Our Faculty
Deena Dunning -
Deena was formerly associated with Natalia Clares Ballet La Jeunesse for 17 years as Dancer, Teacher, Ballet Mistress and Choreographer. She taught all levels of children's classes and yearly a large number received national scholarships and many became professional ballet dancers. Deena enjoys the technical growth of the children and is so pleased with the accomplishments of the adult students. Deena is Director and Choreographer of a liturgical dance group "Heart & Soul Dancers" who perform in churches in the Seattle area.

John C. Townsell-
John, now known as John "The Mambo Man", was born and raised in Illinois in February of 1979. John has always surrounded himself around Jazz and Latin music. Although admitting that he was not a dancer in his childhood he now can not live with out it.

A graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering, John’s extensive dance training includes: Latin, ballroom, and hip-hop. Now residing in Seattle, WA, John has become well recognized as a Salsa / Mambo expert and has founded and managed a Latin dance company (in Iowa) as well as “Clave Rhythmz, Ltd., a Latin dance promotion company.

John has combined NY Mambo and Puerto Rico’s sensual rhythm and movements to exhilarate precision footwork, versatility, and style with technique.


Li, Hengda -

In November 1993, Mr. Li HengDa founded Hengda Dance Academy. It is the first professional Chinese dance academy in the Pacific Northwest and has already earned a reputation for quality dance instruction and performance. Mr. Li is the three-time champion of the Chinese National Dance Competitions, and has broad experience not only in dance and choreography, but also in teaching. He was a soloist for the Pacific Northwest Ballet for six years since his arrival in the USA in 1991. He also earned MFA degree at University of Washington.


Jessica Star Andrews
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is a graduate of the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in both Dance and English. While in college, she danced with Enertia Dance Company, performing in styles such as modern, jazz, hip hop and break dancing, and choreographing pieces on the company as well.
She additionally is trained in ballet and tap. Jessica loves teaching children of all ages dance, and is a certified from Anne Gilbert's Summer Dance Teacher Training Institute. She additionally teaches Pilates and Hatha Yoga to teens and adults. Jessica is very excited to be teaching at The Dance Academy of Bellevue, especially because this is where she danced as a child.


Brittany Pulliam -
Brittany Pulliam has been dancing since age three and teaching for the past eight years. She was born and raised in Redmond, and now lives in Bellevue with her new husband and their yellow lab puppy. She is very active in the musical theatre community and has performed with the 5th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, and Civic Light Opera. Through teaching, she hopes to inspire the next generation of performers!


Chandra Reinke -
Chandra began dancing at age 7. After taking 11 years of various dance classes, Chandra added Cheer to her repertory, while cheering for Pierce Community College. Chandra has specialized in teaching children ages 2 through 8, teaching toddler classes, boys gymnastics, ballet tap combo, etc. Additionally Chandra has been a pre-school teacher since the age of 16 and hopes to one day open a school specializing in both dance and gym.


Hannah C. Nuttall -
Hannah has been studio trained since the age of 3 in Tucson, Arizona. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, hip hop, and modern. Additionally, Hannah competed for 4 years on a national title winning team; a Tucson Dance Company. She also received a scholarship from Encore Performing Arts. Hannah has been teaching since the age of 13 in numerous fields of dance. She is presently a dance major at the University of Washington and concurrently teaches Hip-Hop at the IMA on the University of Washington campus.

Jamie Stults -
Jamie Stults is a graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in Dance, and is experienced in performance, social and folk dance technique. She is a three-time participant at the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers with Anne Green Gilbert. Besides training in dance, athletics and martial arts, she has also volunteered at local physical therapy clinics and incorporates this anatomical information in her classes. Jamie has taught dance for children and adults in the Seattle area, as well as high school lacrosse, developmental movement for toddlers and gymnastics for children.


Jessica Gleason -

Jessica Gleason is a graduate, cum laude, of the University of Washington with a B.A. in Dance. Since graduating Jessica has performed professionally with many local choreographers including Peter Kyle,Crispin Spaeth, Juliet Waller-Pruzan, and in Aiko Kinoshita's Acorndance Company. She loves to perform on stage as well as for the children in her classroom! Jessica is certified from Anne Green Gilbert's Summer Dance Institute for Teachers as well as a certified PiYo (pilates/yoga) instructor. In her classes, Jessica uses a multi-faceted approach combining skill development with self-expression. She hopes that using this approach will help the children in her classes become beautiful dancers and also well-rounded individuals.


