*INSTRUCTORS*
 

 -BROOKE TUZIL:                                                                                                        

 Brooke's love for dance began at a young age. She had early dance training with Tempe Dance Academy and the Christian Dance Company in Phoenix. She studied dance at Arizona State University then toured Europe with the International Dance Alliance as both a dancer and choreographer. She has danced in the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood and performed on the red carpet at the Fuse Chainsaw Awards.  She was a principal dancer as "The Enchantress" in the California Theatrical Youth Ballet Performance of "The Snow Queen.” Most recently, Brooke was a background dancer in Jennifer Lopez's latest music video, "On the Floor". She continues her ongoing training at Millennium Dance Complex and has also been teaching for ten years. Brooke just loves to see her students soar in class and gets such joy sharing her passion for dance with them.

-JORDAN BRODIE:                                                                                                        

 Jordan has quite a passion for dancing, singing, and acting and has been performing for a number of years. He moved to Los Angeles from Albuquerque to pursue his career in the performing arts. Along with his love of dance et al, he has also found enjoyment in teaching children. He likes teaching kids for the simple fact that they are so open to trying new things. He believes being able to expose them to the arts is also extremely important for their development and growth. Most importantly, he thinks it's wonderful that because of their innocence, they just love to express themselves any way that they can and have so much fun exploring - (usually with a great big smile on their face!!) Jordan most recently returned from a stint in China, where he was on tour with Long Beach Ballet. He is overjoyed to be associated with The Performing Arts Group and is happy to be working with the next generation of performers. 

 -MANDI FOREHAND: 
                                                                                                                                                                                          Mandi grew up in Colorado where she started dancing at the age of  three. Although ballet was her main focus, she also trained in many other areas of dance including tap, jazz, tumbling, and lyrical. Throughout her high school years, she was an assistant teacher and taught many dance classes as well as discovered her second passion, acting. Mandi went on to graduate from the University of Northern Colorado with a BA in Performing Arts emphasis in Acting. After college, she continued to teach and train in dance, acting and voice. She has been in many plays and musicals and continues to perform on stage. She has also worked in film and television and loves every aspect of breaking down a script and developing a character. She is very excited to be a part of The Performing Arts Group. She believes creativity and movement are extremely important for children and is truly happy that she has the opportunity to share her love and passion for the performing arts with children of all ages.

-RACHEL GARCIA:                                                                                                      

  Rachel grew up in the melting pot of Los Angeles, dancing and learning about different cultures' influence in dance movement and music. As a child, she took an interest in learning traditional latin dancing.  Her father, a professional latin dancer, taught her the fundamentals and history behind latin dance and music. She went on to dance for Danza Floricanto Company for three years touring and performing folk and latin dances from Latin America. For the past ten years, Rachel has been part of BFA Theater Company where she has not only worked on a variety of dance styles but also performs in dance shows, musicals and classical theater. Dancing is her passion and enjoys latin, belly dancing, hip-hop and jazz the most. She loves to teach because she feels it is a gift to educate and bring dance to individuals of all ages who are excited to dance. She gets such a thrill motivating her students to have fun moving their bodies to all different types of fabulous music.

-ELIZABETH HURWITZ (Artistic Director/Instructor):

Elizabeth has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, studied in London, won countless awards and has an extensive performance background that is quite diverse and goes back 20 years. She loves teaching and performing and finds such joy working with children who love the arts. She believes everyone can sing/dance/act/play piano, etc. because any child who is interested in the performing arts can develop their craft with the proper technique. She started teaching in 1995 when she was asked to give lessons to a child of one of her college professors. Word of mouth took hold and her career as a teacher blossomed. She loves sharing her knowledge and seeing her students grow as artists and individuals. She has been teaching for quite a while now and really knows how to get results. She has had excellent instructors who have given her the tools to be a successful teacher. She has had experience teaching both privately and in a studio environment. She has always believed encouraging kids to develop their own personal, artistic and educational strengths in a safe, nurturing, non-competitive atmosphere allows them to use their imaginations in a way that is quite different from most traditional teachers. Her students have always had a wonderful experience in the arts where they gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment that is personally rewarding, life enhancing and wholly satisfying. She believes the performing arts should be about discovering life and yourself through the arts. She always strives to make each student feel supported, successful and accomplished. She promotes self-esteem, coordination, focus and cognitive skills. She is dedicated to children and the arts and knows that quality instruction and individualized attention are the building blocks to developing their creative abilities. She recognized the need for children in Los Angeles to feel comfortable and have fun discovering the joy of the performing arts so she created this studio, which focuses on just that. Elizabeth has always loved working with kids and seeing them flourish. When asked why she opened her own studio, she said, "I remember as a little girl being influenced artistically and I love being able to do the same for others."