Tammy Manville-Booth Owner / Director
Tammy is thrilled and honored to be owner/director of Tucson Dance Academy. The strides and accomplishments that the young dancers have made in the past couple of years are phenomenal and exciting for Tammy, the studio staff, parents and the families of Tucson Dance Academy. Tammy Booth brings years of training, performing, and success at various levels of dance and gymnastics to her beloved home of Tucson. She truly enjoys the students and loves watching them progress each day, month and year as they train and perform.
Tammy has been dancing and teaching for over 30 years. She was ranked the Number 1 “Elite Gymnast” in the United States in 1975, and due to injury was alternate for the 1976 Olympic Team. Tammy danced in such movies as “Outrageous Fortune”, where she doubled for actress Shelly Long, and executed the famous leap over the canyons at the movie’s end. She also danced (and featured) in “Teen Wolf Too”, “Electric Boogaloo-Breakin II”, and “The Ratings Game” with Danny Devito, in which Joe Tremaine choreographed. Tammy was a member of the famed “Rockettes”, was a featured dancer of the Italian Television Show “Fantastico VI”, in Rome, Italy. She has lived and performed throughout the world, dancing in professional companies, videos, TV, and concert work with Jackie Sleight, Doug Caldwell, Suzi Taylor, and Billy Goodson. She also was a featured dancer and gymnast in South Africa with Bart Connor in “Gymnastics Goes to Hollywood”.
As Jazz director, Tammy has trained dancers at Tempe Dance Academy in Tempe, Arizona for over 20 years and founded the now well-known Christian Dance Academy. She has co-directed the Spirit of Christmas show since 1989, doing so with acclaimed Arizona dance teacher legend, Wanda Manville. Countless students trained by Tammy Booth have become professional dancers; dancing on Broadway in NYC, cruise Ships, films, commercial videos, professional dance companies (including River North, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Magnificat, and Cirque du Soleil), and the famed Rockettes.
Wanda Manville Owner/Director / Tempe Dance Academy
Wanda Manville began teaching at the age of 13 and has trained in all areas of dance and gymnastics. She majored in Dance at ASU and became the mascot for the ASU Football team. She has added Ballroom Dancing to her list of achievements. Studying with world class teachers throughout the country she has received numerous overall first place awards for all styles of Ballroom.
Wanda is the owner and director of the Tempe Dance Academy which was named one of the top 50 studios in the United States and Canada. Her students can be seen dancing on Broadway, cruise ships, movies, videos, and many are with professional dance companies throughout the world.
Wanda is also the director of the Christian Dance Company who puts on the annual “Spirit of Christmas” show and just
completed its 21st year in 2008. She is the director and choreographer of the International Dance Alliance which combines some of Arizona’s elite dancers and goes on tour through out numerous countries in Europe performing a show to spread the culture and art of dance. IDA just finished their 9th tour through Europe this past summer 2008.
Wanda also held the rank of “Elite Judge” for the USA Gymnastics Association for over 20 years. She is certified to teach in all areas of dance. She is also a certified member of Dance Masters of America and plays a major role in the local Arizona chapter #36. Her students have held many state and national titles through DMA and NYCDA.
Nian Cadman Dake
Nian Cadman Dake owned and operated her very successful dance studio in Youngstown, Ohio for 20 yrs. before moving to Phoenix, Az.. She most recently was seen on NBC’s “Second Chance” The search for America’s most talented seniors. She was the only dancer from across the country chosen to appear on the TV show.
While in Ohio her students won Jr. Miss Dance of Ohio, Mr. Dance of Ohio, Miss Dance of Ohio and Miss Dance of Pa.. Her groups won many state and National Titles and performed at Radio City Music Hall.
She has choreographed for and appeared in local theater and high school plays such as South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, Mame, Hello Dolly, Guys and Dolls, The Fantastics and many more. In Ohio she choreographed various Barber Shop Quartets as well as a Minstrel Show Chorus and Atlantic City lounge shows
Nian studied every summer in NYC under renowned teachers such as Jack Stanley, Ernest Carlos, Jack Pottiger, Ronn Daniels, Stan Mazin, Bob Audy, Luigi, Jo Jo Smith and Danny Daniels to name a few and is known for her Tap expertise and Musical Theater choreography. She assisted in writing the tap syllabus and exam for Dance Masters of America and also assisted in developing a graded system of tap and the exam for such for the Fred Astaire Performing Arts Association. She began teaching for all dance organizations across the country and judging for many competitions.
