STUDIO FACULTY @ Royal Dance Works - Phoenix, Arizona's Premiere Dance Studio and Dance Lessons

Phoenix, Arizona's Premiere Dance Studio & Instruction -- Welcome to Royal Dance Works online

STUDIO FACULTY @ ROYAL DANCE WORKS

Carole Royal (Director)
Carole has over 33 years of teaching experience in both the public school systems and the private sector. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education (Performing Arts), danced and ice skated professionally touring Canada and the US, and then opened Royal Dance Works in 1979. Carole has been responsible for training national championship dancers, Star Search winners, and professional performers who have appeared in the US, Japan, France, Australia, and Caribbean. In addition, as director of Dance International, a foreign dance exchange program, she's taken dancers to study in Australia, London, Paris, and Italy.

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Lupe Espinoza
Lupe Espinoza started dancing under Carole Royal's instruction 28 years ago at Dysart H.S. and was RDW's first employee when it opened in 1979. Now, as assistant director and teacher, her emphasis on discipline and technique has changed the lives of many students. Lupe was a member of Carole's original Performance Company and helped Carole build the program to what it is today. She specializes in teaching jazz to beginning dancers and perfecting the technique of our experienced performers. Lupe additionally supervises backstage areas at all performances.

Susan Allen
Susan Allen grew up at Royal Dance Works, beginning dance classes at 7. As a member of our performance company, Susan’s hard work paid off as she won many competition awards, including being a member of the 1990 National Championship dancers at Tremaine in New York City. At the age of 18, she was awarded a year scholarship at the famed Tremaine Studios in Los Angeles. Susan then danced professionally for six months in Japan. She has completed her degree in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis on the Fine Arts. Susan teaches jazz and musical theater, co-directs the Mini Performance Company, and produces overall high point choreography.

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Brooklyn Anderson
Brooklyn is welcomed back to Royal Dance Works as a teacher. As part of our Senior Company in the past, Brooke won numerous national awards. She additionally trained at the Arizona School for the Arts, School of Ballet Arizona, Edge Performing Arts, and ASU. She is a current member of “Furious Styles Crew”, under the direction of B-Boy House. She was also on the panel of judges in JAMZ, “Arizona’s Best Dance Crew”. Brooke has been the 2009-2010 choreographer for the Roosevelt Row Concert Stage and has been featured in the “Best of 2010” New Year’s edition of the Phoenix New Times. She is director of the dance company “On the Level” which has been featured in this year’s “Celebration of Dance”.

Melissa "Missy" Baum
Melissa Baum has been dancing at Royal Dance for 24 years and was a prominent member of our performance companies for 11 years. Melissa has received regional and national awards and also received Dance Scholarships to The Edge Performing Arts Center in L.A. She has choreographed and taught master classes at local high schools. In 1994 she was also chosen to travel to Australia with Dance International, USA and in 1996 studied and performed in London and Paris. She has received her BA degree in Human Communication fromASU. Melissa teaches jazz and lyrical with the added responsibility of co-directing Performance Companies.

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Rosemary Beyer
Rosemary Beyer, Director of our Children’s Division, has been teaching at Royal Dance Works since 1988. She brings over 30 years of teaching experience, a graduate certificate for extensive teacher training and 8 years experience directing her own dance school in Chicago. She also taught classes at dance conventions and teachers’ training sessions in Chicago. Having studied under many internationally known teachers, she incorporates the strengths of the Cecchetti, Russian and French methods in her ballet classes. Rosemary performed in several musicals, such as Camelot and Ode de Paris, and was a soloist for the Du Page Ballet Company. She is a favorite among our dancers and enjoys the responsibility of shaping young lives.

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Maria Jones
Maria Jones has been a part of Royal Dance Works for 12 years as a performance company member and then teacher. She has received numerous scholarships from many conventions, including JUMP, CO Dance, and The Pulse. She has danced on Star Search and worked with Justin Giles in his professional performance company, “Soul Escape”, based in Dallas, Texas. Last fall she was selected to assist Mia Michaels in master classes and convention classes at The Pulse. She will be appearing this summer on a Broadway stage in “Out of Bounds”, by Jaci Royal. Maria choreographs for our top, competitive performance companies and teaches Jazz & Contemporary.

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Marco Leal
Marco Leal has been dancing since 2004 and was a Royal Dance Works performance member for five years. With an athletic background, he won regional and national awards along with scholarships at prestigious conventions such as LA Dance Magic, Nuvo, and Jump. He has worked with well-known choreographers Jackie Sleight and Wes Veldink. Marco has also studied under Justin Giles. Marco teaches master classes, choreographs, and co-directs shows at high schools across the valley. He has worked with our performance companies in many capacities and is in his 2nd year of teaching at the studio.

