Mission Statement

To educate children of all ages in a safe, non-competitive and fun learning environment. To share with students the values of discipline, respect, dedication and hard work through innovative arts education experiences. To help students achieve self- esteem and confidence for their future life goals utilizing positive encouragement. To engage the whole child with teaching and learning that fosters and enhances the child’s natural love of movement, their awareness of movement and its creative potential. To instill self-discipline, encourage creativity and motivate students to achieve excellence in dance and arts opportunities.

Faculty on Staff

Mitsie Hilburn Kraack(TADA Artistic Director)(Ballet, Modern, Tap, Jazz, Creative Movement)Mitsie is an Atlanta native where she attended Northside School of the where she studied ballet, modern, jazz and musical theatre. While at Northside, she toured with the Atlanta Convention Bureau performing around the world in London, Brussels, and Paris, as well as New York, Las Vegas and regionally throughout the southeastern United States as a "Coke is It Kid." A graduate of the University of South Florida with a B. S. in Dance Education, Mitsie has been a professional choreographer for more than twenty years. Her professional dance background includes work and training with Gary Harrison and Company (Atlanta, GA) and as Co-Director of Souls of the Feet with The Dance Theatre of Georgia, Inc.(Jonesboro, GA). Most recently her choreographic work was seen at Progress Village Middle School, Newsome High School, Randall Middle School and Children’s Alliance For Summer Theatre at TADA. She has choreographed many regional and high school shows such as: Footloose, Annie, Music Man, and Bye, Bye Birdie. Mitsie is a committed teacher dedicated to the education of children in the arts. She continues to pursue opportunities for students to perform in Tampa, Orlando and New York.

Amanda Keeney (TADA Co-Artistic Director) (Ballet, Pointe,Modern and Jazz) is an Atlanta native and received her early dance education from the Atlanta Ballet under the direction of Robert Barnett, Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre, Georgia Youth Ballet, and Dance Clayton under Olive Popwell Ashley.  Amanda is a graduate of Georgia State University (B.S. in Dance Education) and has been teaching dance for the past seventeen years.  Her training includes scholarships and acceptance to the School of American Ballet, Hartford Ballet, Boston Ballet, Lexington Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet in New York City.  She has danced professionally with the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre, Georgia Youth Ballet, and the Dance Theatre of Georgia performing many roles including Odette in Swan Lake, Nikiya in La Bayadere, Kitri in Don Quixote, and Myrtha in Giselle with Stars from the American Ballet Theatre. She has also appeared in various contemporary works by renowned choreographers such as Salvatore Aiello, Tom Pazik, and Andrew Kuharsky.  She has served as the Associate Artistic Director for the Dance Theatre of Georgia Junior Company and the Co-Director of the Dance Theatre of Tampa. Many of her students have received scholarships and/or were accepted into various summer programs including the Kirov Ballet Academy, Chautauqua Ballet, The Rock School, Miami City Ballet, Orlando Ballet, School of American Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre.

Natalie Paul (Ballet, Tap, Moder, Jazz) is a graduate of the University of South Florida and has been with TADA for five years. She has been dancing for seventeen years, beginning her training in England with Juliet Locks, Sonia Bond and Lucy Pohl at Buckhurst Hill and Woodford School of Dance. Natalie began her classical training in Cecchetti five years ago, while also studying at Royal Academy of Dance in summer 2006 with Patricia Liton. Natalie has received her National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in dance, both from Havering College of Further and Higher Education, studying with Sandra Broxton and Elaine O’Connor. Presently Natalie studied with Gretchen Ward Warren and Sandra Robinson at USF. Natalie is a dedicated teacher and enjoys sharing her gifts with her students.

Lindsay Harris (Creative Movement,Theatre, Pre Ballet) is a graduate of the University of South Florida. She received her BA in Theatre Arts, and a minor in dance. She formally taught at the Dance Center in Brandon. When not teaching Lindsay likes to participate in community theatre, and is currently working on getting her skydiving license. This is Ms. Lindsay's third year at TADA.

Nia Dillard (Acrobatics) is a Florida native and graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelors Degree in Leadership Studies. This is Nia’s first dance year at TADA and has been teaching dance for four years. She trained in Competitive Gymnastics for thirteen years, excelling to Level 10. She has competed in State, Regional, and National Competitions as well as the Jr. Olympics. Nia is very excited about teaching her students her love of gymnastics and dance! This is Nia's second year at TADA.

