Rachel winslerArtistic Director/Dance Educator
Rachel is a Florida native. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising with a concentration in Dance from the University of Florida. She is a member and certified teacher of the Cecchetti Council of America and Florida Dance Masters (FDM). She has attended the Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School.
Her dance training began at age five at Dancemoves Studios in Seminole, Florida when she started acrobatics. Rachel moved to Inverness, Florida and continued her dance education under the direction of Heather Hagar at Step ’N Time Dance Studio. Through the years her love of dance grew and she expanded her training to include jazz, modern/contemporary, ballet (Royal Academy of Dance methodology) and pointe. She worked as a teacher’s assistant through high school. After college she returned home to join the faculty of Step ’N Time teaching creative, contemporary, ballet, tap, jazz, and acrobatics classes to various levels. She began studying the Cecchetti ballet method and holds teachers certifications in Grades I, II, III, and IV. Rachel directed Citrus County’s Nutcracker Ballet in 2011 and was a co-director for six years prior to that. She attended the contemporary ballet summer dance intensive at University of Florida with the Neta Dance Company, the American Academy of Ballet as a teacher’s assistance in jazz, numerous FDM Conventions as a student and a teacher, FDM Teacher Workshops, and Cecchetti teacher workshops. Not only has she danced at the Central Florida Celebration of Dance for years but her works have also been performed. Rachel’s love and passion for dance are the driving forces behind her dance career. Her vision for the studio places its emphasis on the technical and artistic aspects of dance. Rachel wants to cultivate and inspire dancers to be disciplined, self-reliant, well-mannered and self-motivated so they can grow and thrive. |
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Heather White Hagar
Heather White Hagar graduated cum laude with her BA Degree in Dance from the University of South Florida and holds an MFA in dance choreography. Much of her professional dance career has been devoted to the education of dancers. In 1991, she founded Step N’ Time, Inc. and for ten years directed Citrus County’s Nutcracker Ballet. Heather is a member and certified teacher of the Cecchetti Council of America, Power Pilates, and Florida Dance Masters, Inc. She is a past principal of FDM’s teachers’ continuing education seminars, and has served as FDM’s president and director of Main Attraction Dance Ensemble. At present, Heather is preparing for her Grade Five Cecchetti Teacher’s Examination. Heather was the head of the Jazz program for the American Academy of Ballet under the direction of Mignon Furman at SUNY Purchase College in New York for 10 years. Heather has guest taught at the University of South Florida and Jacksonville University, as well as many conventions and schools in the United States and the UK. She collaborated with childhood friend and professional cinematographer Matthew Alcorn in creating two site-specific dance films. Her thesis Under the Canopy dealt with the connection between human and nature and the potentiality of dance to act as a liason between society and the conservation of nature. Other works include pieces for International Dance Acclaim, Youth America Grand Prix, Central Florida’s Dance Celebration, and industrials. She has performed with the New York based company DiMauro Dance, Ann Reinking, The Florida Orchestra, Dance Theatre of Florida and the Central Florida Dance Celebration. Heather has attended: Off Jazz, The Harvard Dance Program, The White Mountain Dance Program, Dance Master's of America Teachers’ Training School, Royal Academy of Dance Summer Teacher's Training Course, Sarasota Ballet’s Teachers’ Training, Florida Dance Masters Intensive Training Seminars, and The World Jazz Congress. She has also studied with Alonso King, Heather Hansen, Juri Nael, and Mario Zambaro, Ralph Lemon, Danny Buraczeski, and Rachel Lambert. Heather’s love of all genres of dance has led her to explore the teaching methodology of many different syllabi of all subjects of dance. From studying with the gymnastic coaches of Kent State University to experiencing the Vagonova, Cecchetti, and Royal Academy of Dance ballet syllabi, Heather believes the more she understands about dance the more she has to offer her students. At the age of five, Heather began her dance training in Cecchetti ballet and gymnastics with Elaine Trenta. After her teacher moved, Heather was introduced to tap and jazz when she entered Audrey Winter’s School of Dance. Audrey became Heather’s role model and mentored Heather when she opened Step N’ Time in 1991 and was a key part of the school. At fifteen, Heather entered the dance department of the University of South Florida as a special student. Heather began to learn the Vagonova Ballet Syllabus with Gretchen Ward Warren and modern dance with the beloved William Hug. Heather was the first recipient of the Henri Parrish Memorial Jazz Scholarship, her jazz mentor. |
Isabella Garcia
She started dancing at seven years old and has been a member of the SDA family the entire time. Her favorite styles of dance are modern and jazz as she feels she can express herself through them. She is 17 years old and attending Crystal River High School. When she’s not dancing, she loves to spend time in nature - especially scuba diving. Her favorite thing to do is to spend time with her family and friends. She was a teaching assistant with Miss Rachel and Miss Kaylee for three years and is excited to be in her second year teaching our young dancers. She is a role model for our whole dance family and we could not be more excited to have her as part of our faculty and staff. |
