FACULTY

Photo by Anne Mcelwain

A special Summer Intensive Program is offered annually featuring special guest teachers and a performance.

 Faculty Biographies:

Nataliya Andriyevska, is originally from the Ukraine where she received her choreographic education from Kherson Cultural College, Ukraine, majoring in ballet, historical ballroom dance, modern and character folk dance. She began her career touring with various venues throughout Ukraine, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Greece and Macedonia.

Since she moved to Hawaii in 2001, she has been involved as a dancer and choreographer in many venues around Honolulu, including Mardi Gras Follies, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii Opera Theater and Army Community Theater and is currently involved in the Allure Dance Ensemble project as well as teaching creative dance and ballet classes for the beginners at NIXPAC and Ballet Hawaii in Kapolei .
 

Mara Bacon Chang - Street Jamz

Mara began teaching hip hop/street dancing in Hawai`i in 1988 and was one of the first choreographers/instructors @ Pam Sandridge’s Big City Productions. Since then, she has taught at numerous dance studios, fitness facilities and schools, and has done work with `Öhi`a Productions (Theater). Mara founded SLAM Dance Company and helped start Dance Central @ Central YMCA in the early 90’s. Her latest project, Street Jamz WeRkOuT, was developed to meet the need of those who want to enjoy the benefits of dance without having to invest years of training. A hybrid exercise-dance class, any and all are welcome as the routines are formatted for a variety of levels.

Marisol Garcia - Zumba

Marisol Garcia graduated Cum Laude from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA with two BA's in Dance and English and an MA in English. Prior to moving to Oahu, she danced with two modern dance companies - Holly Johnston's Ledges and Bones Dance Project in its early stages and she was a founding member and dancer of Sarah Swenson's VOX Dance Theatre. Marisol is currently a PhD candidate in English at UH Manoa and is a professional freelance dancer who has worked with/is dancing with Kelly Wadlegger, Amy Lynn Schiffner, Upside-Down Dance, and Convergence Dance Theatre. She also lectures English at Hawaii Pacific University and is a certified Zumba and PIYO Group Fitness Instructor.

Aubrey Lee Glover received her theater and dance training from DHT, Danceworks, HDS, 24VII danceforce, NYC’s Broadway Dance Center, and her vocal training from Betty Grierson and Neva Rego.

Aubrey had a brief stint in NYC, and was fortunate to be a Talent P.A for the 2009 Tony Awards PreConcert at the Hudson Theater, and as an extra in the series “The Battery’s Down”. Aubrey has been in over 15 productions throughout the island and is a Po’okela award winner for her leading role as “Adelaide” in Guys and Dolls.

Leslie Lauren Gouveia

Leslie Lauren Gouveia received her formal ballet training from Charlys Ing at the Punahou Dance School. She has performed with Hawaii Ballet Theatre, Franklin & Marshall Dance Company, Rensselaer Dance Club, and Maude Baum and Company Dance Theatre.

In 2005 she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and Mathematics. Since returning to Hawaii, Lauren continues to train and has appeared as a soloist and a member of the corps de ballet in Hawaii Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker. She continues to support Hawaii Ballet Theatre as a rehearsal assistant and as production staff with Punahou Dance School.

Daphne Hargrove - began her training at the School of American ballet. In 1993 she performed with the New York City ballet in its Balanchine celebration. The following year, Ms. Hargrove graduated from the High School of Performing Arts and joined the Miami City ballet where she performed various soloist and principal roles. During this time, she performed in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center Honors for President Clinton and other distinguished guests. In 1998, Daphne left Miami to become a founding member and principal dancer with Carolina Ballet.

During the next four years in North Carolina, she created many principal roles in world-premier ballets by renowned choreographers such as Lynn Taylor-Corbett and Robert Weiss, as well as being featured in many class works. Her repertoire includes Balanchine's Rubies, Concerto Barocco, Who cares, and Steadfast Tin Soldier, Anthony Tudor's Lilac Garden, Jose Limon's Moor's Pavane, and Peter Martin's Valse Triste.

WillieDean Ige was an apprentice and then a company member of the Honolulu City Ballet. For eight years, he was a key force with Hawaii Ballet Theatre where he choreographed and danced many leading roles.

Mr. Ige trained under Rhonda Kumura and Ya-sui Sasa and at UH Manoa. He had a long association with Earnest Morgan with whom he staged a Hawaiian Nutcracker at UH-Hilo.

Kristie Kamiya - Zumba

Dancing has always been a part of my life. At a young age, I danced hula for Halau Hula Olana. I competed in Keiki Hula as Miss Keiki Hula and in the Kahiko and Auana competitions with my hula sisters. When I got old enough, I competed in Merrie Monarch. After dancing hula for 6 years, I found hip hop. I danced for my school's dance team. I absolutely loved it! After graduation, I attended college and found Dance Central at the Central YMCA, where I spent 10 wonderful years dancing hip hop and jazz. I spent all my time there, practicing and honing my skills. I got asked to dance in a professional dance group called SLAM. I performed with SLAM and Dance Central and found my passion for performing during those years. While dancing with Dance Central, I auditioned for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Dancers. I danced with them for 2 years. It was an amazing experience. During those years, through my Rainbow Dancer coach, I started teaching hip hop to kids. After college, I continued to dance for Dance Central.