Rona Behr (Ballet, Pointe)

Christopher Behr (Pas de Duex, Ballet)

Mary Kraack (Theatre) Mary Kraack graduated from Ball State University with a BS in Speech & Theatre in 1979 and an MA in Speech in 1983. She taught high school drama, speech and English for 13 years in Clayton County, GA. She sponsored an active Drama Club at Morrow High School where her students attended and performed at regional, state and national conferences and competitions, performed at community functions and produced four major productions each year. In 1990 she became the Technical Operations Manager of the Clayton County Schools Performing Arts Center, Jonesboro, GA, where she managed three theatres and trained high school students in technical theatre. Mrs. Kraack also conceived and managed the Clayton Alliance for Summer Theatre, a youth and community summer theatre program that lasted for 15 years. During that time, Mary produced such shows as, Annie, Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof and Footloose. In 2004 Mrs. Kraack and her husband moved to south Georgia and taught at Camden County High School until she retired in December of 2008. Mrs. Kraack is a member of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology, Secondary Festival Chair for the Southeastern Theater Conference, Newsletter Officer for the Georgia Theatre Conference, a sustaining Member of Arts Clayton, Clayton County, GA and a former Member of the Educational Theater Association and International Thespian Society. In 1997, Mrs. Kraack was inducted into the Georgia Thespian Hall of Fame. Mary has just completed directing the show “Spanish Moss Memories”, a production of the Crooked Rivers organization in Camden county and Aladdin, Jr., a summer camp project in Camden County.

Lora Pfeiffer (Hip Hop, Jazz, Pilates) Lora Pfeiffer has been teaching dance for 13 years in the New York and Tampa areas.  Lora had a professional dance and acting career in New York City and its surrounding cities doing live stage productions, theatre, film and music videos.  Lora was a lead actor in an independent film, “Back to Manhattan,” which won many awards including The New York International “Best Feature Film” and the Hoboken Film Festival “Best of Festival.”  She also was a specialty dancer in the Tarrytown production of “Kiss Me Kate” and the Tampa production of “Puccini’s Turnadot.” Lora has studied, assisted and danced for many prestigious choreographers including:  Bill Hastings, Geoffrey Doig-Marx, Lisa Lockwood, Slam, and Brian Thomas. Lora was also a choreographer and dance teacher for Palisades Performing Arts Center in Nyack, NY, where she choreographed productions staged at the Helen Hayes Theatre. She is also a certified Pilates instructor with the Physicalmind Institute.  Her Pilates certification has enabled her to combine her talent with movement, kinesiology and the ability to instill motivation and focus.

Music Staff

Pamela Brick (Voice, Piano, Guitar)

Lily Meyers (Voice, Piano) has an impressive list of credits, having been trained in Musical Theatre and opera. After receiving her music degree from Australia’s Conservatorium, she received a degree in Voice from London’s Trinity College. She also studied under famed Metropolitan Opera each Ellen Faull and Joyce Hall at the Julliard School of Music. An accomplished performer, Lily has been teaching voice and piano to children and adults for more than 20 years. Her favorite roles in musicals and operas include: in the New York Touring Company, Eliza Doolittle, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Oklahoma, La Boheme, and Madam Butterfly . Lily brings her gifts to TADA to share her love of music to her students! Lily has been teaching at TADA for 7 years.

Michelle Grasso-Downs (Piano)

Josh Fabelo (Guitar) Joshua Fabelo is a graduate of the University of South Florida where he pursued his degree in Music and Business ultimately attaining his B.A. in Business and a minor in Music.  Josh has been an accomplished musician and songwriter for 15 years.  He trained both classically on the guitar for 8 years and vocal for 5 years under renowned area teachers.  He has been lucky to be influenced by jazz musician greats such as Les Sabler, guitarist, and multi-grammy award winning Arturo Sandoval, trumpeter and family friend.  Josh has been teaching in the local area and at TADA for 6 years and plans to continue to work on composing new music and sharing his love of music with his students.  Josh plans to pursue his Masters degree in Business in the near future.

