Sharon Westenhofer, Executive Director/Founder
Sharon is a teacher, accompanist, executive show director and founder of TMR. She has her BS degree in Education from Eastern Michigan University. While doing volunteer work for the Orange Unified School, she observed the lack of music and theatre opportunities for children, so in 1985 she developed Show Biz Kids (SBK) and Tuneful Tots for her sons Peter and Erik…and other interested youngsters.
Judean Sakimoto, Business Director/Dance Coordinator
Shaunna Snow, Production Director for Show Biz Kids (SBK)
DANCE
Amy Nadeau is TMR’s Artistic Director and teaches our top auditioned groups, Senior Dance Company, Advanced Contemporary Jazz, Hip-Hop Ensemble along with a technique class. She received her BA and won the Dancer of the Year Award in 2004 from Chapman University. Her Credits include CSI: NY, Amsted, Lost and Found, and she was the featured actor in Mattel commercials. She has an extensive background in modern, ballet, jazz, and hip-hop, making her a force to be reckoned with. Amy has been a professional choreographer for over six years and her teaching style is always packed with energy, fun, and always pushes dancers beyond their limitations. She is currently living in LA pursuing her dance dreams. Amy recently worked with Jenni Pulos from Bravo’s hit TV show “flipping out” dancing back-up for her comedic rap group and dancing at a CEE event featuring Rihana and Ney-yo. Amy has also assisted Mandy Moore for “So You Think You Can Dance” this season.
Andrea Renee Brache is originally from Thousand Oaks, California, and was one of the founding company members of Backhausdance. She received her early ballet training from California Dance Theater in Agoura Hills, working with Patrick Frantz, formerly of the Paris Opera Ballet, and Artistic Director Kim Maselli. Andrea attended Chapman University with a scholarship and earned a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a B.A. in Advertising. She was first introduced to modern dance at Chapman and trained with Sean Greene and Jennifer Backhaus. Andrea continued her ballet training under the direction of Kristen Olson Potts, with whom she worked as a guest artist for seasonal performances. During her time at Chapman, she received many awards and had several opportunities to perform at the notable Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. As a former Backhausdance member, she was part of the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s ArtsTeach and ArtsConnect educational programs.
Andrea was honored with two Lester Horton Awards for the 2006 season for Outstanding Achievement in Performance, Small Ensemble for Backhaus’ work “eXit,” a trio, and for the 2007 premiere of a duet titled “Push,” one of four sections of Backhaus’ work “Shift.” In fall 2008, Backhausdance was invited to perform at the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Fall for Dance, a prestigious concert of world-wide companies, in which she performed “eXit.” Andrea worked with Jodie Gates during her time with Backhausdance, and Alonzo King of Lines Ballet in San Francisco, where she participated in an intensive study for professional dancers. She has been teaching ballet, modern, contemporary ballet and pointe in Orange County for 12 years and thoroughly enjoys challenging and working with her students.
Candace Kimi Sakimoto teaches Leaps & Turns, Lyrical Jazz and co-teaches Jazz 1-2 with Samantha Cornelius. She has been dancing at The Music Room for over nine years, and is currently in Senior Dance Company, Hip Hop Ensemble, Tap Ensemble, Advanced Jazz and other styles of dance.
Charna Felthous teaches Tap, Jazz and Show Biz Kids at TMR. She has been teaching tap, jazz and musical theater to kids of all ages for over 13 years. She is an award winning performing artist who has appeared all over Southern California at theaters such as Moonlight Amphitheater, Performing Riverside, Candlelight Pavilion, and Saddleback CLO. Charna has choreographed and directed musicals such as “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Wizard of Oz,” “Once Upon A Mattress,” and “42nd Street”, “Annie” and “Honk!” She received her BFA in Film and TV from Chapman University in 2004 and is teaching in the Integrated Arts Department at Orange County High School Performing of the Arts.
Ellen Akashi is new to TMR, teaching ballet and pointe. Ellen has studied many styles of dance but started with ballet at Southland Ballet Academy when she was 3. She has been to various ballet intensives including her own studio’s as well as those of Alonzo King LINES Ballet and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She’s been selected as a semifinalist for the Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards in both classical and non-classical dance, and the Friends of Arts Education at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center has awarded her a scholarship in dance. She has also been able to study under Maxim Beloserkovsky, Viktor Plotnikov, and Tatiana Legat among others. A sophomore at Chapman University majoring in dance and biology, last year Ellen won the dance department’s Outstanding Freshman of the Year award.
