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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 and competition teams 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. We participate in many community events including parades, festivals, and showcases.
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!"
Dotty Hancock, Owner/Director
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Dotty has a passion for dance education and is a wife, mom of a special needs daughter and a full of energy son! A Boise native, Dotty 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. She continues her education by regularly attending national dance teacher and studio owner conventions and conferences and is always hungry to learn more about how to reach her students and fill them with the passion she has for dance!
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 a licensed Zumbini instructor and a certified Rhythm Works Integrative Dance Instructor! |
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"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."
"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."
Amber Bretana
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Amber Bretana is a graduate from Elmhurst University with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre Performance and Dance Education. Amber is passionate about spreading positivity and finding self reflection through dance and music. She plans to teach and choreograph while maintaining a career in vocal, theatrical, and dance performance. Amber’s main goal through dance teaching is to cultivate a supportive environment where dancers of all levels can connect with their bodies, and find emotional release through movement.
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Machaela Burt
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Machaela Burt is a director, coach and educator specializing in musical theatre performance. She holds a BFA from Utah State in Theatre Education and MA from the University of Northern Colorado in Theatre Education with an emphasis on musical theatre direction. She has worked on various productions with the Caine Lyric Theatre, the Unicorn Children's Theatre, and Boise Little Theatre. She has worked as a theatre teacher and director at Hill Air Force Base, Centennial High School, and the Salt Lake Children's Theatre. Additionally she has served as a K-12 music and drama specialist in the Sevier School District. She has won a number of awards for outstanding achievement in education and performance and is passionate about training strong, well-rounded performers. She has three beautiful children, a tall husband and a fear of birds.
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Sydney Christian
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Sydney has been dancing since she was a young girl, which accumulates to over 20 years of experience. She has participated in several competition and performance teams since the age of 10, including her time on Brigham Young University Idaho's collegiate team in 2018. She has studied many styles of studio dance as well as African, ballroom, modern, and clogging. Her specialty is in jazz technique and style. Sydney has been teaching in studios for the last 4 years as well as managing a studio in eastern Idaho. She believes dance is more than just a fun activity. Dance can teach students team work, self value, hard work, creative processes, healthy living, accountability, and so much more. She sees it as an opportunity to grow as a person. Sydney loves to share that passion with her students.
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Daisy Duren
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Daisy began dancing at the age of 3 in her mother’s dance studio in Oregon where she studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Acro, and Hip-Hop, and has continued to study and teach dance throughout her life. Some of Daisy’s proudest accomplishments include being selected to the Oregon All State Dance team, instructing for the United Spirit Association, and her several seasons as a Blazer Dancer, for the Portland Trailblazers. Daisy also enjoyed teaching at Estudio Capezio in La Paz, Bolivia, and dancing and choreographing for shows in the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, and Aruba. Daisy is forever grateful to have performed for Sir Paul McCartney and Prince during her work with DTDA in Portland, Oregon. Daisy has choreographed numerous BlazerDancer court routines and BlazerDancer auditions, and has taught and choreographed for innumerable high school dance teams, college dance teams, studio performing groups, and more. Daisy has a master of science in social work (MSSW) from the University of Texas, Austin. Daisy is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and a certified alcohol and drug counselor. Daisy is a mental health investigator and examiner, as well as certified clinical supervisor in the state of Oregon and is the clinical supervisor of youth programming at an out-patient behavioral health facility in Oregon.
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Austin Fernando
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Bio coming soon!
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Talla Gass
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Talla was born and raised in Missoula, MT where she began her dance training at OnCenter Performing Arts at the age of 3. Proficient in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and musical theater, Talla performed with the OnCenter Performing Arts company for eight years in various local performances, as well as in the Garden City Ballet’s Nutcracker for 10 years. Talla has also trained with Ballet West, Ballet Austin, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Alonzo King Lines Ballet through their summer programs. After graduating high school, she
attended George Mason University to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Business. During her time at the School of Dance, Talla had the opportunity to work with various guest artists and faculty members including: Hope Boykin, Christopher D’Amboise, Susan Shields, David Parsons, Alejandro Cerrudo, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Throughout her college career, Talla choreographed four pieces of work. Her work, titled Our Scrap of History, was shown at the Center For the Arts in the George Mason’s School of Dance Spring showcase in 2021. Currently, Talla is performing with the professional company, Idaho Dance Theater, and is excited to see where this professional career will take her! |
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!
