Judith Douglas
Ballet, Dance History, Performance, World Dance

Judith Douglas has a BA in Art and a MA in Dance; she has taught dance at SMC for over thirty years. She is the founder and co-director of Folklorico de SMC.  She has trained and performed Ballet, Jazz, West African, Mexican Folklorico, Tap and Modern Dance.  Most recently she was awarded the SMC Foundation Chair of Excellence a three year grant.

Judith Douglas

Linda Gold
Modern, Dance History, Performance, Music for Dance

Linda Gold has a BFA, a MA in Dance, and is completing her PhD. She is Founder and Artistic Director of Synapse, SMC Contemporary Dance Ensemble.  Dancer/choreographer Linda Gold has performed throughout the U.S and abroad.  She is the recipient of numerous grants.

Linda Gold

Jae Young Lee
Modern, Ballet and Choreography

Jae Young Lee holds an M.F.A degree in dance with an emphasis in Choreography at UC Irvine. She also earned an M.A. in dance from the State University of New York College at Brockport. Lee started her ballet training in South Korea where she earned her B.S. in dance at Han Yang University. Currently, Lee is the full-time faculty at Santa Monica College, teaching modern, ballet and choreography.

Jae Young Lee

Meri Bender
Contemporary Modern

Meri Bender holds a BA and MA in Dance.  She has been the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship in Dance.  Her choreographic work has been shown throughout Los Angeles and films distributed nationally.  She served director of chorography for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and sixteen years and has been the recipient of numerous grants from the LA Department of Cultural Affairs.

Ronald E. Brown
Modern, African

Ron Brown’s professional credits include performing with such notable companies as the Alvin Alley American Dance Theater, Alvin Alley II, Dianne McIntyre's Sounds In Motion, UCLA Dance Company, Jazz Antigua and Malathi Iyengar & Rangoli Dance Company. He has taught extensively throughout the United States.  He has received several nominations for the Lestor Horton Teacher of the Year Award.

Laura Canellias
Ethnic Dance, Salsa

Laura Canellias, has been teaching and performing for over 20 years as well as choreographing for stage & television.  She is known as L.A.'s Salsa Diva and continues to be recognized for her contributions to the salsa community.  She has been teaching Dance at SMC since 2000.

Laura Canellias

Joy Hewitt
Tap, Ballroom

Joy Hewitt holds the Elementary Teaching Certificate in Ballet, Tap, and Modern Stage with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, London, England.  Joy has choreographed for film TV, night-club, stage and musical theater.  Shas taught at Loyola Marymount University, Chapman University, UC Long Beach, UCLA. 

Cati Jean
Ballet, Jazz Dance

Originally from Paris, Cati Jean studied classical ballet extensively with world-renowned Cuban, Russian and French teachers and choreographers. She went on to study the modern dance methods of Jose Limon and Martha Graham in Paris. Cati has worked in television, film, commercials and on stage in Paris, Tokyo and USA before focusing on choreography and teaching throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America and her adopted city Los Angeles. 

Cati Jean

Angela Jordan
African, Jazz

Angela Jordan holds a MA in Dance. She has performed and choreographed works in modern, African, hip hop and jazz dance styles for stage, music videos and film. She has choreographed for SMC Folklorico de SMC. 

Angela Jordan

Carla Luna
Flamenco

Carla Luna’s career as a Flamenco Dancer, Teacher and Choreographer spans over four decades. She has toured worldwide with Spanish Ballets as the José Greco Company  and the Lola Montes Company. She also danced in such well known flamenco tablaos as Corral de la Pacheca in Madrid and Los Rombos in Mallorca.

Carla Luna

Angelina Meany

Angelina Meany holds a BA in Dance. Ms. Meany has studied ballet’s Royal Academy, Cecchetti, and specifically the Vaganova technique. Ms. Meany has danced professionally throughout the Los Angeles area with the groups Sarah Elgart and Company and Katja Beisanz Dance Theatre, and most recently as a principal dancer for the regional modern dance company Donna Stenberg and Dancers.  

Angelina Meany

Nguyen Nguyen
Contemporary Dance

Nguyen Nguyen received a Regents Scholarship to attend UCLA and graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Nguyen is currently a member of Maria Gillespie's Oni Dance and a founding member Holly Johnston’s Ledges and Bones dance project. His own choreographic works have been presented at Highways Performance Space, Citrus College Dance Festival, the Santa Monica "Music and Dance by the Pier", and the American College Dance Festivals.

