Executives:Managing Director: Mary Dousette-Marsh Ph.D. Creative Directors: Frit & Frat Fuller Instructors:
Jazz Competition: Jordan Wentz, Andrea Marchese Ballet Company: Leigh Purtill, Melissa Waters Threshold Division: Susie Fioretti | Susie Pouliet Ballet: Susie Fioretti | Leigh Purtill | Melissa Waters Jazz: Andrea Marchese, Jordan Wentz Modern: Nancy Doede Evans Tap, Tap/Jazz/Ballet: Susie Pouliet Yogalates: Cheryl Anderson Salsa: Roy Johns, Renee Fry Piano Accompanists:Isabella Tovmasyan| Ruzanna Muradyan BiographiesMary Dousette-Marsh Ph.D. Mary received a B.A. from California State University, Northridge in Fine Arts, her M.F.A. in a triple degree program from California State University, Northridge in Fine Art, Dance, and Community Clinical Psychology, another M.A. in Educational Psychology and a Ph.D. from Alliant University, Los Angeles. She studied modern dance with Dr. Paulette Shefranski and spent several years with her dance company as a performer and resident artist. In graduate school, Dr. Dousette was one of the first students to initiate a dual degree program for graduate students with her emphasis on developing and implementing programs in art, dance, and psychology, which were utilized by many residential treatment programs for children and adolescents throughout Los Angles County. She worked for years with UCLA's arts outreach program — bringing art and dance to incarcerated youth through the county probation department. Over the past several years she has directed and owned Generation Dance Center in La Cañada, maintained a private practice in psychology, lectured in Europe and Los Angeles on the importance of the expressive therapies of art, dance, and music for children and adults. More recently she has become a fellow in Sports Psychology and has been an active member of the Los Angeles-based Attachment Study Group, which places its focus on the quality of the parent and child relationship and the activities that support secure and healthy attachments in families. Dr. Dousette has also been a lecturer and part-time faculty at California State University, Northridge, in the Art and Psychology Department teaching the creativity of Psychology and the expressive therapies to graduate students in child development, kinesiology (dance), and clinical psychology. Dr. Dousette spent several years developing programs for youth in the South Bay area of Los Angeles under the Federally funded Juvenile Diversion Program. Dr. Dousette is married and has lived in La Cañada for twenty years with her family. She has three children who attend schools in La Cañada and Pasadena. Her daughter has been dancing since the age of four and has won numerous awards across the United States. She is currently in a conservatory program in Pasadena. Frit & Frat Fuller
As performer, co-hosted KCAL 9 TV's- "9 On The Town" and "Extreme Fake Over" for Pax TV. Their commercials include: Truth, Sony, Captain Morgan's, California Lotto, Lexmark, General Motors, Domino's Pizza, Hartford Insurance, Nike, 7up, and PATH. They've worked under choreographer's Keith Young, Patty Columbo, Russell Clark, Miranda Garrison, and Tina Landon. Film/Television: worked with directors Joel Schumacher, Henry Selick, Greg Beeman, Bruce Gowers, F. Gary Gray, Larry Einhorn, Woody Frazer, and Jeff Androsky. Frit & Frat are the creators and Artistic Directors for KIN Dance Company for which they received raves reviews and awards for their choreography. Other choreography includes "21 Stories," "Flirting With Morty", "Universoul Circus" U.S./ International Tour, The Mrs. America & Mrs. World Pageants, the east coast and southwest tour of Vox Lumiere: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (which they direct as well). They also created, directed and choreographed the stage musical "Down Around Brown Town" celebrating the music of the late Mr. James Brown. Melissa Waters
