Dance & Performing Arts Studio
Growing Dancers In The Woodlands since 1984
MEET THE BONI'S FAMILY
Boni's Faculty & Staff
Bonnie Schuetz
Owner / Director Boni’s Dance & Performing Arts Studio
Bonnie Schuetz, better known as Miss Boni, is the owner and director of Boni’s Dance and Performing Arts Studio, as well as her 4 performing companies~Boni’s En Toure, The Woodlands Dance Company, Boni's En Stage and Boni's En Avant, Bonnie is also the director of the National League of Pre-Cotillions for The Woodlands area. She is most proud of her recent honor as Hometown Hero. Miss Boni has been sharing her love of dance with Children for 49 years and she loves sharing her passion for dance with her generations of dancers. As well as dance one of Miss Boni's other loves is the theater and her repertoire includes Annie, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Beauty & the Beast, and The Wizard of Oz. She has performed and choreographed for the Crighton Community Theatre including, Best Little Whorehouse, Music Man, Hello Dolly, West Side Story and Broadway Review. She began her dance training at the age of 8 and has studied with well known teachers such as Frank Hatchett and Joe Tremaine among many other master teachers. Bonnie was an ambassador for the Dance Teacher Summit and she teaches teachers at the summit in New York and Long Beach yearly. Miss Boni and her husband Chuck have 5 children and 8 grandchildren. They reside in Walden on Lake Conroe.
Blaire Coakley
Teacher/Choreographer
Blaire Coakley (formerly “Schuetz”, also Bonnie’s daughter) moved to New York City for 2.5 years where she performed Ballroom and International Latin with a partner from Serbia. They traveled the USA together and to the Bahamas for the World Championship where they placed 2nd place at! She is married to a wonderful man named Andrew, they have a son named Camden age 13, a daughter named Eloise age 8 and a daughter named Penelope age 7. Blaire created the Boni's En Avant Pre Professional Ballet Program. She is certified in ABT ballet training, Peak Pilates and PBT. She has taught ballet for 14 years now and has a passion for children.
Carla Van Klompenburg
Pre-School Director
Miss Carla has been teaching at Boni’s since 1999. Prior to becoming Boni’s Pre-School Director in 2015 she taught Motor and Movement, Tots and Tutus, Pre-Ballet, Ballet/Tap, Ballet/Jazz and Ballet/Tumble. Miss Carla has danced herself since the age of 2 when she debuted on stage as a pink poodle, all the way through college. She has attended the Dance Teacher Summit in New York city and Long Beach, California, Angelina Ballerina workshops, Debbie Dee Tap workshop just to name a few. She has been a presenter at the Methodist Pre School Conference several years along with Miss Carol and Miss Boni in Houston and The Woodlands. Miss Carla grew up in Victoria, Texas. She and her husband Greg got married in 1984 then moved to Singapore for three years and then Dubai for another four before landing in The Woodlands in 1994. Carla has 3 beautiful daughters, one son in law and is going to be a grandmother this summer! When she is not dancing at the studio, she and her husband spend lots of time at their farm “Lapaha” in Weesatche, Texas.
Jenny Boyd
Boni's En Toure Director - Competition Team
Jenny Boyd trained right here at Boni’s Dance and Performing Arts Studio for fifteen years, where she participated in both The Woodlands Dance Company and Boni’s En Toure competitive team. She trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, as well as modern dance. Jenny graduated from Texas A&M University with a BA in Sociology and a Minor in Dance. During her undergraduate she was involved in EmSu Dance Company, Texas A&M’s student modern based dance company. She also participated in Armstrong Bergeron Dance Company, a professional modern dance company based in Bryan/College Station. Jenny returned back Boni’s, her dance home in 2010 and has been choreography for Boni’s En Toure since 2009. In 2013 she became the director of Boni’s En Toure’s competitive and intermediate dance team. Jenny is the wife of Tyler and the proud mother of Aubrey.
Christina Schanta
Woodlands Dance Company Director - The Nutcracker
Miss Christina is originally from Baton Rouge, LA but received the majority of her dance training in Phoenix, AZ. She trained primarily at the School of Ballet Arizona but also attended summer programs at Boston Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, and the Bolshoi Academy in Vail, Colorado. After spending three years as a company member of Ballet Arizona, Christina became a member of Ad Deum Dance Company in 2000, touring both nationally and internationally as a principal dancer. Christina has been teaching at Boni's since 2001 and choreographing for Boni's En Toure since 2004. Christina enjoys directing the annual Woodlands Dance Company Nutcracker. Christina is the proud mother of daughters Sera and Julia.
