Dance Faculty

Vicki Smith -- Choreographer

Professional Choreographer, director, teacher, adjudicator and performer. Her performing travels took her throughout the US, Europe and South America. Appeared in HBO Special, TV series, Vegas, Atlantic City, Theatre performing credits—How to Succeed, Guys & Dolls, Carousel, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, Music Man, King & I, Fiddler on the Roof, Mame, and more. Chorography, directing, producing Special Events- US Gymnastics Trial for Barcelona: Six Flags Corp: Towson University, Pendragon's Lords of Illusion: Cunard Cruise Ships, Recording Artists. Industrials- McDonalds, DuPont, Anheuser Busch Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, American Lung Association, Cystic Fibrosis, The Annapolis Chorale Direction, choreography credits include Pajama Game, The Wiz, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Oklahoma, Guys& Dolls, 42nd Street, Music Man, Camp Hawayah!, Hooray for Hollywood, Me and My Girl, Annie, Holiday Magic, Once Upon a Mattress, Kiss Me Kate, Lil Abner, Singn' in the Rain, Crazy for You to name a few. Locally her work has been seen at TMC, Merely Players, and ASGT. She has been active in Anne Arundel County School system where she has choreographed & directed musicals for Crofton Middle School, Ridgeway Elementary, Severna Park Middle & South River High School's Dance team. Her choreography has won 2 Ruby Griffith Awards for outstanding achievement in a Musical for Mame and Guys and Dolls. Also Platinum, Gold awards at numerous dance competitions. Currently she is on staff at Anne Arundel College for South County Sr Center. She is director and teacher at StageWorkz Theatre Arts Project in Performing Arts Education to all ages. Although she has trained with the best, the master of them all her sister Bobbi Smith, taught her everything she knows

 

Danna L. Tracey
Dance Educator and Choreographer

Miss Danna has been teaching dance for over 26 years for studios, dance companies, and public schools throughout our country gaining tremendous experience and knowledge. She has had extensive training in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical and Contemporary and is a certified member of Dance Masters of America. As an active member she has been seated as a judge and taught as a Master Teacher for the scholarship classes for several competitions. Her dance education includes dance studies at Point State Park College, the University of California of Pennsylvania and Steps Studio in New York.  Miss Danna has taught and toured with the “Professional Jazz Dance company of Manila” in the Philippines.  Some of her credits include choreographing and performing in Oklahoma, West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof.   She has also worked with some great artists including Debbie Allen and Al Gilbert.  As an ensemble director she has won both regional and national awards; including a special award from Dance Educators of America for “consistent excellence” for her dancers’ technique.  She was the Artistic Director for the production of “Salute America” that was filmed worldwide for an artistic competition where she won “Best in the Air Force: World Wide.”   While living on the central coast of California she earned her Master Teacher status through the Santa Barbara Education Program working for the non-profit organization “Children’s Creative Project” which is an organization that brings the love of dance to public school students who do not have the opportunity to experience the joy of dance.

 

 

Michelle Bettin

- Classical Ballet

Michelle Bettin, originally from Baltimore, Maryland, has danced professionally with Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Columbus Dance Theatre, Manassass Ballet Theatre, and Ballet Teatro Internacional.
She has performed various works from Paul Taylor’s “Airs” to Fokine’s “Chopiniana”, and has danced leading roles in Balanchine’s “Valse Fantasie”, Tim Veach’s “The Match Girl”, and Mark Mejias’s “The Wizard of Oz” and “Cirque du Ballet”. Recently, Michelle performed in Mary Apick’s “Beneath the Veil” at the Alex Theatre in Los Angeles.
Michelle holds a certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and has a BFA in dance performance and choreography from Towson University.

Along with teaching at Stageworkz, Michelle is also faculty at the Washington School of Ballet, Falls Church School of Ballet, and continues to teach and guest perform throughout the DC Metro area.

 

 

J.R. Combest

- Hip Hop

JR Combest - Ms. Combest has studied dance for over 30 years. She has been teaching and choreographing in the DC Metropolitan, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania areas for the past 18 years. JR received her initial training at the Wheaton Studio of Dance from Joni Reese-Nabor (the Roxyettes & the USO), Donna Byrd (current membership chairperson and former Dance Masters of America president) and Tim Roberts (Broadway show Jelly's Last Jam and the opening/closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games). She has also participated in various workshops such as DMA , LADF, NYDCA, Tremaine, JUMP, and most recently, Monsters of Hip Hop. She has been privileged to have taken master classes from some of the top choreographers in the country including: Rhodie Jorgenson, Mandy Moore, Tabitha & Napolean D'Umo, Rhapsody, Dianne Walker, Mike "the Shuffleman" Minery, Joey Dowling, Dave Scott, Kevin Maher, Marty Kudelka, Cassandra Baker, and Brian Friedman. This past spring (2009) she passed all 3 of her Dance Masers of America teacher examinations. She is now certified through this world-wide organization to teach ballet, tap, and jazz. She has been a member of the Towson (State) University Dance Company, the Towson (State) University Dance Team, and the MD All-Star Twisters Open Dance Team (COA National Champions in 2002). Her choreography has been seen in various dance and cheer competitions, Annapolis Summer Garden Theater, The Talent Machine Company, and several IFBB, NPC, and OCB Fitness Competitions. Most recently her hip hop routine for the Redskins Junior All-Stars won 2nd place at the All-Star Dance Nationals in Orlando. JR is also a substitute teacher for HCPSS, AHC, and a staff member at B. Funk Dance Company. JR has been on staff at Stageworkz for the past 10 years and we are excited to have her return again. She will be teaching several hip hop classes as well as working with the Performance Team. Favorite quote: "Dance is the air I breathe…..succeed without conceit and fail without excuse.

