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"I like the studio and the instructors...all very nice!"
Our StudioDance Arts Academy was established in Boise in 1976 and is committed to giving each student a positive dancing experience while teaching fundamentals that will give support to their personal growth and self-confidence building.
Dance Arts Academy also offers a pre-professional performing team for dancers who love to perform and want to rise to the next level in their dancing abilities. These dancers perform year-round and have danced in regional and national competitions as well as performed in Walt Disney World and Disneyland on several occasions. |
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"A lovely, fun place for children to dance."
All students are given the opportunity to perform and show off what they have learned in class. Ballet students perform in our annual Nutcracker performance and we also_ take students to perform at Festival of Trees, Freeze Frame, the Winterland Parade, Dairy Days Parade, local retirement homes and other local events. All students are invited to perform in our annual spring recital.
Dance Arts Academy is a member of the Boise Dance Teacher’s Association which upholds high standards in dance and ethical business practices.
Dance Arts Academy is a member of the Boise Dance Teacher’s Association which upholds high standards in dance and ethical business practices.
"Love it. My kids have been going to DAA for 9+ years.
Love the teachers, and they love going."
OUR VALUES
Love of Dance: Each student will experience the passion our teachers demonstrate so that they will see the joy dance brings and ultimately love and appreciate dance and the arts.
Feeling of Home: We want our studio to be a home away from home, where classmates and staff members become like family.
Personal Growth: Students will grow as dancers as well as responsible, caring, and humble young people.
Confidence: Dance and performance opportunities build confidence in students as well as through encouragement from faculty.
Technique: Proper and safe teaching methods are important to build strong dancers.
Feeling of Home: We want our studio to be a home away from home, where classmates and staff members become like family.
Personal Growth: Students will grow as dancers as well as responsible, caring, and humble young people.
Confidence: Dance and performance opportunities build confidence in students as well as through encouragement from faculty.
Technique: Proper and safe teaching methods are important to build strong dancers.
OUR FACULTY
"We love the teacher...she is awesome!"
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Dotty Hancock, Owner/DirectorDotty, a Boise native, began dancing at the age of eight, taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz and baton from a dance studio in Algona, Iowa. She continued her dance training in Boise at Kathy Lee School of Dance through her senior year of high school, and was a member of the K. Lee Jazz-Tappers, the New Edition Dance Company and the Borah High School Lionettes.
While earning her bachelor’s degree in Communication from Boise State University (2001) she taught dance classes and coached gymnastics. In the spring of 2001, Dotty purchased Dance Arts Academy and has taken many groups of dancers to perform at Disneyland and Disney World. Dotty enjoys working with students of all ages, but specializes in dance education for little ones! Dotty is a member of the Boise Dance Teacher’s Association and has served as Secretary, Treasurer, and President. She is also the assistant dance team coach for the Meridian High School Warriorettes. Dotty is married to Dave Hancock and they have two children, Kalli and Andrew! |
"My daughter loves going and talks about Miss Dotty all the time. The studio is clean and welcoming, it reminds me of the studio I danced at as a kid."
Alyson BallsAlyson Balls participated in a Research and Creative Works Conference her second semester at Brigham Young University—Idaho where her group was ranked the highest. She has also not only been honored to be a member of an All American National Dance Team, but has been asked to share her choreography from the United States all the way to Russia. She has followed her dreams by receiving an education from College of Southern Idaho and Brigham Young University—Idaho where she graduated in Dance and Psychology. Although she has taught many college dance pieces and classes, she is overjoyed to be helping young dancers develop movements and understand their bodies. She does so by studio teaching and occasionally, judging dance competitions. Her main goal in life is to help every child understand that anyone can dance with determination and hard work.
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Kimberleah Burks
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Kim Burks grew up in Salem, Oregon. From a young age she fell in love with performing. She started acting and singing as young as she could and continued with a community choir up until a few years ago when her family moved to Idaho. Miss Kim has worked over the past 15 years in management and administration and now works at a small Telecommunications Engineering Firm during the day. She has found the office at Dance Arts Academy to be the perfect fit for combining her passion for the arts and skills in organization.
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"The academy is committed to helping the students develop skills and passion for dancing through highly skilled and passionate teachers. DAA is highly organized for parents and I appreciate all the detailed info for recitals, rehearsals, etc. The front desk person was extremely helpful, as were the other parents when we joined DAA to help our daughter feel welcomed."
Masina BerryMasina began teaching with Dance Arts Academy in 1998. She is currently teaching jazz and works with the performing teams. She received her early dance training in Southern Idaho and continued with her High School Dance Team. She is trained in jazz, tap, ballet and lyrical. She was a member of the CSI Golden Girls Dance Team 1994-1997.