Ella Yakubovich
Boni's En Avant Director - Pre-Professional Ballet Company
Ella Yakubovich was born in the City of Izhevsk in the middle of Russian Federation. She began dance education at Rainbow Ballet Academy at the age of five and graduated with honors in 1999. She won several Russian and International Ballet Competitions includes a first place at International Ballet Competition in Paris, Prague, Finland in 1997, Junior Ballet Competition in Germany in 1998, the grand prix at the National Ballet Competition” Blue Bird” in Moscow in 1998-1999, a second prize at International Ballet Competition "The World of The Youth" in Budapest, the best solo performer and a first place at Arabesque Ballet Competition in Odessa, Ukraine. Miss Ella received her master degree at the Perm University of Art and Culture in Russia with the major of choreographer and teacher of Vaganova Classical Ballet Technique in 2004. She has opportunity to performed lead roles in ballets such as Nutcracker, Giselle, Swan Lake, Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and Cinderella. Over the years, she trained with well-known dance masters such as T. Gushina, E. Maksimova, V. Vasilev, O. Lepeshinskaya from Russia, B. Scott from Canada and M. Bejart from Switzerland. She received Teacher Training Program award certificate in classical Cecchetti Ballet Method for elementary syllabus at the Quinte Ballet School of Canada in May 2005. Miss Ella moved to USA in July 2005 and taught Pre-Ballet, Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced Ballet levels and Character classes at American Academy of Ballet in Buffalo, NY, Atlantic Arts Academy and Florida Art Dance Academy in Jupiter, FL. She was a member and performer of Reach Dance Theater Collection and choreographed several dance productions for Atlantic Arts Academy Dance Company members includes the original and modern versions of Nutcracker Ballet, Marry Poppins Ballet, dance and theater production Arts Come to Life , Ballet Gaite Parisians and Bob in a Big Apple Dance Production. Over the years Miss Ella taught a master ballet and character classes in Russia, Canada and United State. Her students won many prestige dance competitions such as Arabesque Ballet Competition in Russia, Youth American Grand Prix and The World Ballet Competition in United State. Currently, Miss Ella teaches ballet classes at Boni’s Dance and Performing Arts Studio in The Woodlands.
Lorie Alexander
Boni's En Stage Director - Performance Team
Lorie Alexander has 37 years of teaching experience. She is originally from Tyler, TX and started dancing at the age of 2. She studied various styles of dance and received intensive training from several local studios. She got her first teaching opportunity at the age of 12 and continued to teach dance throughout high school. Lorie moved to Nacogdoches to become the Coach/Coordinator for the Stephen F. Austin State University Dance/Pom Squad leading them to two NDA National Collegiate titles in 1995 & 1996. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology & Dance in May of 1997. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia and continued to teach dance, coach, and choreograph at a few studios. Lorie was the Company Director for several years while in Georgia. During that time her choreography continued earning several Double Platinums & Top1st divisional Overall Awards. She moved back to Texas with her family, her husband Joseph and their 3 children Madeline, William & John. Lorie always has a positive attitude and is full of electric energy that is demonstrated in all of her classes. She has an intense passion for teaching dance and enjoys teaching life lessons through the art of dance to all of her students. Lorie has been teaching at Boni’s for 7 years and continues to have a positive impact on her dance students. “Life is truly a blessing. Find something positive everyday and you’ll find life to be SO much sweeter. Be The Light!!”
Linda Zapf
Director of Tap
Linda Zapf, originally from Illinois, started dancing at the age of 8 and had a unique opportunity to start teaching by the age of 16. After marrying her high school sweetheart she moved to Albuquerque, NM and was on faculty at Nickerson’s Dance Studio for 10 years teaching tap and choreographing musicals. In 1990 she moved to El Paso, TX where she taught for 17 years at The Dance Factory. During her time at The Dance Factory, Miss Linda taught tap to all ages and was able to triple there tap enrollment. A huge highlight during her time at The Dance Factory was when her clogging group was invited to performed at the Sun Bowl’s half time show and the performance received a standing ovation. Another highlight was being a member of the Jazz on Tap Performing Group under the direction of Drue Pierce. Also during her time in El Paso she spent 1.5 years studying to become a Certified Tap Teacher from the American Tap Dance Institute under the direction of Chris Baker. In 2007, her husband's job brought her to Houston and in 2009 she began teaching at Boni's Dance and Performing Art's Studio. In 2015, she became the Tap Director and in 2017 she launched the EnStage performing group. While in Houston she obtained another tap certification in 2022 from itap online under the direction of Hillary-Marie. During her lifetime of teaching tap and choreographing on the competition circuit, her students have won Double Platinum's, Top 1st Over-all Awards, Achievement Acknowledgment Awards, and Scholarships. With Miss Linda’s strong passion for tap she has been educating tap dancers for over four decades, and is well known for her technical expertise. She incorporates music theory, history, improvisation, and practical application into all her of tap classes to help students enhance their tap training. Miss Linda has a very strong commitment to always better herself personally as well as professionally and believes in the motto: Always strive for the next level in life while you can, never stop learning. “Life means: Do the best that you can with what you've got, with all your mind and heart. One can do anything in this world if one wants it bad enough." - Clayton "Peg-Leg" Bates (1907-1998) Worlds Greatest One-Legged Tap Dancer.
