TORI SKILLINGS

Tori started dancing at three and was in competitive studio training for 15 years. On top of being a competitive dancer, she was also a cheerleader for three years at her high school, Frisco Liberty. She then attended Texas Tech University where she pursued a BA in Psychology and Kinesiology. During college, she was a part of the Texas Tech Pom Squad where she helped lead the team to their first-ever National Championship. On top of the Pom Squad, she was also involved in leadership councils, Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, and the Texas Tech Institutional Advancement team. Tori was also on NDA staff and choreographed for studios. After she graduated college, she became a NBA dancer for the Dallas Mavericks for two years. She currently is a third year NFL cheerleader. Tori brings a lot of enthusiasm and experience in different dance genres. She loves to push dancers to become the confident performers she knows they can be in all other settings. She is one of the founders of Skills Dance, a dance business that has helped numerous dancers prepare for college dance teams. 
Teacher/Creator/Producer, Malana Murphy has been an educator in the Dallas/Ft Worth area for over 30 years and has received The Tap Legend award from Dance Council of North Texas and Mentorship Award from Syncopate.  As a Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni, she has now come full circle in creating a tap program at the school, while also serving and teaching as the tap director at Next Step Dance in Frisco, attracting students from around the metroplex.  Creator and producer of RIFF Dallas Tap Festival, she brings the best of tap dancing to the feet of Dallas with dozens of teachers each year and is committed to educating the youth of today, preserving the traditions of the past, while challenging the tap community to continue the legacy of this innovative American art form. Malana created the Woodshed Experience which is a mentorship opportunity for select students where the focused on learning the paths of their mentors and finding their own voice as a tap dancer.  Most recently, she created and is the director of Next Step Tap Project, NSTP, a youth ensemble that focuses on the history, musicality, and improvisation of tap dance. Her love for tap dancing has inspired her to share her passion and knowledge with students locally and abroad. 
“Infusing the world with rhythm, one tap dancer at a time.” Malanaraph here.

jess hendricks

Jess Hendricks graduated from the University of Colorado with a BFA in Dance. Her training and education includes Perry Mansfield School of the Performing Arts, American Dance Festival, Harvard Dance Festival, EDGE Scholarship, Gus Giordano and Hubbard Dance Street. Her credits include commercials and industrials for Godiva, L’Oreal, Reebok, Toys R Us, Universal Studios, Volkswagen and Warner Brothers. Jess worked on the European tour of HAIR as Dance Captain for years, performed for the opening premiers of Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby and can be seen in such movies as Living Out Loud and Between The Sheets. She has danced in or been an assistant choreographer for the World Ski Championships, Elan Awards, Bob Fosse Awards, Ms. America Pageant, CARNIVAL, Dance Break and Broadway Bares.  Jess has choreographed the New York musicals “The Shaggs”, “The Book Of The Dun Cow” and “Dead City” as well as the movie musical “Free Fall”. She has choreographed the music video “Just A Dress” for the Berlin Film Festival and Sofia Strati’s “Mia Agapi Fotia” for Eurovision. Jess has taught at Universities and Festivals throughout Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway and the United States. Jess was a company member with “The Wes Veldink Movement” and Co-Created her own company “Two Peas & A Pod” in NYC. She has created work for A Great Big World and Alicia Keys Set The World On Fire Tour. Jess has debuted work at Carnegie Hall and Brooklyn Academy of Music, as well as set work or taught at Marymount Manhattan College, Point Park University, PACE University, James Madison University, University of Colorado, Southern Methodist University, Houston METdance, Dallas Black Dance Theater Encore, DanceWorks Chicago, Wanderlust Dance Project and Dance Lab New York. Jess is currently an adjunct professor at PACE University, on faculty with 24Seven Dance Convention and a Co-Founder of Dancers Give Back Dallas.  

KATIE DRABLOS

Katie Drablos, a Dallas native and SMU Dance Performance graduate, made her mark in New York City initially as a Radio City Rockette in 2009 & 2010. Throughout the years, she's danced, taught, and served as Al Blackstone's Associate Choreographer for productions like Oklahoma, Hairspray, and more. Notably, she's performed in his NYC original works, including "Happy We'll Be" and "Freddie Falls in Love."  Katie is a passionate dance educator teaching young people and adults across the country, internationally, and at Steps on Broadway. She specializes in contemporary, jazz, and theater jazz. A cancer survivor with a heart for storytelling, she showcased her directorial and choreographic prowess in two full-length NYC shows, "35: a celebration of being alive” & “Almost 36,” to fundraise for oral, head, and neck cancer patients. She is honored to be a part of DGBD and continue to use art as a medium in the fight against cancer. Her hero is her older sister, Alana, who has Down syndrome, and Katie is a dedicated advocate for people with Down syndrome too!

