Combo 1

Ages: 6-7
Description: This hour and a half long class is for students 6-7 years old. This class will work through the standard structure of a ballet class with barre and some center work. This class also emphasizes musicality through tap dance so that dancers can explore rhythm and sound. Finally this includes a Jazz component to expand the movement vocabulary of the students with Jazz technique.

Summer Class Sessions:

Session 1: June 5th-June 24th  Session 2: July 10th – July 29th

Monday – 6:00 – 7:30pm – Valley West – Meredith

Thursday – 4:30 – 6:00pm – Valley West – Brett

Pricing

Registration fee: $20 (New Students)
Summer Tuition: $82 + tax

Instructors

Meredith Stroot
Education: BS with honors in Elementary Education and a Minor in Dance from Iowa State University
Biography:

Meredith Stroot graduated with honors from Iowa State University with a BS in Elementary Education and a minor in Dance. She was very involved in the ISU Dance Department and received the department’s Evelyn Jensen Outstanding Achievement in Outreach Award her senior year. Meredith performed with Orchesis I Modern Dance Company, performing in pieces choreographed by Taryn Packheiser, Janice Baker, Amy Martin, and Vernon Windsor. She also served as a board member for the company. She attended and performed at the American College Dance Festival.

Meredith trained extensively under Ami Yaro and Shanon Farsakh and performed as a charter member in what is now Yaro Dance Company. She won several awards dancing competitively as a student. Her students now carry on the tradition. Her choreography has won the high point and top honors at regional and national dance competitions.

Meredith’s passion is teaching and spreading her joy in the art of movement. She has been teaching and choreographing lyrical, ballet, musical theatre, modern, and jazz for several years. She has taught classes at Creative Movement Dance Company, Ames Parks and Recreation, and Iowa State University.

In addition to teaching dance, Meredith is also a Kindergarten teacher in the Boone School District.

Meredith believes in a positive, upbeat teaching atmosphere, instilling a love of dance in all students!

Brett Machamer
Biography:

Brett has been dancing since the age of four, studying at Westside Dance Academy and Iowa Ballet Academy. Her main focus is in ballet and pointe, but she also studied jazz, tap, hip hop, and modern dance extensively. She also traveled to receive training at Milwaukee School of Ballet. Over the years, she performed with Iowa Dance Theatre and Yaro Dance Company, often performing lead roles. Through working with Iowa Dance Theatre, she has been able to be a student to many teachers in the Des Moines area. She was selected to perform a piece by Jessica Lang while her company visited Iowa in 2016. Most recently, she performed with Hurley and Dancers as a guest artist and co-choreographed a hip hop piece for Iowa Dance Theatre’s 2018 spring show.

She is currently a Senior member of Dance Masters of Mid-America and is certified in Progressing Ballet Techniques.

Brett works as a Physical Therapist Assistant part-time and continues to take classes and perform when she can.

Dress Code

Girls: Pink tights worn under any type and style of leotard (you may choose solid color or patterns on leotards)
Boys:Tight white or black t-shirt or tank-top with black shorts, black pants or black leggings and white socks

Shoes

Location

All Sections: Valley West Mall, 1551 Valley West Dr #109, West Des Moines, IA 50265