Nian, Member of Dance Masters of America for 33 yrs, is a certified International judge and adjudicator and has judged the World Dance Competitions in Europe and taught in Canada as well. After moving to Phoenix Nian had many more award winning students, some who appeared in movies and Music Videos.
Nian was a member of the Arizona based dance company Razzle Dazzle and was dance captain for that group and was dance captain for that group when they performed in Hawaii for 10 days for the anniversary of the Hyatt resort.
In 1989 she began working with senior citizens and built a group of over 300 who performed in 10 different countries and were featured in many magazines and on TV specials about the effects of exercise (dance) and aging.
Beth Floress
Beth Floress discovered the joy of dance in 1986 when she took her first class. Studying ballet, tap, jazz, and modern with such dance greats as Rochelle Zide-Booth (former ballet mistress – Joffrey Ballet), Norman Walker (world- renowned choreographer), John Turjoman (principal – American Ballet Theatre), Richard France, Fred Kelly, and Frank Trent, she furthered her dance training under scholarship at the University of Arizona and Ballet Magnificat.
Originally dancing competitively, Beth later turned to performing with companies including Dance Southwest, Ballet Arizona, and Arizona Opera Company. Teaching for several local studios since 1999, she has also worked as a guest artist with the Tucson Girls Chorus, Faith Community Academy, and Calvary Chapel Christian School, and is currently the choreographer for The Tucson Prunes.
Jeff Bacigalupo
Jeff has been dancing for 18 years and is currently a student at the University of Arizona as a fine arts major and a member of the UofA Dance Ensemble. He began his training at Fine Arts Academy of Dance under director Julie Giovannoni Hamill for 8 years and then trained under Wanda Manville, Tammy Booth, and Holly Cook at Tempe Dance Academy for 10 years. Jeff has studied all forms of dance including Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop, Theater Dance, Break Dancing, and Ballroom. He also has background in acting and as he performed his high school’s production of “Anything Goes” as a dancer /actor and played the lead role of Sky Masterson in the musical “Guy’s and Dolls”
Some of his performing career achievements include numerous awards through national competitions and he has held three state titles through Dance Masters of America as well as the title of ”Mr. Teen Dance of America” in 2002 with KAR National Competition. He received the prestigious “Charles Hughes Tap Award” in 2001 and a tap
scholarship award from New York City Dance Alliance in 2002. Jeff has performed with the Christian Dance Company in the production “Spirit of Christmas” from 1998 to 2008 and has been on tour with the International Dance Alliance on three different tours through Europe in 2000, 2005, and 2008.
His commercial dance experience includes working for Disney as a cast member in the “Christmas Fantasy Parade” at Disneyland. He was performed in Yuma Ballet’s production of the ballet “Rodeo” in 2004 and he was a co- choreographer and lead dancer for the original theater production of ”Confetti” with TheaterWorks in 2006. Jeff also worked as a dancer for the industrial unveiling of the fragrance “Antidote” by European fashion designers Viktor and Rolf and most recently was the lead male dancer in the Arizona Opera’s production of ”Die Fledermaus” in the fall of 2007.
Alyssa McCutcheon
Alyssa McCutcheon from Tucson, Arizona is a sophomore at the University of Arizona where she dances and studies Elementary Education. Alyssa has been dancing for a total of 16 years. She has trained at studios all over the Tucson area including Creative Dance Arts and Ballet Arts studying ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, and rhythmic gymnastics.She began
training at Gotta Dance! Dance Academy when she was 13 and competed and performed with their Senior Company.
Alyssa performed in Ballet Arizona’s The Nutcracker for four years as well as Ballet Tucson’s The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Alyssa has also had the opportunity to study at Ballet Magnificat in Mississippi over the past summers. She began teaching for Envol Rhythmic Gymnastics when she was 16; soon after that she began teaching for Gotta Dance! Dance Academy. Alyssa has taught all styles of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, and rhythmic gymnastics. As a platinum award winning soloist and choreographer, Alyssa now looks forward to teaching at Tucson Dance Academy and sharing her love of dance.
Joshua C. Allen
Joshua C. Allen was born in Brooklyn New York but was raised in Tucson. He is currently a dancer (break dancing, gymnastics and hip-hop), a musician, an actor and a model. Joshua starting dancing at age ten. He has participated in many dance performances and competitions in California, Phoenix, New York, Texas and Tucson.
He started his teaching career at age 16 when he helped choreograph a hip-hop routine for the Altar Valley hip-hop team. He taught hip-hop there for about two years and started teaching break dancing, hip-hop and gymnastics at Gotta Dance Academy. He is currently teaching there right now as well as Jrp Tucson. Josh is currently in a TV show called “Girl Meets Cowboy” as a backup dancer, Kool Smiles Commercial, Gotta Dance Commercial, Sam Mendez Movie, Mtv Spoof as Will Smith, and Batmans Bad Day as a Superhero which is currently playing in the previews of the new Batman Movie.
