Faculty
Jana Hendrix, owner and director
Jana has taught dance in the central Arkansas area for over 30 years and has been the owner and director of Shuffles for over twenty of those years. In addition to being committed to offering the highest quality of instruction and the opportunity to experience all forms of dance, she has enjoyed performing in many Arkansas Rep productions, including Sweet Charity, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, Good Woman of Setzuan, A Soldiers Tale, Evita and Into The Woods. Jana attended U of A at Fayetteville as a dance major, and while at the U of A at Little Rock she performed in the productions Cabaret and Pippin and was an instructor in the Theatre and Dance Department. She has served for many years as director and choreographer for the Arkansas Bar and Pulaski County Bar Association's bi-annual spoof The Gridiron and worked along side Maestro David Itkin as the stage director for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Spectacular.
Arleen Sugano, ballet, Ballet Arkansas art director
Although “Miss A” (as she is affectionately called by her students) received her MFA in choreography, she has had an impressively varied career and has most recently devoted her time to pedagogy. Highlights include teaching at the Joffrey Ballet School & Rod Rodgers Dance Company, both in NYC, and the Lula Washington Dance Company in L.A., coaching ballet gold medalist Aya Noma to six national titles in Japan, performing seven companies of A Chorus Line, producing the National Tour of the Canadian ballet In the Land of Spirits, and working with singer Shania Twain as her movement stylist. She has co-authored with dance physicist Dr. Kenneth Laws the second edition of the book Physics and the Art of Dance (Oxford University Press), released October 2008. She is currently consulting and collaborating with composer/pianist Clark Erickson on a series of ballet classroom accompaniment CDs and working on her next book which will focus on a scientific approach to classical ballet technique. Ms. Sugano has been asked to be on the faculty for the workshop that runs in conjunction with the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS in Summer 2010.
Traci Presley, ballet, jazz
Traci has been teaching in the Little Rock area for over 30 years. She began her dance career at the age of two in Pine Bluff and continued on to study in Memphis and Little Rock. She has studied with such notable teachers as Gus Giordano, Joe Tremaine, and David Howard in summer workshops, and was a dancer with Ballet Arkansas and then director of the junior company. Traci has a BA in Theatre/Dance from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and for the past twenty plus years she has taught at Horace Mann Magnet Middle School and Shuffles and Ballet II. Traci is licensed by the Arkansas Department of Education to teach dance and continues to push for a certification in dance for the state of Arkansas. Traci has three daughters and is delighted to watch their love of dance grow as they begin their dance education at Shuffles and Ballet II.
Michelle Alexander, ballet, jazz, modern
Michelle started her training at age 3 with the Lone Star Ballet in Texas and continued with the Louisiana Dance Theatre, where she became the recipient of a silver medal at the Gus Giordano World Jazz Congress. After receiving a full scholarship to the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet she went on to perform Balanchine works including Symphony in C, Stars and Stripes and Serenade in addition to works by Marius Petipa and Michael Fokine. She worked towards a BFA in Dance at Tulane University for three years, and has danced professionally with Koresh Dance Company, Urban Ballet Theatre. Delta Festival Ballet and toured Europe with Komenka Dance Ensemble. Her professional musical theatre credits include, among others, The Shoji Tobuchi Show in Branson and the Dixie Stampede and Legends In Concert in Mrytle Beach. Her ballet training in Vaganova, Checcheti, Balanchine and modern training in Horton and Graham allows her to offer her students a wide range of educational opportunities, and her teaching credits include the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts/Riverfront and the Las Vegas Ballet Theater. She teaches classical and contemporary ballet, pointe, modern and classical jazz. She can tap, too and is very excited to join the faculty of Shuffles and Ballet II.
Jonathan Bostick, ballet, jazz, modern hip hop
Jonathan Bostick moved to Little Rock in 2008 to receive extensive training from his mentor, Arleen Sugano. Originally from Texas, Jonathan has received his BFA in Dance with a concentration in Kinesiology from the University of North Texas. In 2004, Jonathan toured nationally with Sally's Beauty Supply as a part of their stage show. In 2006, his choreographic work Lies My Parents Told Me was selected to be performed at the American College Dance Festival Association. Jonathan has studied and performed with Repertory Dance Theatre based in Salt Lake City. In addition to teaching around Little Rock, he has performed in multiple dance concerts and in August 2008, impersonated Barack Obama in The Little Rock Bar Association's production of Gridiron: Face the Music and Dance. He also made it to Las Vegas in So You Think You Can Dance, twice! In the Fall of 2009, he will begin his contract with Ballet Arkansas with Arleen Sugano as the artistic director. He is glad to call Little Rock his home!
