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Brittany Bush Teaching: |
Brittany began her dance training at age 11 at Ballet Arizona, through Arizona School for the Arts. She studied ballet and modern from world-renown instructors, including Nadja Zubkov and Kee-Juan Hahn, while continuing her study of voice and acting. In addition to her time at Ballet Arizona & ASA, she joined the competition company at the award-winning Take Five Dance Academy – taking classes in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Acrobatics, Musical Theatre, Pointe, and Technique. Here she danced among the talents of Mr. Dance of America, 5 Miss Dance of Arizona title winners, and studied with Maryanne Maloney, Tracy Richie, and Alyce Layden.
While in high school, Brittany was a part of Varsity Spiritline (Pom & Cheer), president of the competition choir, Thespians (double honor bar), and National Honors Society. She performed the National Anthem at various sporting events, sang live in-studio on the morning show on pop music station KZZP (now 104.7 KIIS FM), and won top awards at the regional Solo & Ensemble competitions. She also served as choreographer for the Spiritline JV & Varsity competition teams.
During her training at Take Five Dance, Brittany was offered a teaching position at the age of 16. She continued her studies in technique & choreography by attending master class workshops/competitions with Dance Masters of Arizona, LA Dance Force, Hollywood Vibe, International Dance Challenge, NYC Dance Alliance, and American Dance Awards. Her students & choreography of solos, duos, trios, and groups have won many awards on the regional and national levels, including numerous first place trophies, top over-all scores, and special awards for choreography, presentation, costumes, and creativity.
On the side, Brittany owns her own music video production company, Abandon Video. She has toured with many local and national bands filming their live performances for music videos & documentaries for upcoming CD & DVD releases.
Brittany has since served as Company Director at Flashpoint Performing Arts and Desert Star Dance Academy. She specializes in technique, lyrical, jazz, acrobatics (contortion), and musical theatre (voice/acting). She also specializes in bringing children & teens from beginner to rising star through innovative techniques and emphasis on performance and personality.
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Kristen Wright Teaching: |
Kristen has been dancing for 13 years, training in Musical Theater, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical and Hip Hop. Kristen was a member of the Teen Performing Company for five years, where she traveled to San Francisco, L.A., and Las Vegas to compete in competitions. Kristen is currently studying at Scottsdale Community College to earn her Associates Degree in Dance. In addition to her teaching talent, Kristen also choreographs dances for auditions, and teaches private lessons. Her choreographic skills have earned numerous awards, including 1st Overall High Score for Hip Hop, and 2nd Overall High Score for a group and solo. Additional accomplishments include choreographing a piece for students applying to the University of Arizona Dance Program, which they were accepted to.
Arizona Sunrays featured Kristen as the summer camp counselor and dance counselor this past summer. As a teacher-in-demand, Kristen also teaches at various venues in the valley, including two local dance studios, Summit High School, and for a prestigious preschool. Kristen frequently attends dance conventions to take class and learn new element and techniques to bring back to her students. When Kristen is not teaching dance, she still loves working with children and is a nanny during the day. Kristen takes time to get to know each and every one of her students because she wants to help them achieve their personal best.
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Jen Kannarr Teaching: |
Jen Kannarr grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, dancing most of her life. Jen Started dancing at the age of two and a half at Eileen’s School of Dance. She was a member of the Modern Motions’ Dance Company with Eileen’s School of Dance for nine years. She was asked to join the Kelly Dancers at a young age of seven. The Kelly Dancers is a dance group directed by a former Radio City Rockette, Kathleen Kelly. She continues to perform currently with the Kelly Dancers as they tour all over Arizona to perform. She studied at Nina Marlow’s School of Ballet for two years, before she went on to study with Leigh Cassidy King’s Dance Centre and then she joined the dance group at her high school. Jen danced at Paradise Valley High School for four years under the direction of Lori Roesch, where she was able to work with many different choreographers to learn diverse styles of dance.
She continued with private training at Eileen’s School of Dance, where she taught the beginning ballet, jazz, and creative movement. Jen was an avid member of the Dance Club at her school and was chosen to participate in Cultural Connections, for two years, which consisted of only forty specifically chosen students from four different high schools in Phoenix and surrounding areas. Cultural Connections is a program that teaches the students about the diversified types of dancing from all over the world. Jen graduated from Paradise Valley High School and is pursuing a degree in Elementary Education and an Associates Degree in Dance. Jen is also studying dance intensively at Scottsdale Community College so that she can keep updated with today’s dance styles and possibly pursue a further career in dance. She is now a member of the staff at Arizona Sunrays and brings with her an enthusiastic personality and great love and knowledge of dance.
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Chelsea Speer |
Mrs. Speer is a senior at Grand Canyon University acquiring a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education in May. Originally from Flagstaff, Arizona, Chelsea moved to the Phoenix area in the summer of 2005 after getting married.
Mrs. Speer has been dancing for over 16 years and has studied the ballet method of Royal Academy of Dancing in Flagstaff at Northern Arizona University’s Preparatory School of Performing Arts. Chelsea performed various ballet performances with NAU including The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, and the Snow Queen. She attended a Performing Arts High School as well, where Mrs. Speer became skilled in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern danced. Additionally, Mrs. Speer danced for two years in Oregon with McMinnville Ballet Company.
Currently, Chelsea is dancing as a Featured Dancer in the contempory ballet company, Arizona Dance Group, as well as working with Movement E-Motion, which specializes in teaching Autistic and Down Syndrome young adults dance!! Mrs. Speer has had the pleasure of working with children of all ages, teaching ballet, jazz, and tap. Arizona Sunrays welcomes Chelsea as she brings her talents and great knowledge of Elementary Education into the dance classroom!
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Carolyn Butters
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Kathy Jones
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Jenni Hjalmarson
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A Native of Phoenix, Arizona, Jenni began her training with Kelly brown and spent summers on scholarship at the School of Pennsylvania Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet school, Joffery Ballet workshop, Ballet West School, and the New York School of Ballet. She continued on scholarship at the North Carolina School of the Arts with Duncan Noble and Melissa Hayden. Upon graduation, she danced at the Lincoln Center for the Arts (New York City) with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company. She was then invited by Director, Roy Tobias, to perform with the Universal ballet Company of Korea at the Seoul Olympic Arts Festival. This led to becoming a company member for several years where she danced several soloist roles in Japan, Italy and Austria and throughout South Korea. She also joined the Seoul Ballet Theatre and collaborated in performances with the Basel Ballet Company (Switzerland), Atterballetto Company (Italy), and the Atlanta Ballet Company for the Atlanta Pre-Olympic Arts Festival. For Seoul Ballet Theatre?s US debut, she danced the principal role in James Jeon?s Three Moments at the Kennedy Center for the Arts. Upon moving back to the United States, she had guest principal contracts with the Malibu Ballet Company, Omaha Ballet Theater and the Connecticut Ballet Company. She also made her theater debut, portraying ballerina, Tamara Karsarvina, in the Off-Broadway show, Nijinsky. She has recently retired from Ballet Arizona, after dancing with them for several years. In addition to performing, she has over 15 years of teaching experience teaching all levels and ages of ballet. She has taught at the New England Dance Center (MA), Ballet Guild of Lehigh Valley (PA), Allentown College (PA), Seoul Ballet Theatre School (KOREA) and the Rancho Solano Private Elementary Schools. She has taught company classes at the Omaha Ballet Theater and the Albany Berkshire Ballet Company. She also teaches the Stott-method of Pilates. She has taught Pilates at various studios including the Golden Door Health Spa at the Boulders Resort. Jenni is currently sharing her expertise in dance with the staff of Arizona Sunrays. |
