Our Teachers
DIRECTORS EARL & PATTY 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, 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 in the Orange Bowl 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.
He spends his spare time playing with his daughter, Jordyn, who is already showing her artistic talents.
Angela J Quiroz
Angie has been dancing for 24 years and teaching and choreographing for 12 years. She was trained by some of the best teacher’s. She started at Debra Kaye Dance Studio under the direction of Debra Kaye. She went on training with Johnnie Smith, Joe Tramaine, Kalvin Latimere, Terry Russel, Jackie Sleight, Eddie Garcia, and Christopher Jones from the hit movie, “You got served”, just to name a few. She has won numerous awards as well as her competitive teams. She was a Cheerleader all four years of High school and was a Cheer coach for Poly High School and Loma Vista Middle School in Riverside, CA. She also was a back up dancer for the singing group called “foxi Nova”. She started dancing salsa in 2001. She was trained by Jo Quinones, Jose Santoyo, and Gloria Otero. She took 3rd place in the professional category of the 2003 mayan world salsa competition and took 1st place at numerous local competitions including jack and jill competitions as well. She has performed at numerous places such as L.A Salsa Congress, Las Vegas Salsa Congress, San Francisco Salsa Congress, Salsa Extravaganza in palm springs, CA, International hustle salsa Competition in Miami, FL, and has done a theatre show, dancing salsa in Sea Brook Island, SC. She became known for her creative choreography and musicality. She is currently the Director of Danzanna Productions, specializing in Salsa, Cha-Cha, Merengue, and Bachata.
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. In addition to her doctoral work, she continues to dance with local choreographers, including Rosie Trump, Liz Casebolt, Melissa Hudson, and Peter Kalivas. She is currently a company member in the P.G.K Project, a contemporary dance company based in San Diego, CA.
Tia Welch
Tia Welch took her first dance class at the age of thee and hasn’t stopped since. It was not until she was accepted into the advance dance team at West High School in Torrance, California, that she began serious training. She was a featured choreographer for Synapse Dance Theatre of Santa Monica College.
Tia was a scholarship recipient at Zeal Studios in Culver City, California and regularly trained at prestigious Los Angeles studios such as The Edge, Millennium, and Westside Academy of Ballet.
Ms. Welch has taught ballet and jazz at the Dance Factory of Lomita, and Dance With Me in Redondo Beach. She has also choreographed for the inaugural performance of the Joseph Allen Decker Dance Collaboration
Tia is a graduate student at UC Riverside and holds a BA in Art, and is absolutely thrilled to have the rewarding experience of teaching and choreographing for the talented dancers at Backstreet Performing Arts.
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 rolls such as the sugar plum fairy, snow queen and other solo parts. She also performed in various Balanckine where she was a soloist or danced pas de driex.
Camiile 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 Suzzano 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.
Who Teaches What?
BALLET
Megan Jenkins, Troy Wolsleger, Patty Wolsleger, Angie Quiroz and Kalvin Latimer
JAZZ
Troy Wolsleger, Angie Quiroz, Patty Wolsleger , Megan Jenkins, Camille Vargas and Kalvin Latimer
TAP
Troy Wolsleger, Patty Wolsleger & Angie Quiroz
HIP-HOP
Troy Wolsleger and Kalvin Latimer
MUSICAL THEATRE
Patty Wolsleger
TUMBLING
Troy Wolsleger
POINTE & PRE-POINTE
Megan Jenkins & Kalvin Latimer
LYRICAL
Megan Jenkins & Kalvin Latimer
MODERN
Maura Townsend, Megan Jenkins
TURNS
Troy Wolsleger, Kalvin Latimer, Megan Jenkins, Patty Wolsleger, Angie Quiroz
ZUMBA Fitness
Troy Wolsleger
Call Now (951) 786-9096
Backstreet Performing Arts
3478 university ave
riverside, ca 92501