Case Dillard, tap, jazz
Case Dillard is elated to be joining Shuffles & Ballet II and the company of Ballet Arkansas after 11 years away from Little Rock. He grew up on the stages and rehearsal studios of The Rep, Murry's, The Children's Theatre, The Weekend Theatre, and Arkansas Shakespeare Festival. He attended Virginia School of the Arts, a ballet boarding school in Lynchburg, and obtained his BFA in Musical Theatre from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, where he received his Actor's Equity Card from the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Upon moving to New York City, his first job was as the Irish M.C. Hammer on the Conan O'Brien show, and his second job was in the Original Broadway Cast of Mary Poppins. After staying with the company for a year and work-shopping another production, Cry-Baby: The Musical, he moved to Austin, Texas, where warm weather and open spaces welcomed him. While there, he taught at The University of Texas, St. Edwards, Concordia University, and choreographed several musicals at The Zach Scott Theatre, as well as performing in shows and setting his own work. He cannot express how fulfilling it is to be able to live in his hometown, amongst people he loves, and do what he loves to do, which is more or less everything.
Donna McCarty, office, costume Manager
Donna has loved dance all her life. She grew up dancing at the Little Rock Boys Club under the direction of Lou Ann Tisdale and continued teaching and then directing the dance program there while in college. At Shuffles, she has been involved in many areas of the school including teaching, costuming, receptionist, and production for the past 22 years. She has had the pleasure of costuming for Ballet Arkansas and the Arkansas Symphony. She has received the most pleasure from watching young dancers grow into disciplined and confident young adults.
Lauren McCarty, ballet, modern
Lauren McCarty, a native of Little Rock, is very excited to be returning to her hometown to dance with Ballet Arkansas and to join the staff at Shuffles, where she received her early dance training. She graduated from Butler University in 2006 with a BFA in Dance Performance and has since then been pursuing her dance career in Chicago, Boston, and New York. Lauren has performed with Chicago’s Theatre at the Center in their production of CATS (Victoria). She has also performed with Sawnee Ballet Theatre’s production of Les Sylphides (principal), with Ballet Arkansas in The Nutcracker, as well as with Arkansas Repertory Theatre in their production of Hello Dolly! Most recently, Lauren has been training with Dance Kaleidoscope, the Indianapolis-based modern company under the direction of David Hochoy. She has also been teaching and choreographing for studios in the Indianapolis area.
Deede Phelps, adult tap
Deede Phelps began her dance career at age 2 1/2 under the direction of her aunt, Lou Ann Tisdale at Dorothy Donaldson’s Studio and the Little Rock Boys' Club. She has been teaching in the Little Rock/North Little Rock dance market for 18 years working predominately with adults (tap), but has experience working with children (ballet & tap) and teens (Irish dancing). For stage work, she is a former Farkleberry Follies 12-year veteran and participated in The Gridiron in 2008.
Deede has been an instructor in aerobics/weights/toning at Jim Dailey Fitness Center in Little Rock for the past two years.
Aaron Pomeroy, hip hop, tap, jazz
Aaron Pomeroy is a dancer and choreographer who started dancing at the age of four. Since then, he has gone on to perform with groups such as The San Diego Civic Light Opera, Moonlight Stage Productions, the Lawrence Welk Resort, and in Los Angeles, Reprise! Broadways Best, Musical Theater West, Los Angeles Classic Theater and The Mark Goodman Tap Company. Highlights include A Chorus Line (Mike), The Goodbye Girl (Billy), Crazy For You (Bobby), Kiss Me Kate (Hortensio), Fiddler On The Roof (Fyedka) and The Wizard Of Oz (Tin Man). He has also performed in Cabaret, The Producers, On The Town, On Your Toes, Phantom, Never Gonna Dance, My Fair Lady and most recently in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Chicago. Aaron's diverse and eclectic style in tap, jazz, ballet, musical theater and lyrical comes from the many instructors he has had the opportunity to study with, including Keri LaGrand, Cory Finn, Mark Goodman, Robert Schultz, Stephen Harding and Richard Pierlon. While a soloist with The San Diego Ballet for ten years, Aaron performed in A Midsummer's Nights Dream, Backseats, Rainbows, Seasons and as the Lead Russian Variation in The Nutcracker. Aaron's choreography can be seen across The United States where his students have taken top honors at various dance competitions and performances. Most recently, Aaron resided in New York City where he was a guest teacher at various dance studios and companies and was a judge/choreographer for Starbound National Talent Competition/New York Dance Experience. Aaron is extremely excited to bring his experience and expertise to Shuffles Dance Studio.
Allison Stodola, ballet, jazz, modern, tap
Allison is a born and raised Arkansan. She has most recently been performing as the dance captain for Holland America Cruise Lines. She received her training here in Little Rock from Shuffles Dance Studio and furthered her training with American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet and North Carolina School of the Performing Arts. Allison graduated from Butler University with a BFA in Dance Performance. She decided to pursue musical theatre as a profession after attending Ann Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project. Since then, she has had the opportunity to perform all over the country and world. She was in the original Moscow cast of the broadway show 42nd Street, spent three years with The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, performed in Guys and Dolls, Carnival (Papermill Playhouse) and All Night Strut (Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre). Her favorite performances have been at home at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in productions including: Anything Goes, Gypsy and A Chorus Line (Kristine). In the Spring of 2008, Allison served on the faculty of the Theater and Dance Department at U of A in Little Rock. Allison is so excited to be back home for good and teaching at Shuffles.