Anne-Marie Brunner Abderholden was born in Holland and spent most of her childhood in Switzerland. At age seven she joined the Opera Ballet School in Zurich. Upon graduation at age eighteen, she joined the Opera Ballet in Zurich. She also performed with the Volksopera Ballet in Vienna, the Stadttheater Badden and toured with Munich Opera. She enjoyed working with choreographers such as Patricia Neary and Hans van Manen. Anne-Marie later received an advanced degree in the teaching of classical ballet, (extended Vaganova) at the Music College in Cologne. She taught at the Opera Ballet School in Zurich, at the Swiss School for Professional Dancers and at the Theater Ballet School in Krefeld and Monchengladbach, Germany. In 1991 she moved to Madison, Wisconsin with her family where she taught for the Monona Academy of Dance. She was a choreographer for the Wisconsin Dance Ensemble and the Performing Arts for Children. She was co-owner and artistic director of Turning Pointe School of Ballet. Anne-Marie has worked with many children who have gone on to professional dancing careers, such as Principal Dancer with the Charleston Ballet Theater, Hamburg Ballet, Germany and Morgan Scott Company in New York.

Rebecca Blankfield is a certified Zumba instructor and mother of four boys, residing in Neenah. She is also an AFAA certified group exercise instructor.  Currently, she is teaching both Zumba and kickboxing in Neenah and is excited to be bringing Zumba to Valley Academy for the Arts! Zumba is a fun and effective way to get in shape!  Zumba is a Latin based fitness dance that's designed to burn calories, tone your body, and release endorphins.  It's exercise in disguise!  Everyone leaves feeling refreshed and energized.  Come join the party!

Jane Chen was born and raised in Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton), China. Ms. Chen's parents saw she had a natural talent for dance. When she was very young, she was one of only 30 children accepted into a prestigious dance art school in Guangzhou which trains young dancers to become professional dancers. Over the years, Ms. Chen has won many awards as a solo performer as well as winning awards for her choreography. She is currently the choreographer and lead dancer for the Fox Valley Chinese Dance group that performs throughout the State of Wisconsin.

Sheldon Hampton is an actor, playwright, director and head of the Theatre and Media Department at the Academy. He has previously taught for Kaleidoscope at Lawrence University, directed shows for Attic Theatre and UW Fox Valley. He is currently developing a classic children's theatre.He received a grant from the Downtown Appleton Rotary Club to research and write a play about Adam Clayton Powell which he toured with for two years.

Beth Howell is a graduate of the University of WI - Platteville were she was involved in theatre, musique and dance. She studied ballet under Ms. Jeanne Parus in Madison, WI. Since moving to the Fox Valley area, Ms. Howell has continued to teach arts and growth and development curriculum. She particularly enjoys teaching creative ballet classes to preschool, youth and special needs students.

Kathy Karweick first fell in love with music after she sang her first solo in a middle school concert.  Since high school she knew she wanted to share her love for music with children and decided on a career as a music teacher.  She attended the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and earned her Bachelor of Music Education in 2001.  She has been teaching elementary general music in the public schools since graduation.  Kathy continued her education by earning a Master of Arts in Education from Viterbo University in 2007.  After the birth of her daughter in 2008, Kathy was interested in sharing her love of music with very young children.  Kathy fulfilled this dream by became a Licensed Kindermusik Educator in 2009.

Diana Knoke has been bellydancing since 2005, teaching and performing in the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin. Diana's approach to teaching Middle Eastern Dance is to combine grace and technique training with a large dose of fun, creating an atmosphere where all skill levels are encouraged, celebrated, and yet challenged to improve. As a performer, Diana prefers the freedom and fabulous funkiness of Tribal Fusion with its colorful layered costuming and celebration of multi-ethnic cultures and rhythms. A member of MECDA, the Middle Eastern Culture & Dance Association, and co-founder of the Wisconsin Belly Dance Network, Diana is also certified as a Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer, and has received her Master/Teacher Attunements in Kundalini and Usui Reiki. For more information, visit www.dianathedancer.com.

Tracy Krause has been teaching dance in the Fox Valley for over seven years and has been studying and teaching tap, jazz, ballet and lyrical dance at several area studios. She also studied Irish dance in Co. Donegal, Ireland as part of a study abroad program in college. She is currently working toward a Masters Certificate in Dance at Chicago National Association of Dance Masters. Tracy enjoys teaching and watching the creative energy of the younger students and challenging the older advanced students to stretch and break out of their structures and reach back to their creative freedom.

Reanette Lozano was born on the island of Oahu and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii.  At the age of five she had admired the hula dancers and wanted to become a dancer herself.  Her goal growing up was to become a professional hula dancer and reached that goal in Las Vegas, NV and New Mexico.  She has dance professionally for ten years before moving to Wisconsin in October of 2008.  Reanette teaches and dances the ancient Hawaiian, modern Hawaiian, and Tahitian dances.  Along with her hula teaching, she teaches the culture and language of Hawaii.

Jody "Joe" Vanesky, formerly education director at Appleton Art Center, offers visual art classes for preschool students, elementary students, and adults. Jody is a graduate of Lawrence University with post-baccalaureate study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He brings years of experience as an award-winning artist and art educator.

Peter Yang, wa s born in Taiwan, schooled in Chicago and apprenticed in Europe with German and French masters. He runs a workshop at 121½ W. Wisconsin Ave. where he is a master luthier, making and restoring rare string instruments. For more information, call 729-0622. www.yangviolins.com.

Zhen Lucy Wang teaches the Chinese Language class at Valley Academy for the Arts and is also a member of Fox Valley Chinese Dance group. She graduated from Tianjin Commerce College, Tianjin, China. Ms. Wang volunteers as an interpreter in Appleton and Huntley School and as a Road Runner Reading program at Huntley School.