Starz Dance School

Starz in Motion
Starz Dance School
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Our Team

At Starz Dance School, we take our job very seriously as dance educators, role models, and friends to our dancers. We love what we do and we hope that shows!

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Our Team
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Mariann Paul

Mariann Paul

Owner & Artistic Director
Meet Mariann
Tiana Suzuki

Tiana Suzuki

Studio Manager
Meet Tiana
Kayla Bangert

Kayla Bangert

Dance Educator
Meet Kayla
Rachel Forney

Rachel Forney

Dance Educator
Meet Rachel
Nathan Bennett

Nathan Bennett

Dance Educator
Meet Nathan
Lisa Gorr

Lisa Grossi

Dance Educator
Meet Lisa
Alex Ho

Alexander Ho

Dance Educator
Meet Alex
Seth McClendon

Seth McClendon

Dance Educator
Meet Seth
Sara O'Connor

Sara O'Connor

Dance Educator
Meet Sara
Starz Red Dancer Favicon

Megan Owens

Dance Educator
Meet Megan
Kimi Cunningham Shackelford

Kimi Shackelford

Dance Educator
Meet Kimi
Ashley Smith

Ashley Smith

Dance Educator
Meet Ashley
Lindsey Wilkerson

Lindsey Wilkerson

Dance Educator
Meet Lindsey
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Mariann Paul
Mariann Paul
Owner / Artistic Director
Mariann Paul received her early training with Helena Baron, and Paul Sutherland and Brunilda Ruiz of the Joffrey Ballet. As a principal dancer with the Baron Ballet Company she has performed at the PNC Bank Arts Center and in New Jersey and regional dance festivals throughout the Northeast. She has won numerous awards for choreography at competitions, and has been an adjudicator for the Star Systems National Talent Competition. Always open to new ideas and innovations in dance, she has attended the Vaganova Seminar at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society, Jazz Dance World Congress, David Howard Ballet Workshop, Broadway Dance Center Teacher’s Workshop, Rhee Gold’s DanceLife Teacher Conference, the Dance Teacher Summit and the IDEA Conference. As the owner and artistic director of a successful dance studio in New Jersey for over 38 years, Miss Mariann brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of dance and the dance community to Starz Dance School.
Administration / Dance Educator

Isabelle Jennings has been a dancer since the age of three, training at various studios and schools in Washington, Arizona, and Australia. She has experience competing and performing in numerous styles of dance including ballet, hip hop, jazz, and lyrical/contemporary. Miss Isabelle also loves expressing herself through art outside of dance with photography, film, and painting. We are excited to welcome her to Starz In Motion Dance School where she will be part of our front desk administration team as well as a dance educator.