Aisa Sanders
Teacher/Choreographer
Aisa Sanders began her dance training at age 8 with the Rio Grande Valley Ballet in McAllen, TX under the direction of Doria Avila, where she was educated in classical ballet as well as jazz, flamenco, and folkloric dance. Her dance education continued with Melba Huber School of Dance and Gymnastics, where she began assisting, teaching, and choreographing for various classes at age 14. It was at Melba's school that she also competed in Compulsory Rhythmic Gymnastics, and in 1987 she was the Texas State Champion, continued to national competition, and placed 2nd in the Nation. After competing in Rhythmic Gymnastics she continued her dance training with South Texas Dance Theater and became a part of the Southwestern Regional Ballet Association. At age 19 she had the honor of having one of her contemporary ballet's be the opening number for the Emerging Choreographers Show Case in Louisiana. Aisa graduated from UT Pan American in Edinburg, TX, and has been a practicing Physical Therapist Assistant for the last 26 years. She enjoys teaching her students at Boni's not only ballet, but also understanding human anatomy as it applies to dancers, preventing injuries, and the use of therapeutic tape after an injury. She has been teaching for Boni's Dance and Performing Arts Studio since 1998, choreographed many competitive ballet numbers for Boni's En Tour, and continues to choreograph for Boni's annual Nutcracker Ballet.
Allie Cochran
Teacher/Choreographer
Miss Allie is originally from New Orleans, LA were she graduated from Data Lomb's School of Dance. She attended Nicholls State University where she was a Colonelette. Her love of dance didn't stop there she went on to teach dance in Louisiana for 12 years with Raelyn Terri School of Dance. Allie has been teaching at Boni's since 2010, and choreographed for Boni's En Toure in 2014. Allie is the wife of Jessie Cochran and proud mother of McKena and Jesse James.
Andrea Berkley-Sanchez
Teacher/Choreographer
Andrea trained as a ballerina in Clear Lake, TX at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Andrea danced a number of years with the Clear Lake Metropolitan Ballet performing in 7 seasons of the Nutcracker in roles from Clara to Sugar Plum Fairy, the title role in Cinderella, Swanhilda in Coppélia, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and an assortment of fairy, swan and other roles. Andrea trained under a number of ballet masters including the Houston Ballet’s Soili Arvola, Leo Ahonen, and Janie Parker, as well as with John Magnus at the Joffrey Ballet for 3 years. Andrea studied ballet at Texas Christian University (TCU), with Artist in Resident Fernando Bujones, then Artistic Director of the Orlando Ballet. While at TCU she performing numerous solo roles including the title role in The Sleeping Beauty and was awarded the prestigious Nordon Fine Arts Scholarship and was named to the Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities in 2004. She also holds her Masters in Business from Sam Houston State University. Andrea danced in Italy with the Pergine Specatlo Aperto, touring Portugal and Spain, and with the Phrenic New Ballet in Philadelphia performing contemporary works. Married to her art loving husband Mark, who has a dance background of his own, they have three precious children all of whom dance. Andrea started teaching at Boni’s in 2016 and has a passion for sharing her love of ballet.
Bonnie Hulling
Teacher/Choreographer
Bonnie Huling is known at the studio as “Ms. Bon Bon,” (so as to not be confused with the owner, Ms. Bonnie Schuetz). Ms. Bon Bon began dancing at an early age of five in Southern California where she studied classical ballet under Ballet Mistress Evette DeMarco Swinson. The highlight of all of her younger years was performing various roles in the Southern California Inland Dance Theatre The Nutcracker (her favorite being Clara!), as well as performing in Coppelia and many other performances. She also has dance experience in: ballroom dancing, Ballet Folklorico, character dancing, tap and modern. Besides dancing, Ms. Bon Bon also has extensive experience in performing and competing in voice, conducting adult and children choirs, performing in music theatre, and playing the piano. After taking a hiatus from ballet to earn a Bachelor’s and Master's degree in Mass Communications, she and her family moved to Houston where she again began dancing and teaching ballet. Ms. Bon Bon loves working with all ages, most especially the youngest of dancers! Helping them learn and enjoy movement through imagination, creativity and fun is one of her passions. Ms. Bon Bon and her husband have two wonderful boys and she owns a private vocal studio in Spring.
Brooke Allen
Teacher/Choreographer
I received my Bachelors of Science from Southern Utah University in Dance and Physical Education. Since then I moved to Orlando, Florida where I worked for Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. I was a performer at shows, meet and greets, parades, and holiday events. The first half of 2019, I performed with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. Before all my adventures, my first dance class was with Boni’s Dance Studio. Since then my love for dance has flourished! The Woodlands, Texas is home and I am honored to be able to share my love of dance through teaching.