DYLAN CROY

Dylan Croy is from Kingwood Texas. He is a dancer, choreographer, and singer-songwriter. He graduated from HSPVA in 2016 and then went on to get his BFA in Dance at The Juilliard School in 2020. Dylan is also a YoungArts Alum, receiving recognition in Modern Dance as well as Choreography. More recently he has been dabbling in his songwriting and releasing new music on popular music platforms. He is continuing to fuse his artistic crafts together to create work that crosses many genres. 

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OMAR RIVERA

Omar Rivera is a Mexican-American originally from Los Angeles, CA. After moving to Dallas, TX, Rivera trained at Prodigy Dance & Performing Arts Centre under the direction of Camille Billelo. In 2014, he graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts under the direction of Lily Aurelia Cabatu Weiss. During his time at Booker T. Washington, Rivera was part of dance ensembles Repertoire I & Repertoire II where he performed works by national leading artists including Robert Battle, Desmond Richardson, Dwight Rhoden, Jessica Lang, Joshua L. Pugh, among others. In 2018, Rivera received his BFA in Dance from the University of Arizona under the direction of Jory Hancock. There, he performed master works by guest artists including Christopher Wheeldon, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Bella Lewitzky, Jose Limon, among others. After graduation, he joined Ballet Hispanico in New York City. Since joining Ballet Hispánico, Rivera has performed works by choreographers such as Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, William Forsythe, Pedro Ruiz, among others. He has had the honor of performing at the Vail Dance Festival, Jacobs Pillow, American Dance Festival, New York City Center's Fall for Dance, Lincoln Center's BAAND Together Dance Festival, and the Kennedy Center. Rivera is in his 6th season with Ballet Hispánico.

BRIAN STEVENS

Brian Stevens is a renowned choreographer and teacher from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Brian launched his company Regeneration Class/Company in 2022. Regeneration is a pre-professional company for high school dancers wanting to supplement weekly training to help them further pursue a career in concert dance. Brian currently guest teaches master classes and choreographs internationally. He is the founder and designer of the recognized costume company, Artistic Dance Designs, which launched in 2013.  Previously, Brian has been the Contemporary Director for Elite Classical Coaching, Artistic Director for KJ Dance’s pre-professional company and for Lifesong Studio’s competitive company. He also toured the country with the Dupree Dance Convention faculty as a choreographer and instructor for 10 years. His choreography has placed 1st as well as in the top 3 multiple times at numerous competitions including The New York City Dance Alliance and The Youth America Grand Prix Competition. Brian’s choreography has won the Gold medal and highest score at The American Dance Competition Youth International Ballet Competition Finals. Previously under his direction, KJ Dance’s pre-professional company has been nationally recognized as New York City Dance Alliance’s First National Outstanding Studio in 2017. His choreography won the 2019 NYCDA National Teen Critic's Choice Award.
Under his mentorship, Brian has had multiple nationally and internationally recognized dancers and dancers attending the Julliard School, University of Southern California, The European School of Ballet, The John Cranko Schule, Boston Conservatory, New York University, George Mason University, Chapman University, and many other prestigious collegiate dance programs.
Brian has been the Artistic Director of Wanderlust Dance Project Dallas for 3 years which is "the first and only Non-Profit 501(c)(3) of its kind, where pre-professionals learn and rehearse from some of the dance industry’s top choreographers while dancing alongside working professional dancers". The Wanderlust show has been named as one of "Theater Jones Top Ten Dance Performances of 2016”. 
Brian has taught and mentored for The Joffrey School year-round trainee program in Frisco, TX for 2 years. He teaches at a number of dance intensives and workshops including Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensive, North Texas Summer Dance Intensive, Dallas Repertoire Ballet Intensive, Dancers Give Back Dallas, Moving Forward Dallas, and Dallas DanceFest. 
Brian most recently had his work performed in Stuttgart, Germany at the John Cranko Schule, at the Nervi Festival in Genova, Italy, in Helsinki IBC Finland, and in Mexico at the Cancun Festival.

