 19 years. Ms. Nathan-Murphy has also conducted numerous master classes and workshops within the United States since 1980. Locally she has choreographed for Houston Ballet II, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and numerous other companies.

  Nicole Odom is a licensed Zumba® Instructor and an AFAA Certified Group Exercise Instructor. For the last 14 years, Nicole has taught a variety of fitness formats including Zumba® Fitness, step aerobics, kickboxing, body sculpting, core strength, and specialty classes for senior citizens. Nicole had the privilege of getting her initial Zumba® License from the founder, Beto Perez, in Los Angeles, California in 2012. She is also a part of the Zumba® Instructor Network with licenses to teach many of the specialty formats in Zumba® Fitness. Her goal is the same no matter the format--to teach a safe and effective class that inspires people to improve their quality of life through exercise.​​​​ 

Hayden Stark 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 elevated to Demi-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.    

Sara Webb received her early training at the Academy of Nevada Dance Theatre and at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida. She then attended the Houston Ballet Academy for one year and joined Houston Ballet in 1997. Ms. Webb was promoted to Principal in 2003. She performed lead roles in many classical productions and featured roles in a number of contemporary works. Ms. Webb performed in Hong Kong, Moscow, London, Germany, Spain, Canada, Australia, Panama, and Tokyo, as well as many cities in the United States. Ms. Webb retired from Houston Ballet in 2018. She is married to Ryan Bardo, and they have four children.