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Carolyn Marshalsay
Carolyn Reardon was born and raised in Phoenix. She received her training at Nina Marlow Ballet School and The Arizona Ballet School. Carolyn joined Ballet Arizona in 1999 and performed feature roles in Romeo and Juliet, Raymonda, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty. She has also appeared in Billy the Kid, Giselle, La Slyphide, Paquita, Napoli, Company B, Swan Lake, and Coppelia. Her Balanchine repertoire includes Agon and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, among others. We are delighted to welcome Carolyn to our Ballet faculty. She inspires our intermediate dancers to advance to the next level.

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Dana Metz
Dana was born and raised in Arizona. She began training at the age of 8 and had the opportunity to work with many choreographers such as Ray Leeper, Tina Caspary-Cyphert, Mandy Moore, Mark Meismer, and Dee Caspary. Dana attended Arizona School for the Arts for six years, and studied ballet and modern at the School of Ballet Arizona. Throughout the years of choreographing, she has built a national reputation and just recently received 1st runner-up in the prestigious A.C.E. Choreography Competition in NYC. She will be producing her own concert off-Broadway in the summer of ’11. We welcome her to the studio where she will be teaching technique, contemporary, and working with our performance companies.

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Krystal Nestor
Krystal, dancing since age 5, has enjoyed years of competing in award-winning performances with the Company at Royal. Krystal has also traveled the past three summers to the Broadway Dance Center in New York for Brian Friedman's Intensive. In 2005, she accepted a personal invitation from Brian to star as dancer on Friedman's Freestyle website. Krystal also had the opportunity to dance with Faith Hill on TV's "The View" for Faith's recent album debut. Krystal is proud to teach classes at Royal with the same energy and passion as was taught to her.

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Renae Rochon
Renae Rochon has been involved in the dance industry for over 20 years. After studying extensively on a scholarship to the Conservatory of American Dance, she passed the Cecchetti Grade V pre-professional exam, received her teacher certification, and received a Distinguished Artist Scholarship at Hope College. She has performed at SuperBowl XXX, the Las Vegas Mirage, and the Beverly Hills Hotel. She has performed with the Beach Boys, James Brown, Standing O Productions, Contempo Tap Company, Tap 24.7, and Showstoppers. In addition to judging competitions and owning her own tap company, Renae is a certified personal trainer who runs bootcamps and will be finishing her degree in exercise science.

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Jaci Royal
Jaci Royal moved to New York City in the summer of 2005 as a scholarship recipient of a professional dance training program. Upon graduation, she taught at prestigious New York studios, Broadway Dance Center and Steps. Jaci produced and directed the annual Capezio Fashion Show. She has taught master classes and set choreography at various studios around the country and in Mexico. She performed at Solstice in Times Square, a professional performance featuring dancers from Broadway Shows. Jaci assisted Wes Veldink in an upcoming movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow. As 2nd runner-up in the A.C.E. choreography competition, Jaci will be producing her own concert on a Broadway stage this summer.

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Tony Suski
Tony Suski returned to Royal Dance after 6 years of work as dance captain for “Splash” in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. As director of North Side Crew, a hip hop squad, he opened for such acts as Boys II Men, Kid and Play, and Jasmine Guy. He also won on Star Search in 1993 as dancer/choreographer. Tony has been a master teacher, touring with Dance Olympus, Dance International Europe and Australia, and Dancin’National Tour. He played a pivotal role in helping our dancers appear on Star Search. Tony choreographs our Phoenix Suns’ half-time performances and works with our performance companies. He is Director of School Daze, a new high school dance convention.

Olga Tarasova
Olga Tarasova joined our teaching staff in 1999, teaching ballet to our aspiring dancers. Her dance background is with Krasnoyarsky Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (Russia) and Kiev Classical Ballet (Ukraine). She studied with both the Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet Companies. Olga appeared in Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Italy, and France where she played soloist and principal roles in Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Thumbelina, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, The Nutcracker, and The Firebird. After performing professionally, Olga began teaching her love of ballet to her students. She travels to teach master classes and seminars across the country. Olga teaches Advanced Ballet & Pointe.

Chris Wakimoto
ChrisWakimoto has been dancing and then teaching since 1992. He has taught master classes and choreographed at local high schools around the valley. Chris was selected to travel to London and Paris with Dance International in 1996 and then toAustralia in 1998. In ‘99 he was named Distinguished Performer with LA Dance Magic. After spending some time taking classes at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, he returned to the Valley with even more passion to dance, teach and share his new ideas and choreography. Chris teaches lyrical and jazz and co-directs Performance Companies this season.

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