Studio Owner
Paso Robles Dance Collective Company Director
Ballet
Cheryle Armstrong
Cheryle began her dance training on the east coast in Washington D.C. with Oleg Tupine from the Kirov Ballet and continued her training at Florida State University where she was a member of the South Florida Ballet Company. Her performing experience ranges from classical ballet with several east coast companies to contemporary ballet with the Valerie Huston Dance Theater in California. After her performing career, she continued her education at the Florida State University Dance Department and two years later graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Instructing, choreographing, and directing a full range of dance styles, from contemporary to classical ballet for all ages, led Cheryle to own several dance studios and direct two companies. In 1989, Cheryle became a co-founder of Class Act Dance and Performing Arts Studio. She has directed the Ballet Company for the past 30 years. Cheryle continues to be inspired by her students and would like to thank her family and friends for all their support and hard work.
Adult Jazz
Tap
Nancy Beckett
Nancy began carving up the dance floor at seven years old. Following in the footsteps of her mother Margie, a professional dancer who toured with the USO during WWII, Nancy studied dance at Stephens College under the direction of Harriet Gray, finishing her degree at USIU in San Diego. She and her husband Doug and their two boys Josh and Jake moved up to Paso Robles in 1982, where they followed their passion for winemaking and dancing. Her first teaching position was through the Paso Robles Parks and Recreation in the old Veterans building. In 1991, she became part owner of Class Act Dance but retired as such after a few years. Tap dancing has always been Nancy’s passion, and she plans to continue teaching for many more years. Nancy has been intimately involved in multiple annual productions for Class Act Dance, including the June Recital, performances at the Vine Street Christmas Celebration, a Sip of Paso and much more.
Assistant Artistic Director
Paso Robles Dance Collective
Theresa Comstock
Theresa Broussard Comstock (B.F.A. Ballet, TCU), a Texas native, began her dance training with RDA company Beaumont Civic Ballet and continued her training at TCU where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.F.A. in Ballet. At TCU, Theresa worked with many renowned artists including the late Fernando Bujones who described Theresa’s dancing as having “remarkable energy and attack” paired with “her radiant personality on stage.” Her performing career has extended throughout the States and Europe with NYC based companies The Von Howard Project and BodyArt and with the Music Theatre of Wichita in West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, Annie Get Your Gun, Me and My Girl and Joseph and the Amazing… As a dance educator, Theresa has taught and choreographed throughout the country for various schools, studios, universities, and companies. She considers her relationships with her students one of her greatest gifts and treasures the ability to pour the knowledge and beauty of dance into each soul. Theresa is grateful to her husband, Casey, and daughters, Lily Kate and Maddy Beth, for their endless support and love!
Ballet
Point
Kimberly Eaton
Kimberly fell in love with dance when, as a preschooler, she sat through four acts of Swan Lake. She then announced to her parents that she wanted to be a ballerina. She has been involved in the dance community throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties ever since. As an adult, Kim has performed with the Santa Barbara Ballet Theatre, Valerie Huston Dance Theatre, Allan Hancock College Dance Department, Variable Velocity Performance Group, Gilbert Reed Ballet, and several local studios. She has taught ballet, pointe, and modern dance for decades at Adkins Dance Center, VAFB Youth Center, Allan Hancock Dance Department, and Central Coast School of Dance and is happy to be a new member of the Class Act Dance team. She also designs and makes costumes, dance wear, clothing and accessories. Kim recently moved to Santa Margarita, where she is surrounded by her dogs, cat, tortoises, turtles, fish and several sewing machines!
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Communication Coordinator
Alyna Gibson
Alyna is a SLO county local, having grown up along the coast of Morro Bay. She aims to educate herself on anything and everything she can! Having a passion for learning, she studies at Cal Poly in the Liberal Arts College. Alyna is a Communications Major who specializes in civic engagement.
Children's Dance
Jazz
Lyrical
Isabella Lund
Isabella has been dancing since she was 2 years old. Beginning at Pat Jackson's American Dance and then continuing at CORE in San Luis Obispo. Isabella enjoyed attending competitions with her team as well as dancing in local performances. She fell in love with teaching dance a few yeas ago and is excited to join the CAD team this season.
