Follow us on: |
 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Our Dance Teachers 
DIRECTORS EARL & PATTY, and TROY WOLSLEGER  Maura Owens Townsend
Maura Owens Townsend, M.F.A. Artistic Director of Project 21 Performing Arts Consortium, studied dance at Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles under the late ballet dancer Gerald McCall. She received her BFA in Dance from United States International University in San Diego, and her MFA in Dance from the University of California Irvine under the mentorship of the legendary dancer/choreographer Donald McKayle. Maura has an interest in dance and technology and has created a multimedia piece entitled “Journey by Trane,” which is based on the life of legendary saxophonist John Coltrane. She has performed with such dance companies as JAZZANTIQUA Dance and Music Ensemble, New Age Dance Workshop, Winifred R. Harris’ Between Lines and Lula Washington Dance Theater. She has also performed in such productions as “A Cotton Club Revue” starring Linda Hopkins and Maxine Welden and the Norwegian Caribbean Cruise Lines. In August 2001, Project 21 was the guest artist for the National Ballet du Rwandan at the California Theatre in San Bernardino. Maura was also selected for “Black Choreographers Showcase 2002” celebrating Black History Month at the Los Angeles Theater Center, and the prestigious Dance Kaleidoscope 2000. Other credits include, The Brokus Project at the historic Ivar Theater in Hollywood, WCBPA Convention in Las Vegas and Maura was also a guest soloist for the Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival. In addition, she was commissioned by Santa Monica College to choreograph a “Tribute to Miles Davis,” and by the Claremont Colleges to create choreography for the Dr. Martin Luther King celebration. Her teaching background includes University of California, Irvine, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino Valley College, Dance Arts Academy in Los Angeles, Conjunctive Point Dance Studios in Culver City, the Webb School of California in Claremont, and Los Angeles Unified School District Conservatory of Fine Arts at Cal State L.A. Maura has produced several dance concerts, festivals and intensive dance workshops and she was also invited to teach a spring dance workshop in Nevis, West Indies by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. She also serves on the San Bernardino Fine Arts Commission. What they say about Maura and Project21: According to Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times Dance Critic in “Grandmothers”, Thomas, Townsend and Baity pulled the emotions of Angelou’s poem into their bodies, anchoring the trio through intense poses…” “…Fleurette Africaine (soloist with Jazzantiqua) imaginatively mixed African and modern dance influences, allowing Maura Owens Townsend full scope for an exquisitely modulated performance.” At the Voices In Motion Showcase he said, “Maura Owens (Townsend) looked exemplary both alone and in her duet…”  Troy Wolsleger
Troy Wolsleger has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the California State University of San Bernardino in Liberal Studies with a concentration in dance. He is one of the Directors and Choreographers at Backstreet Performing Arts School of Dance and Musical Theatre, of Riverside, California. Over the last 20 years he has studied and trained with numerous teachers including John Magnus of the Joffrey Ballet of New York and Flint Michigan, Sandra Allen of Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, with additional training in modern, ballet and jazz with Alvin Ailey, in New York. He has also trained and taken master classes in tap, hip hop, modern, and jazz with Eddie Brown, Fred Stickler, Abron Glover, Courtney Miller, Paul Kennedy, Sean Feidler, Jimmy Tate of New York, Winifred Harris, Henry Letang, Waverly Lucas, Art Palmer, Frank Bove of New Port News, Virginia, Steps on Broadway, Dance Theater of Harlem, the Broadway Dance Center, and The Edge and the Millennium. Troy performed in the ballet cast Mid-Summer Night of the Joffrey Ballet, Flint Michigan, and performed a Tapimonial for the Riverside’s National Exchange Club receiving a first place in Fresno, California. He was a choreographer/dancer for the 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney, Australia, and was also a choreographer/dancer for the intended 2004 Athens, Greece, Olympics dance team. He also has performed with Gladys Knight in the 2000 Orange Bowl halftime show in Miami, Florida. Troy has danced with the hip hop troop Infinite Dynamics of San Diego and Culture Shock of Los Angeles and teaches master summer intensive classes in hip hop at Riverside Ballet Arts, Riverside. Troy has competed in regional and national competitions winning top awards in jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop and modern. He has and is currently dancing and choreographing pieces for Project 21, The Inland Empire Dance Concert Series at California State University, San Bernardino, under the Artistic Direction of Maura Townsend.