After a few years in the workforce as a teacher, I stopped dancing and got caught up in the daily grind of everyday life. Missing dancing like crazy, I attended my first zumba class and needless to say, I was hooked! I found my niche again and rekindled my love for dance and started a new love, fitness. Zumba has changed my life and allowed me to touch many lives in the process. I became an instructor in October of 2010. I then went on to get Zumbatomic certified, which allows me to teach Zumba to kids! Not wanting to stop there, I got Zumba Toning certified. I am excited to bring these opportunities to everyone! May Zumba touch your life the way it has touched mine.

Minou Lallemand graduated from the New York High School of Performing Arts and the Joffrey Ballet School. She has danced solo and principal roles with Ballet Arizona, American Repertory Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Eglevsky Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, and Ballet Hawaii and performed with The Phantom of the Opera national tour and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

Minou currently teaches for Ballet Hawaii, Queen Emma Ballet, Pacific Youth Ballet and Drill Team Hawaii, and has been a guest teacher at the Virginia School of the Arts. She has created works for Ballet Arizona, the New Choreographer's on Point Workshop, Chamber Music Hawaii, and is the Artistic Director of the Onium Ballet Project.

Jennifer Miller

Jennifer began dancing at age 13, and received her formal training at Oklahoma City University, where she received a Bachelor's in Performing Arts in Dance Performance. While at OCU, she danced for four years with the "American Spirit Dance Company," danced and choreographed for the school's annual Choreography Show, performed for the first annual Oklahoma Regatta, and performed in the nationally televised Oklahoma Centennial Spectacular.

Her studies at college include ballet, jazz, tap, pedagogy courses in all three, musical theatre dance, anatomy/kinesiology, choreography theory, and pointe.

Her other studies include NYC "Spamalot" master class given by cast members, "Legally Blonde" master class given by the show choreographer, "Rockettes" master class given by the Rockettes, and Tremaine Dance Convention 2009.

Susan Ushijima Quong received her early ballet training in the states of Oregon, Montana, and Washington. Her most extensive training was with Madam Gabriella Darvash in New York City. While in New York, she was co-founder and co-director of the professional company, BalletWorks, Ltd. and later became a teacher and resident choreographer for the Ulster Ballet Company in upstate New York.

Her works were shown in New York City, and in Hawaii, with Danceworks, The Dance Company, Big City Studios and the Honolulu Dance Studio. She presently is associated with Ballet Hawaii and teaches mainly at the Leeward branch in Wahiawa.
 

Pam Sandridge is a dance/choreographer/producer and has worked with entertainment artists in Hawaii since 1974. She has instructed Jazz dance classes at Punahou Dance School, Honolulu Academy of Theatre Arts, Kamehameha Dance Theatre, University of Hawaii Rainbow Dancers, and her own companies - The Jazz Factory and Big City Productions.
     In 1999 she was certified by The PhysicalMind Institute in Pilates Method Mat and Equipment. She is also certified in a method called "Bones for Life" by Ruthy Alon, the Feldenkrais practitioner who created the work.
     Under the COREography, she utilizes her training from these modalities, fused with her dance experience, to inspire movement with reduced effort and a dialogue of heightened awareness between mind and body.
 

Blythe C. Stephens began her study of dance at the West Hawaii Dance Academy at the age of 5, going on to graduate with a high school diploma in ballet from the North Carolina School of the Arts. While at NCSA she performed in the Nutcracker, student choreography concerts and showcases, and in the operetta “The Merry Widow” with the Piedmont Opera.

While earning her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Whitman College, Blythe performed extensively with Whitman Dance Theatre and Whitman Dance Production, also creating original choreography and teaching at the Walla Walla Dance Center.

Blythe recently relocated to O’ahu from Portland, OR where she was President of the Dance Coalition of Oregon (DanceCORE). She also performed with Mythobolus Mask Theater, The Dolly Pops (a variety troupe), has been a guest choreographer for the Ballroom Dance Company’s “On Broadway” showcase, and performed and presented new choreography annually with the DanceCORE Blue Sky Choreographers Concert Series. Blythe has taught in Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii, and her experience spans ballet, creative movement, musical theatre, and body conditioning. She is also a life coach.

Marie Takazawa - began her dance training in Hawaii. She studied and performed at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, with Dances We Dance Company and Hawaii Dance Theatre. Moving to New York she performed on Broadway, with the Uncompany as the lead dancer in the Yul Brynner production of The King and I, and in a tour of The King and I, starring Rudolph Nureyev.

Returning to Hawaii, Takazawa was co-director of Danceworks Honolulu, which was selected as the 1994 People’s Choice Awards "Best Dance Company." Ms. Takazawa is a freelance choreographer and teaches jazz, ballet, modern and street dance at local dance studios and fitness centers. She is presently Ballet Mistress and resident choreographer for the Tau Dance Theatre and on the faculty of Ballet Hawaii.

takashi koshi has been the piano accompanist for Ballet Hawaii since 1981. Before that he was the music accompanist for The Cloudgate Dance Theater of Taiwan from 1979-1981.

He is originally from Denver, Colorado and has a Music Education Degree from Oberlin Conservatory and Master's Degree in Music Performance in bassoon from the University of Northern Colorado.

He has received numerous commissions for his music compositions, and his one-hour ballet "Urashima Taro" was performed in 2005 as the Spring Recital of Ballet Hawaii.

Art Koshi

Art Koshi has done work intermittently for Ballet Hawaii since 1996 when he first began training from his father as an accompanist.

He has worked for The University of Hawaii Dance Department, On the Spot Improv & The Pacific Ballet Academy. Art has also played with various local bands in Honolulu and composed music for both Dance and Film.