Nguyen Nguyen

Karen McDonald

Michael Owens
Jazz Dance

Teaching Jazz Dance for over thirty years, Michael Owens trained at Boston Conservatory of Music before moving to New York City. He began teaching taught in Europe and in NY where he built his reputation as one of Broadway’s best known Jazz teachers. He has taught at Steps Studios, Broadway Dance Center, The Alvin Ailey School, Jacques D'Amboise National Dance Institute, The Princeton Ballet School and the David Howard School of Ballet. 

Michael Owens

Jeffrey Page
Jazz, African

Jeffrey Page holds a BFA in Dance & Theater.   He has received an Emmy Award nomination for his choreography.  Page was a featured performer for NYC’s Forces of Nature Dance Theater, toured with Beyonce Knowles, and was a featured performer in Marlies Yearby’s Brown Butterfly in NYC. He has co-choreographed the opening for the 5th annual BET Awards for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith and the 2005 Billboard Awards for R. Kelly.

Raquel Ramirez
Mexican, Performance

Raquel Ramirez holds a B.A. in Dance and is an accomplished dancer and alumni from Santa Monica College. She is co-director of Folklorico de SMC and Founder and Director of Ballet Folklórico Flor de Mayo. Her performances include: the International Mariachi Festival in New Mexico, Asociacion Nacional de Grupos Folklórico in Mexico and USA, a tour with El Mariachi Azteca del Sol in New York City. Most currently she is directing a nation - wide tour to promote the tradition and culture of the state of Jalisco sponsored by El Tequila Casadores.

Charlotte Richards
Ballet

Charlotte Richards has been on the faculty of SMC teaching ballet since 1996.

Charolette Richards

Janet Roston

Janet Roston holds a BA and MA in Dance.  Her choreographic career has been in film, television, commercials, and stage. Her award winning instructional dance videos teach in all areas of dance. She directed the nationally acclaimed Dance Company at Beverly Hills High School for 24 years. 

Janet Roston

Ellen Sinatra


She graduated hold a M.A. in Ethnomusicology. A musician and artist, Ms. Sinatra was a Senior Musician at UCLA for many years. Recipient of the Outstanding Service award, she continues to follow her passions for the visual arts.

Ellen Sinatra

Sri Susilowati
Indonesian

Sri Susilowati is a dancer and choreographer from Indonesia. Susilowati has choreographed extensively in the U.S. and Indonesia establishing dance groups and teaching students. She has been the recipient of many fellowships and distinctions including 2005-2006 City of Los Angeles Artist-in-Residence (AIR) and COLA grants, the Puffin Foundation grant, the James Irvine Foundation 2006 Dance: Creation to Performance grant, the Alma Hawkins Choreographic Award, and the 2004 Lester Horton Award nominee. She is a graduate of the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta and has an MFA from the department of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA.

Sri Susilowati

Caprice Walker

Caprice Walker received her early ballet training with legendary Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo stars. She is a former member of Ballet of Los Angeles, performer on numerous films and stage performances. She is currently the associate director of Westside School of Ballet and associate artistic director of Westside Ballet.

Robert Whidbee
Modern, Jazz

Robert Whidbee holds BA in film and television and MA in Choreography/Performance.  He is a winner in the William Couser Black Choreographer Awards, is a choreographer, director, and performer in film, theater, and video.  He is Co-Artistic Director of R Dance Company.

Robert Whidbee

Roberta Wolin-Manker
Modern, Choreography

Roberta Wolin-Manker holds a BA in Literature and an MA in Choreography/Performance. She is Co-Artistic Director/Producer of R Dance Company and has been nominated twice for the Lestor Horton Award for Outstanding Production.

Roberta Wolin-Manker

Linda Yudin
Afro-Brazilian

Linda Yudin holds a MA in Dance Ethnology.  She is the co-artistic director of Viver Brasil Dance Company.  Linda Yudin is the recipient of an SMC Faculty Fellowship (2003), two Durfee Foundation awards and Lestor Horton Awards.

Linda Yudin

Madeline Burke
SMC Dance Production Technical Assistant

Madeline Burke holds an AA. in Theater Arts and a B.A. in English.  She has designed lighting and assisted in productions for Santa Monica College at Highways, the Electric Lodge, the SMC Main Stage and at the American College Dance Festival in New Mexico and San Francisco. 

Madeline Burke