Kari Cameron - Director

Ballet

Kari began her early dance training and performing at the Conservatory Ballet of Reston, VA under its director Julia Reddick. Her dance education continued in Columbia S.C. where she attended Columbia College as a scholarship dance major. While in South Carolina, Kari was a member of the South Carolina Ballet Theater where she performed, taught, and choreographed with the company and its affiliated Columbia Ballet School. After her marriage and relocation to Newport, RI, Kari danced at Newport Academy of Ballet and performed with its company The Island Moving Company.

Finally settling in Maine to raise her three boys, Kari started classes at the People to People Dance Studio and resumed performing as well with the affiliated Atlantic Ballet Company. She also began teaching ballet and contemporary ballet classes to various technical levels. Her goal is to instruct based on the technique of the Russian Vaganova style, and to incorporate kinesiology and anatomy to help dancers with body awareness. Though she encourages strengthening the body core and learning musicality and correct technique, she also focuses on freedom of expression and on the simple joy of dancing.

Hanna DeHoff

Modern

Hanna grew up in Camden and attended Camden-Rockport schools. She is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and of the University of Maine in Orono. She holds a BA in German and travelled abroad for two years before relocating to New York City to pursue a carreer in dance and theatre. There she studied ballet with Graciella Kosak and Beth Coheen, modern jazz with David Storey, Lynn Simonson, Bebe Miller and Sean Curran and afro-carribean with Pat Hall. She has performed her own pieces as well as the works of choreographers Jane Comfort, Brian Simon and Joseph Ritsch among others.

She has studied with many local teachers such as Lisa Newcomb, Mary Blum, Jimena Lasansky and Mo Freeman. She is the former student of Marsha Lovell and Arthur Hall who both gave her the inspiration and love of dance.

Lyn Tesseyman

Early Childhood

Lyn trained for many years under retired German prima ballerina Inga O'Neil, who instilled in her life the love of dance . She studied modern dance with Kathy Nolan and continued to expand her technique with various ballroom dance classes. A work study with Jimena Lasansky, who teaches Cecchetti style, broadened her view of movement. Lyn spent three years with Atlantic Ballet Company. Some of her personal accomplishments include choreography for musicals and short films. While in Florida this past year, she took classes at Florida Ballet Academy.

Lyn is very exited to be a part of what Kari Cameron is creating. "Dance is without a doubt the greatest love of my life and I am happy to bring that into my classes".

Kea Tesseyman

Hip Hop

is a dance instructor known in the area for bringing hip-hop and dance to the community. She began dancing in high school with Annie Laurita and began instructing dance at the YMCA after graduating from Camden Hills Regional High School.

After studying with Bruce “Thunder” Tracy in 2004 out of Portland at Casco Bay Movers, breaking became a part of Kea’s dance style. In 2005 she began work at the Slaughter House in Cambridge, MA with Alfonzo “Megatron” Hunt, studying popping and other new styles.

For the past six years Kea has been creating dance performances as a choreographer and director. She has developed her own style of movement influenced by many forms of dance. She teaches students to build a foundation of confidence and performance quality at any level, while focusing on helping others to express their own true vibe on the dance floor

Danika Howard

is seventeen years old and has been involved with dance since the age of four. For three years she has been teaching ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop with Michelle McGowen to children aged three to ten years old . She was a part of the Fundamental Moves gymnastics team for six years where she competed in several different states as a level eight. Being a part of that team gave her the opportunity to train in Bath in order to officially learn routines and teach classes at Fundamental Moves. She started attending People to People dance center when she was fourteen and practiced classical ballet and contemporary dance. She has performed in the NutCracker ’07, ’06 and ’05. Also Sleeping Beauty, Copelia, and Don Quixote. She plans to attend Keene State in another year where she wants to further her dance education along with psychology.

Erma Colvin

African Dance

Erma has been a dance teacher for 18 yrs. Her passion for dance has been forever. She began as a dancer, studying Modern, African and Afro-Haitian dance in New York, Boston and San Francisco. She graduated from Ohio State with a B.F.A. in dance. She performed in the Arthur Hall International Dance Company in Belfast, Maine for 10 yrs. She was accepted to the National Dance Institute summer session in N.Y.C. Erma has received grants from the Maine Arts Commission to teach dance in rural schools in Maine. She also works with a Maine state program to bring creative movement to day care centers. She is an artist in residence throughout Maine and New Hampshire for international dance. She serves on the board of the Maine Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD) and DEMS (Dance Education in Maine Schools).

Denyse Robinson

African Dance

Denyse Robinson has studied West African, Haitian and Afro-Caribbean dance since 1996. She took her first African class with Arthur Hall and immediately fell in love with the style, beauty and intention of this form of dance.

Since then she has studied with numerous master
drummers, dancers and choreographers throughout the US including Mabiba Baegne, Abdoulye Sylla, Abdoulye Camara and Moustapha Bangoura. She moved to New York City to pursue acting and study with Youssouf
Koumbassa, a world renowned dancer and choreographer, and former member of the National Ballet of Guinea as well as his own company, Les Ballets Bagata.

Denyse has been performing and teaching African dance since 1998. She was a member of "Malaika" a West African dance and drum ensemble in Taos, New Mexico. Upon returning to Maine she taught West African dance at Casco Bay Movers in Portland and has taught in various schools and studios in the mid coast and Southern Maine area.

Denyse is also a Registered Yoga Teacher, RYT and
teaches a Vinyasa style flow at the Wellness Center.
She lives in Camden with her husband and two young boys

Ellen Stanclift

East Meets West Yoga

Ellen grew up in New York and California, but spent every summer in Camden. Those summers grew in her heart to make Maine her true home. Ellen graduated from Wheaton College, with a B.A in Psychology and Education, and taught in public schools for many years, both in Germany and in the US. She also became a freelance writer, writing for publications such as "Parenting", "The Mother is Me", "The Doula", "The Heart of Home" and "Mothering".

Ellen began taking Yoga classes 10 years ago, and found that Yoga became an integral part of her life. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2003, Yoga was instrumental in helping Ellen prepare for multiple surgeries, as well as through her complete recovery. Her illness was the inspiration to became a certified Yoga teacher. Ellen is now a Registered Yoga Teacher, through Gentle Spirit Yoga, as well as a Wellness Consultant. She has studied many forms of Yoga, but Ashtanga Yoga is her true passion. Ellen keeps her methodology current by taking many teacher continuing education classes, and by studying with other teachers in the Midcoast area.

Ellen lives in Camden with her husband, two teenagers and two dogs.

Barbara Tomlinson

Sivananda and Vini Yoga

Ms. Tomlinson has studied as well as taught dance at June Taylor Studios, NYC. She has taught at various North Carolina dance studios. She has performed with the "Monterey Lite Opera Company" in NYC and founded various groups such as the "Mother Goose Dance" in N.C., the "Port Salerno Dinner Theatre" in Florida.

After studying, performing and teaching dance for many years, she has turned to yoga. Barbara has received a 200 hours certification in Sivananda Yoga as well as 100 hours in Vini Yoga. Finding herself in classes for the young and flexible, she has designed classes for those who are a bit more challenged in exercise, either due to injury, surgery or just plain in-activity.