Creative Dance Arts

Creative Dance Arts • Faculty

INSTRUCTORS

Kandis Meinel - Artistic Director/Instructor

Kandis Meinel is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Master of Science in Exercise and Sports Sciences. Her thesis work "Assessment of Lateral Hip Rotation and Lower Extremity Alignment During 'Turnout' in Ballet" was presented in the 1988 Annual Meeting for the American College of Sports Medicine and published as an abstract in Volume 20, No. 2 of the journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Kandis began dancing in Buffalo, New York at the age of eight. She continued at the school for the Joffrey Ballet in New York City. Her mentor, George Zoritch, was a principal dancer with the renowned Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. This company performed across the United States bringing the first full-scale ballet to Americans. Kandis has worked with the Tucson Metropolitan Ballet as well as Tucson Regional Ballet. She has taught for the University of Arizona, School of Dance as a graduate teaching assistant. She also guest teaches for Ballet Continental in Green Valley, Arizona. Ms. Meinel has served on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Dance Arts Alliance, and is a current member of Dance Educators of America.

Lauren Baquet

Lauren Baquet Lauren's dance training began when she was just three years old in classical ballet, tap, and jazz, later expanding her training in pointe, lyrical, hip hop and musical theater. While being a member of Creative Dance Arts' performing company, Lauren received numerous awards at competitions for both solo and group work in conventions such as New York City Dance Alliance, LA Dance Force, Showstoppers, Spotlight, LA Dance Magic, West Coast Dance Explosion, and more. Lauren has spent time studying dance throughout all of Arizona as well as in Michigan; performing in numerous showcases, benefits and concerts along the way. She also served as the head of Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's Dance department in 2007 and 2008. Presently, Lauren is a member of Arizona Dance Theatre's College Group. She is also Creative Dance Arts' award winning instructor and choreographer, teaching all styles of dance to all ages, specializing in jazz, hip hop, and lyrical. Lauren has a great love for dance and enjoys sharing her passion with others. Lauren thrives on being a good example to her students, and pushes them to dance at their highest potential. She hopes to influence them as a positive role model and encourages them to express who they are through dancing.

Sarah Bjorndahl

Sarah Bjorndahl started taking ballet classes at the age of 5 with Ballet Arts Foundation under the direction of Mary Beth Cabana and Chieko Imada. (It was her birthday present.) At the age of 13, she began attending Burklyn Ballet Theatre’s summer program in Vermont. Since then she has been there 4 times, and another as a junior counselor. She joined us in the spring of 2005 as a student, and in 2006 began teaching sporadically. During her time at Ballet Arts and Burklyn, she has had many experiences taking classes from many outstanding instructors. Some of these include: Ethan Stiefel, Amanda McKerrow, John Gardner, Helen Starr, Alun Jones, Thom Clower, Jory Hancock, Melissa Lowe, Julia Gleich and David Howard.

Jeremy Daugherty

Jeremy Daugherty is the Tumbling teacher here at Creative Dance Arts. Jeremy has been the tumbling coach at Pride Cheer and Dance in Tucson for many years and has lead his students to many victories! This past season Pride Cheer and Dance was ranked 3rd in the nation for a Co-ed level 3 Competition Cheer at the U.S. Finals Competition. Jeremy is CPR as well as First Aid Certified. He is also certified in level 4 for spotting in tumbling and stunts. Jeremy loves sharing his knowledge of gymnastics to dancers and cheerleaders.

Sarah Fisher

Sarah Fisher has been loving dance since the age of 2! She has training in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip hop and lyrical. Her two favorite techniques are tap and ballet. She has been part of the Creative Dance Arts family for 17 years.

Danielle Gumm

Danielle Gumm started dancing at the young age of three at Spisak Dance Academy located in Glendale Arizona, where she studied ballet, tap and jazz. There she was a member of the Jataba Dance Troupe where she performed in the annual Nutcracker performances, half time shows for the Arizona Cardinals, Fiesta Bowl, Super Bowl XXX pre-game show and competitions across the United States, including Disney's Magic Music Days. She was also co-director of the Fountain Hills High School dance company, where she was given the opportunity to choreograph numerous routines for the company. After graduating high school in 1997 she moved to Tucson and started teaching at Creative Dance Arts. Danielle enjoys being part of the Creative Dance Arts family and hopes to instill the love for dance in the hearts of all her students.