Josh started his music career at age 8 when his mother bought him a keyboard which he taught himself how to play. Currently Josh plays the piano, trumpet, raps, sings and produces for artists in Tucson and L.A. He has performed many times in Tucson, Phoenix, and is awaiting his big break. Josh’s first rap/ sing gig was when he was picked to perform and help sell a new polo sport fragrance called “Polo Blue” in front of a sales comity back in 1999. In 2000 he started his modeling career and did a few gigs (fashion shows, etc) for Jcpennys and Scottsdale Fashion week. Josh loves teaching new things and is excited to be a part of the TDA Teaching Staff.
Hilary Tone
Originally from the Los Angeles area, Hilary has been dancing for 20 years. She is fortunate to have studied with many great dance icons in LA, including Brian Friedman, Gregg Russell, Marla Bingham, Suzy Miller, and Andy Blankenbuehler. As a young dancer, she trained at Retter’s Academy of Dance under the direction of Darryl Retter and Linda Bernabei-Retter, two of her long-time mentors, in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary and pointe. She toured as Ms. Bernabei-Retter’s assistant with Tremaine Dance Convention, and Hilary’s scholarships include the Dupree Dance Convention Scholarship for Tap and the prestigious Winston Hemsley Scholarship at Retter’s Academy of Dance. In addition, she assisted and co-taught with many faculty members at RAD, including Ms. Bernabei-Retter, Ms. Reagan Marie and Ms. Gina Badone. Hilary also worked work as the Production Coordinator for Ms. Bernabei-Retter’s dancewear line, Stagewear L.A., and spent a summer assisting Ms. Heidi Anderson with up-and-coming recording artist Ashley Argota, who can now be seen as “Lulu” on Nickelodeon’s Tru Jackson, V.P.
While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Spanish Studies at Santa Clara University, Hilary was the captain of the Santa Clara Dance Team. She managed, choreographed for and performed with the team at all men’s basketball games and several West Coast Conference Basketball Tournaments. She also performed in various shows with the Santa Clara University Dance Department, and was the tap instructor for the northern-California touring dance camp DC Extreme. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Hilary returned to Los Angeles to pursue a Master’s of Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California, which she completed in May 2009. During her graduate study, she was on faculty at Retter’s Academy of Dance teaching tap, jazz and hip-hop, and performed in several numbers at RAD’s annual Concert of Love with the faculty and R&B Pro Company.
New to Tucson, Hilary is thrilled to join the Tucson Dance Academy faculty, and looks forward to sharing her love of dance and its endless life lessons with TDA’s promising dancers.
Haley Booth
Haley Booth has been dancing for sixteen of her nineteen years. She is both a gifted dancer and teacher, and a third generation of both disciplines. In her youth, Haley’s dedication and technique helped her land a role with the Moscow Ballet, in the Phoenix production of The Great Russian Nutcracker. She has performed in the Spirit of Christmas show for nearly two decades as a company member of the Christian Dance Company. Haley has performed throughout Europe on three tours with Tempe Dance Academy, where she focused her training on lyrical and ballet. She recently graduated with honors from Mountain View High School as a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. This fall, Haley will begin her college studies as a Family Studies major where she will also continue to train as a dancer. She counts her work with Tucson Dance Academy students, as both class and private instructor, as one of her favorite passions in her already accomplished and young life.
Carly Booth
Carly began dancing before the age of three. A senior at Mountain View High School, she has already danced throughout the United States and Europe on numerous occasions. Earlier this year, at the California Open She was awarded the “Best of the Best” award and took 2nd place overall at the Emerald Ballroom competition. Carly performed the part of “Clara” in Ib Anderson’s The Nutcracker for two years at Phoenix Symphony Hall with Ballet Arizona. At the age of thirteen, at the NYCDA National Competition in New York City, she won 1st place as the Junior National Soloist and was also 2nd runner-up for Junior National Outstanding Dancer. Carly was chosen to participate in the prestigious Suzanne Farrell Summer Ballet Intensive in Washington, D.C. in 2008 and has performed in the Spirit of Christmas show in Phoenix for over 14 years. She is an NHS for Dance Arts member and continues to train in ballroom dance where she is in the elite Gold division at the age of 17. Carly shares her immense talent and love for dance with the students at Tucson Dance Academy, where she teaches both classes and private instruction.
