Timberlane Arts and Dance Academy LLC

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Timberlane Arts & Dance Academy Faculty

2019-2020

Sarah Brown

Owner, Dance Director, Instructor

Ms. Sarah has been teaching and choreographing dance for sixteen years. She graduated from Florida State University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education . Starting at the age of 4, Sarah began taking dance classes and immediately found one of her passions. She began taking piano lessons at the age of 10 which furthered her love for music and the arts. Upon graduating from college, Sarah taught pre-k, kindergarten, first grade and Title 1 and she found another passion in life… working with children. In 2001, Sarah was elected Teacher of The Year in Gadsden County.

Today, Sarah is doing what she loves most, teaching children the art of dance and music. She specializes in pre-ballet, ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and Irish step dancing. In 2015, Sarah organized TADA's first professional irish step dancing company, Capital Celtic Dancers. In 2018, she and her sister and fellow teacher Elizabeth Rankin organized TADA's children's singing choir, Voices of Hope. She was the Event Chair for the 2012 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and is currently a Director on the Stubbs Educational Foundation Board. Taking over ownership of Stubbs' Music Center and Jingle Jam Inc., Sarah is excited to offer both dance and music lessons to students of all ages.

Elizabeth Rankin

Dance Instructor

Ms. Elizabeth has been teaching students of all ages for the past 16 years. After graduating with a Master's degree in Special Education from Florida State University, she taught elementary and middle-school students for 2 years. Elizabeth began teaching preschool when she moved to Alabama, educating pre-kindergarten students for 11 years. She also directed her church's preschool children's choir and taught Sunday School for 5 years. Elizabeth has been ringing handbells and singing in church choirs for many years as well.

Elizabeth began taking dance lessons at the age of 4, learning ballet, tap, jazz and pointe. She began taking piano lessons in elementary school and enjoys teaching piano to students of all ages. She also enjoys teaching Jingle Jam lessons to preschool children in Tallahassee. We welcomed Elizabeth to the TADA staff in the summer of 2014 and are thrilled she is on our team!

Holly Edenfield

Holly Edenfield is excited to be teaching dance again! She grew up studying and performing, and later teaching and choreographing, in Ocala, Florida. As a college student, she danced with The Tallahassee Ballet, FSU Golden Girls, and Dance Alive. As a young adult, she continued with The Tallahassee Ballet and choreographed several shows for Quincy Music Theatre. A few years ago, she decided to try Irish dancing with her daughter and that’s what brought her to TADA! In 2019, she joined the Capital Celtic Dancers. She has degrees in History, Political Science, and Social Studies Education, and has worked at the Florida Department of Education since 2003.

Janna Lewkow

Janna Lewkow was born and raised in Panama City, FL and was influenced by dance at a very young age. Her early training began in her mother’s dance studio. At the age of 14, Janna started training extensively around the country. She has worked with many renowned choreographers and artists including Jazz legend Frank Hatchett, Janice Barringer, Joan Lather, Keith Clifton, Linda Haberman, Julie Branam, Kristin Altfather, Gwen Stefani and Kathryn Mccormick. Janna moved to New York at the age of 18, where she performed at Radio City Music Hall with the Radio City Rockettes. Now living in Tallahassee, FL, Janna has taught master classes all over the country and many studios in the FL area.

Leslie Earnest

Mrs. Leslie graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor's degree in Education and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education. She taught elementary school in her hometown of Panama City for 6 years. Since age 4, Leslie has been involved in dance, gymnastics and cheerleading. Leslie was an All-American Cheerleader and co-captain of her high school squad. She continued her love of cheer, gymnastics and dance in college, cheering at Gulf Coast CC.

Leslie continued coaching cheerleading teams and teaching Jazzercise well into adulthood. After moving to Tallahassee with her husband and 3 children, Leslie began Irish Step Dancing at Killearn Performing Arts and danced the role of the Summer Queen in their original Irish-Ballet, "The Snow Queen".

Leslie is currently dancing with her long-time friend, Ms. Sarah, in the Capital Celtic Dancers and teaching Princess Pre-Ballet, Irish Step Dancing and Acro. She is so happy that she gets to combine her love of dance and children everyday while teaching her precious dancers at TADA!

Brion Brannon

Brion graduated with a degree in the arts and loves to both dance and teach dance. She has been dancing for more than 29 years at Corkybell Dance Studio; a studio that has been around for decades. She has danced and taught many styles of dancing such as hip hop, tap, ballet, and jazz. Brion has not only been in tap competitions but have had the privilege to learn from teachers who danced alongside the Backstreet Boys, Aaliyah, and Brittany Spears. In her spare time Brion teaches privately for birthdays and weddings and has danced for charities such as Birmingham Dancing with the Stars. Dancing has always been a passion of hers, whether dancing at a studio, in the grocery store, or even in her own home. She hopes to keep sharing her love of dancing for many years to come.

Natalie Towers-Best

Photo and Bio coming soon!!!

Nancy Witter

Mrs. Nancy was born and raised in Tallahassee. She earned a bachelors degree in Psychology from Florida State University, a masters degree in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University and is now a practicing Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Play Therapist here in Tallahassee.

As a young teen, Mrs. Nancy joined the Dance Studio here in Tallahssee, taking ballet, tap, jazz and pointe through her junior year in college. After college, dance continued to be a major part of her life, falling in love with partner dancing such as the West Coast Swing and Two-Step. In 2015, her daughter joined TADA and she quickly fell in love with Irish Dance, joining the Adult irish Class in 2016 and then becoming a member of the Capital Celtic Dancers in 2019.

Marissa is a Tallahassee native who started dancing at the age of six after obsessing over all things ballet since she can remember. Marissa has subsequently danced, competed, and performed in numerous styles of dance including ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, pom-pom, and even folk dance.

Her favorite dance experiences include Royal Academy of Dance examinations, Disney Magic Music Days, taking classes at Broadway Dance Center in New York City, Access Broadway competitions, being a part of the award winning DancEffects team in Tallahassee, and performing in Quincy Music Theatre’s Sweet Charity (2012) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (2017). She also recently choreographed Quincy Music Theatre’s production of Annie.

Marissa was Assistant Director for the afterschool program School’s Out in the South Burlington, Vermont School District and worked in many capacities within the school district as a paraeducator, substitute teacher, and tutor. She also directed many summer camps for children in Vermont ages 5 and up. Marissa subsequently moved back to Tallahassee and tutored and directed summer camps with the Magnolia School.

Marissa has been a dance instructor and choreographer for fourteen years and has taught ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre dance, and hip-hop with Eastern Dance Association, The Edge Dance and Fitness, The Arts at Good Samaritan, Fusion 802 in South Burlington, Vermont and now TADA.