by CalArts Community Arts Partnership
Michael Tomlin III, Lead Instructor
Michael Tomlin III is a Los Angeles native who began training in the arts at Amazing Grace Conservatory under Wendy Rachel Robinson. Pursuing his love for dance he became a scholarship student at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. He continued his training at Hamilton High School under the direction of Karen McDonald and Latrece Douglas. In 2012, he graduated from CalArts with a BFA in Dance with a minor in Math & Science. After living in Japan for 3 years performing with Tokyo Disney, he moved back to the states and rejoined the Lula Washington Dance Theatre and later became Lula’s assistant. He continues to teach, choreograph and perform around the world. In 2018, he started his company ReVrBT3; a contemporary based dance company in Los Angeles.
Siye Zhang, Lead Instructor
Siye Zhang, a dancer and choreographer from Beijing, graduated from the Minzu University of China. She started learning dance when she was eight, and entered the professional dance industry when she was eleven. During her twelve years of dance training, she has performed and choreographed a variety of dances on stage, including ballet, Chinese folk dance, Chinese classical dance, contemporary and modern. She is currently obtaining her MFA in Choreography at CalArts with the President’s Aspiring Artist Scholarship. She is proud to be a dancer, even more so a choreographer. Just like how dance has inspired Siye in many aspects of her life, she wants to convey this message to more and more people in the world through her own creation.
Alejandra Hernandez, Lead Instructor
Alejandra Hernandez grew up in the Bay Area, which is where she began her dance training at the age of three. By six years old, she was given opportunities to compete nationally in many different dance competitions. Over her years of dancing, Alejandra has trained in styles ranging from jazz, tap, to ballet, as well as more cultural styles such as ballet folklorico, flamenco and belly dancing. She has also been fortunate enough to tour China. She is a recent CalArts graduate where she received her BFA in dance.
Nadia Maryam, Current Student Instructor
Nadia Maryam, a graduate of CalArts, started dancing at Nevada Ballet Theater at the age of four. She later took part in a pre-professional company at Bunker Dance Center and continued her focus on dance in high school at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, where she found that she most enjoyed training in modern and contemporary techniques. She has also trained in ballet, jazz, tap, ballroom, and hip-hop styles. Within a pedagogical practice, Nadia's mission balances discipline and joy, and fuses a range of dance styles, in the hope of connecting to the range of student interests.
Madeline Wray, Current Student Instructor
Madeline Wray has been in the dance world since she was young. She started off at a small competition studio in her home town and realized that she wanted to continue forever. After that she started auditioning for pre-professional programs and has gotten into a few in Canada and the United States, including Quinte Ballet School and Joffrey Ballet School. Through these programs Madeline has dabbled here and there with teaching young and thriving artists like herself to follow their hearts. Dance is ever changing for Madeline and that is why she continues to seek and give knowledge.