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TSPA    DANCE

TSPA Dance offers pre-professional dance training to create technical, artistic, and versatile dancers.
Our goal is to equip our dancers with a solid foundation they can expand upon in any audition,
whether it be concert dance, commercial dance, or musical theater.
Classes include ballet, tap, jazz, and our contemporary audition-based Junior and Senior Dance Companies.
Classes are offered for 3 years old and up. 

The TSPA Dance Department is accredited through Spring Branch Independent School District as an “Off Campus Health Fitness” Facility. 

Students who attend dance classes for 5 or more hours/week are awarded their PE credit through TSPA and not required to take PE during their school day.  If your student is interested in doing so, please have them speak to their school counselor immediately for the application. Questions – email Bethany White at bwhite@queensburytheatre.org

'25-'26 Dance co. Auditions

Want to become a member of our 2025-2026 Dance Company? TSPA will be holding auditions May 19 & 20th 2025

Use the links below to reserve your audition spot.

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Rising 4th-8th graders – Monday, May 19th 4:30-6:30

https://www.hisawyer.com/.../schedules/activity-set/1408739

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Rising 9th-12th graders – Tuesday, May 20th 6-8

https://www.hisawyer.com/.../schedules/activity-set/1408740

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Bethany White
TSPA Dance Director &
Resident Choreographer

Ms. White graduated Summa cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance through the Liberal Education for Arts Professionals (LEAP) program and attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She began her dance training with the Jefferson Ballet Theatre in New Orleans, LA, and continued to study in programs with American Ballet Theatre and The Kirov Academy. After graduating, Ms. White lived in New York City for 10 years, where worked extensively as a director, choreographer, dancer, and teacher.  She was the Director of Dance at Fordham High School for the Arts and was on the faculty at Ballet Academy East.   She choreographed for national television for artists such as Paramore and twenty one pilots, for Vital Theater Company for several years, and had her work presented at various festivals and dance concerts around the city.  She moved to Houston in 2015 to become the Associate Director of Education and Dance Director for the Tribble School for Performing Arts and the Resident Choreographer for Queensbury Theatre.  In 2017 she was nominated for Best Choreography with the Houston Press Theatre Awards for her work on It Aint Nothin but the Blues, and in 2019 she was once again nominated for her work on Violet.  Her students have been accepted into prestigious programs with the Joffrey in NYC, Marymount Manhattan College, the Martha Graham School, Ballet Hispanico, Miami City Ballet, and North Carolina School of the Arts.

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Jacqueline Habili
TSPA Associate Director & Administrator, Lead Tap Instructor

Mrs. Habili attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and had also studied education at the University of Houston. This is her 5th year teaching here at Tribble as a director, choreographer and head of our Tap program some of the productions including Seussical the Musical, 13 the Musical, Into the woods, Matilda, Shrek Jr., and many more. Jacqueline began her theatre Education in the Tribble School of Performing Arts years ago and could not be any more excited to have come full circle as an instructor, or for her future here continuing her passion for music, dance, and love for teaching children. 

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Courtney Chilton
TSPA Dance Instructor
Ballet, Theatre Jazz

Courtney is an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and teaching artist. She has performed in theatre, opera, concert dance, and corporate entertainment across the country, working with such companies as Theatre Under the Stars, Houston Grand Opera, Casa Manana, and Westchester Broadway Theatre. Courtney has choreographed and directed shows such as Nunsense, Grease, Aladdin, Oklahoma, 9 to 5, Beauty And The Beast, Annie, West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, and The Little Mermaid. As a teacher Courtney has taught acting and dance nationally with such schools and organizations as Main Street Theater, Humphrey's School of Musical Theatre, Presbyterian School of Houston, Golda Och Academy, and the University of Tulsa.

