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**MEET ********
******THE******
*********STAFF*
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**Mrs. Delinda Goad** *Director/Owner*

She is married to Rob Goad. Being a dance studio proprietor has always been her goal. She has been a dancer for 27 years. She danced for 17 years under the direction of Nanci Hargrove at the Union City Ballet School. While Dancing at the school, she began to teach dance to all ages. She has taught dance for over 9 years under the direction of Sacchi Doss. In addition to teaching, she enjoys being involved in the local community theatre. She has participated in numerous Masquerade Theatre Productions since the age of 9. Her dance credintials are UTM Dance Ensemble, Showstoppers Dance Conventions, won 1st place in the "Teacher Feature" category at the "I Love Dance Competition" in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Obion County Central High School. After graduation, she attended Dyersburg State Community College. In May of 2002, she graduated with honors and received a Degree in Business Administration. She worked for Abernathy's Motorcycle Sales for 8 years. She loved her job with Abernathy's, but now she is achieving her goal of full-time dance studio proprietor. She is very passionate about her work and very dedicated to all of her parents and students. The show must go on....."Just ask Mrs. Marie......"

**Studio Manager**
* Mrs. Marie Smith*
The "backbone" of Stepz.

 

She has been the studio manager for 4 years. She has been involved with dance for 22 years. During the 2012-2013 year, she will continue to do a great job managing the studio. "I Love My Job!"

*Mrs. Amy VanValkenburg*
*Assistant Director*

Pre-K I & DANCE I Instructor, 

  DANCE II & III ASST. INSTRUCTOR

She has been with us since the firstyear Stepz has been open. She has 10 years dance experience. She began dance at the Union City Ballet School, then went on to dance for the UTM dance ensemble while attending UTM. She has also performed at "Showstoppers"Dance Conventions in Branson, Missouri and Biloxi, Mississippi, a dance convention in Atlanta Georgia, all Stepz recitals,t Christmas 2010 she taught a Girl Scout troop a dance and performed it at the UC Manor, and Stepz Dance Camp Instructor. She is very enthusiastic about dance. Her goal for her students, "I want our dancers to love dance and dance to their full potential." She is a high school graduate of South Fulton High School.


* Ms. JohnAnne Harris
 Hip Hop Asst. Instructor

She hasbeen with Stepz since the very first day. She has 21 years of dance experience.  At the age of 3, she enrolled in dance classes with Union City Ballet. She continued dancing there until the age of 18. She is a UTM graduate with a BS in Chemistry. She has danced at Broadway Dance Studio in New York, UTM dance ensemble and the showstoppers Dance Conventions in Branson, Missouri and Biloxi, Mississippi. She won 2nd place overall at the "I Love Dance Competiton " in Memphis, Tennessee. Her goal for her students "gain a passion for dance like she has had over my dance career and also enjoy and have fun in dance class. I also hope that I will be able to inspire my students to continue dance and do well in all that they do. Love you long time girls!"

*Mrs. Julie Smith Pruitt*
Jr. Company Instructor

Asst. Company Instructor

She has 12  years dance experience. In the fall she will continue teaching the Jr. Company Class and will be the Asst. intructor for the Company Class. She is Mrs. Marie's daughter and the mother of Eva-Marie and Carter. Mrs. Julie and Mrs. Delinda began dancing together at the age of 3. She studied under Sacchi and Nanci at Union City Ballet. She has been in several Masquerade Theatre Productions and "Showstoppers" Dance Conventions in Branson, Missouri and Biloxi, Mississippi. She was a graduate of Union City High School and attended the University of Memphis. Her goal for her students " continue to work hard and you will succeed."

*Mrs. Emily Wilkes*
Baton Instructor

She has been with us for 2 years. She has fourteen years of dance experience and 4 years of teaching dance. She performed at the Branson Convention and in the 1993 State of TN FFA Talent Rep for Nat'l Convention. She is active in the Hometown Walk of Hope. She is from Cayce, KY and the mom of Seth Wilkes. Her goal as an intructor is to "teach the girls the love of dance and to dream you can do anything with practice and determination." 

* Miss Kimberly Schwartz*
Asst. Hip Hop Instructor

She has 4 years dance experience and 2 years teaching dance. Her dance experience includes NDA Dance Camp at UTM, Stepz Dance Camp Instructor, "Showstoppers" Dance Conventions in Branson, Missouri and Biloxi, Mississippi and all Stepz dance recitals. She has also performed in numerous Masquerade Theatre Productions. She has been the intructor for the "S.F. Dance Gurlz" afterschool program at her school. She began dancing at Stepz as a Hip-Hop dancer for 2 years. 2 years ago she began ballet training and is now a "ballerina". She is very proud of her pointe shoes and tutus. Her goal for herself and her students is to "put on an awesome performance and have fun with all aspects of dance. "It's good to try new things."

*Miss Dinah Batchelor*
 Pre-K & Dance I-Asst. Instructor

She has been with us for 4 years. She has been Asst. Instructor for 3 years. Her dance experience includes 5 years on the Lakewood Gymnastics Team, NDA Dance Camp at UTM, Stepz Dance Camp Instructor, and "Showstoppers" Dance Convention. She is from Martin and an active member of her church youth group. Her goal for herself and her students is to "learn good dance technique and have fun at the same time". 



mission statement

To create a strong technical foundation for dancers while encouraging them to reach their full artistic potential. Each class is designed to motivate dancers through creativity and discipline. At Stepz, I know that dancing is and should be fun. That is why I focus on teaching all of the classes in a fun, learning atmosphere so that all of the dancers will continue to love dance, gain confidence and excel! - Delinda S. Goad

copyright 2007. Stepz Dance Studio