Elizabeth Holst

Elizabeth Holst is celebrating her fourteenth season at Creative Dance Arts. She began her dance training at age five in the suburbs of Chicago. Later she studied at the Stone-Camryn School of Ballet and at the Lou Conte (Hubbard Street Dance Company) Dance Studio in Chicago. She received training from Bentley Stone, Walter Camryn, Joan Lawson, Peggy Lyman, Julie Walder, Lou Conte, Claire Bataille, Birute Biradocaite, Greg Begley and others while in Chicago. She attended Indiana University and holds a Bachelor's Degree from the School of Music with majors in Ballet and French. Her training there was given by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Jacques Cesbron, Jory Hancock, Melissa Lowe, Jurgen Pagels, Marina Svetlova, Jim Canady and guest faculty. She lived in New York City where she studied at the David Howard Dance Center and at Broadway Dance Center, where she received training from David Howard, Nancy Bielski, Michael Owens, Bob Audy and Frank Hatchett. Elizabeth has performed with Helen Starr, Patricia McBride and Merrill Ashley among others. Elizabeth is an award-winning choreographer. She began teaching dance in 1981 in Villa Park, IL. She worked as an assistant to the Pre-College Ballet Program at Indiana University and taught undergraduate level ballet classes there as well. She has also taught dance in Louisville, KY, Carbondale, IL, and Carmel, IN. While living in the Indianapolis area, Elizabeth was on the substitute faculty and was a rehearsal assistant to the Jordan College Academy of Dance at Butler University. Since moving to Tucson in 1995 she has taught ballet, tap, jazz, children's combo classes, lyrical, modern, character, tumbling and musical theatre classes at Creative Dance Arts. She really enjoys working with dancers of all ages.

Melanie Hufford

Melanie Hufford grew up in Thousand Oaks, California and is now attending the University of Arizona. She began dancing at age thirteen and started to teach at age fifteen. Her training includes top choreographers such as Shane Sparks, Nick Lazzarini, and Dee Caspary. She has performed in numerous companies and hip hop crews. She has worked extensively with high school teams in both Southern California and Arizona. She has won top choreography awards at showcases and competitions and was recently selected to choreograph for the Civic’s Arts Plaza. She loves bringing different art forms together by helping direct a play and staging dancers in a vocal show. She is currently apart of the United Spirit Association. She travels across the Western United States teaching at Middle School and High School Dance Team camps. She is excited to be working with Creative Dance Arts for her fourth year. Melanie loves sharing her knowledge with students and watching them improve.

Barbara Schuessler “La Flamencista”

Barbara Schuessler has been teaching for Creative Dance Arts since1995 and offers instruction in flamenco dance, as well as, castanets. Barbara, "La Flamencista", began her dance training in Tucson with Tere Aguirre and continued with Patricia Mahan and Olivia Rojo. She traveled to Washington state to study with Teo Morca and that is when her pursuit of the flamenco art form truly blossomed. Her passion for flamenco has taken her to the Festival Flamenco in Albuquerque where she studied with many great masters of flamenco. Attending the festival regularly for over 15 years, she studied with masters like Antonio Canales and Yolanda Heredia. Also, attending workshops by “La Tania” and Maria Benitez, she had the pleasure to study with many artists from Spain. She then traveled to Spain to study. Studying in Sevilla, her heart opened with the incredible instruction of dancers that include, but are not limited to, Belen Maya, Carmen de la Torre, Maria Angeles, and, most importantly, Georgia, “La Candela”. These are but a few of the people that she has studied with and feels fortunate to have been exposed to such artistic masters. She has performed with Aires Flamenco, Flamenco Y Mas and her own troupes. She continues to perform at festivals and private functions with “Las Flamencistas” and as a solo artist. But, teaching and sharing her passion for flamenco are what she truly enjoys and continues to pursue.

Kirsten Schwartz

Kirsten Schwartz is currently a senior at the University of Arizona where she is majoring in dance on scholarship and will graduate with a BFA. Kirsten grew up in Rochester, N.Y. where she trained with the Draper Center for Dance Education and competed and performed with the Richester Ballet City. She has been in various performances including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Jamey Leverett's "Push and Pull" with the Rochester City Ballet. Other performances include Mia Michael's "Against the Current", Michael Williams "It's a Jazz Thing", James Clouser "Swan Lake", and other various performances with the University. Kirsten has also attended Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Program in the summer of 2009 and this summer was expected and will attend River North Dance Chicago and Inaside Dance Chicago's summer program. Kirsten loves spending time with her friends and family. Other activities include snow and water skiing, and boating. Kirsten aspires to be in a dance company someday and to continue teaching throughout her life.

ADMINISTRATION

Lauren Baquet

Isa Borane

Kaleigh Gregory

Melanie Hufford