Carol Laroche
Teacher/Choreographer
Miss Carol is married and has three daughters, two sons-in-law’s, a grandson, 4 cats, 7 “grand-kitties”, and 1 “grand-doggie”! Her husband, Matt, is now retired after working for Chevron as a geologist for 34 years. Miss Carol grew up in Los Angeles, California, and it was always her dream to study ballet. When she was fourteen years-old she finally started taking ballet classes. It was the beginning of a lifetime love affair with the world of ballet! After she married, she continued her training in Midland, Texas where she danced with the Permian Basin Civic Ballet. It was there that she had her first chance to perform in a couple of real ballets – Giselle and The Nutcracker. Most of her performing, however, was in the context of Liturgical dance giving her the opportunity to combine her love of dance with her love for God. When Miss Carol and her family moved to The Woodlands in 1997, she and her girls found a home at Boni’s and she continued taking ballet classes for many years, as well as becoming a teacher at Boni’s. This year marks the beginning of her 27th year teaching at Boni’s Dance and Performing Arts Studio! Over the years she has taught, Tots & Tutu’s, Pre-ballet, Ballet/Tap, and Ballet I, II, and III classes. She also taught Music and Motor Development classes for many years, as a Boni’s employee, at Children of The Woodlands Pre-school. Her hobbies include: listening to books on CD, watching movies, visiting with friends and family, and traveling. But her favorite thing to do is to spend time with her two-year old grandson! Miss Carol has a small business making decorative headbands, barrettes, mirrors and more for young girls!
Christine Lahair
Teacher/Choreographer
Chrissy LaHair was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She is a Texas girl through and through. Her love of dance started at a very young age. She began her ballet training at the age of 9 and studied with a prestigious studio in San Antonio,Texas. As she grew up she continued her study in ballet as well as jazz, hip hop, and tap. She was part of a local performance group that performed at churches and outreach across the San Antonio area. She became the youth dance team director at her church at the age of 16. There, she taught weekly classes, choreographed and performed for her church as well as local venues. During High School, she started teaching dance classes with Ivey’s School of Dance that traveled to all the local Military bases and provided all types of classes for all ages for military families. She was also a member of a hip hop competition team where she was elected team captain for 3 years. After she graduated highschool, she started working for Dance Plus where she taught all ages and types of dance for 2 to 3 years. As she has taught, she has also continued to grow in her training as well. Chrissy received an Associates degree of Fine Arts from Northwest Vista College and received a Bachelor's degree in Science with emphasis on Kinesiology and Health from The University of Texas San Antonio. Chrissy moved to Houston with her Husband in 2008 where she decided to add to her dance education with ballroom dancing. She was trained at Arthur Murray’s in Waltz, Swing, Tango, Foxtrot, Salsa, Rumba and Cha Cha. She also became the director of her church’s Performing Arts Program called the Noize, conducting weekly classes, choreography and performances , outreaches and Houston Rockets Halftime shows. In 2011 Her and her husband welcomed their beautiful little miracle baby Autumn Rose. With her daughter being born at 30 weeks her and husband decided the best course was for Chrissy to be a stay at home mom and to fully devote her time to raising her baby girl. Throughout the years while being a full time stay at home mom Chrissy became a music teacher teaching weekly Music classes for family and children. There, she lesson-planned, taught weekly classes and choreographed movements to songs while singing and learning the fundamentals of music. Her most recent employment was a head teacher at Salem Early Childhood where she worked with infants all the way to preschool. Chrissy has such a huge heart for children and is thrilled to be back doing what she loves the most, teaching dance.
Connie Haedener
Teacher/Choreographer/With Graceful Praise Director (Liturgical Dance Company)
Connie Haedener is originally from Colorado, where she danced 6 years with the professional dance company David Taylor Dance Theatre. She and her husband danced three years with “Ad Deum Dance Company”, a contemporary dance company in Houston. She is a fitness teacher and trainer with WholyFit, a Christian alternative to yoga. She and her husband have also worked with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for 22 years. During that time she lived in Hong Kong and Hawaii and was involved in the dance department of the University of the Nations, dancing and performing on many stages around the globe. She was faculty of the School of Dance and taught ballet, modern, jazz, tap, lyrical dance and choreography. She is the director of the Boni’s dance team “With Graceful Praise” and has been the dance director at her church, WoodsEdge CommunityChurch. Currently she teaches many levels of ballet at Boni’s studio and also teaches the lyrical style worship dance class , With Graceful Praise, at Boni”s where they have opportunities to perform locally in the community.
Emily Dubose
Teacher/Choreographer
Emily DuBose began dancing at a young age in Omaha NE. After moving to Southern California, she joined the pre-professional program at Ballet Pacifica under Charles Maple and Amanda McKerro. She attended summer programs at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, School of American Ballet, Paul Taylor, and Doug Varone. DuBose graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in classical dance performance and pedagogy from The Boston Conservatory. While at the Conservatory she performed many principal roles and had the opportunity to work with contemporary choreographers such as Aszure Barton, Doug Varone, Sidra Bell and Andrea Miller. After graduating she danced professionally in Boston with Contrapose Dance where she worked with Sydney Skybetter, David Parker, and Heidi Rood. She joined Boston Ballet in 2015, teaching in the classical ballet program, eventually becoming an instructional coach for BBS Faculty. While at Boston Ballet she also served as the Program Manager of Education and Community Initiatives. In this role, she oversaw programming that provides accessible and inclusive dance education to 3,000 students in the Boston area each year, and offered training and professional development opportunities to educators and service providers across the country. She currently serves as the Education Consultant at Boston Ballet. Emily recently moved to TX with her husband Matt, three year old daughter Wren, and Australian Shepherd Bison. She is thrilled to join the faculty at Boni’s!
