Ev-Leen's Dance Studio
5301 Office Park Drive Suite #340
Bakersfield, CA 93309
ph: 6613234883
dropaney
About Us
Ev-leen's Dance Studio is owned and directed by Eve-lyne Thomas.
Eve-lyne has been dancing her entire life. Her father worked for the Belgian government in Rwanda, Africa, and Eve-lyne was born and lived there until about age 9. Consequently, French is Eve-lyne's first language. She began Ballet lessons while in Africa. Her family then moved to the Bay Area where she began her ballet education in the Vaganova style of Russian Ballet, as well as trying to pick up the English language. At age 12, she moved to Fresno and remained there until she left for college. She is a former member and soloist for the Fresno Civic Ballet Company.
Dance continued to be the center of her life. Eventually she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California Institute of the Arts, founded by Walt Disney. It was there that she discovered Contemporary Dance and honed her personal dance style further. She went on to earn a Masters degree in Dance Education from San Jose University.
Eve-lyne began formally teaching in Caracas, Venezuela. She opened her own studio when she came to Bakersfield in 1981. Since moving to Bakersfield she has been a dance consultant for the Performing Arts Magnet Program, a participant in the Community Connection for Child Care Services, "Children's Day of Exploring the Arts". She has been awarded "International Woman of the Year in Arts in Kern County" as well as "Best Innovative Dance Choreographer, by the Arts Council of Kern County. Eve-lyne has also been the dance instructor at Bakersfield College since 1981. Eve-lyne has been passing on her love and knowledge of dance to local dancers young and old for 25+ years.
Eve-lyne chooses the staff for her studio very carefully, requiring them to finish a training process before they have their own class to instruct. Eve-lyne takes pride in her well trained professional staff.
She is pleased to introduce the following instructors for her studio:
  Our Jazz, Dance Movement and Creative Performance Instructor, Shelby Hagelstein is attending CSUB. Her career goal is to be a high school English teacher. Shelby was a student of Ballet at Ev-leen's Dance Studio for six years and has been dancing for over ten years. For the past five years she has been a member of the Imagine Ballet Company. She has performed in the Bakersfield Symphony's production of the Nutcracker and has danced the roles of a Snow Maiden, Arabian, Mouse, and Flower. Shelby is excited to be teaching at Ev-leen's Dance Studio this year. Our Parent-N-Me Instructor, Rachel Horner grew up in Minnesota, dancing ballet, jazz and modern dance from the age of four. In high school, she was a dance teacher for children ages 4-11, teaching them beginning ballet and also a creative movement class which is more of a beginning dance class for younger dancers. She went to a small private college in Minnesota where she studied modern dance participating in various performances for her school. She explored many different types of dance and continues to teach and perform in many venues. She has also choreographed movement for a recent art show at the Empty Space Theatre in Bakersfield and is spearheading an adult modern class here in the city. She really is a lover of people of all ages and in everything she does, she breathes dance!
Our Hip-Hop Instructor, Leesa Parker, is from Bakersfield. Having been Program Facilitator at Plantation Elementary School, she has also tutored third graders and taught Hip-Hop to third thru fifth grade students. Leesa was honored to have danced at the Millennium Complex in Los Angeles and also enjoys acting!
|
5301 Office Park Drive Suite #340
Bakersfield, CA 93309
ph: 6613234883
dropaney