Melissa grew up in sunny South Florida. She was accepted to Palm Beach County School of the Arts for ballet and modern dance and attended through middle and high school. She attended Florida Dance Conservatory, Boca Ballet Theater, and Klein Dance for deeper concentration in ballet and modern dance. She also had the opportunity to study the R.A.D at Giselle's Dance while teaching at their school. She danced with many companies throughout South Florida including Boca Ballet Theater, Corps Chameleon, Millennium Dance Syndicate, and performed as a guest artist with many different companies as well. Melissa began teaching as an assistant. As she grew older and her passion for teaching got stonger, she began teaching her own classes and has been doing it ever since. Melissa continues her training here in Los Angeles, believing it is important to conintue to learn in order to be the best teacher she can be. She is also working on her B.A. in psychology and believes these studies have been a tremendous help in understanding her children and their development. Nancy Doede EvansNancy studied modern dance with Hanya Holm, one of the pioneers of modern dance and founder of the Mary Wigman school of dance in America back in 1930s. Nancy was both a student and dancer in Ms. Holm's choreography. At Ms. Holm's suggestion, she went to Minneapolis to work with Nancy Hauser, who was one of Ms. Holm's first students. She danced in the Nancy Huaser Dance Company for six years, where she was a performer, teacher, and choreographer. Several of her dances were included in the Hauser repertory. She has also studied with Murray Louis, Alwin Nikolais, Merce Cunningham, Valda Setterfield, Gladys Bailin and Billy Siegenfeld. Nancy has taught modern dance in the U.S. and Great Britain, and continues to choreograph with Dancecorps. Susan Fioretti
Susan began her teaching career in New York in 1982 under the direction of Robert Blankshine. As a former scholarship student with the Houston Ballet, she studied ballet with Blankshine and jazz with Frank Hatchett. She toured Europe with various jazz companies and represented Nike in New York industrials. Her academic studies include child psychology and development. She holds certification in yoga and is currently training in Pilates.
Leigh Purtill
Leigh Purtill danced with Kathryn Anderson's (of the Boston Ballet) Commonwealth Civic Ballet in Massachusetts and with Stefan Wenta's (of the Warsaw National Opera and Ballet) Wenta Ballet in Los Angeles. On the East coast she trained at Jeannette Neill Dance Studio and with Margot Parsons in Boston, with Sara Neece and Giada Ferrone in New York, and with the Hartford Ballet, the New Haven Ballet, the Connecticut Concert Ballet and with acclaimed modern dancer Ernestine Stodelle in Connecticut. She has taught for Hartford Ballet and for Judyth Parks in Connecticut, for Jeannette Neill Dance Studio in Boston and at her own ballet studio, SRO Dance, in Connecticut. Leigh graduated from Mount Holyoke College where she studied dance with Hannah Wiley, Terese Freedman, Jim Coleman and Karen Dearborn. She is also a published novelist. Jordan Wentz
At the age of fourteen, Jordan began to work as a choreographer. After moving to LA in 2007, she continued her studies and work there as a professional. Some of her credits include the Nick Lachey and Stacey Keibler-owned ABA Hollywood Fame basketball dance team, and the Giffoni Hollywood Festival Awards at the Kodak Theatre. Jordan has traveled the world, teaching, studying, and working. She did music videos for renowned Japanese artist, Namie Amuro, and Ray Quinn, from Britain’s Idol. She can be seen in commercials for Herbalife and Del Mar Racetrack. Movies include Fox Atomic’s “The Comebacks”, and the recently released “Bring It On: Fight to the Finish”, alongside Christina Milian. Jordan performed on stage with Lifehouse at the 2008 Probowl and has been a featured dancer for international hair company Hairdreams. Look for her at any number of Carnival Choreographer’s Ball shows and in an upcoming summer promo for Disney.
Renee FryRenee has been dancing since she was five years old. She began her studies with Ballet, Tap and Jazz. She broadened her scope of dance through learning Hawaiian Hula, Rumba, and West African. She then moved on to learn and love Salsa. She has been dancing salsa since 1999, training with top instructors in styles of ballroom, club, performance, and social Salsa. Renee believes that the first priority to learning any new dance is to have fun with it. She brings that attitude to her classroom with an energy and enthusiasm that is infectious.
|