Erin Boone
Teacher/Choreographer
Erin Boone earned her MFA in Choreographic Theory and Practice from Southern Methodist University and her BFA in Ballet from Texas Christian University where she performed principal roles in ballets choreographed and/or staged by Fernando Bujones. Mrs. Boone received her early training at Dallas Ballet, Dallas Metropolitan Ballet and The School of American Ballet. While attending SAB on a full scholarship, she performed in George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Rubies, and Valse Fantaisie in their Spring Workshop. Mrs. Boone received scholarships and grants to participate in numerous summer programs such as The School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Pennsylvania Ballet School, Hartford Ballet School, Bartholin in Copenhagen, Denmark and Impulstanz in Vienna, Austria. She danced professionally with Fort Worth-Dallas Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Wichita Ballet Theater, Ballet Concerto, Contemporary Ballet Dallas, and Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet (where she was ballet mistress, choreographer and principal dancer). Additionally, Mrs. Boone was an adjunct dance instructor at Southern Methodist University, Tarrant County College, Eastfield College, and University of North Texas. Currently, she is Artistic Director of American Neoclassical Ballet and enjoys long-distance running, practicing the piano, and painting. She is happily married with two wonderful children, one amazing dog, two beautiful cats, and an aquarium of colorful fish.
Ginger Arrieta
Teacher/Choreographer
Ginger Arrieta was born and raised in Marquette, Michigan where she began her dance training in the Cecchetti Method at age five. She participated in summer programs at ABT, Milwaukee Ballet, Dance Olympus, and Just For Kix. Ginger is a graduate from Belhaven University, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. At Belhaven, she studied under Stephen Wynne, Laura Morton, Britta Wynne, and Ravenna Tucker. After college, she continued her training in Milwaukee at Danceworks. In 2012, Ginger moved to Houston to dance with Ad Deum Dance in the second company. She was an Ad Deum member for two and a half seasons. At that time, she began teaching at West University Dance Centre and Houston Academy of Dance. In 2018 she began teaching at Faith Dance Studio in Katy, Texas. At Faith dance studio she choreographs and trains the students for competitions and YAGP. She is currently a company member of Open Sky dance collective. She has been a part of Open Sky dance collective for three years.
Hannah Mettler
Teacher/Choreographer
Hannah Mettler began her dance training at the age of three primarily training in classical ballet and rhythm tap. She began jazz and contemporary training in high school and loves the variety there is in different styles of dance. Hannah credits her training to Christine Taylor, Luba Gulyava, and Dorothy Wasserman of North Jersey School of Dance Arts in Hackettstown, NJ. Hannah continued her dance education at Messiah College in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania graduating with dual degrees in Dance and Psychology as the first dancer on campus to receive the Volmer Scholarship of the Arts. During her collegiate career she had the opportunity to take her love of dance to Guatemala to serve the native population through Potter's House Ministries and also choreograph work and dance for Shining Light, an organization that takes professional artists into prisons to inspire hope and redemption to those on the inside. Following college, Hannah had the opportunity to dance with Denise Caston of Caston & Company, guest perform with North Jersey School of Dance Arts and freelance before accepting a position with Ad Deum 2 Dance Company in Houston, TX. After two years in Ad Deum, 2, Hannah was promoted to Ad Deum Main Company in 2019. This is Hannah's third year teaching at Miss Boni's and is delighted to inspire other students with the love of dance and performing that she has had her entire life.
Jade Whitmire
Teacher/Choreographer
Jade Whitmire has been dancing since the age of 2, living and training in both Houston and New York City. She trained extensively with the Houston Ballet, The Houston Met, Broadway Dance Center, Edge PAC, Millennium Dance Complex, and Steps NYC in all styles of dance. Jade was one of the first members of the NYC TapKids touring company, and had the fortunate opportunity to train for several years with tap legend Savion Glover as a young girl. While living in NYC, she was assistant to the director of the Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Program, and guest taught jazz and hip-hop classes at Joffrey Ballet School. She was featured in several episodes of Gossip Girl, Law and Order, and commercials including Sony Bravia and Adidas, and was a background performer for several films. After leaving New York in 2008, Jade began teaching and choreographing tap, hip-hop, musical theater, jazz, and contemporary in Houston, around the US, and internationally. While she loves teaching multiple styles of dance, her specialty is tap. Jade has a way of reaching students of all levels and finding a way for each kid to connect to tap dancing in her classes, even if it is not their forte. She has been on faculty for Mike Minery’s “Slide” tap intensive/Dancerpalooza, Nick Dinicolangelo’s tap intensive Syn.Co.Pate, has travelled to guest judge for dance conventions such as 24/7, Jump, and The National Dance Honors, as well as guest teach tap at Adrenaline and Revive Dance Conventions. Jade is currently on faculty with The Streetz Dance Convention. She is the creator and director of Artistic Soul Dance Company, housed in Houston, is on faculty at The Performing Arts Center where she teaches jazz, technique, and tap, and is the creator of JAM Dance Workshops, which provides amazing master classes and intensives to all of Houston in diverse styles of dance. Jade is excited to be on faculty for Boni's!
