Instructors

BRITTANY BENTLEY – Instructor Ballet, Jazz & Lyrical

Brittany Bentley has been dancing since the age of six, and has been choreographing since age thirteen. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her dancing and self-choreography. One of her proudest accomplishments is winning the Overall Title award at the Sophisticated Productions dance competition for five consecutive years!Brittany has had the opportunity to train with some of the dance industry’s best choreographers/instructors, including Dee Casprey, Doug Caldwell, Chrissy Whitehead, Jon Engstrom, Trinette Singleton (Joffery Ballet), Jane Lanier (original Fosse dancer) and Rolann Mitchell. She also studied at Southern Ballet Theatre, Boca Ballet Theatre, and Joffery Ballet. Additional regional and national dance titles include Miss Nexstar, Miss Footloose Elite Champion, Miss Showstopper, Teen Miss Dance Xplosion and 2nd runner up to Teen Miss Dance of Florida. A triple threat, Brittany graduated in 2006 from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles as a Musical Theater major.

She can be seen as a ballet dancer in the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; an episode of the Showtime Network hit series Dexter; the role of “Amelia” in the film Vamps; and most recently as a dancer for electro-pop artist “Cheeks” in his most recent music video. Other film and TV credits include Rescue: 911; Mortal Kombat: Conquest; Kids For Character with Tom Selleck; and over sixty television commercials. She continues to train with UCB LA to advance her talent in her love of improv comedy and practices regularly with an Improv Harold Team. Brittany works as a guest teacher and choreographer for dance studios around the country; and is excited to share her love and knowledge of dance to her students here at SCDPAC.

KIM TAUSON – Instructor Tap, Hip Hop & Children’s Combo
Kimberly Mercedes Baglino was born in Southern California but moved to New York at a young age, where she began dancing at her aunt’s dance studio. From then on, she has continued to live an breathe dance. Along with her training in tap, jazz, ballet at her aunt’s studio, she frequently trained in NYC at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway where she began to add hip hop, musical theatre, modern and contemporary. Kimberly eventually picked up and moved back to her home state at the age of 21 to be closer to her California family. She has been living in South Orange County for 4 years and counting and meanwhile she has been teaching dance at a few local studios. She is currently majoring at Saddleback College in Dance where she has choreographed two hip hop/contemporary pieces and has performed in several dance productions. She plans on getting her B.A. in Marketing once she finishes her Dance A.A. She is also a part of Architexture Dance Company, a site-specific non-profit modern dance company. Kimberly loves all forms of dance but has put her emphasis in tap by training in workshops such as the L.A. Tap Fest, National Tap Day and the NYC Rockette Experience.

SIMONE COOK – Instructor Jazz & Children’s Combo
Simone Cook has been dancing and performing since the age of 10. She began dancing at Dance X-pressions, under the direction of Talara Ruth, studying Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical,and Tap. She has had the wonderful opportunity to take master classes from different companies including the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company and The City Ballet of San Diego. She was a member of Capistrano Valley High Schools Song Team as well as Dance X-pressions Competition Team. She has also appeared in many musicals including, Bye Bye Birdie, Fame, and Footloose. Simone is now studying at Saddleback College to obtain her degree in Business Administration and Dance. We are pleased to have Miss Simone on staff again at SCDPAC.

 

MARY MARGARET BRACKEN – Instructor Children’s Combo
Mary Margaret Bracken is 17 years old and started dancing before she even began to walk. She officially began though as a ballet dancer in Oregon at The Corvallis Academy of Ballet under, the now retired, Jutta Hardison and studied there for three years. She performed in the Eugene Ballet Company’s performance of The Nutcracker three times, once as a mouse, an angel and a ladybug bonbon. Then, because of her dad’s job, her family moved back to her hometown Jacksonville, North Carolina. There she found The Dance Theater of Jacksonville and hip hop and jazz; which she quickly fell in love with. She competed on one of their competition teams, Elite Protege, as a sixth grader and also performed in their Musical Theater’s performance of Hairspray, where she was Link Larkin and Penny’s mother.

After a two-year stop in Bangkok, Thailand, where she was a member of International School of Bangkok’s Middle School Dance Team for two years, Mary Margaret found herself in sunny San Clemente, CA. After meeting Michelle Hanson and seeing her commitment and passion for dance, Mary Margaret knew that SCDPAC was the right place for her. She was a member of Teen Company as a freshman and Senior Company as a sophomore. She began assisting and teaching Combo Classes with Michelle Hanson at age 15, and between school and living at the studio she spent her free time sleeping. She received the Judy Corfman scholarship, as a sophomore as well as her own Saturday morning Combo Classes. As of now, Mary Margaret is on the San Clemente High School Dance Team as a junior and loving it.

She has always enjoyed the competitive nature of large team sports and the opportunity to learn from new teachers and choreographers. She hopes that as she continues to teach (and learn from) these young dancers, that she can successfully encourage a love and passion for dance that was instilled in her by so many of her mentors.

ROBBIE MARTIN – Instructor Ballroom
Miss Robbie has a passion for ballroom dance and has been a competitive ballroom dancer since 2001 and a ballroom dance instructor since 2007, maintaining her own personal dance coaching and professional education through regular reviews with her coach, ballroom dance seminars and workshops which assure there is a high level of consistency and integrity in the skills she teaches to her students from children to adults.

Miss Robbie utilizes the internationally recognized DVIDA Syllabus for both American and International style ballroom dances and facilitates her student’s dance growth and dance experience through regular social dance field trips, ballroom dance camps, local ballroom dance competitions and by encouraging Junior Ballroom and Teen students to participate in school events using their ballroom dance skills not only as a vehicle to showcase their talents but also to demonstrate the important partnering skills each student must develop as a ballroom dancer.