BROOKLYN DAVIS

Brooklyn is originally from Flower Mound, Texas where she began dancing at the age of 3. She grew up training and competing in all styles of dance with studios Next Step Dance and Dance Industry. After she finished competing, she was on Flower Mound High School’s drill team before auditioning for the University of Alabama Dance Team. While getting a degree in Marketing and Sales at the University of Alabama, she served as a 4 year member of the nationally ranked Alabama Dance Team and Captain during her final season. Brooklyn also served as Gameday Captain during competition season to lead her team to place 3rd in the nation in the gameday category at UDA Nationals.  Directly following graduation, Brooklyn auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and is currently in her rookie season.

JOI WARE

Joi Ware is a native of Dallas, TX where she began her formal training at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center under the direction of Christy Ryzman. There she got to work with notable choreographers such as Benoit Swan-Pouffer, Jessica Hendricks, and Jon Bond. In high school, she attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she performed works by Robert Battle, Lar Lubovitch, Sidra Bell, and many more. 
Joi is a graduate of Point Park University where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management. At Point Park, she had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Garfield Lemonius, Joshua L. Peugh, Christopher Huggins, and others. Joi has attended summer dance intensives with San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M, Bates Dance Festival, and Springboard Danse Montreal. 
In 2019, Joi moved to Nashville to join New Dialect. She has enjoyed being part of Nashville's tight knit yet growing dance scene as a freelance artist.  Joi has created and danced in independent projects with Oz Arts, Apple, CMT, and multiple musical artists. She has also had the pleasure of being part of productions with Bombshell Dance Project, David Flores Productions, and PYDANCE. Joi is so excited to be returning to Dancers Give Back Dallas as faculty this year.  

MARC CARDARELLI

Dance/Theater: Sleep No More by Punchdrunk; Freddy Falls In Love by Al Blackstone; You’ll Still Call Me By Name by Sonya Tayeh; Phish New Year’s Eve 2016 by Rick & Jeff Kuperman. Film: Dirty Dancing (2016) by Andy Blankenbeuhler; Camp Rock by Disney. Television: Wingin' It by Temple Street Productions; Nureyev by MDF Productions. Training: Toronto Metropolitan University (2006 - 2010); The Second City Toronto (2010 - 2011); HB Studio (2021 - 2022). Marc is very excited to be back at the Cape Playhouse!


jennifer amburn

Jennifer is from Plano, Texas and currently works as a pro team audition mentor, choreographer, and dance team director. In college, Jennifer danced for the Auburn University Tiger Paws Dance Team. She then became a studio dance teacher and co-directed a pre-professional company, Austin Dance Works, in Austin, Texas. While there she helped to revive a professional dance company, Third Coast Contemporary, and worked as both a performer and choreographer. In 2013 Jennifer relocated back to the Dallas area and auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She cheered from 2013-2017 and was named Rookie of the Year, a 4 time Show Group member, spent 3 years in leadership, went on several USO tours, and was the 2017 Pro Bowl Cheerleader. Jennifer was able to perform as a back-up dancer with Selena Gomez and work with Blake Shelton, Usher, Luke Bryan, Pit Bull, Eric Church, and many other celebrities. Jennifer appeared in a reality tv show, “I Can Do That”, where she worked with Cheryl Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, Joe Jonas, Ciara, and Marlon Wayans. For the last 6 years, she has worked with and choreographed for many dance organizations including the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Golden State Warriors Dance Team, Auburn University Tiger Paws Dance Team, Mizzou Golden Girls, SMU Pom, and TCU Showgirls just to name a few. Some of her more notable works can be seen in sideline routines and large scale NFL Halftimes. She also was named a choreographer for the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl and currently teaches as a master teacher at Crowd Pleasers summer camps.  In 2020 Jennifer started a dance training platform called Pro Focus that prepares dancers for all pro team auditions in a unique and highly efficient way. Her company, Make It Pro Dance, has reached dancers in every state through the Pro Focus program, classes, and many other opportunities and trains over 500 dancers for pro teams each year.  Her passion for people to grow and the dance industry to continue to evolve fuels her to continue connecting and impacting as many dancers in our community as possible.  

