Dance City Studio announces staff for coming year

    The 2009-2010 staff at Dance City Studio goes to work each day doing something they love.
   “This will be our 11th year in business and Dance City hopes to continue sharing our passion for dancing with the community of Hot Springs,” said owner Patty Tackett, a member of the National Association of Schools of Dance and an Arkansas Delegate for National Dance Week. She also choreographs the dance numbers for the Miss Arkansas Outstanding Teen pageant and Miss Arkansas Pageant Princesses.
    “We have a talented and dedicated staff,” Tackett says.
   

Edmond Cooper 

 

Edmond Cooper began his ballet training under the direction of Fernando Schaffenburg, founder and director of Fort Worth Ballet.  Edmond was awarded the Texas Christian University Nordan Scholarship and later went on to study extensively with the world renowned classical instructor David Howard in New York.

He performed professionally with Ballet Arkansas, Fort Worth Ballet, Fort Worth Opera, Milwaukee Ballet, South West Ballet and Ballet Arizona directed by John Paul Comlin, former ballet master of the Stuttgart Ballet. He was the 1986 recipient of the National Association of Regional Ballet Emerging Young Choreographers Award, adjudicated and awarded by David Barnett director of the Atlanta Ballet. Edmond served as choreographer for the Fort Worth Opera, Interlochen School of the Performing Arts, and Hawaii Opera Theater. This is Cooper’s 5th year at Dance City Studio.

 

Sunny Herman

 

Sunny Herman has studied dance for 18 years.  During her childhood she traveled throughout the Southern region of United States competing in various dance competitions winning many titles. Sunny has also taken lessons in master tap classes from the late Henry La Tang who was a mentor and teacher to many including Gregory Hines and Savion Glover.   She also traveled to several clogging workshops throughout Missouri.  Herman has competed with her past Junior High and High School teams in gymnastics as well. She has five years of gymnastics training that she uses in combination with her dance instruction.  Sunny Herman lives here in Hot Springs with her husband Mitchell Herman and their two children Laney (8) and Landon (1).  This will be the 5th year Sunny has worked with Patty Tackett at Dance City.

 

Brooke Howard 


Brooke Smith Howard has been dancing since the age of three. She is professionally trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, and Broadway and has studied at UALR under the direction of Dot Callenen - Gravitt and at Henderson State University under the direction of Jennifer Maddox,  where she was also on dance company.  Brooke has traveled all over the U.S. performing with dance companies, competing in dance competitions, and taking master classes at conventions such as Tremaine, Dance Olympus, and Dance Masters of America. She is a former captain of the UCA Honeybears and danced with them for two years.  Currently she is the preschool director at Hot Springs Baptist Church and resides in Hot Springs with her husband Scott and three children, Hayden, Savannah, and Anna Kate.


Stacey Webb Pierce

 

Stacey Webb Pierce is a native of Hot Springs. She began taking dance lessons at the age of 2 in Hot Springs and Little Rock. Her 16 years of dance training include tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, broadway, and classical pointe ballet, including a performance in the Arkansas Ballet Nutcracker. In 2001, Stacey received her B.A. in psychology from University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Stacey is the Public Relations Director at Genesis Cancer Center, and is pursuing her Master’s degree in Organizational and Human Resource Development from Abilene Christian University. Stacey and her husband Thomas have one daughter, Elli. This will be Stacey’s second year teaching for Dance City.

Sara Runyun

 

Sara Stathakis Runyon has been involved in dance for a number of years. Her love for dance started at age four, taking lessons in tap, jazz, ballet and pointe in Hot Springs.  Sara was a member of the Lakeside Golddusters dance team, where she was later named Captain of her squad and performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sara became a teacher at Dance City during its inaugural year. Sara received a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She is currently a Pre-K teacher with the Lakeside School District. Sara and her husband, Jeff, welcomed their first child, Samantha Grace, in September 2008. This will be her fifth year as a choreographer and instructor at Dance City.

 

Juli Stoyanov

Juli Stoyanov began dancing at age three while growing up in Hot Springs. For all three years of high school, Juli was a member of the Lakeside Golddusters (Co-Captain 2001-2002, Captain 2002-2003) while teaching at Dance City.  Juli attended the University of Central Arkansas, and danced on the UCA Honeybears Dance Team, which placed 7th in the Universal Dance Association National Competition. She graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education and currently teaches first grade at Oaklawn Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School.  She just recently returned from the well-known Beginnings Workshop in New York where she studied acting, singing, and dancing with current stars in the entertainment industry. This will be Juli’s fifth year teaching for Dance City Studio.


 

Courtney Tackett is the daughter of Dance City’s owner, Patty Tackett. She began dancing at age two. Courtney was a member of the very first Ram Dance Team at Lakeside Jr. High (Co-Captain 2000-2001). She was selected as a Universal Dance Association All-Star, performing at the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was a Lakeside Goldduster during the teams’ three year dynasty as State Champions (Captain 2003-2004). In college, Courtney was a Universal Dance Association Instructor, member of the UCA Honeybears Dance Team, and was Miss UCA 2006. After graduating from UCA, Courtney completed a Dietetic Internship at Southeast Missouri State University. This will be her fourth year on staff at Dance City.

 

 


Patty Tackett

 

Patty Tackett, owner of Dance City Studio, is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas. Patty studied under Glen Irby of Conway and later taught for Irby studios. She took dance at Kansas University and classes under Gus Giordano. She is a member of the National Association of Schools of Dance, Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, PEO, National Association of Executive and Professional Women, Lifetime Member of Junior Auxiliary, and an Arkansas Delegate for National Dance Week. Patty is the Miss Arkansas Outstanding Teen and Miss Arkansas Pageant Princess Choreographer. She is the 2009 "Woman of the Year" for the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and is the Spa City Business Owner of the Year 2008.  She has been married to David Tackett for 32 years and they have 3 children, Bryan, Chris, and Courtney.   

“We are so excited to have such a talented and dedicated staff,” Tackett said.

“This will be our eleventh year in business and we feel so fortunate to go to work each day doing something we love. Dance City hopes to continue sharing our passion for dancing with the community of Hot Springs.” Classes are offered ages two through adult in Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Pom, Clog, Pointe, Lyric, Hip Hop, Musical Theater, Mommy and Me, Daddy-Daughter and Ballroom dancing. The studio has 2 locations; 3131 Airport Road in Wolf Plaza and the new location 2212 Malvern Ave Suite 6 & 7 in Eastgate Plaza. Enrollment is going on now, with classes beginning August 17. Call 501-262-3949 for information.

   



Contact Dance City at the following...

(501) 262.3949

P.O. Box 21483

Hot Springs, Arkansas 71903

 

email

Our  Policies

 

Dance City East Studio

2212 Malvern Avenue

Suites 6 & 7

Dance City West Studio

3131 Airport Road, Pearcy, AR

Wolf Plaza - Suites E & F

Martin Luther King Bypass - Exit Airport Rd

Go toward Lake Hamilton Schools

- 1 Block before turn off to school.

 

You do not get credit for missed classes.
Missed classes are not deducted from tuition. We encourage you to
make-up classes from which you were absent.  Check class schedule for
information. If unsure - please see Ms. Patty for class times.