Jaime Nicholson
Teacher/Choreographer
Miss Jaime is a native of Orlando, Florida and attended Florida State University earning a degree in hospitality administration. She worked in hotel management for years before deciding to stay home full time with her children. She moved to The Woodlands in 2017 and joined the Boni’s family first as a parent to 2 dancers. The following year, she began teaching music and motor and taking adult classes. Her role has grown over the years to teaching preschool aged classes, working back stage at performances, fitting boutique items, and many other tasks. She is a proud dance mom of Max and Lila. They both perform in the Boni’s En Stage Team.
Jenny Richards
Teacher/Choreographer
Jenny Richards is an Instructor, Choreographer, and performer based in Houston, TX. Jenny was born and raised in The Woodlands, TX. She began her training at Boni’s Dance and Performing Arts Studio. During her 16 years dancing at Boni’s Dance, she performed annually in their performances for The Nutcracker for 10 years, and she was also a member of Boni’s En Toure Competition Dance Team for 8 years. Jenny began her formal dance training at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX. Jenny graduated from Lamar University with her Bachelor of Science degree in Theater and Dance emphasis in Dance. While attending Lamar University, Jenny was a member of the Lamar University Dance Team for 2 years. She performed at Football Games, Basketball Games, Texas Dance Educators Association, and the Houston Texans Half-time show in 2016 as a rookie. Jenny received various performance opportunities while attending Lamar University, including performing regionally in the “Body as Art” exhibit for The Houston Health Museum, the American College Dance Association South-Central conference, Bailando Dance Festival, participated in over 20 choreographed works, from choreographers including Travis Prokop, Sean Carmon, Lou Arrington, Amy Elizabeth, and Golden Wright. Jenny absolutely loves being back at Boni’s and loves sharing her knowledge and love of dance with all her students.
Jesus Acosta
Teacher/Choreographer
Jesus Acosta is originally from Guanajuato, Mexico. He started dancing at the age of eighteen at Sam Houston State University where he studied to receive a BFA in Dance. He currently dances for Houston Contemporary Dance Company where he is currently a founding member and dancer, he has danced for The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company for four years, where he performed works by many notable and renowned choreographers. Other company credits include: The Kista Tucker Dance Company, Hope Stone Dance Company, and founding member/rehearsal director for NobleMotion Dance. He also works with MA Dance and Auxiliaries teaching, choreographing, and judging all over the United States. Aside from high schools throughout the U.S. Jesus has choreographed for The Houston Texans Cheerleaders and recently held a position as a judge on the Contemporary/Lyrical Panel at The Dance Worlds. He is happy to continue to teach and fuel the passion in all of the young artists here at Boni’s!
Jodie Schrier
Teacher/Choreographer
Jodie began dancing at the age of three and continued on throughout her adulthood. She began teaching at Boni's in 1987 for a 15-year run then returned to her "Boni Family" again in 2018. Jodie has choreographed multiple musical productions over a 30 year span for Class Act Productions, Owen Theatre and Crighton Theatre and is the recipient of a Montie Award for her choreography of The King & I. In addition she has held roles as "Sheila" from A Chorus Line; "Annie" from Chicago; "Cha Cha" from Grease; and "Anita" from West Side Story. She serves on the Board of Directors for Christian Youth Theatre and also the Advisory Board for Cassidy Joined For Hope. Jodie is also the Executive Producer for Hope For The Holidays, a community-based Christmas musical production to benefit the Cassidy Joined For Hope Foundation. Jodie and her husband Kyle reside in Spring and have two grandsons and one granddaughter that they spoil rotten! The are all members of The Woodlands Methodist Church and on their days off can be found at the gym or on the lake!
Katie Dearman
Teacher/Choreographer
Katie grew up dancing at Boni’s Dance and Performing Arts Studio in The Woodlands, Texas. She attended Southern Methodist University on a full-ride academic scholarship and graduated with a BFA in dance, BA in international studies, and minor in French. Katie and her husband are thrilled to be back in Houston near their families, Katie’s Boni’s family, and her new Ad Deum family!
Kirsten Harte
Teacher/Choreographer
Kirsten is a native of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where she began her dance training at the age of 9. She is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer holding 14 years of training in the styles of ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, tap, hip hop, and acro. Kirsten received her training from institutions such as the Joffrey Ballet School, Broadway Dance Center, and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB). Kirsten has studied under names such as Travis Wall, Amelia Lowe, Casie Goshow, Jo Matos, Gregg Hurley, and Theresa Crawford. Kirsten holds a B.S. of Biology/Pre-Medicine and a Dance minor from Messiah University near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. While at Messiah, she was a featured soloist and choreographer in many of the department productions such as the Humanities Symposium, Blue Christmas, and Culmination. After college, Kirsten continued her dance career as a member and choreographer of Encountered Heart Dance Ministries International. Kirsten currently a member of Open Sky dance collective and a Pure Barre instructor. She approaches her dance classes with her extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology to help her students become more informed, stronger dancers. Kirsten is excited to share her love for dance with all the students she meets at Boni’s.