GREGory DOLBASHIAN

GREGORY DOLBASHIAn, Born and raised in New York City, Gregory received his dance training at the Alvin Ailey School, then graduated cum laude from SUNY Purchase dance conservatory. He debuted his own company, The DASH Ensemble, in December 2010. DASH performance credits include The JOYCE Theater, BAC, New York Live Arts, and Guggenheim Works and Process Series. Touring includes Dallas, L.A., and North Carolina. Gregory, in partnership with dance education specialist Lindsey Pettus, is the co-founder of The DASH Academy. Ballet commissions also include Atlanta Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, Hamptons Dance Project and Ballet Austin. Festivals include American Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow. He has also created original works produced and commissioned for Daniil Simkin’s Intensio and ABT principal dancer Hee Seo. He has also created two original pieces commissioned for Jeffrey Cirio. Awards for Choreography include Hubbard Street 2 International Competition, and Northwest Dance Project’s Pretty Creatives. Commissions for Contemporary/Rep based companies include Dallas Black Dance Theater, LA Contemporary Dance Co., Owen/Cox, Dark Circles CD, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, TU Dance and Northwest Dance Project. His collegiate and training program commissions include Juilliard, Princeton, Point Park, UNCSA Summer Study, LINES Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC Summer Study, MOVENYC YP & S.W.E.A.T programs, NYU, SUNY Purchase, Earl Mosely’s Diversity of Dance, Fordham/Ailey, Montclair State, and James Madison University. As an educator, Gregory has served in many roles, including as choreographic mentor for American Ballet Theater’s Incubator and MOVENYC’s SWEAT LAB. Faculty positions include Broadway Dance Center, Gibney Dance, The Martha Graham School, Ballet Hispanico, Dallas Black Dance Theater, and Peridance Capezio Center. Adjunct faculty at SUNY Purchase and The Hartt School. Masterclasses include Booker T Washington HSPVA, OCSA and Idylwild in California, Steps on Broadway in NYC and HSPVA in Houston. Gregory, alongside fellow choreographer Loni Landon, is the co-founder of The PlaygroundNYC, a choreographic initiative that was voted 25 to Watch by Dance Magazine. 

KAYLIN STURTEVANT

Kaylin Sturtevant (she/her) is originally from Plano, Texas and grew up training at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center and Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She achieved her BFA in Dance in 2020 from the USC Kaufman School of Dance in Los Angeles under the leadership of Jodie Gates. At USC, Kaylin had the opportunity to work closely with and perform works by artists such as William Forsythe, Barak Marshall, Aszure Barton, and Jodie Gates. She has also trained at summer intensives including Nederlands Dans Theater, Jacob’s Pillow, Arts Umbrella, and Alonzo King Lines Ballet. In 2016, Kaylin was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts and National YoungArts Winner in Modern Dance, where she performed at the Kennedy Center in a multi-faceted arts show directed by Debbie Allen. Kaylin is currently in her third season with Ballet BC where she has performed around Europe and North America with works by Medhi Walerski, William Forsythe, Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar, Johan Inger, Felix Landerer, and Roy Assaf, among others. Additionally, she has worked professionally with The DASH Ensemble directed by Gregory Dolbashian and is a certified Pilates instructor through the BASI Comprehensive Program.  
Erica Messonnier currently resides in New York City. She started her dance training at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center in Plano, Tx, then went on to attend Booker T. Washington HSPVA. The high school’s showcase helped encourage Erica to attend Point Park University and finally graduate with her BFA in dance. Since moving to New York, Erica has worked on cruises, national tours, regional theater houses, and workshops. For the last two years, she has been traveling the country as a Swing and Featured Dancer in the Broadway National Tour of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Recently she just finished playing Lila Dixon in Holiday Inn at Surflight Theatre. Erica is now an Equity performer, still auditioning and working in New York City.  Favorite credits include: Grease the Musical, Seussical the Musical, and Principal Female Dancer with Viking Ocean Cruise Line.

