Nancy Brown has twenty six years of teaching experience. Her dance career began in the Texas Panhandle, when at the age of sixteen she was chosen to teach dance and gymnastics for a local dance company. She moved to north Texas in 1977 and enrolled as a dance major at Texas Christian University. In addition to pursuing her dance education, Nancy began teaching dance for recreation to neighborhood children from a small studio she had built in the back of her home. Nancy’s love of dance, genuine excitement and charisma was immediately noticed and quickly her student body increased through the word of mouth advertising. The home studio was expanded and her student base doubled every year for the first four years. In 1986, she opened the doors to Nancy Brown’s Studio, her first commercial location. The studio thrived, additional teachers were hired, and after ten years of success it was time to expand again. In 1992, she moved to her current location, changed the studio name to Dance Connection, recognizing that this hobby turned business had grown into much more than a one woman operation. Nancy currently has seven instructors on staff, two large dance rooms within her spacious Fort Worth location. She also has a second location in Granbury, Texas and has enjoyed the same continued success with the Granbury studio over the last five years. Nancy has trained under some of the most notable leaders in the dance industry such as Luigi, Joe Tremaine, Patrick Swayze, and the Hoctor’s. Her students have won countless awards and are featured at many local venues including Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, and TCU halftime shows. Many of Nancy’s students have gone on to become broadways dancers, musical theatre directors, Dallas Cowboy and Houston Rocket cheerleaders, Dallas Mavericks dancers, and even college dance team members. Nancy has also produced some of the best dance teachers in the business. She readily acknowledges how grateful she is for all the individuals who have contributed to making her journey a success. She is a kind hearted, fun-loving woman who after all the years says that her favorite thing about dance is the joy she has received from contributing to so many students.

The Dance Connection is proud to welcome Nicole Hill back to their staff after returning from an exciting four years in Los Angeles, California. Nicole was selected out of thousands to be one of Justin Timberlake’s core dancers for his worldwide Justified tour. She has worked on solo projects with Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, has been featured in numerous MTV music videos, and she has assisted in the choreography for many of L.A.’s hottest industrial shows. Nicole has studied under and worked with some of the world’s most notable choreographers such as Wade Robson, Mary Kydelka, and Roger Lee. She is also a north Texas native who grew up in Arlington where she began dancing at the age of five. She was a member of the UTA dance team, Dallas Powerhouse Competition & Performance Troupe, and as a solo competitor she has won countless awards. She is an accomplished dancer, instructor, and choreographer. Nicole is the Dance Connections and Senior Company instructor, and we are looking forward to once again experiencing her amazing style and creativity.

Micah Lynch has been teaching dance for ten years. She is an "all-around" dance teacher who is trained in virtually all dance subjects and is competent and effective working with dancers of all ages. Her pre-school students love her while her older performance and competition classes praise her innovation routines that always win top placement. In 2005, Micah was recognized by two national talent competitions. Star Power Competition gave her an "Outstanding Choreography Award" for her Senior Company tap routine, and Star Systems Competition recognized her as one of their "Top Teachers." All of her routines won overall placement and her amazing senior hip-hop routine scored platinum and won first place at every competition. Micah is one of the Dance Connections most familiar faces, and her classes are always filled with fun and excitement.

Marlon Lewis has ben teaching hip-hop at the Dance Connection for five years. He began dancing at age 17 and quickly realized he wanted to share his excitement of dance. Marlon has worked hard to perfect his ability and he is now one of the Dance Connections most asked about instructors. His laid back teaching style allows students to feel comfortable, since his teaching philosophy is " fun before perfection." He has studied under Marty Kudelka, Roger Lee, Nick Zebrowski, and many other local and nationally recognized hip-hop choreographers. Marlon's work is carefully choreographed, always current, and fun to watch. In addition to his hip-hop classes, Marlon is Nancy's instructing partner for cotillion classes, and is involved with the studio on many levels. He is loved by all who have the opportunity to work with him.

Julie Riger-Ballew received her early balet instruction at the Elizabeth Hames School of Ballet in Dallas, Texas. She was awarded the Alexandra Dnilova Scholarship for futher study, and, at age seventeen, was accepted into the School of American Ballet, in New York City. While studying at SAB, she was chosen by George Balanchine to be in his "special class". This was a group of twelve girls that were being trained in the Balanchine technique, and groomed for professional careers. While performing as an apprentice with the New York City Ballet, Julie was picked by Frederic Franklin to dance as a soloist with the National Ballet, in Washington DC. After five years with the company, she came back to Texas to attend T.C.U. Locally, Julie has performed with the Hip Pocket Theater, Stage West, Fort Worth Theater, Casa Manana, T.C.U. ballet, and Dallas Opera. In addition to the Dance Connection, she also teaches at Tarrant County College Southeast campus, the Pinnacle School, as well as several other area studios and schools.

Tiffany McMath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belinda Marshall