Troy has also received the highest rank awarded by the Boy Scouts of America, that of Eagle Scout. His daughter has also been showing her artistic talents just like her father.  Megan Jenkins
Megan Jenkins is a dancer/student/educator currently residing in Riverside, California. She began her dance training with Stefannie Valencia Kierlin at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts and earned her B.F.A in dance performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, training extensively in ballet, pointe, and modern techniques with further experience in jazz and hip hop forms. She hails from the Midwest where she lived, worked, and studied in Minneapolis for the five years prior to moving to Riverside, working with a variety of local, national, and international choreographers, performing at the American College Dance Festival, and apprenticing with Shapiro and Smith Dance. Her performance credits include multiple performances in various full-length ballet productions with MCA’s Pre-Professional Company, including the Nutcracker, Spells and Rhymes, Sleeping Beauty, and Paquita (all of which she was a solo performer). She has performed in Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story, founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Lin Huai-min’s, Crossing the Black Water, and Paul Taylor’s Lost Found Lost. Moreover, her education/career has led to work with both nationally and internationally renowned choreographers, including—but not limited to—Doug Elkins, Shouze Ma, Paula Mann, Scott Rink, Bill Young, Danny Buraczeski,, Linda Talcott Lee, and Peter Kalivas. Megan is currently pursuing a PhD in Dance History/Theory at UC-Riverside where her dissertation project focuses specifically on the staging, performance, and consumption of hip hop dance vernaculars on the concert stage. She is currently a company member in The P.G.K Project: A Contemporary Dance Company based in San Diego, CA, and dances for Justin L. Viernes and brown paper bag dance, as well as Heather Dale Wentworth of Opus Mixtus Post-Jazz.  Camille Vargas Camiile started dancing at a local YMCA and community center at a very young age. It wasn't untill she was a teenager that she entered a dance school and was given classical ballet training. With the help of two strong mentors she quickly caught up with other dancers that had been dancing their whole lives. She has trained with the Inland Empire Youth Ballet where she was a principal dancer. She has performed roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen and other solo parts. She also performed in various Balanchine works where she was a soloist or danced pas de deux. Camille has danced with the Only Ballet in San Diego, Ca. Where she had the honor of taking Master classes with David Howard, Gelsey Kirkland and Suzanne Farrell. She has also trained at the Orlando Ballet school and Pasadena dance theatre, Inland Valley dance academy and Cypress dance center. She is currently attending Chaffey College and is persuing a BFA in dance.  Belinda Clemons
Belinda Clemons is originally from New England, born in Lowell, Massachusetts. She is the mother of three children. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Westfield State College, in Westfield, Massachusetts in Mass Communications with a minor in Theatre Arts. She attended American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City, where she studied film, theatre, television, and stage combat. While attneding AMDA, she worked at the Lincoln Center Avery Fisher Hall which gave her exposure to Opera. After her training at AMDA, she had minor rolls in movies such as "Hard Way", "Fly By Night", and "Organ Donors." After her experiences in movies, she returned to Massachusetts where she taught acting classes and directed plays. She also worked as the director and writer for the Youth Expression Theatre Troupe at the Local Girls Inc. From there, she then accepted the job as the Arts Director for the local YMCA, where she personally directed the musicals and taught acting classes. Belinda has taught acting, directed musicals, and written plays from New England, to New York, Virginia, and Mississippi for over fifteen years. She has taught young actors who are currently working professionally in theatre, film, dance, and music today. She recently relocated to California to continue to teach, and has become a stand up comedian as well. Backstreet welcomes her and all of her talents to our musical theatre program.  Raven Gantt
Raven currently attends California State University Northridge, majoring in Journalism. As a member of the CSUN cheer team, she competed nationally as a division-one squad. While attending Notre Dame High School in Riverside, Raven was a varsity cheerleader for 4 years, choreographing, tumbling, and competing in regional and national competitions, earning top awards. Raven was also selected to the UCA All American Cheer Squad, 3 years straight.Raven has been dancing since the age of three. Over the last 15 years, she has studied and trained with numerous teachers including Terry Shulke, Mandy Shulke-Rodgers, Sonja Tayeh, Dee Caspary and Shannon Mather. She has also trained and taken master classes in tap, hip-hop, modern, contemporary and jazz with Joe Krause, Anthony Lofendo, and Courtney Miller. In addition, She has taken classes and studied at Millennium Dance Complex, The Edge, and Elevation Studios. Locally, she has studied dance at Just Plain Dancin’ & Co., Backstreet Performing Arts, and Bre Dance Studio. Raven has competed as a soloist, and in small and large groups, in numerous regional and national competitions, winning top awards in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, and modern. Currently Raven is a dance instructor for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) Collegiate Camps and teaches throughout the Western United States. She also dances and choreographs for California State University Northridge Dance Department. She has appeared in several television, major motion pictures, and music videos’ including ABC Television series, No Ordinary Family, Spiderman IV The Movie, due out in theaters in 2012, and The Fedora Girls “So Hot” music video. Besides Raven's expertise in Jazz, Hip-Hop, Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, and Tap, she is also an accomplished cheerleader. tumbler, stunter, and choreographer. She is well versed in public speaking, an accompliushed make-up artist, and has set school records in HIgh School Track and Field long jump events.