Ida​ saki

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Ida Saki trained at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. She furthered her studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and soon after, became a closing member of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet after dancing with them from 2011-2015. She was recently seen on Broadway in Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ as well as the 76th annual Tony Awards. She has performed in the Off-Broadway shows: The Lucky Ones, Sonya Tayeh’s You’ll Still Call Me By Name, Andy Blankenbueler‘s Only Gold, and played Lady Macbeth and was a Rehearsal Director for the immersive show, Sleep No More. She was named one of Dance Magazine’s Top 25 to Watch and awarded Modern Dance Winner by NFAA YoungArts where she was also named a Presidential Scholar of the Arts. Saki was the Assistant Choreographer and played Electra in the film, CATS, and is a featured dancer in the film, In The Heights and Netflix’s Halston. She was the Associate Choreographer on the Amazon film, Birds of Paradise. She is a lead dancer in Coldplay’s Cry, Cry, Cry music video and is the Associate Choreographer of ZIWE on Showtime. Saki is a co-founder of Dancer’s Give Back Dallas, a non-profit raising funds for cancer research and patient support.
    


MICHAEL GARCIA

Michael Garcia was born in McAllen, Texas, his early passion and ambition for dance led him to Dallas,Texas where he trained at many schools before finishing his early education at both Dance Industry Performing Arts Center and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.  After his high school training, Michael was extremely fortunate to have received his BFA from The Juilliard School, under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack and been mentored by profound educators Lily Weiss, Jess Hendricks, Risa Steinberg and Francesca Harper. Since graduating in 2021, he is grateful to have been a company member with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for their 44th season, recognized as a national YoungArts winner, performed at Jacob’s Pillow with Loni Landon Dance Projects, and is currently residing in Vancouver, BC as a full-time artist with Ballet BC. He has performed repertoire and creations by artists such as Bryan Arias, Roy Assaf, Aszure Barton, Sharon Eyal, Johan Inger, Andrea Miller, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Jermaine Spivey, Imre & Marne Van Opstal and Medhi Walerski. Beyond performing, Michael has many pursuits in teaching, choreography, modeling and looks forward to further cultivating his career beyond company life both in Vancouver and around the world. 

ALEXIS BEFFER

Alexis Beffer graduated cum laude from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Dance. She also holds an A.A.S. in Business Administration with a specialization in Business Management. Alexis has worked and trained under the direction of choreographers such as Christopher Scott, Ebony Williams, Jess Hendricks, Dana Wilson, Jessica Castro, Olivia Cipolla, Roderick George, Zackary Tang, Kurt Douglas, Marcus Schulkind, Christian Vincent and Robyn Mineko Williams. Her most recent credits include Associate Choreographer to Ebony Williams at Boston Ballet, the Warner Bros. feature film In The Heights, SisterSledge Live tour featuring Kathy Sledge, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, BCEFA presents Broadway Bares, Carley Nunn at the Houston Mayor’s Holiday Spectacular, Burju Shoes Fashion Show, and served as dance captain for Berklee College of Music’s commencement ceremony. Her training includes the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dana Foglia Dance, Lipstick Diaries NYC, RUBBERBANDance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Currently, Alexis is a Contemporary and Heels faculty member as well as the Programs Manager at Boston Dance Studios, is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and is on staff with Gravit8 Dance Competition.

