Our Faculty
The staff at the SCHOOL OF DANCE ARTS creates the ultimate performing arts environment aimed at making any childs experience education, positive, and meaningful.
We encourage good sportsmanship, and positive participation.
Chrystie Cannon
Chrystie Cannon a veteran master teacher of over 25 years choreographed as a child, danced and trained from the age of 3. Dance has allowed her to see the world as well as touch the world. After performing in musical theater Summer Stock, cabaret venues in Italy, touring with Kathy Sledge throughout England and Scotland, choreographing the NFL Eagles Cheerleaders, producing trade shows for Clairol, Mobil Oil, revues in Atlantic City, acting in industrials, commercials and being in Glamour Magazine, Chrystie concentrated on teaching and developing programming to enhance lives through the exploration and study of dance. She supports this teaching through continued education studying in New York City at the Laban Institute, as well as Pilates, Breathe work, Yoga, Non-Violent Communication, and a variety of other classes and dance/movement education to stay fresh bringing powerful techniques and tools to her students. Through these many years of being a student, teaching and allowing the class room to be a vehicle for exploration Chrystie continues to be enthusiastic and marvel in the power of dance education. Her students are now traveling the world, performing, teaching, being accepted in programs such as Alvin Ailey, and The Joeffery Ballet. She knows what a privilege it is that her students and families allow her the honor to share and explore themselves through the art of dance!
Katrinka Kocourek
Katrinka Kocourek has danced professionally for the past 12 years with companies such as Joeffery Ballet, Moscow Ballet, Brooklyn Dance Consort, Central Dance Theater, etc. I ran my own professional company for 4 years incorporating many of my students after graduating high school. I have been teaching and choreographing for the past 10 years for competition dance studios, high schools, after school programs and universities. I am dedicated to my profession and the growth of my students. I have specialized in competition dance for the past 8 years. I have taught a some of the nation’s best competition studios, won many choreography awards, and have established long lasting relationships with choreographers, teachers, and many staff of the competition circuit. I am well versed in many types of dance and excel at teaching beginning through advanced contemporary, jazz, ballet, pointe, leaps, turns, pilates and acro. I look forward to meeting all of you and having a wonderful year!
Talia Barrows
Talia Barrows has been teaching dance and movement in Philadelphia for over ten years. She holds a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Dance from Temple University, where she received the Rose Vernick Award for excellence in choreography. Her international studies and performance credits have taken her to Oslo, Norway, Senegal, Coted”Ivoire and Cameroon West Africa. Talia is also certified in Pilates .Talia is a second generation dancer of the School of Dance Arts and Chrystie Cannon. She believes that dance is an artistic and intellectual form of human expression that should reflect the underlying tensions and needs of the community and dancers that it serves. After 8 years of teaching at SDA she is very excited about this 2012-2013 performance season!
Gema Turco
Gema Valencia-Turco, Dance Instructor and Physical Performer new to the Philadelphia area. She has worked and participated in multicultural dance and theatre communities like London (UK), Texas (USA), and Mexico. She is a Royal Academy of Dance Associate and continues her own research applying Laban Movement Analysis and musicality to her dance pedagogy. She has experience teaching ballet technique from beginner to advanced levels, creative movement and movement analysis workshops, choreography for actors and theatre productions, and music for dancers. She considers it highly rewarding observing and learning from her students. When they successfully accomplish their own physical and emotional challenges, they become more open and receptive to music, movement language, and art, enhancing and empowering themselves! Gema is excited to return to SDA for a second performance season!
Cheri Noble
Cheri Noble - choreographer, ballet master, and teacher is from Philadelphia, Pa., and danced professionally as a charter member and soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet Company. Cheri has served as Associate of Ballet Arizona and as Ballet Master and Company Teacher for Pennsylvania Ballet Co, Iranian National Ballet, and Ballet Oklahoma. She was Artistic Director of the Delaware Regional Ballet Co., and has participated as a master teacher for the RDA Craft of Choreography Conference and the National Foundation for Advancement in the ArtsChoreographic works by Ms. Noble include Ballet Arizona, Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, Ballet Oklahoma, Des Moines Ballet, Maryland Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater, and Philadanco, as well as staging Swan Lake, Cinderella, Coppelia, Giselle and the Nutcracker. As master teacher, ballet master and coach, Cherie is nationally recognized for her knowledge, caring guidance, and ability to develop artistic potential.
Adrienne
Abdus-Salaam
Adrienne AbdusSalaam, is a native of Atlanta, GA. She has been performing for 20 years and teaching professionally for 15. Adrienne received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Modern Dance/Dance Education from the University of the Arts and her Masters in Education concentrated in dance from Temple University. In December 2008 she received her certification in Contemporary African Dance from the University of Ghana in Accra. In 2011 Adrienne was nominated for the Pew Fellowship Award. Adrienne has been employed as an Adjunct Professor in the dance department at Temple University with her husband for 3 years. She currently performs with Kariamu and Company, Alo Brasil and Voices of Africa. Adrienne resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia with her son and daughter. She is excited to return to SDA to teach this performance season!
Tyra Jackson
Tyra Jackson is a native of Mobile Alabama and a graduate of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa with a Major in Dance and a Minor in Communication. She was a 2010 recipient of the Edie Barnes Award for choreography and was stated as the "Rising Star" in the 2009 issue of the SYNROCITY online magazine.Tyra teaches dance knowing it can be used as a tool to focus on a sound mind, body and spirit. She believes dance is a safe and healthy way for individuals to face and overcome any and all obstacles. In order to move forward, we must reach back and teach those behind us the knowledge we have received. Tyra is so excited to be sharing her passion and talents with the dancers and their families here at SDA!
Krista Bacchieri
Krista Bacchieri recently graduated from Muhlenberg College with a major in dance. She performed and choreographed for multiple performances at Muhlenberg and was a member of the Six Meters Improvisation Ensemble. She was the secretary of the Muhlenberg Dance Association and was a choreography mentor. She was trained by and has worked with Karen Dearborn, Charles O. Anderson, Nicholas Leichter, Nicole Wolcott, Sydney Skybetter, and others. Krista is very excited to share her passion for dance with her students at SDA.
Reggie Oliver
Reggie Oliver also known as Reggie "O "is a 19 year old Dancer/Choreographer from the Bensalem area. Currently living in Philadelphia, Reginald is attending Devry University online and is also in the early stages of his dance career. With 11 years of training in Hip-Hop, Ballet, Bollywood, and Modern and Credits such as Pamela Long (former lead singer of R&B group Total), Monster Squad Dance Crew, and ITZ Cliq, Reginald is making a name for himself in the entertainment industry. He is excited to be teaching Hip Hop at SDA!
Andrew Leland
My name is Andrew Leland and I am excited to join the School of Dance Arts team this season as the musical theatre teacher. I am a graduate of Temple University with bachelor and master degrees in Music. I began taking piano lessons at 5, and have been passionate about learning music and dedicated to teaching it since. I am the music director with the Lawncrest Musical Players in Mayfair and one of four music teachers at J.S. Jenks Elementary School in Chestnut Hill, where our past musicals have been Annie, The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz. I am excited and anxious to share my love of musical theatre with the incredible performing artists at the School of Dance Arts.
Adryan Moorefield
Adryan Moorefield is a native of Dallas, Texas. He began his formal training at the University of Oklahoma under the direction of Austin Hartel and Derrick Minter and Dallas Black Dance Theatre II under the direction of Allyne Gartrell. He is a recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance Performance with a minor in Business. Adryan currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he is a new company member with Philadanco! He is excited to returning to teach at SDA for a second year!
