Faculty

Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Modern Repertoire

Rebecca Jones received her BFA in Dance Performance from Butler University. She enjoyed her first career performing with Dance Kaleidoscope, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Repertory Ballet Company, and Princeton Ballet. Rebecca began her second career teaching professional workshops and classes in various forms of dance. She has taught Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Contemporary, Broadway, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, and Liturgical. Rebecca is also is the director of the ADA Ensemble. She is proud to be raising three wonderful children with her husband Shawn. Rebecca understands it is a privilege to have been teaching at ADA for so long and finds it a joy to train the dancers of the next generation.

Ballet, Pointe, Progressive Ballet Technique

Emily Dyson received her BFA in Ballet Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma, where she performed with Oklahoma Festival Ballet and Contemporary Dance Oklahoma. She began ballet training in Houston, TX with Gilbert Rome and Victoria Vittum and was later inspired by Austin Hartel to study modern. She trained with Paul Taylor Dance Company, American Ballet Theatre, The Joffery, Washington School of Ballet, and Atlanta Ballet. Emily enjoys teaching around the city and passing forward her love of dance to younger students and she thanks her family and friends for their endless love and encouragement.

Dance Abiltities, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Preschool

Claire Liechty received her BFA in Contemporary Dance with a minor in Adaptive Movement and Exercise and most recently received her MS in Recreational Therapy during her time at Indiana University. Throughout her undergraduate education she performed works by several companies including Paul Taylor Dance Company, Company SBB, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Company Danzante, Boy Friday, and more. In addition to performing, she’s directed and choreographed several dance concerts and musicals and was awarded the Jane Fox Creative Arts scholarship for her excellence in creative projects, showcase of work in various places and her collaboration with several populations in the Bloomington community. Claire loves sharing the joy of dance with her students in the Indianapolis community!

Adult ballet

Sue's journey in dance began at age 5 when her mother, who was enamored with Shirley Temple, took her to her first tap class. A bout with polio at age 7 caused muscular problems in her right leg, and ballet was introduced as therapy. Ballet quickly became her first love.

She studied with Jorg Fasting, a Ballet Russe member who settled in Columbus, Ohio and started his own school and company, The Capital City Ballet. She danced leading roles in Swan Lake and Cinderella. Sue graduated from Ohio State University with a BS in education. There, she became a member of the Ohio State dance Troup under Helen Alkire. She spent the summers in New York City studying ballet with Vlademir Dokovsky and Nina Strogonova. She studied jazz with Lenny Dale at the June Taylor School.

When Sue moved to Indianapolis in 1962, she studied with Jack Copeland and Karl Kaufman. She became a member of their dance companies. She then studied with Lynnette Schisla and danced in many Footlight productions and also the Sheraton dinner theatre. She appeared in the musicals, Sweet Charity, Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Most Happy Fella, and Kismet. She also danced with the Indianapolis Opera Company in Carmen. Since then, she has shared her passion for dance through her teaching.

Pre-Ballet, Ballet

I began dancing at the age of 7, which prompted my mother to convert our one-car garage into a dance studio with hardwood floors and full wall mirrors to teach her own classes. As a kid we had yearly recitals, danced at the Greenwood Park Mall, provided entertainment at several retirement facilities, and traveled around the tri-state competing at various talent competitions. As a teen, I was a guest dancer with Dance Kaleidoscope, a Prelude Awards finalist, and participated in Young Artists summer productions at Footlite Musicals in downtown Indianapolis.

A majority of my dance training was gained at the Jordan Academy of Dance (a former extension of Butler Ballet), which led me to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, Pedagogy from Butler University, 1993. Some of my most recognizable roles were from those collegiate years of staging numerous Nutcracker Ballets, including Bear Trainer, Chinese Soloist, and Mouse Queen. I performed as a Pacemate for the Indiana Pacers 1996-1998 seasons. I have taught ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and hip-hop to students of all ages, from 3-year-olds to adults, for over 25 years, including Broad Ripple High School, G. Scotten Talent, and currently at Academy of Dance Arts. I have choreographed musicals at Fall Creek Junior High, Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate Junior High, and Fishers High School. I have also choreographed gymnastic floor routines for the the Xcel program at DeVeau's. In addition, this is my second year conducting Dance Performance/Choreography class at HSE HS. I am looking forward to sharing my passion for dance with you!

Tap, Adult jazz

Sue began dancing and age 5, and her love of dance has continued for 40+ years. She has been an instructor for ADA since 1999, and loves sharing her passion with others. Sue has performed in many productions at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre. Her favorites roles include, Carmen; Sweet Charity, Minnie Faye; Hello Dolly, and Phyllis; 42nd Street. This year she was thrilled to make her debut at the American Cabaret Theatre in Victor/Victoria. Sue has also performed in many opening ceremonies, including the Pan Am Games, the World Gymnastics Championships, and Indiana Special Olympics. As a member of the All-Star Professional dance team, The Indy Blues, she had the honor of performing her own choreography in the 2004 Indiana "Circle of Lights Ceremonies." Sue and her husband, Lyle, live in Carmel with their 3 children; Christopher, Caroline and Claire.

Adult tap

Natalie was raised in a soccer family and started dancing at at age 8 to be able to have an activity in which her older siblings couldn't upstage her. She grew up doing dance competitions with a tap, jazz, and lyrical focus. She moved to a ballet and modern focus while minoring in dance at Ohio State University where she performed in several honors and grad concerts that adapted folk dance for the stage. After graduating, while working in Paris, Natalie had the opportunity to study ballet under Paris Opera Etoile Mireille Negre and tap under Victor Cuno. Back in the States, she was a founding member of the Exclaim Dance Company in Columbus, OH. Since 2014, she has been teaching ballet, tap, jazz, creative movement, hip hop, and lyrical to dancers of all ages. One of her life goals is to never be able to say, "I used to dance."

Ballet, Preschool, Progressive Ballet Technique

Lauren Ulm started ballet at a small studio in Westfield, IN and furthered her training at En Pointe Indiana Ballet under the artistic direction of Robert Moore and Pollyana Ribeiro. She has performed several roles including Swanhilda in Coppelia, Kitri’s friends in Don Quixote, and Arabian Coffee and in the Nutcracker. She attended Joffrey Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet’s intensives on scholarship, and has taken classes with Edward Ellison, Patrick Armand, Suki Schorer, and Franco de Vita. Lauren went on to dance as a Trainee at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, before returning home to focus on her education and to pursue a career in Sonography and Teaching. She is excited to teach a ADA and can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Jazz, Lyrical

Manuel Valdes began gymnastics training at the age of five in Dallas, TX and continued as a competitive gymnast for 12 years. He began dancing at Dallas Black Dance Theater and went on to receive his BFA of Modern Dance Performance from the University of Oklahoma under the direction of Austin Hartel and Roxanne Lyst. While performing with Contemporary Dance Oklahoma he not only had the pleasure of performing works by his professors, but also Ilya Kozadayev, Sonia Dawkins, Raimondo Rebeck, Jose Limón, and Alvin Ailey. Manuel has attended intensives with Paul Taylor American Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, BODYTRAFFIC and SALT.