Instructors

Alana Gatzke

Holds a BFA in Ballet Teaching from the University of Utah, with intensive training in ballet performance, music, history, methodology and instruction. She is certified in Progressive Ballet Technique and the ABT National Training Curriculum for Pre-Primary-Level 3. Ms. Gatzke’s received her early training at Mirror Image Dance Academy and Makaroff Youth Ballet in Wisconsin. She has served as instructor and/ or coach at Dance Concepts and Excel Dance Studios in Utah, Flor De Liz Dance and Ballet Rincon Academy of Dance in Arizona as well as Cabot Dance Academy. 

Rebecca Miller Stalcup

Founding member of Arkansas Academy of Dance & Arkansas Festival Ballet in 2000, with a team of devoted supporters. She continues to promote the highest standards of training and demonstrates a unique ability to instill, in her students, a joy for dance along with an appreciation of formal ballet etiquette. Ms. Stalcup engages the talents and expertise of established instructors to suit the demands of each level of training offered in the academy. She has served as instructor within the region and choreographer for youth gymnast of Louisiana and Texas. As Artistic Director for Arkansas Festival Ballet (AFB), she has produced, choreographed and received awards for original works and statewide recognition for her contribution to the dance community. Through her leadership, AFB continues to celebrate membership with Regional Dance America/ SW. AFB has worked collaboratively with local arts organizations including Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Argenta Community Theatre, Arkansas Arts Center, ACANSA, Conway Symphony Orchestra, Opera in the Rock, Pine Bluff Symphony Orchestra, South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Praeclara Arts, The Clinton Foundation, UALR Theatre and Arts, UALR Concert Choir, Wildwood Park for the Arts. Rebecca is the mother of four children, Gavin, Holland, Avaleigh and Farah.

Melinda Tobian

Well known for her technique-focused instruction and her emphasis on the discipline of classical ballet.  Trained in Seattle and New York, Ms. Tobian danced professionally with Joffrey Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Arizona and Ballet Arkansas. Her repertoire, acquired over a 20-year performance career, includes the classical ballets of George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, and Michel Fokine, as well as the contemporary choreography of Lambrous Lambrou, Jean Paul Comelin and Leslie Jane Pessemier. Ms. Tobian, a former artistic director for Ballet Arkansas, has trained students across Arkansas for over 25 years. Her students have gained acceptance to many professional schools of ballet, including American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Her students have also earned admission into dance degree programs at NYU–Tisch School of the Arts, SMU, Butler University and the University of Oklahoma. Ms. Tobian has produced many original works, including Synergy, Scherzo recognized throughout the southwest region.

Louisa Utley - Guest Faculty

Louisa has danced under the guidance of Rebecca Miller Stalcup and Melinda Tobian at Arkansas Academy of Dance for over 15 years. She participated in multiple performances with Arkansas Festival Ballet in roles ranging from Arabian Coffee in The Nutcracker to the Caterpillar in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In 2017, she was the Little Rock Chapter contestant in the 74th annual National Society of Arts and Letters Competition in Boca Raton, FL. Louisa is also a recent Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA), with majors in Political Science and International Relations, and a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. She tutored at UCA’s Writing Center, was an active member of the Schedler Honors College and interned at the Office of the Governor, Asa Hutchinson. Louisa currently works for the Administrative Office of the Courts and will attend Charles University in Prague this fall to pursue her master’s in international relations.

Caroline Young - Guest Faculty

Began her ballet education with Rebecca Miller Stalcup and Melinda Tobian at Arkansas Festival Ballet. She spent summers training at schools such as The School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, and more. She then completed her final two years of high school training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Caroline went on to earn a BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Oklahoma School of Dance, while concurrently performing as a second company member with the Oklahoma City Ballet. Upon graduation she continued to dance professionally with OKCB. She currently is a company member at Central West Ballet in Modesto, California. 

Todd Belin - Guest Faculty

Dancer/Choreographer and owner at MOVES IN MOTION LLC created to Impact, Inspire, and Motivate individuals through movement. The mission is to create opportunities for the performing arts and provide services for all things entertainment! Offering an slate of classes to encourage talents to find confidence in their movement and accept the challenge to move in new ways.  Mr. Belin's classes are designed to exhilarate students as they learn the art of street dance in a way that is suitable and age appropriate.