​​​cheryl copeland

​CHERYL COPELAND GRADUATED WITH A BFA IN DANCE PERFORMANCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS IN PHILADELPHIA, PA. HAVING STUDIED AND PERFORMED EXTENSIVELY IN FLORIDA, NEW YORK, TEXAS, PHILADELPHIA, AND LOS ANGELES, HER TRAINING AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE ARE REFLECTED IN HER CLASSES AND CHOREOGRAPHY. SHE HAS WORKED UNDER SUCH NOTABLE CHOREOGRAPHERS AS MIA MICHAELS, MILTON MYERS, LISA HOPKINS, AND KIM BEARS-BAILEY. FINDING HER TRUE PASSION BEHIND THE SCENES, CHERYL GAVE UP A CAREER IN PERFORMING FOR A MUCH MORE FULFILLING CAREER IN CHOREOGRAPHY AND EDUCATION. SHE HAS SERVED AS RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHER FOR TEEN DANCE COMPANY OF THE BAY AREA, AND AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF PRE-PROFESSIONAL COMPANIES; BREAKTHRU DANCE, DAC PAC, AND HUMNZ DANCE ENSEMBLE, AS WELL AS HER PROFESSIONAL COMPANY BHUMN DANCE COMPANY. SHE OWNED BHUMN DANCESPACE, THE LEADING TRAINING FACILITY FOR MODERN DANCE IN AUSTIN, TX FOR FOUR YEARS AND THEN RETIRED AS OWNER AND HEADED TO NYC TO SERVE AS THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AT PERIDANCE CAPEZIO CENTER, WHERE SHE ESTABLISHED PROGRAMMING, RAN AUDITION TOURS, AND MANAGED FACULTY FOR THREE YEARS. SHE FINDS HERSELF AS CREATIVELY PUSHED IN DANCE ADMINISTRATION AS MUCH AS SHE DOES IN CHOREOGRAPHY. 
AS AN EDUCATOR, CHERYL’S STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED COUNTLESS AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS, AND GONE ON TO DANCE WITH ARTISTS SUCH AS JANET JACKSON, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, LADY GAGA, AND CAN BE SEEN IN NUMEROUS NATIONAL COMMERCIALS. MANY OF HER STUDENTS FIND THEMSELVES PURSUING DANCE DEGREES AT VARIOUS COLLEGES ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES INCLUDING USC KAUFMAN, JUILLIARD, SUNY PURCHASE, NYU, AND BOSTON CONSERVATORY AMONGST OTHERS. AS A CHOREOGRAPHER, SHE HAS WON SEVERAL AWARDS INCLUDING A CHOREOGRAPHY UNDER THE STARS FINALIST CASH AWARD, A YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHER’S AWARD FROM NYCDA, AND HAS CHOREOGRAPHED FULL LENGTH WORKS FOR THE FORDHAM AILEY BFA PROGRAM AND PERIDANCE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM. THESE CHOREOGRAPHIC PRAISES KEEP CHERYL IN DEMAND AMONGST STUDIOS AND UNIVERSITIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. PREVIOUSLY, CHERYL HAS BEEN AN INSTRUCTOR AT PERIDANCE CAPEZIO CENTER, DEBBIE REYNOLDS DANCE STUDIO, EDGE PAC, BALLET AUSTIN, MILLENNIUM DANCE COMPLEX, AND BROADWAY DANCE CENTER.  CHERYL IS LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL OF THE NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND ADVENTURES COMING HER WAY AND TRUSTS THAT BECAUSE OF HER DIVERSE BACKGROUND, HANDS ON APPROACH, AND HER EVER CHANGING CREATIVE MIND, SHE WILL CONTINUE CREATING INNOVATIVE WORK AND CULTIVATING BEAUTIFUL TALENT FOR YEARS TO COME!

HOLLY SKILLINGS

Holly Skillings was born and raised in Plano, Texas. She started dancing at the age of two and danced competitively in various styles at Next Step Dance. From 2016-2017, Holly worked as an Adrenaline/Revive Dance Convention ACE assistant and traveled across the country to assist the faculty. She attended Perry Mansfield in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, as well as several summers at Justin Giles' Soul Escape. After graduating high school, Holly went to Texas Tech University where she earned a bachelor's degree in marketing. During her time there, Holly was a 4-year member of the Texas Tech Pom Squad, where she won 5X NDA National Champion titles (Two titles in the D1A Jazz division and three titles in the D1A Pom division) and was a 3X All-American. Holly also went to Pro Action Dance with the team, filmed for CLI Studios, and cheered for multiple home and away games. From 2021-22, Holly served as the Assistant Coach for the Texas Tech Pom Squad and helped coach them as the U.S. National Jazz Team. She played a key role in leading the team to win the Gold Medal at the 2022 International Cheer Union. Holly also taught and choreographed for Revolution Elite Dance in Lubbock, Texas. Currently, Holly is the Head Coach for the SMU Pom Squad and has been on staff for her third season with the Texas College Dance Team Connection Summer Tour. She and her sister founded Skills Dance, a dance business that has helped numerous dancers prepare for college dance teams.