Guest Teachers

Brittany Gottuso (Ballet, Variations)

Catherine Tiso (Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern) is a graduate of the University of South Floridawith a B.F.A. in Modern Dance Performance. While at USF she has had the distinct privilege of working with choreographers Janis Brenner, Jennifer Archibald, Elsa Valbuena, Mariah Maloney, Merry Lynn Morris, Lynne Wimmer, Michael Foley, and Jeanne Travers. She has received many talent grants from the dance department, including the Bill Hug Scholarship for Excellence in Choreography in 2008 and the BRAVO Award in 2009. She has choreographed multiple dance works for the USF Student Dance Concerts, and is President of the Student Dance Production Board for the 2009-10 year. In the Tampa Bay community she has choreographed solos for students participating in the Youth America Grand Prix, and was granted her first choreographic commission at Blake High School for the Arts in the spring of 2009. In the summer of 2008 she participated in the USF Dance in Paris Program, and in the summer of 2009 she traveled to Tunisia with Prof. Jeanne Travers to perform a full-length concert in festivals throughout the country. Her work was presented at the American College Dance Festival in Virginia last spring, and she performed in USF’s staging of Bill T. Jones’ Serenade/The Proposition.

Denise Prebich (Ballet, Tap, Creative Movement) has been dancing since she was 5 years old. She grew up in Tampa and her first teacher was Marie Chancey Smith. At a very young age Ms. Denise knew she wanted to be a teacher. Denise was a demonstrator at the age of 9 and by the age of 12 she knew she wanted to be a dance teacher! At the age of 14 Denise was in Ms. Smith’s teacher training program. After graduating from high school, Denise attended USF as a dance major while being a full time dance teacher. Denise left college to get married and start a family. Formerly, Ms. Denise was at the Dance Center as the Young Children’s Director and Dance Educator for 9 years. She is a passionate teacher and she wants to instill her love of dance into all her students.

Chelsey Faherty (Jazz, Ballet) is a graduate of the University of South Florida and current graduate student at Tulane University pursuing her masters in International Development, with a long history of dance and theatre experience, both onstage as a performer and backstage as an instructor and choreographer. Chelsey has studied dance at prestigious studios in New York and has performed Off Broadway. Choreography credits include Chicago, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and West Side Story at the high school and regional theatre level. Chelsey has interned at the Patel Conservatory in Tampa and is so proud to be an instructor at such a professional studio as Tada, where she was once a student herself!

Administrative Staff

Beth Finch (Office Manager) Beth Finch grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA and moved to Florida in 2001 after graduating from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in communications.  As a kid Beth loved dancing and studied ballet, tap, jazz and modern for 10 years.  She and her husband have two beautiful little girls who LOVE dancing at TADA!  Beth feels blessed to be a part of the TADA staff and enjoys watching as our students here fall in love with the arts!

Katie Whitehurst (Office Staff) Katie Whitehurst graduated from the College of Charleston in 1995 with a degree in Special Education.  A native of South Carolina, she follows her military husband from new home to new home, landing here in the Tampa area in 2005.  Her daughter, Abbie, dances and her son takes piano here at TADA so she fills her evenings helping a few hours at the desk each week.  Katie’s true passion is volunteering!  You can usually find her leading her daughter’s Girl Scout troop, acting as Activities Chair for her son’s Cub Scout pack, chairing the Activities & Entertainment Committee for Relay for Life FishHawk, and donating many, many hours to her children’s school, Bevis Elementary, where she is a homeroom mom to 4 classes, Media Center Volunteer Coordinator, and 5 year PTA Board Member.  As you can probably guess, Ms. Katie never sleeps!

Jennifer Leon (Office Office Staff) Jennifer Leon is a native of the Tampa Bay area.  She has an associate’s degree in science from Utica College in upstate New York.  She is the proud mother of a teenage son and daughter.  Her daughter has been dancing with TADA for five years.  In here spare time Jennifer enjoys running and is currently training to participate in her 2nd marathon.

Amy Bailey (Office Staff) Amy Bailey is very excited to be a part of the TADA team! Amy has lived in the Valrico area her entire life. She is currently a home-schooled senior, and she dual-enrolls at Hillsborough Community College in Brandon. After graduation, she plans on getting her AA from HCC, before transferring to a larger university. Growing up, Amy participated in a wide variety of community theater productions in the bay area. Nowadays, she is an active member of the YMCA Florida Youth In Government association. She also plays volleyball and participates in various musical ventures. In her “free time”, Amy enjoys reading and cinema culture.

Stephen Kraack (TADA Business & Production Manager) has been working in the arts his entire life. A graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (B. S., Aviation Computer Science), Steve has extensive experience and t raining in all aspects of arts production, including lighting, sound and scenic design, video and audio production, and computer systems. He is an accomplished musician (Tuba and Bass Guitar), designer, and singer. He is married to Mitsie and is the father of three extraverted children.