Ellis Gatewood Elliott, Founder and Artistic Consultant
Ellis Gatewood Elliott founded Dance Arts Iowa in 2004 and developed the studio into what it is today- a viable and technically sound dance studio for dancers ages three to eighteen years. She set the standard for students to obtain a dance education in a fun environment while developing a successful business in the community. She and Kaleena Marshall and later Taylor Koch taught classes and choreographed the spring dance concerts performed by Dance Arts Iowa students. Miss Ellis and Tim Elliott married in 2011 and now live out of state. We are forever grateful to her for her creation of Dance Arts Iowa and the legacy she left the Mount Vernon-Lisbon community.
Ellis G. (Stroud) Elliott has been teaching dance for over twenty-five years and has a B.A. in English and secondary teaching certification from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, and a dance minor from Georgia College and State University. Ellis founded Dance Arts Iowa in Mt. Vernon in 2004.
Miss Ellis has taught in private studios, as an adjunct-faculty member at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA., in public school grant-funded programs, and various summer programs.
Miss Ellis is a certified Stott – Pilates and YogaFit instructor.
She is a member of the Midwest Committee of the Cecchetti Council of America and President
of the Mt. Vernon Area Arts Council.
Kaleena Marshall – Home School Ballet and Irish Step
Miss Kaleena Marshall is a graduate from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Dance with an emphasis in ballet and choreography. She has also trained in Pointe, Modern, Irish, Jazz, and Tap.
Miss Kaleena taught ballet for over 9 years and has trained in Classical Ballet for over 18 years. She has taught Irish Step Dance for the past 6 years and has trained in Irish for 10 years. Kaleena is trained to teach all levels of dance and has been teaching at Dance Arts Iowa since it began in 2004.
Miss Kaleena is the Artistic Director of Maolisa Irish Step Dance, a troupe dedicated to be an outreach ministry to the community by providing enjoyable entertainment for people through Irish dancing, using the talents and gifts given them by God our creator.
Taylor Koch -Tap and Swing Dance
Miss Taylor K. has been tap dancing since the age of four. She attended Lake Forest Dance Academy in Lake Forest, IL and LoMastro Performing Arts Academy in Bannockburn, IL. She was a member of the Euphony Tap ensemble for 3 years and Artists in Motion for 1 year. With both award-winning groups she performed at many venues throughout the Chicagoland area, including shows at Navy Pier. Miss Taylor trained with the American Tap Institute from Washington, D.C. in 2004 and 2005. Currently a senior at Cornell College, Miss Miss Taylor is studying Anthropology, Sociology, and Spanish. Taylor begins her third year with DAI this year.
Taylor Sedlacek -Rhythm & Drill
Miss Taylor S. is a sophomore at Cornell College and has danced with DAI in ballet and jazz. She was also a Teaching Assistant for two years. Last year she taught and choreographed the recital dance for Jazz I.
Annie Hawker -Ballet
Mrs. Hawker is a classical trained ballet dancer. As a junior high student she studied at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City for the summer. She studied ballet and modern at the City Center for the Performing arts and the Cassandra Manning Ballet Theater – now The Quad Cities Ballet. At the University of Iowa she took the highest level dance major ballet classes and performed in graduate productions. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in elementary education with a minor in psychology in 2000. She earned her master’s degree in special education in 2004 from the U of I. She is employed by the Mount Vernon Community School District and teaches kindergarten.
Ashley Herrington -Jazz and Modern
Miss Ashley is a senior at the University of Iowa and will graduate with a bachelor of arts in dance and a certificate in Performing Arts Entrepreneurship. Miss Ashley teaches at the University of Iowa Youth Ballet and School of Dance. She teaches youth Ballet, Tap and Jazz for ages 7 – 11. She was also a member of the Black and White Professional Dance Company from September 2008 – November 2009. We welcome Miss Ashley to Dance Arts Iowa!