Kattie Brewer
At the age of three Kattie Brewer began her training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. She studied various styles of dance such as ballet, tap, jazz, modern, variations, character, musical theater, pointe, and partnering. From an early age, Kattie began performing in many productions, such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Dracula, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and The Contemporary Series. She performed a variety of roles in original works by Soili Arvola, Leo Ahonen, Ayman Harper, and Amber Thornton. At the age of fourteen, Kattie received a scholarship to travel to New York and study at an intensive summer program with the Joffrey Ballet School. The following summer, she was accepted into the intensive program at the San Francisco Ballet School, focusing exclusively on ballet, pointe, partnering, and variations. In 1999, Kattie traveled to an intensive program in Hawaii on the Big Island with Soili Arvola, where she studied ballet, pointe, and character. While in college at the University of Houston, Kattie continued her training with classes in ballet, modern, jazz, and acting with Rutherford Cravens, as well as, taking classes in costume construction, lighting and theater design, dance pedagogy, improvisation, and dance history. In her last year of college, Kattie’s choreography for her senior project was chosen to open the university’s fall show. This experience opened her to a whole new avenue of dance and since then Kattie has choreographed many group pieces and solos. Some of her most recent choreography has been performed and awarded at conventions in the Houston area. Kattie has also been a guest performer and choreographer for San Jacinto College Central’s Dance Program. For the last five years, she has devoted her time to teaching and choreographing in the community. Kattie has had the opportunity to judge the Kinkaid School’s dance company auditions for Beverly Williams and was also selected to adjudicate choreography at the 2009 National ISAS Arts Festival. In 2011, Kattie choreographed a piece that was performed at the Clear Lake Dance Festival - Dance Houston. Kattie received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Houston in the spring of 2009. She would like to acknowledge Beverly Williams, Soili Arvola, and Leo Ahonen for making her the dancer, teacher, and choreographer she is today. Kattie is ecstatic to be the Co-Director/Owner of Premier Dance Academy.

Stephanie Riley
Stephanie Riley began her dance training at the age of seven at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in a variety of dance styles including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, character, musical theater, variations, partnering, and pointe. Stephanie performed in many seasons of The Nutcracker, as well as, other productions including Cinderella, Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, and The Contemporary Series. She also performed lead roles in original works by Soili Arvola, Leo Ahonen, Ayman Harper, Amber Thornton, Olga Kostritzky, Alex Hasbany, Joe Istre, Amelie Hunter, Slam, and Misha Bart. Stephanie continued her dance training at intensive summer programs with the Joffrey Ballet School and The School of American Ballet in New York City as well as taking open classes in jazz, tap, and lyrical at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. In addition, she attended two Craft of Choreography Conferences at the University of Iowa and the University of Utah which sparked her first interest in the art of choreography. At the age of fifteen, Stephanie accepted a full scholarship to attend The School of American Ballet’s year round training program. There she received extensive pre-professional training in ballet, pointe, variations, and partnering. After returning home, Stephanie made the anticipated transition from dance student to dance teacher and choreographer. Since 2002, she has been a guest teacher, choreographer, and judge for The Kinkaid School, as well as, a guest choreographer and performer for San Jacinto College Central’s dance department. In 2009, Stephanie had the opportunity to be an adjudicator and workshop presenter at the National ISAS Arts Festival. Stephanie graduated with honors in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Houston. Stephanie would like to thank Beverly Williams, her first dance teacher and current friend and mentor, for guiding her dance career over the last twenty years and for instilling in her a life long passion for dance that she hopes to pass on to her students for many generations to come. Stephanie is thrilled to be the Co-Director/Owner of Premier Dance Academy.

Instructors

T'Noya Thompson Gonzales - Hip Hop Curriculum Coordinator
T’Noya Thompson began dancing, choreographing, and performing shortly after joining San Jacinto Central. After graduating with her AA in Chemistry, T’Noya was awarded an academic and dance scholarship while also being appointed a teachers assistant for the dance classes at SJC. She then transferred to Texas A&M University at Galveston and received a BS in Marine Biology. T’Noya now works at Moody Gardens Aquarium as a Biologist/Trainer for penguins and seals while also teaching dance which she loves! T'Noya will begin her sixth year of teaching in the fall and looks forward to teaching at Premier Dance Academy.

Heather Boerke

Lauryn Lee
Lauryn Lee has danced since the age of three and attended Amy Blake's Academy of Dance for seven years where she participated in Company for five years. She has performed in a multitude of shows such as Swan Lake, Dracula, Merging Forces, and The Nutcracker with soloist roles such as Flower, Arabian, and Nutcracker. Lauryn attends San Jacinto South with plans to go into nursing. In her spare time she also teaches fine art to preschoolers. Lauryn has taught dance for many years and looks forward to many more.

Hannah Stanley
Dance has been Hannah's passion for the past 16 years. Her education was under the instruction of the faculty at Bonnie Siscoe School of Dance. There she studied ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, modern, and contemporary jazz. Hannah has been competing for 5 years with group dances, productions, solos, duos, and trios. She was given the opportunity to teach 4 years ago after which she realized that not only was dancing a passion of hers but teaching was as well. Hannah has been on staff at Bonnie Siscoe and JDF Elite Dance Academy and most recently, Premier Dance Academy. Hannah loves working with kids and showing them the beauty and art of dance.

Hannah was given a $500 scholarship and received the Most Excellent Dancer from the San Jacinto College Dance Program. She was featured as Millie in her studio's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. She is very appreciative that God has enabled her to share her love for the fine arts with her fellow dancers and her students!

Intern Instructor

Michele Geraldes
Michele Geraldes has been dancing for 9 years and has had the pleasure of dancing with Mrs. Stephanie and Mrs. Kattie as a student and Senior Company member for 3 years. Michele was accepted into the Joffrey Miami Jazz and Contemporary Intensive in the Summer of 2010. Ms. Geraldes was an assistant for Jazz IIB and Combination I as well as a subsitute for various classes during the 2010-2011 season. She is very excited to be an intern instructor for Premier starting in the fall of 2011! :)