Jerry Tassin -

Jerry Tassin is a native Washingtonian. His career has taken him all over the globe. Jerry has trained and performed with; Perry Brunson (Ballet Russe', student), Margie Speck (Bremerton Dance Studio), Sarah Deluis (First Chamber Dance Co.,apprentice), Janet Reed and Todd Bolender (Pacific Northwest Ballet, soloist), Luigi (New York, instructor), Flemming Halby (Royal Danish Ballet,student), Frank Bays (Joffrey Ballet, student), Jerry Ames Tap Dance Co. N.Y., student) and Lee Theodore (American Dance Machine, N.Y., soloist AEA).

Jerry Tassin also has extensive background in varying styles of dance from; show dance, Las Vegas, (Folies Bergere, soloist, MGM Grande Hotel, Principal), Tihany Music Hall, Rio De Janeiro, Principal; Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, soloist, Washington Academy of Performing Arts, resident character dancer, International Ballet Theater, character dancer, Television, extra dancer Northern Exposure, American Movie Classics choreographer/performer; Theater, United Way 50th Anniversary Benefit, Radio City Music Hall, AEA, New York City, Seattle Repertory Theater AEA, Guys and Dolls, Tacoma Actors Guild A Chorus Line AEA.

Jerry's love of tap and jazz has been evident in his choreography where he has won awards in both categories. Most recently Jerry won first place for choreography in the International Dance Open Festival in Petersburg Russia for Tap, as well as Jazz. Jerry is very excited to come to Dance Academy of Bellevue and begin to build the tap program for a future competition tap dance team


Kate Kingery -
Kate has been dancing since age three and performing in musicals since age nine. She graduated with a BA in music from Carleton College in Minnesota, where her passion for choreography and dance grew with the opportunity to direct and choreograph Leonard Bernstein's "On The Town" as a senior. After graduating she moved to Chicago where she studied dance intensively, taking seven to ten weekly classes in ballet, jazz, tap, modern and hip hop at Joel Hall Dance Center. She also danced with their second company while continuing to perform in and choreograph musical theatre productions. Kate is thrilled to begin teaching, training and performing here in the northwest.

 

Maria Gitana -
“As a teacher for the Spanish Dance Society, Maria Gitana is qualified to perform and lecture on Flamenco and the regional and classical dances of Spain. Maria Gitana's flamenco performances are passionate, fiery, and educationally engaging.”
—Nancy K. Sedgwick, Profesora de Baile
President of the USA Chapter of the Spanish Dance Society

Maestra Maria Gitana has been teaching and performing Flamenco and Spanish dance since 1980. She holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree and is a Maestra de Baile with the Spanish Dance Society.

The Spanish Dance Society (S.D.S.) is an international organization with headquarters in London, UK, and American offices in Washington, D.C. The Spanish Dance Society provides a teaching methodology with graded curriculum that begins its studies with students at age five. Students are certified in each level of study in the three forms of Spanish dance, i.e., classical, regional, and Flamenco. Maestra Gitana is one of the few authorized teachers of the S.D.S. syllabus and methodology in the western states.

Originally a Seattle native, Maria Gitana began her study of dance there with ballet and remained under the tutorage of Virginia Ryan-Corkel for ten years. She continued her study of dance for another ten years in California under Roberto Amaral, developing her flamenco and neo-classical Spanish dance. In California, she performed with the Los Angeles Music Center Opera and was the flamenco soloist in the Layalina Folkloric Ensemble.

Maria Gitana honed her skills in flamenco in Spain studying at Amor de Dios in Madrid, primarily under Merche Esmeralda and Maria Magdalena, the lead dancer and Ballet Mistress of the Ballet Nacional, respectively. In 1992, Maria Gitana was awarded a grant to study Escuela Bolera or classical Spanish dance with Dame Marina Keet before her retirement to Europe. As a founding member of the Spanish Dance Society, Dame Keet authorized and encouraged Maestra Gitana's use of the Society's curriculum and teaching methodology.

After her return to the Northwest, Maria Gitana's work has been endorsed by King County in their 2005-06 Touring Arts Roster in ethnic dance. Her performance company, Flamenco Gitana, presents traditional Spanish flamenco music and dance, with guitarist Maestro Joel Kabakov.


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