alex clair

Alex Clair is a freelance dancer, creator, and performer. For the past three years, she was living and based in Tel Aviv, Israel working between Israel, Europe and the States. Alex was an artistic associate with "On Mending", crafted and choreographed by Emilie Leriche and Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern. Since 2021, she has been a returning guest artist for Dance Arts Faculty in Italy as a choreographer, teacher, and mentor. In Israel, Alex worked with Omri Drumlevich and Andrea Martini, and recently finished the Italian tour with Andrea Martini’s company Balletti Martini. She most recently worked with Damien Jalet and rehearsal director Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern, on the collaborative project "Chiroptera" with renown visual artist JR, and former Daft Punk composer Thomas Bangalter, that performed at the Opera Garnier in Paris, France. She is alumna of Booker T. Washington HSPVA, under the direction of Lily Weiss, and received her BFA from The Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College (SUNY) in New York. Alex has also performed works and has worked with choreographers Madison Hicks, Troy Ogilvie, Doug Varone, Martha Graham, Guy Shomroni & Yaniv Abraham, Bombshell Dance Project, and more. Alex is currently working between both Europe and the States.

JEREMY DUVALL

Jeremy Duvall has been on the faculty at the prestigious dance facilities Broadway Dance Center, Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio and Edge Performing Arts Center, and has performed in Italy, France, Canada, Japan and Brazil. He is a proud graduate of Oklahoma City University’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment and was an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Pace University, as well as a Show Supervisor with New York’s RWS Entertainment Group, where he set show choreography for Holland America Line’s Step One Dance Company.
Duvall has worked as a dancer, teacher and choreographer, with credits including Wicked, The Jungle Book, Billy Elliot, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, ABC Family's Bunheads, Spamalot at the Hollywood Bowl, Opera Pacific's Aida and Samson and Delilah, Madison Opera's Carmen, Disney’s Frozen—Live at the Hyperion and he was a premier cast member in Tokyo DisneySea’s Encore! He has also appeared in numerous musicals with the Music Theatre of Wichita, including 42nd Street, Evita, The Music Man and The Pajama Game, and has worked with Jeff Amsden in A Few Good Men...DANCIN’, Mark Meismer's Evolution Dance Company and Justin Giles’s SoulEscape. He is co-founder of Industry Xperience and appears in the music video for Arcade Fire’s song "Anna." 

TODD BAKER

Todd is a Dallas native, beginning his ballet and modern training at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He also trained in many other forms at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center. Todd was honored as a “U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts” and a “YoungArts Finalist in Modern Dance”. He continued his training at The Juilliard School, studying various modern and improvisation techniques. Over the years, Todd has performed the repertoires of Ohad Naharin, Marco Goecke, Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, Aszure Barton, and Martha Graham. He also danced in new creations by Jacopo Godani, Bryan Arias, Loni Landon, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, and Andrea Miller. In August 2021, Todd joined the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company under the direction of Jacopo Godani, and continued under the direction of Ioannis Mandafounis in August 2023. 

MALANA​ MURPHY


 

MATT RIVERA

Matt Rivera has spent the better part of the past 30 years dancing and performing throughout the country and around the world. He began his career on the concert stage performing with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago under the direction of founding Artistic Director Lou Conte, in NYC with the companies of Eliot Feld (Feld Ballets/NY) and Twyla Tharp (THARP!), and later on with The American Dance Machine for the 21st Century for their season at The Joyce Theater. On the theater stage Matt has traveled with several Broadway touring companies including Movin’ Out, Swing!(Assistant Dance Captain), and CATS. His off-Broadway work includes Martha Clarke’s Garden of Earthly Delights (Dance Captain) and Lynne Alvarez’s play Romola & Nijinsky. In Las Vegas Matt worked with Cirque Du Soleil’s Viva ELVIS and Broadway’s MAMMA MIA! (Dance Captain). Matt currently serves as rehearsal director for Bruce Wood Dance here in Dallas, TX.

JAMIE ANDERSON

Jamie Anderson is a graduate of Texas Tech University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Family Studies and a minor in Psychology with an emphasis on substance abuse counseling.  In 2001 Jamie received her teacher’s certification in special education and dance.  Jamie worked in the public SCHOOL system for 11 years while also directing the nationally acclaimed Showgirls Dance Team before moving to Plano to work at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center in 2012.
In January of 2021, Jamie went back to her roots of teaching special education for Allen ISD.  Jamie has a deep passion for working with children with special needs, specifically children struggling with emotional disturbances.  
After spending 12 years in the North DFW area, Jamie will be moving back to Odessa, Texas to join her husband and family over the Christmas holidays where she will be teaching dance at Milam Fine Arts Academy.

erica ​messonnier