 

Nicole R. Schaffner

- Contemporary Jazz, Lyrical

Ms. Schaffner was first introduced to dance at the age of three. Since that time, dance has been a significant part of her life. She has been dancing competitively since the age of six, at which time she truly caught "the fever". Over the last eighteen years, her dance training has included the disciplines of Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Pointe, Hip-hop, Tap, and Ballroom. Recent accomplishments include being awarded "Miss Showbiz 2007" in the regional adjudicated competition in Virginia, one of the top 50 dancers on Fox's second season of "So You Think You Can Dance", was a dancer on MTV's "My Sweet Sixteen:" in November 2007, and scholarship winner at numerous dance competitions such as Starpower, Showbiz, and Hollywood Vibe. Nicole is completing her last semester at Anne Arundel Community College, where she will graduate with her Associates degree in general studies, with a concentration in business. She will be transferring to The University of Baltimore in the spring of 2010 where she will major in Corporate Communications. She was a member of Anne Arundel Community Colleges' Dance Company in the spring of 2007 under the direction of Lynda Fitzgerald. In addition, she has danced for the C&C Dance Company, where she has competed in regional and national competitions across the US-most notably in the arts centers of New York City, Las Vegas, NV, and in Disneyworld, Orlando FL. Nicole also attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a dance major. She has choreographed performances for Meade High School, Northeast High School, Central Middle School and West Annapolis Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Last year, she choreographed for Old Mill High School and Central Elementary. In 2005, she assisted choreographer, Erin Vitalos, at the "Show Me the Money" convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nicole choreographed and planned events for StageWorkz Performing Company. This past holiday season the dancers performed at Arundel Mills Mall and The Annapolis Mall. Nicole plans to continue her commitment to technique and performance quality and the advancement of young students through teaching.

Bobby Smith

- Rhythm Tap

Bobby Smith has appeared on Broadway in Crazy for You. Off Broadway, Forever Plaid (original cast), Kander and Ebb's The World Goes 'Round and the revival of George Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing. National tours include Brigadoon and The World Goes 'Round. As an actor and director he has worked at The Kennedy Center, Old Globe Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Theatre J, Imagination Stage, Barter Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, Alley Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Mill Mountain Theatre, TheatreVirginia, Company of Fools and Center Stage in Baltimore. Washington DC area: Studio Theatre; A Class Act, The Long Christmas Ride Home, Caroline or Change, Grey Gardens; Studio 2ndStage; Reefer Madness, Jerry Springer the Opera; Ford's Theatre: Elmer Gantry, Liberty Smith; Round House Theatre: A Year with Frog and Toad; MetroStage: Girl in a Goldfish Bowl, Musical of Musicals; The Kennedy Center; The Happy Prince, The Flea and the Professor; Signature Theatre; See What I Wanna See, Showboat. He has performed with The Richmond Symphony under the direction of George Manahan, The Baltimore Symphony Ochestra, Jack Everly conductor and can be heard on recordings of Ben Bagley's Rogers and Hart Revisited and Resnois' Gershwin. Mr Smith has received 8 Helen Hayes nominations for excellence in Washington theatre and he teaches acting, dance and music to gifted high school students at Stageworkz and The Talent Machine Company. He can be seen performing with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center on October 15th and 16th.

 

Shylo Martinez

 

Shylo Martinez recently performed on tour with Wicked Munchkinland Tour.  She is a proud New York University graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts; before, during, and after she was working professionally for numerous companies all over the world.  She started her professional career over in Hamburg, Germany performing Victoria in Cats, followed by the National touring production company in the United States and Canada.  She was also asked to perform the role at regional theatres including Walnut Street Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre, Kansas City Starlight Theatre, and The Muny.  Continuing her musical theatre career she performed in West Side Story at theatres including Walnut Street Theatre and The Fulton Opera House during the show’s Anniversary run.  She also had the thrill of performing at Radio City Music Hall with the Christmas Spectacular.  Shylo has also performed for several Contemporary Ballet Companies; her favorites include Cherylyn Lavagino in NYC, Echo Park Contemporary Ballet in Washington, DC, and Baltimore Ballet.  Most recently she had the honor to work with Twyla Tharp’s production Movin Out during it’s World Tour.  She resides and works Master Classes in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD areas when she is not on tour.

Nikki Finkle — Office Administrator

Nikki Finkle - Office Administrator -  has grown up around Musical Theatre and Stageworkz.  She started dancing with the late Bobbi Smith and performed with The Talent Machine Company.  She has performed with other area companies and trained at Stageworkz for many years.  She had previously worked at Stageworkz both teaching beginners Tap, Jazz and 3 year old Ballet and working in the office.  While she was not at Stageworkz, she was traveling with Starpower Talent Competition and Dance Power Express.  She is excited to be back at Stageworkz this year with the instructors who gave her the passion for theatre! *Catch the Energy!!*