Jazz
Lyrical
Jumps and Turns Ballet
Kristen McLaughlin
Kristen began her training in Bakersfield, CA, mostly at Civic Dance Center. At 18, Kristen was on scholarship at the EDGE Performing Arts Center with Jackie Sleight while going to school at UCLA. She has done commercial work for MGM Grand Hotel and was a dance captain for the Mark Goodman Tap Company. She has performed in and choreographed such shows as Cats, 42nd Street and A Chorus Line for the Bakersfield Music Theatre and Stars Dinner Theatre and has acted as a dance director and choreographer for The Bakersfield Symphony’s Nutcracker Ballet. Kristen has been a finalist in the Under the Stars Choreography Festival. She has presented her choreography on several ballet companies at Regional Dance America Festivals. She helped to create two musical short films for Loyola Marymount University that were featured at the Bakersfield Film Festival. She choreographed music videos for the 100 Monkeys and Katie Herzig and co-produced The Linden Tree for The Kissing Club. Kristen has been a guest faculty member at The School of Nashville Ballet and Tri-Cities Academy summer programs, an adjunct professor at California State University, Bakersfield, and a guest master teacher at Fresno City College. She is a recurring master teacher at Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance and Class Act Dance in Paso Robles, as well as a choreographer for their ballet companies. Kristen has completed the teacher’s ballet training workshop at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and at Lauridsen Ballet Centre. Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere. ― Albert Einstein
Head of CAD Kids Program
Yoga
Ballet
Motor Coordination
Vanessa Orr
Vanessa Orr has dedicated herself to the nurturing development of kids and families through yoga, dance, and mindfulness practices. As a public elementary school teacher for seven years, she has combined her skills and expertise from the classroom with over 500 hours of Kid & Adult Yoga Teacher Training Certifications. Movement has been a part of Vanessa's life from the age of four when she first began her journey as a ballet dancer. She completed her BA at Arizona State University in Elementary Education with a focus on multicultural and multilingual populations with a minor in dance. She continues her love of movement through dance as a hobby and teaching dance to youth in the Paso Robles community. Vanessa's goal is to bring happiness, confidence, mindfulness, and strength to all of her students. Vanessa is a published children’s author. Visit www.VanessaSalasBooks.com to learn more.
Class Act Dance Competition Director
Head of Jazz program
Doriana Sanchez
Emmy Award nominee Doriana Sanchez is a two-time American Choreography Award-nominated Creative Director and Choreographer. She received a World Choreography Award for Concert Choreography for the Cher D2K Tour. Her love of dance and movement has allowed her to create in all areas of stage and media, and her visual masterpieces have been seen in nearly every large-scale arena in the US and abroad. As a long-time collaborator with legendary icon Cher, Doriana has created, directed, and choreographed the superstar’s extravaganza performances, including the “Dressed To Kill Tour”. Doriana also conceived, directed, and choreographed Cher at the Colosseum during its three-year, 200-plus sold-out performances at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Her show direction and choreography can also be seen in the "Love Hurts, Believe and Living Proof" tour. Doriana was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography for the "Believe Tour’s HBO Special", Cher: Live in Concert - From the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The "Living Proof Tour" was honored with four Emmy Awards including Outstanding Musical Variety Special. Over three million people saw the show during its 325 performances. It ranks as one of the most successful tours for a female artist, grossing over 200 million dollars. Doriana has also acted as a Creative Consultant for "Classic Cher" at the Park Hotel in Las Vegas. Her work can also be seen on Cher’s "Here We Go Again" Tour. For the Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas, she directed and choreographed Imaginarium for European Grand Illusionist David Goldrake. Stage credits include Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, at the Lunt – Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, World Premier of Senor Discretion Himself, at Arena Stage for which she received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Choreography, Barry Manilow’s Copacabana, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, Olivier Award nominee for Best New Musical, The Night is a Child, at Pasadena Playhouse, and Blade To The Heat at the Mark Taper Forum. Circus Creation and Direction, The Galaxy Stars Circus in China, Circo Fantastico, an all Latin Circus, and Odyssey for Princess Cruises. Most recently she was Associate Director/Choreographer for Cirque Dreams Holidaze with Cirque Du Soleil. Additional directing and choreography credits include Video Games Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Jane’s Addiction’s Jubilee Tour, Perry Farrell’s Porno for Pyros Tour, Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Tour, Dirty Dancing Concert Tour (2 weeks sold-out shows) at Radio City Music Hall, and multiple shows and creations for Holland America Cruise Line. She has worked with musical legends Shakira, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Frankie Valli, The O'JAYS, and David Foster, musical prodigies, Jackie Evancho and Charice, as well as comedy genius Ellen DeGeneres. Doriana received a THEA award for outstanding achievement, for Resorts World’s Crane Dance, in Singapore Harbor, the largest animatronic water and video spectacular in the world, and was Director for Festive Walk’s Lake of Dreams also at Resorts World. Corporate clients include Redken, Target, Toyota, Mattel, Canon, and Crayola. Television credits include - The Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, The Voice, Dancing with the Stars, Divas Live, Euro VMAs, Blockbuster Awards, Be Good Johnny Weir, 16 seasons as Resident Choreographer on Fox’s hit show So You Think You Can Dance, Disney Channel, Macy’s 4th of July Spectacular, The Oprah Winfrey Show, GMA, The Late Show, and Dream School USA for the Sundance Channel. Doriana continues to teach master classes, and lectures and coaches Dance, Movement, and Healing throughout the world, as well as developing new artists. She was honored to receive a Courage Award from UCLA Neurosurgery. Doriana is a proud Ambassador for the Global Dance Initiative and is a Producer for idance4acure, benefiting pediatric cancer and brain tumor research.