She has also judged many local dance competitions and auditions as well as choreographing routines for Borah, Boise and Minico High Schools, which have won top choreography awards. Masina has an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from the College of Southern Idaho and recieved her Bachelor's Degree in 2015 from Northwest Nazerene University in Business. |
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Mikey Castro
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Mikey Castro started dancing in high school as a self-taught freestyle dancer, learning from YouTube videos and friends from the area. He started taking his dance career seriously near the end of 2009 and has been fortunate enough to train extensively under the guidance of Max Pham Nguyen. He’s also been able to travel to places such as San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Seattle, Utah and Arizona to further his training from very respected hip-hop teachers. Castro began teaching in 2011 and since then he has had several opportunities to teach in Arizona, Alaska, Utah, & Pittsburgh. Currently, he teaches for a convention called Turn It Up Dance Challenge. One of his dance videos was featured on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew as video of the week and had a feature in Dance Teacher Magazine. Mikey is a firm believer that dance can be used as one of the greatest expressions of life and loves spreading his knowledge to students that are willing to learn. Mikey hopes that his classes leave with more than just dance steps. He hopes they leave with an experience.
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Jessica Cooper
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Miss Jessica moved from Fairbanks, Alaska, where her dance training began at the tender age of 3. She has studied under acclaimed local, national, and international dancers and instructors. She was the former director of the Dance Theatre Fairbanks’ Junior Company, as well as their Aurora Dance Ensemble; a high caliber performing group comprised of dancers aged 8-18. Jessica prides herself on her high standard of teaching and is certified in levels Pre-Primary through 7 and Partnering of the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE® National Training Curriculum. Together with her sister, Jessica cofounded a dance group called The Safety Dancers to give themselves and other adult dancers a greater opportunity to perform. The Safety Dancers regularly organized performance fundraisers, with the proceeds going to local non-profits and volunteer organizations that cater to at risk children and the arts. Jessica and her husband BJ have two children, Eli and KD. When she is not at the dance studio, she enjoys reading, writing, Seahawks football, and Doctor Who!
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Lori Gonzales
Lori is a native of northern California. She has placed high in ballroom competitions all along the west coast. She has earned her professional medals from The United States Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. She has won several awards for her teaching skills and is one of the very few instructors in the state of Idaho who holds credentialing, earning a Highly Commended rating.
Lori has studied under some of the biggest names in competitive ballroom. Because she believes that great teachers need to be always working on their own dancing, still actively pursues coaching from some of Americas finest competitive dancers.
She is married to her husband, Charlie, and they have three children. While Lori does teach almost every night during the week, she stays home during the day to home educate their three children. She has been teaching both social and competitive Ballroom for over twenty years and has loved every minute of it!
Lori has studied under some of the biggest names in competitive ballroom. Because she believes that great teachers need to be always working on their own dancing, still actively pursues coaching from some of Americas finest competitive dancers.
She is married to her husband, Charlie, and they have three children. While Lori does teach almost every night during the week, she stays home during the day to home educate their three children. She has been teaching both social and competitive Ballroom for over twenty years and has loved every minute of it!
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Georgette HobsonGeorgette has teaching dance lessons for over 20 years and trained for twelve years in tap and jazz. Her specialty is tap and she also teaches the Exceptional Movers Adaptive Dance Class. She has a degree from Boise State University in Secondary Education- Physical Education with a minor in Health.
Georgette is a native of Boise, now residing in Meridian, and is married with three children. |
"Georgette is such an asset! She acknowledges and is friendly to the parents, she is always enthusiastic with the dancers."
Whitney Jensen
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Bio coming soon!
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Samantha Kelsay
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Samantha started tapping at age 3. She has been trained in all areas of dance and started competing at age 10. She was a member of the Dance Electric, Take 5 & Dance Project groups at Pat Harris School of Dance. She has performed with the Nutcracker for 4 seasons & participated in many community dance events as well. She was also a member of the Meridian High School Warriorette Dance Team and served as a captain her senior year. Following graduation, she was accepted by the Cornish College of the Arts Dance Program in Seattle, but chose to attend Boise State and danced for the Harvey Neef Maneline Dancers for 3 years. During her time at Boise State, she minored in Dance Education. Samantha coached the Meridian High School Warriorette Dance Team from 2006-2012 and led them to many local, state, and national awards. She now specializes in Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary. She believes that every child should have the opportunity to love dance! She lives in Boise with her husband, former BSU Cheer Captain, Danniel, & their two children, Lincoln & Alayna.
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Debbie Sparks
Debbie grew up in Minnesota and moved to Idaho to attend Boise State on a gymnastics scholarship. She began training in gymnastics when she was 3 years old and competed all the way through college at the division I collegiate level. During her time at Boise State, she earned her bachelors degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis on Health Promotion. Debbie has coached gymnastics and tumbling from beginner to competitive levels with all age groups. Debbie currently works at the JR Simplot Company as a purchasing manager and lives in Meridian with her husband and 3 children.
Heidi ZahnHeidi grew up in Minnesota and began training in ballet, tap, and jazz when she was a young girl at a small studio near her home. Heidi studied ballet during her high school years at Minnesota Dance Theatre. She also discovered acting, performing, and the magic of the American musical during high school and college. She attended Concordia College in St Paul Minnesota and majored in elementary education with a minor in theatre. Heidi danced professionally from 1992 until 1996 with a modern/lyrical dance company in Minneapolis. She began teaching dance and movement in 1994 to children in St Paul and later in Minneapolis. After moving to Idaho she established her own business bringing dance to schools, day cares, and, private homes from 1997-1999. Heidi also currently works at CapEd Credit Union as the IRA specialist. She lives in Meridian with her teenage son.
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