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Ms. Raena K Smith
Owner/Instructor
Phone: (605) 361-3737
Email: raena@balleraenadancestudio.com
Raena K. Smith is among the privileged few dance instructors in Sioux Falls who has a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance. Raena received her degree from the University of Montana with emphases in Teaching, Choreography and Performance. Raena received a scholarship to the American Dance Festival in North Carolina to study Ballet, Jazz, Modern and African Dance. While in North Carolina, Raena studied with Pilobolus, Doug Elkins, Sean Curran, David Dorfman, Paul Taylor and many other famous dancers.
Raena’s most current continuing education has included traveling and studying many forms of dance. She has been to Bali, Indonesia to study Balinese dance; Boston to study Hip Hop, where she danced under Adrianne Hawkins; New York and LA to study Broadway and Tap; Chicago for Jazz and Modern. While in Chicago she danced under Gus Giordano and Hubbard Street. She has taken class from well-known Kyle B, Eric J. Campros, Marty Kudelka, Mia Michaels, Cris Judd, Shane Sparks, Laurie Ann Gibson, Mike Witmers, and the Moscow Ballet. Raena/Balleraena also performed the Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet in 2005. While in Chicago and Minneapolis, Raena earned her certificates in mat and standing Pilates. Raena has certifications in the Pilates apparatus; the reformer and wunda chair. Raena has been a dance teacher in Sioux Falls, SD now for 13 years!
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Ms. Shawna Robbennolt
Instructor
Phone: (605) 361-3737
Email: shawna@balleraenadancestudio.com
Shawna began her dance training in Sandy, Utah at the Academy of Ballet Arts at the age of seven with Karen Chatterton. She danced with Mountain West Ballet Company as one of its founding and youngest members – performing in the Nutcracker and other productions for 13 years. Other training includes Ballet West Conservatory, the University of Utah Ballet Department, Utah Ballet Company and many workshops including the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop.
Shawna received the prestigious ‘Willam F Christensen Scholarship’ to study ballet at the University of Utah where she earned a BFA in Ballet with a performing emphasis and danced with Utah Ballet Company. She studied with Willam F Christensen, Bene Arnold, Conrad Ludlow, Attila Ficzere, and many other famous teachers and choreographers.
Shawna is an accomplished performer - some of her favorite roles include Swanhilda in Coppelia, Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker, Paquita, and Symphony in C.
Shawna also has a passion for choreography and has had some of her works showcased in The Millennium Celebration, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sandy Dance Alliance, and numerous studio and school productions.
Shawna has been teaching dance for over 14 years. She has taught ballet and jazz technique at various studios in Utah including the Academy of Ballet Arts, non-major jazz classes at the University of Utah and MWB Company classes at the Academy of Ballet Arts. In 2000, Shawna moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where she continued dancing and teaching at Canyon Concert Ballet. She moved to Sioux Falls, in 2005 and started teaching at Balleraena in 2006.
Shawna is very excited to share her love and passion for dance with her students!
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Ms. Angi Decurtins
Instructor
Phone: (605) 361-3737
Email: Angi@balleraenadancestudio.com
Angi has been dancing for over 20 years and has a true passion for it. She has been with Balleraena Dance Studio since September of 2007 and is loving her time there! Dancing is where she turns no matter what adventures life is bringing! Angi danced and did cheer-leading through Jr. High and High School and then participated in dance at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Mn.
After college, she returned to Sioux Falls and auditioned for the Sioux Falls Skyforce professional dance team and danced with them for 3 years. At the Skyforce she made many good friends and contacts so that she could start up competition teams in Harrisburg and Brandon with a friend of hers. She worked with these competition teams for 5 years and had a wonderful time teaching girls age 5 - 18 jazz, ballet, hip hop, and pom routines. She loved watching them work hard and bring home trophies! During that time, Angi was asked by several high schools and club organizations to choreograph routines for them and teach dance to their students. She was asked to teach dance and routines to the dancers at the University of Sioux Falls as well and enjoyed her time working with them.
After Angi had her first child Beckam, she came to work at Balleraena Dance Studio so that she could return to her true passion. She loves the girls and the other teachers at the studio, and has enjoyed helping the funk class grow! She teaches Princess Court, Dancing Queens, and hip hop and funk to all age groups including adults! She loves every minute of her time there teaching the students and feels blessed to call doing what she loves her job. Angi also teaches classes at both the Sanford Wellness Centers, and continues to choreograph routines for local studios and high schools.
She enjoys sharing her love of dance and hopes all the students she teaches will grow into strong confident people who will work hard to find their dreams in life, whatever that may be.
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Ms. Stacy Lavin
Instructor
Phone: (605) 361-3737
Email: stacy@balleraenadancestudio.com
Stacy has been dancing for over 17 years. She began dancing in central Wisconsin at Debbie’s Dance Studio which later merged with The Judy Peterson Dance Studio. With her heart always beating for jazz dancing she also did tap, ballet, lyrical, production, and modern. When she was 15 she began assistant teaching and continued until graduating from high school. She continued forward with her passion for Dance at the University of WI, Green Bay with a degree in Dance Pedagogy. In addition to taking studio dance Stacy also was on the Dance team both in high school and college. She took part in countless competitions and workshops through out the Midwest and has taught dance classes in Wisconsin, Illinois, Connecticut, Minnesota, and now South Dakota.
Stacy lives in Sioux Falls with her husband Mark and their two cats Kona and Tortle. In addition to dancing, Stacy enjoys spending time with her friends, watching movies, anything that involves music and traveling back to Wisconsin to visit her family and friends (whom she misses dearly)
Stacy is extremely excited to share her passion for dance with the wonderful students at The Balleraena Dance Studio.
The Dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing... there are times when the simple dignity of movement can fulfill the function of a volume of words. There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with a strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself. This is the dancer's justification for being, and his reason for searching further for deeper aspects of his art." ~Doris Humphrey, 1937
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Ms. Louise Connolly
Instructor
Phone: (303) 912-6541
Email: connollyirishdance@gmail.com
Louise Connolly started Irish Dancing at the age of 8 in her home town Dundalk, Ireland. By the age of 11 she claimed her 1st World Champion title and held onto the title again for a second year. After reaching the pinnacle of her competitive career at the age of 17 she turned to proffesional Irish Dance when she joined the world renowned show Micheal Flatley's "Lord of the Dance" . After less than one year she earned the lead role of "Saoirse". She spent 6 years touring the world performing in North and South America, Asia ,Australia, Europe and The Lebanon. After 6 years on tour she moved to Colorado and opened her own dance school, which closed its doors in 2008 when her husband joined the military.
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