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| Instructors at Josette's Academy of Dance Josette's Academy of Dance is the quality performing arts studio it is today because of the experience, skill and dedication of its staff. At Josette's Academy of Dance we pride ourselves in offering instructors with professional teaching and choreography experience.
 Josette Bozeman Yarn Director and Owner
Josette Bozeman Yarn has been at the forefront of dance instruction in Albany, Georgia for a generation of students. Josette grew up in Albany, Georgia where she has been dancing since 1985 & teaching since 1998, and received her early training and teaching experience from Murphy Dance Studio. Ms. Yarn continued her training in New York, Boston, Atlanta ,and Miami. She has studied with such notables as: Tony Corso, Gregg Russell, Joe Tremaine, Mia Michaels, Anthony LoCasio, Michael Vernon Cathy Roe, Bob Rizzo, Judy Rice, Frank Hatchett, Shelia Barker, Sean Curren, Peter Rose, Brian Friedman, to name a few. Josette has taught ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, hip hop, contemporary, and lyrical to children ages 3 and up. Her contemporary/ lyrical style and choreography is truly unique in this area. She also is avid about introducing the world of acting & singing to students of all levels. Josette has performed in ballets including “The Nutcracker”, & “Westside Story”, along with many others. She has choreographed for dance competitions and many of her students have been title award winners and her groups have won multiple high score awards. Josette is an accredited judge for the Miss Georgia Pageant, and has choreographed many dances for contestants. She continues her education by attending seminars & conventions through out the year. Josette is an acclaimed choreographer and instructor that has mastered her craft in shaping young lives through her incredibly creative dance direction. Rachel Lockhart
Rachel Lockhart began her dancing career in Albany, Georgia at Murphy Dance Studio. While at dancing at Murphy Dance Studio she excelled at ballet, tap, and jazz studying under Michael Garrison of the North Atlanta Dance Company and Charles Hagan of Pas de Vie Ballet in Tallahassee. She was also a member of Ballet Theatre South (formerly known as Albany Ballet Theatre), and danced in such ballets as The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White. Upon graduation from High School Rachel received a dance scholarship from Valdosta State University. Studying dance at Valdosta State refined her skills, and improved her teaching and dance technique. Rachel is also a proficient in her knowledge of Modern Dance. She studied the techniques of Graham, Horton, Hawkins, and Limon. Rachel was also involved in Valdosta’s musical theatre department where she served as dance captain for the musical Footloose. For two years she was selected to perform in three adjudicated pieces at the South Eastern Conference for American College Dance Festival. Rachel received her BFA in dance from Valdosta State University in May of 2010 and continues to learn new dance styles. Rachel has been teaching dance since 2003. She is also an accredited judge for the Miss Georgia Pageant. Amanda Goodson Rooks-On Broadway!
Singing, dancing, acting…all three of these words describe what Amanda has loved to do since a very early age. They have each become a very strong passion in her life. Amanda has had extensive training over the past 20 years in all three areas. She grew up in the small town of Leesburg, Georgia and began receiving her dance training and experience from Pritchett-Pippin Dance Studio in Albany. After graduating high school, Amanda continued to gain experience in ballet, tap, and jazz by serving as a teaching assistant. She then moved to Valdosta to finish college and continued to teach ballet, tap, and jazz to children ages three and up. Even after graduating college and starting her career in education in Tifton, Amanda continued to pursue her passion by teaching ballet techniques at night to gymnasts at DreamIt Gymnastics. After several years, she then taught a Triple Threat Broadway style class at the Carolyn Ellis School of Dance. Amanda currently serves as the danceline sponsor for Lee County High School. During her high school and college years, Amanda stayed very active on the stage by performing in numerous productions with LCHS and Theatre Albany. A few of her favorites include Bye Bye Birdie, Robber Bridegroom, Sweet Charity, and especially playing the supporting role of Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel. Throughout all those years, Amanda gained a numerous amount of the knowledge and skills necessary to “light up the stage”. When she wasn’t performing in a production at the theatre or dance studio, Amanda was very active in competing in the Miss America pageant system. For over ten years, Amanda competed in many pageants earning a large amount of scholarship money and winning several awards in talent and interview. Persistence is definitely the key because Amanda ended up winning the titles of Miss Plantation Trace 2002, Miss Valdosta 2003, and Miss Southwest GA 2004 which allowed her the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss Georgia. Amanda teaches 3rd grade in Lee County; however, her true passion is performing on stage as a “triple threat” by singing, dancing, and acting. She looks forward to sharing this same joy and passion with all of her dance students. Cindy Calek Pickren
Cindy Calek Pickren began dancing at the age of four in her hometown of Albany, GA. Her early training began at the Y.M.C.A. where it was recommended that she transfer to Murphy Dance Studio. There she had the privilege of studying, through her youth, under Ballet Master Terrell  Paulk of the Atlanta Ballet Company and Bernard Foister of Atlanta, GA. When she was 10 she began training under Michael Garrison of the North Atlanta Dance Academy and throughout her teenage years also studied under Leslie Hodges of Pelham, GA and Charles and Natalia Hagan of Tallahassee, FL. As a member of the Albany Ballet Theatre, Cindy has performed in numerous productions including Snow White, The Nutcracker and Cinderella. Cindy has taught ballet, pointe, jazz and tap for the past six years to students ages 3 and up. She has had the opportunity to travel to many dance workshops and conventions and further her knowledge of dance instruction. She is also an accredited Miss Georgia Pageant judge and has choreographed dances for many title winning pageant contestants. Cindy’s passion for dance constantly compels her to further her training and to share the joy this amazing art form has brought to her life with others. Debra Calek Drury
Debra began fulfilling her little girl’s dancing dreams at the tender age of 7 with dance lessons at the YMCA in her hometown of Albany, Georgia. By age 9, Debra’s natural dancing talents led her instructor to refer her to the Murphy Dance Studio in Albany. There, she developed her craft under the tutelage of Terrell Paulk of the Atlanta Ballet Company, Bernard Foister of Atlanta, and Carol Mathis of Albany until the age of 14. As a teenager, she studied with Michael Garrison of the North Atlanta Dance Company, Leslie Hodges of Pelham, Georgia, and Charles and Natalia Hagan of Tallahassee, Florida. Debra is well-versed in ballet, tap, jazz, and Broadway. Her versatility served her well during her 10 years performing with the Albany (GA) Ballet Theatre, with featured performances including “The Nutcracker”, “Peter and the Wolf”, and “Snow White”. For the past four years, Debra has lent her talents to nurturing young dancers. She currently teaches ballet, jazz and tap. Samantha Helton-Pilates & Aerobics
Samantha Lee Helton is not only a fitness instructor, but also an avid dancer who has been training in dance since the age of three. She began her training at Murphy Dance Studio and then moved to various other studios in Albany, including Pritchett Pippin School of Dance. Finally, she culminated her dance instruction by receiving a dance degree from Valdosta State University. While at VSU, Samantha excelled in her academics, graduating at the top of the College of the Arts, as well as serving in various roles for the VSU Repertory Dancers and as the Dance Department’s student assistant. After graduation in May of 2009, Samantha returned to her hometown where she continued to pursue an interest in fitness training and began teaching at various locations in Albany, Georgia. She is currently certified in Zumba and Aqua Zumba, and is trained in yoga, Pilates, and land and water aerobics. Samantha continually works to improve her training and to share her knowledge with others. She is excited about teaching dancers and non-dancers alike at Josette’s Academy of Dance.
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