 Felicia Spears
As a movement specialist, Felecia Spears has been teaching for thirty years to at risk youths throughout Los Angeles County and Riverside County in the grass roots communities. She provided youths with the opportunity to learn West African Traditional Dance, Rhythms and Drum Technique from the Mali Empire. Her teaching skill extends to a full curriculum of contemporary dance styles and techniques such as: performance, choreography, ballet, modern dance, tap, jazz, and hip hop. She also has an extensive performance history in addition to dance. As an Executive Artistic Director for the Grass Roots Dance Theatre Inc., Ms. Spears directed cultural performances, school workshops, as well as teaching for the Riverside Arts Council, Los Angeles School District Performances, Val Verde School District and for the Riverside School District's dance education, arts/crafts, performance, and after school workshops.
As a popular artist, Felecia Spears, a born native of Los Angeles, California, has become a well known name in the community by presenting and exposing various cultural dance, music, and theatre. Her dance training started with tap and ballet with the Al Gilbert School of Dance in Beverly Hills, California. Ms. Spears has an exstensive background in choreography, where she was one of the winners at the William Couser Choreographer's Competition in Hollywood, California. Also, She performed at the Choreographer's Concerts in Santa Monica, California. The only student choreographer selected to present her dances: Hard Times, Stranger Blues and Mae Francis in Faculty Concert at CSULB. As a choreographer, Ms. Spears has choreographed for recording Italian artist Vanna Marr in Athens, Greece, Mikanno's Greek Islands and Therselanikki Greece performance and radio show. In addition, she toured with Black Ballet Jazz Company and danced professionally in the 1984 Athens Festival Olympics in Athens, Greece, live stage performances in Greece, Italy, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Hong Kong, and throughout the United States with the R' Wanda Lewis Dance Company, and Grass Roots Dance Theatre Inc. Movies: Human Tornado, King Kong, Roller Costar, Janet Jackson Music Video Escapades, Berry White Music Video Show, Rocky I & II, Blues Brothers, Lark Cigarette Commericial-Europe, and Grass Roots Cable Television Production. Live Productions: Dance Kaleidoscope-John Anderson Ford Theatre, Hollywood California, Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Summer Dance Festival-Las Vegas, UC Santa Cruz, and more.  Amber Cash
Amber began her career as a dancer at the local dance studios at the young age of 3. She has competed at a national level for 17years winning many awards. She has trained in Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Tap, and Hip Hop. She has also trained with some of the most elite instructors in California and has danced in several music videos and tv productions. Amber began teaching at the age of 15 and has been teaching young children through adults over the years. She has taught and choreographed for many studios. She enjoys teaching all levels, though her specialty is teaching intermediate through advance dancers. She has taught many master classes for studios and local high school dance programs. She was Co-owner and Director of her own studio for 6 years, overseeing 16 employees. She took pride in working with her competition team of approximately 100 dancers, winning numerous awards including choreography, high point and costume awards. She loves to design all of her own costumes and had even started a special program for children with Down Syndrome. She has danced with the 66ers Dance Team for the past 5 years. She is currently dancing and is also the Coordinator/Choreographer for the team of 8-16 dancers. She also is the Coordinator/Choreographer for the Ontario Reign Hockey Team. She has danced and choreographed for the L.A. Dodgers and L.A. Angel's minor league and major league games since 2006. Amber dances for the San Manual Sports Watch and many sports and charity events. She has done and continues to do Jr. cheer and dance camps.  Diane Vasquez
Diane began dancing at the age of seven at Westside Ballet in Santa Monica. She was also a cheerleader for the Huntington Park Cougars for eight years and was the captain of the cheer squad at Belmont High School in Los Angeles. Later she went on to be a part of the cheerleading squad at Santa Monica College.
Diane attended “Colors United,” an acting school where she studied theater arts. Soon after, she was hired by More Entertainment as a dancer and performed for numerous artists at events and venues across Los Angeles.
In 1996, Diane was part of an organization called Peace and Justice Center. This organization created a place for Los Angeles children to hang out and stay away from the streets and gangs. At the center, she, along with other instructors, held dance lessons in Break-dance, Pop lock, Hip Hop, Funk, Cheer, Tap, and Jazz. In 2000, she returned to Belmont High School and assisted the cheer team. She started working for All that Dance Performing Arts in 2004 as a Tap, Jazz, Ballet and Cheer teacher. She worked for Divine Dance Center for a year where she had the opportunity to start her own cheer program: Ultimate All-Star Cheer, a competitive cheer program for all levels. At Divine, Diane taught Tap, Jazz and Ballet for children from the ages 19 months-7 years old and competitive tap. In 2010, she worked for Jazz Connection and taught all genres. She is also at Pomona HS as an Advisor/Coach for Cheer and Dance. She currently works for Backstreet Performing Arts in Riverside and is teaching tap, jazz, ballet, and cheer, recreation and competitive level.
Diane has been teaching for many years and truly has a passion and special connection with children, and teens. She works with all ages including adults.
She also currently attends Riverside Community College pursuing a degree in Kinesiology and continues to actively take dance classes to improve her skills.
 Kalvin Latimer
Kalvin Latimer is a renowned dancer, teacher, educator, and choreographer. Mr. Latimer has received his training with many top institutions throughout the United States such as Martha Graham Dance Academy, Alvin Ailey School of Dance, Joffrey School of American Ballet, American Ballet Academy (official school of ABT), Broadway Dance Center, Edge Performing Arts Center, Art’s in Motion, Arise Performing Arts Center, and Millennium Dance Complex just to name a few. Mr. Latimer has been trained in multiple dance genres such as Classical Ballet, Contemporary Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary Lyrical, Modern, and Hip Hop for over twenty years. His choreography credits stretch among the commercial, concert, and theatre dance industry. Mr. Latimer has choreographed for many major recording artists throughout his career which has awarded him MTV Video Music Awards and American Music Awards nomination for Best Dance Video and Choreography. Mr. Latimer has choreographed national commercials for major retail conglomerates such as Target, Gap, and Macys. Many of Mr. Latimer’s students are currently successful dancers touring with the Broadway production of Les Miserables, Hairspray, Annie, and Newsies. Mr. Latimer’s students have also furthered their professional dance careers by touring with San Francisco Ballet, Bill T. Jones Dance Company, Twyla Tharp Dance Company, top 20 contestants on So You Think You Can Dance, Las Vegas Cirque De Soleil, and so much more. Mr. Latimer is also the former owner/director of KLDA-Kalvin Latimer Dance Academy which was one of the top competitive studios in California that won many high honors and accolades under his leadership for ten years. Mr. Latimer is proud to be a member of the Backstreet Family were his professional knowledge in the field of dance, acquired through his extensive training and experience, is an invaluable asset he shares with his students. Who Teaches What? BALLET
Megan Jenkins, Troy Wolsleger, Patty Wolsleger, Diane Vasquez, Camille Vargas, Raven Gantt and Kalvin Latimer
JAZZ
Amber Cash, Troy Wolsleger, Patty Wolsleger , Diane Vasquez, Megan Jenkins, Felecia Spears, Raven Gantt and Kalvin Latimer TAP
Troy Wolsleger , Raven Gantt, Diane Vasquez and Patty Wolsleger
HIP-HOP
Troy Wolsleger and Kalvin Latimer
MUSICAL THEATRE/DRAMA
Jole, McKenna, and Ryan
TUMBLING &ACRO
Troy Wolsleger, Sienna Martinez, Kelianne Stankus and Jeanté Godlock
POINTE & PRE-POINTE
Megan Jenkins and Kalvin Latimer
LYRICAL
Megan Jenkins, Raven Gantt, Amber Cash and Kalvin Latimer
MODERN
Maura Townsend, Felicia Spears, Raven Gantt and Megan Jenkins
TURNS
Troy Wolsleger, Kalvin Latimer, Megan Jenkins, Raven Gantt and Patty Wolsleger
CONTEMPORARY
Raven Gantt, Megan Jenkins, Amber Cash and Kalvin LatimerZUMBA FITNESS
Troy Wolsleger
YOGA
Veronica Dunlap
CHEER
Diane Vasquez
CALL NOW (951) 786-9096 3478 UNIVERSITY AVE. RIVERSIDE CA, 92502
|