Lauren Serrano
Teacher/Choreographer
Lauren Serrano is originally from Orange County, California. She received her B.F.A in Dance from University of California Santa Barbara and her Masters in Dance Education from the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College in New York City. She is honored to have worked with artists such as Andrea Schermolly, Yusha Sorzano, Christopher Pilafian, Jennifer Muller, Mike Esperanza, Stephanie Miracle, Brandon Whited, Joshua Manculich, Andy and Dionne Noble, and Edgar Zendejas. Lauren is currently a Graduate Assistant at Sam Houston State University pursuing her Masters in Fine Arts. She is a dancer for NobleMotion Dance and Co-Director of NobleMotion Dance 2. She is thrilled to be a part of the Boni’s Family!
Linda Saputo
Teacher/Choreographer
Linda was raised in Southern California. She began dancing when she was four years old, taking ballet, tap and baton. At 8 years old, she switched to figure skating. At the age of 10 she began pairs skating; however, being so left handed, Linda and her partner struggled skating together. At the suggestion of their coach, they switched to ice dancing. This was the best of both worlds for Linda and she loved ice dancing and competed with her partner for the next several years. Linda has had the pleasure of being in the Boni’s Family since 2007, teaching Music/Motor, Pre-Ballet and Ballet/Tap. Linda and her husband Frank have been married for 41 years. They have four wonderful children, who have wonderful spouses. They have three beautiful grandchildren. Outside of dancing, Linda loves to spend time with her family and travel!!
Lisa Colburn
Office Manager
Lisa grew up in England but has lived in the US for 20 years. She entered the dance world when her daughter Abigail - now in college - began taking classes at age three. The more her daughter and then her son Joshua danced, the more involved she became! She has much experience "behind the scenes" in studio industry and within the local theater community. Miss Lisa brings her eye for detail and organization expertise to various projects at Boni’s. She will size your dancer for costumes, answer your questions about your account, help you with processing payments, and communicate important studio information. Miss Lisa also works backstage come show time at Boni’s Recital, The Nutcracker and Spring Ballet performances! Her organization and positive outlook helps Boni’s to run smoothly!
Madeline Aldana-Grey
Teacher/Choreographer
Madeline Aldana is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer who grew up in Mandeville, Louisiana. She studied dance for 17 years under the instruction of Kelly Fortier and Jemina Hart at Apetrei Dancecenter. While dancing with the resident company, Ballet Apetrei, she took part in Regional Dance America festivals for 5 years. She has attended summer programs through International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi and the American Ballet Theatre's collegiate intensive in New York City. Madeline was the recipient of the RDA Southwest Region’s dancer scholarship to the National Choreographer’s Intensive in 2016, hosted at Florida State University. She was one of 10 individuals chosen to attend the 2019 National Choreographer’s Intensive, held at Sam Houston State University, as an emerging choreographer; from this program, Madeline was one of the 2019 recipients of RDA’s Choreography Connection award. She attended Southeastern Louisiana University for a year before transferring to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Madeline is currently in her Junior year of college and is on track to earn her BFA in dance performance with a teaching certification in Pilates.
Megan Graham
Teacher/Choreographer
Megan was born and raised in The Woodlands, TX and has been dancing for over twenty years across several different studios in The Woodlands and San Antonio area. She is trained in ballet, tap, and jazz, with tap being her favorite. With a great interest in science, and dancing when time permitted, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from The University of Texas at San Antonio, where she was honored with the title of Ms. UTSA. Additionally, she has finished her graduate studies work and has obtained her Master of Business Administration in Management from Our Lady of the Lake University while working full-time and teaching dance. Megan had the privilege of dancing alongside and learning from the Radio City Rockettes from New York City, when she was accepted into the Rockettes Summer Intensive before attending college. She enjoys going to the gym, doing little projects in and around her home, and spending time with friends, family & her husband. Megan is very excited to be teaching at Boni’s for her 7th year, sharing her love of dance!
Megan Morrow
Teacher/Choreographer
Megan Morrow was born and raised in Houston, TX and danced in the Houston MET Too Youth Dance Company before joining the dance program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Megan graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance, a BBA in Accounting, and a Master’s of Science in Accounting. She also trained at the San Francisco Dance Conservatory, the Houston MET Professional Dance Intensive, and Point Park University International Summer Dance Program. After working in public accounting for a year and becoming a CPA, Megan moved back to Houston in 2017 with her husband to dance with Ad Deum Dance Company, where she’s been dancing ever since. She’s excited for another year of teaching and choreographing with her Boni’s dance family!