Helen Clarke teaches the child’s division of ballet and tap at TMR. She also does an open teen/adult ballet class. Helen has been teaching in Orange since 1964 and this is her fourth year with TMR. She taught students who have danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet, New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, Ballet Met, and Joffrey Ballet. Many of her students have become dance majors at major universities. Helen is a very well known and respected teacher that has a great following from all over Orange County.
Lindsey Glick teaches Tap and our Tap Ensemble auditioned group and Hip-Hop. Lindsey is originally from Columbus, Ohio and moved to Los Angeles in 2002. She is a graduate of the world renowned Edge Performing Arts Center scholarship program. She has been dancing for 23 years and is trained in Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Clogging, and Musical Theater. Lindsey now performs and teaches across the U.S. Choreographing for award winning competition dance teams. She has appeared on stage with Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers in the show “50 years of Rock n Roll”, print ads for Volkswagon and has toured with the phillipino artist Vina Morales and Latin boy band sensation MP5. She has also worked with “Dancing with the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba on Entertainment Tonight and Industrials for Paul Mitchell hair products. As a choreographer she has worked with Comedic Hip Hop Rap group Hot N the Biscuit and burlesque troop Cherry Burlesque. Currently she is choreographing for a production of Rocky Horror Show in Hollywood.
Molly Mahoney, a proud member of the Actors Equity Association, is so happy to be back at TMR, where she started in 1988. Molly teaches Leaps & Turns, Lyrical Jazz, Musical Theater Dance and Tap for our dance department as well as being on TMR’s SBK staff. After earning a BFA in Theatre and Dance from Chapman University, she has spent the past 8 years performing in regional theatres around the country, including the National Tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, NYC jazz clubs, aboard cruise ships, in Las Vegas at The Rio Hotel and Casino and her own cabaret “Happy as the Day is Long” at the Anaheim White House. Most recently, she and her favorite Bass Player/husband Mr. John Dominguez have been working on their own production at home with their new baby boy Frank Patrick Dominguez! She also has a passion for knitting, crocheting and needle felting. Check out her hand made goodies at www.MollyMade.net and her life as a performer at www.MollyMahoney.com.
Nicole Hogg is teaching our Junior Dance Company for the third year at TMR. Nicole has trained in all styles of dance since she was three years old. Growing up in the bay area, she attended Dance Academy USA and later The Dance Company of San Francisco. This company thrived under the direction of Chris Jacobsen and Sonya Tayeh. With this company, she worked with instructors such as Joey Tarwater, Brooke Pierotti, Tina D’amato-Sidoni, and Mark Meismer. Recently she has performed for Matthew Tseng in the Debbie Reynolds showcase and Sonya Tayeh in the Monsters of Hip Hop showcase. Nicole is currently attending CSU Long Beach and will have a BA in Dance at the end of the semester. She teaches at Elevation studios in Signal Hill, Orange County High School of the Performing Arts, and Pure Barre in Newport Beach. Nicole has also just completed her first summer with the United Spirit Association and will be working with numerous high school dance teams in the months to come. Nicole has had a wonderful year at TMR and is so thankful to all the dancers for their hard work.
Paul Vision Lee teaches hip-hop and leads the new younger Hip-Hop Ensemble 1. He is a graduate of Chapman University’s music education program and danced on Chapman’s Hip Hop Team. He has been dancing for 10 years in hip-hop primarily dancing with and training under Stephen “Twitch” Boss, Mikey Trasoras, and many other LA choreographers. Paul has also danced for multiple hip-hop dance teams throughout the LA and Orange County areas. He has taught many master classes and seminars throughout the mid-west where he is from (Toledo, Ohio.)Paul currently runs a hip-hop clothing line and has assisted on the script as well as the casting for a brand new hip-hop movie.
