Austin Dance Company

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Dance Instructors

Naomi Payette, Team Director/Instructor
Miss Naomi Payette has been dancing since the age of two. In Jr. high and high school Naomi was a member of the competition and performing team for Dance Unlimited in Buda TX. Miss Naomi moved on to teaching at Dance Unlimited and spent 7 wonderful years there working with students of every age and ability. Miss Naomi has taught, Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Yoga, and Gymnastics. Miss Naomi also holds a degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, where she preformed at every opportunity, including dancing with Escape Dance Company, UT's first student run Ballet company. She believes that the benefits of dance are limitless, because it presents unique opportunity to combine athleticism and artistry.

“The creative process is not controlled by a switch you can simply turn on or off; it's with you all the time.“ ~ Alvin Ailey

Stephanie Sodeke, Instructor
Stephanie received her dance training from Auburn Ballet School in Auburn, Alabama under the direction of Ann Johnsey. She danced with Auburn Ballet Company from 2001 to 2005 and performed in several classical and originally choreographed ballets. Stephanie has been teaching ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, contemporary and lyrical since 2001 to all age groups from young children to adults. She sees developing strong, foundational skills, and utilizing these skills to excel in all dance styles as an important element of dance education. The thing she enjoys most about teaching is seeing students' faces having "ah ha!" moments when they achieve their goals.

"The trained dancer must not only have grace and elegance, but also the leap of an Olympic hurdler, the balance of a tight-rope walker, and panther-like strength and agility." ~ Camilla Jessel

Elizabeth Kalash, Instructor
Elizabeth Kalash began dancing in studios as a child, where she discovered her life-long passion for dance. She studied at the Kansas City Ballet School for five years and obtained a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from MSU. Since moving to Austin she has performed and choreographed for Ballet East Dance Company. She is excited to join the ADC staff and is eager to share her knowledge and appreciation of dance. It is her goal to motivate and encourage every student to succeed while they discover how dance relates to just about everything!

"Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself." ~ Havelock Ellis

Camille Reick, Instructor
Camille has been dancing for the past 8 years. She has been apart of her high school dance team, the Trojan Belles, for the past 4 years is currently a freshman attending University of Texas. During the time she has been on the team, Camille has been able to teach kids ages 5 to 10 during the summer, helping them learn two dances plus a Camp Dance.. Camille enjoys dancing very much, her favorite styles of dancing include lyrical, contemporary, jazz, and hip hop.

"Dance as though no one is watching" ~ Unknown

Elyse Barmettler, Operations Manager
A graduate from the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts technical program in Santa Maria CA, Elyse has been in the arts for the last 8 years. This includes the privilege of working in a variety of technical capacities for such wonderful companies as PCPA Theaterfest, San Francisco’s Shakespeare in the Park, San Francisco’s Asian American Theater and Merry-go Round Playhouse. Elyse is thrilled to be here at ADC and using her skills to support Instructors and families in helping all of these young artists explore and grow.

“Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.“ ~Ted Shawn

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512-795-1962 • staff@austindanceco.com • www.austindanceco.com