Our Studio

Dance 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.
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. 

Our Teachers

Dotty Hancock, Owner/Director

Dotty, 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 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.

Dotty is married to Dave Hancock and they have two children, Kalli and Andrew!

Masina Berry

Masina 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 currently works full time for Saint Alphonsus.
Eric Glenn
Eric Glenn was born and raised in Houston, Texas, which is where he first found his passion for dance. He received most of his training, on full scholarship, from the Houston Ballet Academy, where he had the opportunity to work with Ben Stevenson and Clara Cravey. Eric then attended the University of Oklahoma, where he graduated in May 2010 with his Bachelors of Fine Arts with a focus in Ballet Performance. At the University of Oklahoma, he was able to perform roles such as Puck in Midsummer’s Night Dream, Russian and Soldier Doll in the Nutcracker, and
others throughout his three years. Eric has also performed in ballets choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska, Miguel Terekhov, Ben Stevenson, Bruce Wells, Mary Margaret Holt, Steve Brule, and Alun Jones. In addition, he was fortunate enough to work with the modern department and was highlighted in contemporary and modern works by Robert Battle, Alvin Ailey, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Fritz Ludin, Derrick Minter, and Austin Hartel. Eric is also currently
dancing professionally with Idaho Dance Theatre.

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!

Georgette Hobson

Georgette has teaching dance lessons for fourteen years and trained for twelve years in tap and jazz. She has a degree form 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.
Angelina Knesel
Bio coming soon!
Jordan Leinum
Bio coming soon!
Sarah North   
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sarah was extensively trained at the Ayako School of Ballet in ballet, pointe, jazz and modern. There, she performed soloist  roles as well as adult Clara in the Peninsula Youth Ballet's Nutcracker, and was a part of the quartet who won the national title at the International Dance Challenge in Las Vegas.  She then attended Chapman University in Orange, CA, earning her BA in
Dance.

Sarah has performed professionally in shows and parades at the Disneyland Resort, Anaheim Ballet's Nutcracker, and in the production cast on Norwegian Cruise Lines. She's thrilled to share her love of ballet by teaching beginning to advanced
students.

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Heidi Zahn

Heidi grew up in Minnesota and moved to Idaho 15 years ago. She 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.