Sheri Lehman recently received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Television from Chapman University. Her dance training began in San Jose, California and led to apprentice programs with American Ballet Theater and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Jazz Intensive. Sheri has been titled Junior Miss Dance and Teen Miss Dance of California, Chapter 13, placing as a runner up at the national level. Sheri was also highlighted on Good Morning America for her participation in the World Record’s “Longest Kick Line.” At Chapman University, Sheri was a featured dancer in American Celebration, and a recurring ensemble member in Chapman faculty and student stage productions. In addition to her dance career, Sheri worked as the Producer Assistant for the 2011 People’s Choice Awards and MTV Movie Awards. Now, Sheri is the Special Events Assistant with Orange County’s Pacific Symphony, and pursuing a career in producing, directing, and choreographing live event productions.
SHOW BIZ KIDS (SBK)
Charna Lopez teaches Tap, Jazz and Show Biz Kids at TMR. She has been teaching tap, jazz and musical theater to kids of all ages for over 13 years. She is an award winning performing artist who has appeared all over Southern California at theaters such as Moonlight Amphitheater, Performing Riverside, Candlelight Pavilion, and Saddleback CLO. Charna has choreographed and directed musicals such as “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Wizard of Oz,” “Once Upon A Mattress,” and “42nd Street”, “Annie” and “Honk!” She received her BFA in Film and TV from Chapman University in 2004 and is teaching in the Integrated Arts Department at Orange County High School Performing of the Arts.
Kami Seymour received her BFA in Theatre from NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts/CAP 21. She has been performing and dancing for over twenty years and has loved every minute! Some of her favorite regional performing credits include ‘The Producers’ (Ulla), ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ (Miss Flannery), ‘A Chorus Line’ (Cassie), ‘Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ (Narrator), ’42nd Street’ (Anytime Annie), ‘Crazy For You’ (Tess), ‘Anything Goes’ (Bonnie), and ‘1940’s Radio Hour’ (Ginger). Kami is also an active AEA member. She began choreographing in college for student dance concerts. Since then she has choreographed for The Norris Center for the Peforming Arts (Thoroughly Modern Millie and Leading Ladies), Stage Under The Stars (Anything Goes), La Habra Depot (Side Show), and Huntington Beach Playhouse (Hello Dolly, I’ve Heard That Song Before, and World War II Radio Review Show). She has been on staff at The Music Room since January 2004 where she has choreographed, directed and assistant directed the musicals for Show Biz Kids. Some of her favorites are ’42nd Street’, ‘Crazy For You’, ‘The Pajama Game’, ‘Li’l Abner’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Oklahoma!’. Kami currently works for 3-D Theatricals.
Kami Seymour received her BFA in Theatre from NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts/CAP 21. She has been performing and dancing for over twenty years and has loved every minute! Some of her favorite regional performing credits include ‘The Producers’ (Ulla), ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ (Miss Flannery), ‘A Chorus Line’ (Cassie), ‘Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ (Narrator), ’42nd Street’ (Anytime Annie), ‘Crazy For You’ (Tess), ‘Anything Goes’ (Bonnie), and ‘1940’s Radio Hour’ (Ginger). Kami is also an active AEA member. She began choreographing in college for student dance concerts. Since then she has choreographed for The Norris Center for the Performing Arts (Thoroughly Modern Millie and Leading Ladies), Stage Under The Stars (Anything Goes), La Habra Depot (Side Show), and Huntington Beach Playhouse (Hello Dolly, I’ve Heard That Song Before, and World War II Radio Review Show). She has been on staff at The Music Room since January 2004 where she has choreographed, directed and assistant directed the musicals for Show Biz Kids. Some of her favorites are ’42nd Street’, ‘Crazy For You’, ‘The Pajama Game’, ‘Li’l Abner’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Oklahoma!’. Kami currently works for 3-D Theatricals.Cynthia Wilson has been directing and teaching for TMR since 1992. She has her BA in Communications with an emphasis in Theatre from Chapman University. In addition to her work at TMR, Cindy teaches in the All the Arts program for the Fullerton School Districts, and taught Theatrical makeup for twenty years at Chapman University. Cindy is also a consummate performer and appeared over the years at Disneyland, Knott’s berry Farm and the Curtain Call Dinner Theatre.
The Music Room 