Dance Educator
Rachel Forney trained as a gymnast, dancer and cheerleader throughout her life. She has experience in sideline cheerleading as well as competitive cheer. Miss Rachel enjoys working with beginners new to tumbling as well as the most advanced students working to achieve challenging skills such as aerials and back handsprings.  She is currently completing her Bachelor’s Degree at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State and is excited to begin her 6th season at Starz Dance School.
Dance Educator
Nathan Bennett began his training in gymnastics at the age of six in Michigan. He quickly expanded his dance education to include multiple styles and participated in competitions throughout high school. Nathan progressed to dance assistant and then to dance educator, teaching at middle schools, high schools and dance studios in Michigan. He received a BFA in dance from Oakland University, where he performed with Oakland Dance Theatre, Repertory Dance Company, and Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Upon moving to Arizona, Nathan began teaching and choreographing for both recreational and competitive dancers in the valley. This is Nathan’s third season at Starz Dance School.
Dance Educator
Lisa Grossi began her training at the age of ten and has been in love with dance ever since. She has experience in Ballet, Tap, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Jazz, Musical Theater, and Tumbling and has competed in numerous national events. Miss Lisa has also trained at Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Her love for dance and children inspired her to begin teaching. “Dance was such an important part of my life growing up. It kept me healthy and gave me high self-esteem. I was able to see what I could accomplish if I worked hard. Because of dance I met most of my closest friends. I look forward to passing on my passion for dance to your children and watching them grow!” Miss Lisa currently lives in Chandler with her family and is excited to begin her seventh season at Starz Dance School.
Dance Educator
Alexander Ho, began his dance career at the age of 17 when he attended the Jabbawockeez’s Production event, PRiSM, at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. This inspired Alex to enroll in choreography/performance training classes at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. After honing his abilities and gaining experience, Alex was offered a position with the CGCC’s dance company, TranscenDance. He began his first teaching job at a private arts facility, Experienced Arts, in Phoenix, where he taught for three years. Alex is currently an active member of the choreography and freestyle performance team called Jukebox Family, attending competitions such as Hip Hop International, World of Dance, Prelude, and Fusion. He continued to expand his dance styles in modern, contemporary, and jazz as part of EPIK, a professional fusion dance company. Alex is now part of the dance educators at Starz in Motion Dance School and guest teaches at numerous studios here in the valley of Arizona. His goal as an educator is to share all that he has learned with his dancers, hoping to encourage and inspire others. “Dance can change things. One move can set a generation free.”
Dance Educator
Seth McClendon began his dance education while in high school. At the age of nineteen he began teaching Breaking/Freestyle and has taught as well as competed throughout the United States. Seth sites B-Boy House from Furious Styles Crew as his inspiration and mentor, and enjoys sharing his own passion for Break Dance with his students.
Dance Educator
Sara O’Connor was trained in classical and contemporary ballet on the east coast under Kip Martin, Alexei Charov, Natalya Charova, and John Sherman. She supplemented her ballet technique with classes in various modern and contemporary jazz styles. Miss Sara participated in the work/study program at Koresh Dance Studio in Philadelphia, PA, where she trained in the Koresh style of modern jazz with Roni Koresh and Melissa Rector. A strong desire to learn more about movement, physiology, and healing for dancers motivated Miss Sara to become involved with and certified in both yoga and therapeutic massage. Now based in Phoenix, she enjoys taking class, teaching students of all ages and levels, and creating choreography for multiple styles and audiences. She has spent the last few years working with competition dancers and directing/choreographing for performance teams.  Miss Sara wants to impart to her students a respect for the body and its abilities through challenging classes supported by a strong working knowledge of anatomy, movement, and the classical dance vocabulary.
Dance Educator
Vanessa Huntoon is originally from Phoenix, Arizona where she trained at Take 5 Dance, Ballet Arizona, and with Brian Friedman at Dance Source. When she was eighteen, she moved to LA and was awarded a scholarship at EDGE Performing Arts Center where she trained under Alex Magno, Eddie Garcia, Billy Goodson, and Wes Veldink among many others. Miss Vanessa is experienced in all styles of dance as well as acrobatics and gymnastics. As a professional performer for 15 years, she has appeared in Glee, Dancing with the Stars, How I Met Your Mother, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Best Dance Crew in addition to numerous commercials. Her music video, stage and live performances include working with artists such as Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Marilyn Manson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gene Simmons, Kristen Chenoweth, and Alanis Morrisette. In addition, Miss Vanessa traveled all over the world as a gymnast with Le Ombre. She is passionate about dance and loves sharing her vast experiences with her students at Starz In Motion Dance School.
Dance Educator
Ashley Smith began her dance training at the early age of two.  She studied all forms of dance and grew up as a competitive dancer in the Dallas and Phoenix areas.  She received a scholarship to attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA and graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in Dance.  Miss Ashley continued her dance training at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles and at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC along with Chicago’s Lou Conte Dance Center, River North Chicago, and The Giordano Dance School in Evanston, IL.  After graduating from college, she received a full scholarship to study and perform at the Giordano Dance School in Evanston, IL as a member of the Giordano 3 Company.  While living in Chicago, Miss Ashley had the opportunity to perform and work with numerous dance companies and choreographers and eventually landed the incredible opportunity of touring as a professional dancer/entertainer with DisneyLive!’s “Mickey’s Rockin Road Show”. For five years, Ashley toured internationally and performed in over 25 different countries along the way. She currently teaches all forms of dance, though Lyrical, Contemporary, and Jazz remain her favorite styles to teach and choreograph.  Miss Ashley travels around the nation as a competitive dance adjudicator and enjoys sharing her lifetime passion of dance and technical knowledge with her students.  She  is currently furthering her education and pursuing her MFA in Choreography.  Miss Ashley loves to inspire and motivate dancers to be their best and is ecstatic to share her love of dance and fitness with those around her!
Dance Educator
Lindsey Wilkerson grew up as a competitive dancer in Arizona. At the age of twelve she received a full scholarship to Tremaine Dance Studios where she trained and assisted at their Los Angeles studio. Miss Lindsey continued her training as part of the dance program at the University of Arizona as well as Ballet Arizona.  She relocated to LA to dance professionally in music videos and commercials, explore her passion for choreography and create performance pieces for various dance companies. Miss Lindsey returned to Phoenix where she became the company director for “Alice Cooper’s Destiny Dance International” and choreographer for Alice Cooper’s annual “Christmas Pudding” stage show. She has choreographed several award winning competition dances, theater performances, and touring stage shows.  Teaching dance remains one of her greatest passions and Miss Lindsey is dedicated to creating a fun learning environment for students to explore dance, while still valuing hard work and disciplined technique.

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