Emily Goethel
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Miss Emily began dancing at the age of 10 in Northern California and at 15 years old she joined the Folsom Lake Civic Ballet Company and iMPACT Contemporary Dance Company as a principal dancer under the umbrella of Stages Northern California Performing Arts. She performed at many community events, competitions across the state and in dedicated conservatory showcases. Emily moved to San Diego to pursue a BA in Broadcast Journalism at Point Loma Nazarene University, and has danced and performed with Butterworth Dance Company, Mesa College Dance Company, Bite Dance Company, Ooh La La Dance Company, The PGK Dance Project, Velours Rouge Entertainment, and Viola Entertainment. In 2016 she danced on an international tour to the Maldives and Thailand, and was part of a performance featured in a commercial for Allina Healthcare. In 2017 Emily performed site specific choreography with San Diego Dance Theater in the annual “Trolley Dances”, the performance was voted “Best of Trolley” out of 20 years of productions. Emily moved to Idaho in 2018 and serves as an International Dance Teaching Standards certified instructor and the Company Director at DAA. She teaches and choreographs jazz, lyrical, contemporary and musical theater. Some of her proudest coaching achievements include an “Overall Grand Champion” award, choreography award and many overall high point and judges choice awards for her dancers. Her award winning choreography was featured in the Idaho Screendance Film Festival and was chosen as an “Audience Favorite”. Emily loves being a part of the DAA family and fostering the love of dance in all of her students!
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Lena Graham
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Miss Lena started ballet at the age of four and has been dancing her way thru life since then. She danced in the Disney Channel movie, "The Four Diamonds," with Eugene Ballet, and choreographed for a state championship winning dance team, an indi film, and audition routines for students attending a performing arts high-school, to name just a few of her favorite experiences. She started teaching dance in Oregon in 1997 and has always enjoyed the light in a student's eyes when they learn something new or finally get a difficult skill.
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Chase Heffernan
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Chase started dancing at the age of 6 in Eagle, Idaho. He tried multiple different styles of dance but discovered his love of Hip Hop and decided to pursue purely just the one style. He began teaching classes and private lessons at the age of 15 and has continued to teach his love of dance to everyone he educates. Some of Chase's proudest accomplishments are co-founding one of Idaho's Hip Hop crews, Breaking Ground, with Mikey Castro and founding and directing his own crew called, The Lost Boys. Chase has also competed at renowned competitions such as Hip Hop International, World Of Dance, Monsters, and many more. He is also on his way to participate in the Red Bull Dance Your Own Style Hip Hop event in 2025. Chase loves to help his students discover the same love for Hip Hop as he found when he was younger.
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Georgette Hobson
"Georgette is such an asset! She acknowledges and is friendly to the parents, she is always enthusiastic with the dancers." |
Georgette 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 Darby's Dancers Adaptive Dance Class. She has a degree from Boise State University in Secondary Education- Physical Education with a minor in Health. Georgette is also a certified Rhythm Works Integrative Dance Instructor.
Georgette is a native of Boise, now residing in Meridian, and is married with three children. 
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Becca Mehl
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Becca grew up dancing with DAA where she fell in love with all styles, especially Jazz and Tap. During a brief absence to pursue a career in nursing Becca remained close with Dance Arts Academy. Functioning as a jack of all trades around the studio, you’ve likely seen Becca teaching summer camps and classes, working the front office, and helping out at performances. Becca has over a decade of experience both dancing and teaching, which includes a recent acrobatic arts certification. Most recently, Becca has moved back to the Boise area and is ecstatic to be working both as a dance teacher and nurse!
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Alannah Vodegel
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Alannah has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She studied ballet at CF Dance Academy in Southern California, before branching out into Jazz and Hip Hop. After moving to Idaho in 2017, she joined the Meridian High School Warriorettes Dance Team, where she competed in multiple styles of dance across the state of Idaho. Before becoming a dance teacher, Alannah has worked as a Pre-K teacher, guiding children in their social, intellectual, and emotional development. She has a passion for both dance, and childhood development, and can’t wait to see all of her students find their own love and passion for dance. When Alannah’s not in the studio or working in the front office, you can always catch her at coffee with friends, or at home with her dog, Ripley, and a good book!
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Micah Taylor
Micah began her training as a wiggly, energetic 4-year-old when her mom enrolled her at a dance studio in Utah; she hasn’t stopped dancing since and her passion for artistry and athleticism has only grown. Her dance training includes contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, ballet, social, and world dance. She earned her Bachelor’s of Arts in Dance Education from Brigham Young University. During her studies at BYU, Micah performed, choreographed, and taught with the three Contemporary Dance companies at the University nationally and internationally. She danced professionally with Salt Contemporary Dance in Utah before moving to the Bay Area where she choreographed and performed with NorCal Dance Project while teaching at Small Fry Dance Club and Principal Creative & Performing Arts. She started her own faith-based dance company Luminosity in 2017, seeking to connect more people to dance and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Throughout her dance career, Micah has seen dance bring people together, build relationships, and provide enjoyable company. Connecting through dance is something she is very passionate about. She has especially loved seeing her three children light up doing creative dance as toddlers and preschoolers. She enjoys working with those who are newly discovering dance and those who are ready to work and eager to improve.
Bella Valley
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Hi, I'm Bella! Dancing has been my passion since I was five years old, and I've been fortunate to grow up in the beautiful state of Idaho. This year marks my first as a dance teacher, and I'm excited to share my love for the art form. In the fall, I'll be attending the College of Western Idaho to get my associates in health science.
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