STAFF

Backstage Dance Studio
                                                              SINCE 1973                                                               3425 BACKSTAGE BLVD.
                                                                                                                                                                                         LAS VEGAS, NV. 89121
                                                                                                                                                                        backstagedance@mindspring.com

702- 547-1040    CHILDREN               702-324-3731   RENTALS                  702-457-7310   ADULTS

Instructors

THOMAS DISABATO has been an instructor at the Las Vegas Academy for the Performing Arts for over a decade. In his youth, he was a scholarship student with the renown Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in New York City and went on to dance throughout Europe. In Las Vegas, he was the men's dance captain for Siegfried and Roy. Thomas teaches Int.-Adv. Modern and choreographs the Opening number of our annual end of season dance concert .

HEATHER VICTORSON had all her youth schooling and training at the Royal Ballet School in London and went on to become a member of the world renown Royal Ballet Company. Upon coming to Las Vegas, she became a principal dancer in many of the famous Fredric Apcar production shows. Heather teaches all Ballet levels from child Beginning thru Advanced Point.

CHRISTINE HAYNICK brings many years of experience and patience that comes from having her own school of dance back east. Christine teaches Combo age 3-4, 5-6, Tap I-IV, Jazz I 7-10 and Jazz I Teens.

KEELIE WRIGHT competed in gymnastics throughout her youth and performed as a professional contortionist. Her solid dance training adds extra pizzas to her end of season concert numbers. She has been expanding her training by becoming quite skilled with Acrobatic Silks. Keelie teaches Acrobatic levels I-V.

TAMARA MORRISSY began her professional career with the Santa Barbara Ballet Theater where she danced many principal roles. She then moved to Germany dancing as a soloist in many music, opera, and ballet productions. Back in America, Nevada Ballet Theater brought her to the rank of Prima Ballerina. Tamara now adds her expertise as a Master Trainer D.K. in Body Balancing Method of Pilates to help build a stronger, more flexible ballet point dancer. She teaches Advanced Point.

ALEX FERDINAND has been working as a professional dancer since the age of 13, doing special events at Las Vegas hotels for Missy Cochran Entertainment. At 16, she choreographed her 1st professional number for Carnival Cruise Lines and at 18 began teaching for us. In her last 2 years with the UNLV Rebel Girls Dance Team, she was a co-captain and choreographer. In the 2012/13 NCAA National Dance Team Competition, Alex and the team took 1st place in Hip Hop and 3rd in Pom Dance over all the competing university's in the USA. Alex teaches Hip Hop I thru Advanced as well as Advanced Tap, Contemporary/Lyrical, and Leaps, Turns, and Progressions.

NANCY JORGENSEN-RAWSON has been teaching some form of dance or movement for many years with a focus on Jazz, Contemporary, Musical Theatre and Funk. She has experience with teaching dancers of aLL ages. After earning her BA in Theatre, with a Dance emphasis, from CSUF, she continued her training in NYC. She owned and operated Dance Works, her own Dance & Exercise Studio for several years in Hermosa Beach, CA. She is also a certified Pilates instructor and a Franklin Method Movement Educator. Nancy was an original cast member of Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage, and also a dancer in their World Tour. She has performed in shows or industrials in Lake Tahoe, Vegas, LA, NYC, & SF. She has enjoyed choreographing pieces for schools, dance studios, singing groups, theatre and dance companies. Nancy teaches the High Intermediate Jazz class.

Timmari Putti was born in Detroit, Michigan and went to Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. She spent the next 8 years dancing in production shows and musicals in Egypt, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and on cruise ships in the Caribbean and on the West Coast.

She moved to Las Vegas in 1991 and did production shows at the old Aladdin and at the Mirage in 'Siegfried and Roy.' Timmari enjoyed the opportunity to go beyond big production shows and also worked with Opus and The New Works Project. She finished her Master's in Education at UNLV and shortly there after she began teaching dance in the CCSD at The Las Vegas Academy, opened the dance program at Del Sol H.S., which included starting the first ballroom dance program in the district. She also taught dance at Green Valley and Liberty H.S. Timmari teaches the Advanced Jazz class.

Heather Nelson was born and raised in South Africa and was trained in the Royal Academy of Dance ballet method. She danced professionally for 20 years prior to moving to the USA. Here Heather became a certified Pilates instructor (BASI) and has taught ballet at all levels for 15 years. She teaches the Ballet I age 7-10 and Ballet III 10+ classes.

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