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LaKesha Sowell
TSPA Dance Instructor
Hip Hop

Lakesha is a native of Houston. She started her dance training in styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, and hip-hop at the age of 5. Over 11 years of competition, Lakesha was recognized for her passion for dance through many awards and scholarships including Complexions and Debbie Allen Dance Academy. She was also featured twice in Dance Spirit Magazine. After graduating, she began to perform in concert and commercial
dance while obtaining a degree in accounting. Throughout the years, she has performed on the BET awards, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tobe From The Swat National Tour, Solange “When I Get Home” and more. She has now begun a

new venture in film and directing. Lakesha continues to explore her passion and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

SUMMER '25 CAMP SCHEDULE

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10 - 18+ YEARS OLD
June 2 - 13, 2025
Monday - Friday 10-4pm
Friday Showcase: 4:30pm

MEET THE INSTRUCTORS

Bethany White (Ballet), Jacqueline Habili and Ryan Valencia (Tap), Courtney Chilton (Musical Theatre)

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Quimen

Pilates/Progressing Ballet Technique, Ballet

Quimen began his ballet training with Lynda De Chane and Raskin Dance Studios in Orlando, FL, before continuing at Orlando Ballet School under Orlando Molina, with Peter Stark’s direction. He received a full scholarship from the legendary Fernando Bujones. As a trainee with the main company, Quimen performed the principal role of Dr. Coppelius in Coppélia and was also cast in the historic first full-length production of Spartacus, fully produced by an American ballet company.  Quimen has danced as a principal with Ohio Dance Theatre, Fort Lauderdale Ballet Classique, Cuban Classical Ballet, South Florida Ballet Theater, and Sierra Nevada Ballet.  Currently, he works for both Ballet For Young Audiences/Ballet Repertory NYC and American Liberty Ballet, where he serves as ballet master and principal dancer. He is also the main rehearsal director for the children at ALB’s Main Academy. Under the direction of Valerie Mae Browne, Quimen has performed principal roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and more.  In addition to ballet, Quimen has appeared across the U.S. in opera, musical theater, and film in both ensemble and principal roles. He is also a respected choreographer, with his work reviewed by the Miami Herald and Broward Sentinel. 

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Jonnesha Hawkins-Minter

Modern

Jonnesha Hawkins-Minter is an accomplished dance professional from Oklahoma City, OK, with a rich background in modern dance, ballet, and other styles. She began her training at Classen School of Advanced Studies and Performing Arts, graduating in 2001, and went on to earn a B.F.A. in Modern Dance Performance from the University of Oklahoma in 2005. Jonnesha has studied with renowned choreographers such as Denise Vail, Austin Hartel, and Brian Brooks and performed with top companies like Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, and Urban Souls Dance Company, where she also served as rehearsal director.

In addition to her performance career, Jonnesha is earning certification in the Dunham Technique and became a certified Yoga instructor in 2021. She is passionate about nurturing the next generation of dancers, founding TopFlight Dance Company in 2008 and TopFlight Dance Center in 2011, which later became TopFlight Dance Conservatory in 2019. Through her work, Jonnesha inspires creativity and excellence in the dance community.

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Kahlil Cabble

Contemporary

Kahlil Cabble is a new Houstonian, moving from Pittsburgh, PA, where he went to school at Point Park University. Before making his way to Texas, he’d been in the Pittsburgh CLO’s productions of Peter Pan, Rock of Ages and A Chorus Line (Don).  You can also see him as a dancer in the Netflix film, White Noise (Skip to the end credits!). Kahlil was recently seen in TUTS’ productions of Rent, Cinderella, & Frozen (Sven).  Additionally, he has choreographed several musicals with TUTS' HSMT: Spongebob SquarePants: The Musical, Head Over Heels, Pippin, and Matilda. He was the choreographer for this past year's Tommy Tune Awards '24. Kahlil has been teaching and choreographing here in Houston for 3 years now, and has been fortunate enough to work with students all over the city. 

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LaKesha Sowell

Hip Hop

LaKesha, a proud native of Houston, TX, began her dance training at the age of 5, exploring styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Over the years, her passion for dance earned her numerous awards and scholarships, and after graduating, she pursued both concert and commercial dance while also earning a degree in accounting. However, the pull of the arts eventually led her back to the stage, where she has had the privilege of performing nationally and internationally. Since returning, she has had the privilege to perform on the BET Awards, Coachella, SXSW, ACL Fest, Houston Grand Opera, and many more. Now, LaKesha is venturing into the film industry, exploring the dynamic world of dance on screen. Since making this transition, she has garnered recognition for her work, with her films screened in Paris, Ontario, Los Angeles, and Houston. LaKesha's journey continues to evolve, blending her love for movement and storytelling, as she pushes boundaries and redefines the intersection of dance and film.

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