Orlando Moreno
Teacher/Choreographer
Orlando Moreno born and raised in Laredo, Texas. Started his path in dance at the Vidal M. Trevino School of Communication and Fine Arts in high school. Learning all sorts of styles from Ballet, tap, contemporary, jazz and modern but Hip Hop peaked the most interest. Orlando started teaching classes at the age of 16 years old at the Fine Arts School, and once graduated from Highschool, He attended Hip-Hop conventions and battles such as Jump, Monsters of Hip hop, World of Dance(Houston and Dallas) and master foundational classes from originators of the craft. After a few years in Texas Orlando went to Los Angeles for five years to continue to learn and become a Hip-Hop teacher and educator of his own caliber, so that he can help ensure the future generations of Hip-Hop dancers. Training at prestige studios such as Debbie Reynolds( now Debbie Reynolds Legacy Studios), Millennium Dance Complex, Edge Performing Arts, Evolution Studios, MovementLifestyle and IDA. As well as attaining performing opportunities such as Carnival, Club Jete, and the pre Kids Choice Awards for Nickelodeon in 2016. After suffering an achilles injury, Orlando moved back to Laredo Texas and started teaching at Lily Hachar Dance Studio, Laredo School of Contemporary Dance, and Dynamic Dance Studio. During his time in Laredo, Orlando helped cultivate hip hop programs and lessons to better each student so they are able to gain confidence, build hard work ethic, help find each student's identity in Hip-Hop and curate a safe environment to build the inner artist of each student. Now residing in Houston,Tx, Orlando will continue to pass along knowledge and skill sets to better prepare future generations of dancers and help create a safe environment so the student can flourish in their own dance career path.
Paola Garza
Teacher/Choreographer
Paola began studying dance in the Ballet Academy of Coyoacan in Mexico City under the direction of the world renowned ballet instructor, Ana Castillo at the age of 8 years old. Later she enrolled in the “Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza de Monterrey” which is a part of the National Institute of Fine Arts of Mexico, where she received her bachelor degree in dance in 1990. Immediately after graduating she began working at the Ballet of Monterrey Dance Company becoming one of the original professional dancers of this new company. In 1996, she became the soloist dancer of Ballet de Monterrey and in 1998 she also became the regisseur of the company. In 2002, having been invited to the Festival del Barrio Antiguo, she founded and directed a new independent dance group called "Fabulas y Cuentos" (Fables and Stories). This group continued to operate for 10 years until 2012 performing in cultural festivals, and other celebrations. Its purpose was to expose children to the world of ballet using well known stories and fables as the content for the ballet performances. In 2010 she launched a community based dance education program, Aprender con Danza (Learn through Dance), where she was responsible for implementation, administration, coordination, training, and management of a team of 48 dancers and musicians. This program provided children in 27 economically challenged schools and 7 community centers totaling 4,000 students, to utilize dance as a tool to improve self confidence, muscle coordination, teamwork and improved group dynamics. Overall, student performance increased in both school grades and social interactions. She earned ABT (American Ballet Theatre) Certifications - Primary Level thru Level 5 in New York City in 2010-2011. She has consistently been a ballet instructor for all skill and experience levels over the last 26 years. Overall, she has taken dance courses and trained in Mexico, Cuba and the United States. In 2015, she received an additional bachelor’s degree in Classical Ballet Instruction from the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City. Throughout her professional career she has had the opportunity to work with well renowned figures in dance including Fernando Bujones, Ann Marie de Angelo, Fernando Alonso, Susana Benavides, Tulio de la Rosa, Fernando Jones, Cynthia Gregory, Kirk Peterson, Melissa Hayden, Loipa Araujo, Jonathan Watts and many more. Paola is married to Israel Luzunaris Jr. and has three wonderful daughters, Lorna, Tamara and Marla.
Simone Brooks
Teacher/Choreographer
Simone Brooks is a native from Bloomington, Illinois, a town right outside of Chicago. She has been dancing for over 30 years and teaching professionally, for over 15 years. She was and still is an actress, she started at the young age of 3. She has been acting and modeling professionally for over 30 years. You can see her in the movie Blankman. The stellar cast consists of: Damon Wayons, David Alan Grier, Robin Givens, and Jason Alexander. She was credited as the "crying girl" at the young age of 12. She later was chosen out a group of over 300 students, at a dance convention founded by Paula Abdul, to be one of her backup dancers in Orlando Florida. There, she also danced with the well renowned choreographer, Chris Judd (Jennifer Lopez's ex husband). She was 15 years old and danced for them for over 2 years. She later moved to and performed in Hollywood California for plays and danced professionally at 19. She trained at the infamous dance studio Millennium and was featured in a play in Hollywood, CA; which was titled Love Games. She has ran her own studio at the age of 22 for 3 years in Decatur, IL, before performing and teaching on Carnival Cruise Lines that had her travel all around the world. On the ships she was the main dance instructor/performer and won Dancing with the Stars while traveling on Carnival Cruise Lines. Her career then took her to Branson, Mo, and she was the main lead character in Cirque Montage by Cirque Du Soleil. She also worked in a magic show that was well known in Vegas called Kirby VanBurch. She was the choreographer for the show. And she had to deal with lions, and tigers "oh my"! She has done Dancing With the Stars in Houston, and her Choreography and teaching has been seen throughout the Houston area. She is trained in jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, special needs, acting, gymnastics, hip-hop, ballroom stepping and modern.