Keira Eady - Guest Faculty

A Conway native and a product of Arkansas Academy of Dance, under the tutelage of Melinda Tobian and Rebecca Miller Stalcup. In addition to her love of teaching, Keira is a dancer with Arkansas Festival Ballet Company and has performed principal and soloist roles, including Tiana in The Princess and the Frog storybook ballet, Spanish and Arabian in AFBs with Conway Symphony Orchestra’s The Nutcracker Ballet and the Wicked Queen in AFBs with South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra 2022 Snow White storybook ballet, and Cinderella in AFBs 2019 full length The Sleeping Beauty. 

Brian Earles - Guest Faculty

Majored in Theater Arts and Minored in dance at Hendrix College '18. Brian has been teaching Jazz/Musical Theater Dance since 2019 and has been able to work with Henderson State University, the Arkansas Academy of Dance, Shuffles and Ballet 2, ACT 2, and more. Choreography credits include Memphis, Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz at the Argenta Community Theater, and Kinky Boots at The Studio Theater of Little Rock. Brian has also recently served as the Assistant Director/Assistant Choreographer at The Arkansas Repertory Theater's production of A Little Shop of Horrors. He has also been seen seen onstage at The Rep in Guys and Dolls (MC/Ensemble) and Chicago (Aaron, US Mary Sunshine) and Little Shop of Horrors (US Audrey ll). Further stage credits include West Side Story (Toro) and Guys and Dolls(Drunk/ Ensemble) with the Arkansas Shakespeare Festival, Grease (Rodger/Rump) with Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, Kinky Boots (Lola) at the Studio Theater of Little Rock, as well as Memphis (Gator), Sweet Charity (Daddy), Chorus Line (Greg) and La Cage Aux Follies (Phaedra) with the Argenta Community Theater. Brian's repertoire also includes Film work such as Righteous Indignation and Transatlantic Caper, and has been seen on screen in the Hendrix Red Brick Film Festival, The Charlotte Black Film Festival, and The Las Vegas Film Festival. Volunteer credits also include the CARTI Festival of Fashion, Dancing in Dreamland, and as an instructor/performer with the National Tumor Foundation’s Dancing with Our Stars Benefit. 

Katherine Greer - Guest Faculty

holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from UA Little Rock.  Katie has worked in theatre/dance performance and education across Central Arkansas for the past 8 years with Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Argenta Community Theatre, Episcopal Collegiate School, Arkansas Academy of Dance, Arkansas Festival Ballet and CAT Collective. As a director and choreographer favorite credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (AST, choreo), Mxcbeth (Shake on the Lake, choreo), Trifles (CAT Collective, director), Tad! Or the Frog Prince and Revenge of the Space Pandas (Episcopal Collegiate School, director), La Cage Aux Folles and Sweet Charity (Argenta Community Theatre, choreo). Her choreographic works “Descent” and “Study of Blue Nudes,” set on Arkansas Festival Ballet’s company, were chosen to be performed at the Regional Dance Association in 2018 and 2020. As a professional actor favorite credits include: Taming of the Shrew (AST), The Marvelous Wonderettes, Perfect Wedding, Ring of Fire, Sister Act, Elf, Annie and Grease (Murry’s Dinner Playhouse). 

Trent Montgomery - Guest Faculty

is a dance artist, teacher and choreographer who is currently a company member with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. His performance repertoire is extensive having performed world renown choreography and ballet classics. He holds both a MFA and BFA in Dance from Florida State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he had the privilege to perform works by Merce Cunningham, Dan Wagoner and others. He served as the Associate Artistic Director of Ballet Arts Conservatory of Tallahassee for several years, where he also received his Progressing Ballet Technique teacher certification.

Holland Stalcup - Guest Faculty

began her training with Arkansas Academy of Dance under the tutelage of Melinda Tobian and Rebecca Miller Stalcup. She attended summer intensive programs at American Ballet Theatre, University of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City Ballet. Holland is a student at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA; as a Dance Major, concentration in ballet. Her auxiliary training mentor is Crystal Frazier. Her performance repertoire includes Pas de Trois from Swan Lake, Peasant Pas de deux from Giselle, Fairy of the Crystal Fountain, and Diamond Fairy from The Sleeping Beauty. Variation 3, Odalisque from Le Corsaire, Dew Drop Fairy and Mirliton in The Nutcracker Ballet, as well as soloist roles in Beauty  and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.