Jazz
Lyrical
Contemporary
Jumps and Turns
Jenai Wilcox
Jenai Wilcox had her first big performance at the Kern County Fair where she performed a solo at the ripe old age of three. She still currently graces the stage at 23. Jenai competed at dance conventions from 2010 to 2019 and has won over 35 scholarships and awards in styles such as Ballet, Jazz, and Tap. At the West Coast Dance Explosion National Finals, Jenai competed in the Elite Dancer Competition. She placed 7th in the Teen division in 2014, 6th in the Senior division in 2016, and 1st place 1st Runner Up in the Senior Division in 2017. Jenai was part of the West Coast Dance Explosion's Fuzion Dance Company for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons. Jenai competed in the Youth American Grand Prix San Francisco Semi-Finals in 2017 and 2018, placing in the Top 24 in the Senior Female classical Variation competition both years. Jenai was part of the Imagine Ballet Company from 2011 to 2015 and was chosen by the adjudicators as an honor student for Regional Dance America Pacific in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Jenai has competed in pageants such as National American Miss, International Junior Miss America's Most Beautiful Miss, and Royal International Miss for the past 8 years and has received many awards for her talent, modeling, acting, speaking skills, fashion sense, and personality at both the State, National, and International level. She is so honored to be your 2019-2020 Royal International Miss. Pageantry has lead Jenai to model for lots of different companies including Covet Dance, Metronome Dancewear, Orange Blossom Belle, Noell Store, Marc Defang, and Crowning Around. She has been featured in Pageantry Magazine, Top Model Magazine, Dance Spirit, and on Target.com Jenai is now a member of Delta Sigma Kappa, Δ Σ Κ , where the main focus is service, leadership, and sisterhood. Through this sorority, Jenai gives multiple hours of community service advocating for adoption and foster care, and the performing arts, and raises funds for the Dream Royal Foundation. Jenai is currently a business major at Taft College. She is the Assistant Director and Principal Dancer of McLaughlin Dance Collective. She is a pageant coach with pageant coaching and designs and a social media manager for multiple people and businesses. She's the creator and owner of Jenai's Jewels, her own small business where she creates earrings and accessories.
Marikin Ziegler
Marikin Ziegler, a Santa Cruz native, moved to Paso Robles in 2021. Since then, she has worked as a paraeducator and a classroom teacher for a local elementary school. While she loves to teach, the one thing Marikin knew she was missing in her life was dance! Growing up, Marikin started dancing at age 3 and martial arts at age 5. She later taught dance and Tae Kwon Do classes for children aged 5-13. She danced competitively through junior high and high school, becoming a founding member of her high school dance team, going on to compete and perform for three years with the Aptos High School Dance Team in Aptos, CA, and for Steps Dance Studio (now Pacific Arts Complex in Santa Cruz). She was later a member of her college dance team from 2014 to 2016, while attending the University of California, Davis. Marikin has experience with dance in a variety of styles, including contemporary, jazz, pom, lyrical, ballet and hip-hop. She also has experience teaching dance through her teaching positions, including teaching a series of dance-related PE lessons as a part of her teaching credentialing program. In joining Class Act Dance, she is hoping to combine her love of teaching with her love of dance at the studio level! Be sure to say hi to Marikin behind the front desk, and be on the lookout for her as an instructor in the coming months!
Office Assistance
PRDC Coordinator
We Are Searching For Talent
Dance Instructors, Pre-dance Instructors and Instructor Assistants
Looking for strong, confident instructors to join our team!
Opportunity for growth
Competitive pay
Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap
Beginning/Intermediate Acro for Dancers
Email resume, cover letter and dance video, if you have one to: