Ballet Rincon Faculty

Ms. Neuser, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.F.A., danced for Wisconsin’s Children’s Ballet Theatre and the North Dakota Ballet Company (NDBC). She went on to assume Assistant Artistic Directorship of NDBC as well as found and maintain the school’s satellite facility. Jennifer was a member of the staff of Academy of Ballet of Tucson, and also performed locally as a guest artist with Tucson Regional Ballet.

A veteran instructor of over thirty years, she has travelled throughout the United States and taught thousands of students, guiding many to success in advanced training programs, professional companies, and the Broadway stage. Ms. Neuser is an American Ballet Theatre (ABT)® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Ms. Neuser founded Ballet Rincon in 2001 with resolve to offer the best possible classical training to the youth of Southeast Tucson. The school has since then fulfilled her wish, giving thousands more young hopefuls who have passed through its doors the chance to understand and love the art of dance.

Ms. Cleveland received her Bachelor of Science in Business with emphasis on Marketing from Oklahoma State University and began a career in sales and marketing upon graduation. Laurie continued in this line of work until moving to Tucson, where she found her passion working with children and youth. She was the Education Coordinator for children Pre School through High School for her local congregation as well as the Regional Youth Minister for the denomination all while holding close her love of dance.

In 2008, Laurie was given an opportunity to combine her passion with her love and began coaching dance at Springs Gymnastics. She spent many years providing dance basics to the team gymnasts, choreographing their floor routines and escorting them at competition. After several years as the gym’s dance instructor, Laurie became certified through USAG and was brought on as a recreational coach for the youngest gymnasts, ages 3-5. Laurie and her husband have watched their two daughters excel in the arts as well as academics, which affirms her belief that movement and musicality are crucial to a child’s development and learning, and that dance is a beautiful expression of our feelings. She believes that to witness a child’s confidence and joy in movement is a true reward, and is excited to be a part of that journey.

Ms. Cleveland assumed the role of BR’s Director of Preschool Programs in 2022.

Her choreography has been showcased at venues from New York City to D.C. and in Arizona, including the Triskelion Arts Center (NYC), the Baltimore Museum of Art, Dance Place (D.C.), and the Tempe Center for the Arts. She has taught ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, improvisation, and dance history in colleges, K-12 schools, community centers and dance studios, and is also certified to teach the Progressing Ballet Technique method. The author of several articles on dance education, including a feature article for the U.S. Department of Education Arts in Education Newsletter, Shannon also maintains a blog at www.shannondoolingdances.com.

Since moving to Arizona,Shannon has served as a faculty member, guest teacher, and adjudicator at studios, colleges, and schools, and performs and choreographs with Movement Source Dance Company in Phoenix. This season marks her seventh season with Ballet Rincon.

In addition to her dance career, Angelina graduated with honors from Boston University, specializing in International Relations and Russian Studies. Her academic interests led her to a eight month stint in Jerusalem, Israel, where she was staff writer at the ICEJ, and her writings on the interplay between faith and politics were featured in the Jerusalem Post: Christian Edition. She currently resides in Tucson, AZ, where she received her MFA in dance choreography at the School of Dance at The University of Arizona.

Ms. Lin Hannum is an American Ballet Theatre (ABT)® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She performs and creates dances with several local companies, is a certified GYROTONIC® and Pilates instructor, and is an active and enthusiastic dance and movement educator.

 Along with her classical dance education expertise, she brings to Ballet Rincon ten combined years of academic experience in teaching Balanced Literacy Specialist for the Tucson Unified School District, the United States Department of Defense Schools-Europe, and as a first grade teacher, also in the Tucson Unified School District.

As  BR’s Director of Preschool Programs from 2002-2022, Ms. Hill used her passion for movement to develop the Division’s innovative ballet, tap and Preschool Movement Workshop curriculums, and she continues to sustain the foundation of BR’s training philosophy in our youngest students. With children of her own, she understands the importance of positive feedback encouraging students to feel successful in their dancing and confident in themselves.

Spanning twenty-two years, during his professional career, Jeffrey performed principal and soloist roles with Joffrey II Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Sacramento Ballets, Cleveland / San Jose Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, as well as numerous guest appearances with small companies in the US and England. Some of his favorite roles include The Moor in Jose Limon’s Moor’s Pavane, Franz in Coppelia, Balanchine’s Tarantella, Le Corsaire pas de deux, Prince Seigfried in Swan Lake, Fokine’s Spectre de la Rose, Prince Igor, Les Sylphide and The Old Soldier in Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table. Jeffrey was privileged to be in Robert Joffrey’s Remembrances and enjoyed dancing in many of Gerald Arpino’s ballets with the Joffrey and, in many ballets created by Dennis Nahat while with Cleveland/San Jose Ballet. Jeffrey had the good fortune to be a choreographic stand in for Baryshnikov when Jerome Robbins was choreographing Other Dances for Baryshnikov and Makarova at American Ballet Theatre in 1976.

Jeffrey started teaching at 17. He has been on the faculty of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, San Francisco Dance Institute, New York Academy of Ballet, Cleveland Ballet and the University of Akron. He has been on the faculty and choregraphed for Ballet Tucson, Tucson Regional Ballet and Tucson Dance Academy. He has guest taught throughout America, Mexico, Hong Kong and for several companies; National Ballet of China, Hubbard Street Dance, Dayton Ballet and Chautauqua Ballet to name a few. He has taught at The Joffrey Workshop Texas, Kaatsbaan in New York and Orlando Ballet School for summer intensives.

This season marks his fourth season as a member of Ballet Rincon faculty.

Gabi has been a part of many summer intensives and master classes with well known artists such as Jaci Royal, Lisette Bustamante, Mitchel Federan, Jason Kalish, Brooklyn Jai, Teisha Handy, and more. She has also taken part in the ASU dance experience and the U of A’s renknown Arizona Jazz Dance Showcase to further her dance experience. Gabi developed her knowledge of tap technique and tap history under the professional instruction of Jeze Zankich, one of the members of the professional all-women tap dancing group Tap That.

Throughout her teenage life she held the role as a Co-captain of her Varsity dance team, and is now a member of the executive board of the Breakout Adult Dance Company. This May, Gabi graduated from the College of Nursing at the University of Arizona, where she received her Bachelor Degree in the Science of Nursing. She hopes to later attend a second university to obtain a degree in dance.

Ms. Martinez enjoys working with children and loves to give back to her
community through the art of dance. This is her third season as a member of the Ballet Rincon faculty.

Mrs. Novinski earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona in 2014 and spent several years teaching K–5 in the Vail School District. She is now a stay-at-home mom to her two young children but continues to stay connected to the arts. Hannah dances and performs regionally with Funhouse Movement Theater.

She originally began teaching at Ballet Rincon in 2010, took time off to focus on her growing family, and is now excited to return to the studio. She enjoys instructing beginning and intermediate multi-disciplinary classes and looks forward to continuing to share her passion for dance with the next generation of young ballerinas.

Chloe graduated from Salpointe Catholic High School with high marks for academic excellence and as a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts – NHSDA. She was actively involved as a student leader on the schools’ Kairos retreat and in the Campus Ministry department. She was selected as one of five Salpointe students to represent the Tucson delegation at a national youth leader conference, and in 2019 was also recognized with the Youth Service Scholarship for her active role in community outreach within the greater Tucson area. Chloe received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Arizona in May of 2024.

Ms. Perdreauville teaches in both our ballet and jazz programs and is the Ballet Rincon Ensemble Assistant. We are thrilled to have her on our faculty roster for her fifth season in 2023-2024.

In addition to student teaching assisting, Shelby was a long-term member of Ballet Rincon’s Performance Ensemble, having the opportunity to perform various solos and roles in the studio’s full length ballet productions. Ms. Wilkens was also one of the original members of Ballet Rincon’s Repertory Ensemble, which consisted of a hand- selected group of students with the unique opportunity to collaborate on innovative projects and serve as ambassadors for the studio. While in the Repertory Ensemble, she engaged in rigorous training and mentorship, learning and applying specialized techniques that enriched her artistry and professional development. This experience not only equipped Shelby with invaluable skills but also fostered a strong sense of leadership and artistry, preparing her for the next steps in her artistic journey.

Ms. Wilkens’ advanced professional training included summer intensives and masterclasses at The University of Utah School of Dance, The University of Arizona School of Dance, Fletcher Pilates, Ballet Tucson, as well as additional training from studios in Frankfurt, Germany. The list of dance artists with whom she has studied include but is not limited to: Marguerite Derricks, Valery Lantratov, Susan-Quinn Willams, Michael Willams, Margert Wright Tesch, Autumn Eckman, and Daniel Baudenistel. 

Outside of the world of Dance, Shelby is a full-time student at the University of Arizona earning her BSBA from Eller College of Management in Management Information Systems with a minor in German. She created her own Photography and Videography service (SBW Creations), and her photo and video works have been featured on Ballet Rincon’s social media platforms as well as on student dancer social media accounts affiliated with the University of Arizona’s School of Dance. 

Throughout her career, Shelby has mentored dancers, emphasizing the importance of technique, artistry, and expression. She believes in creating a supportive and inspiring environment where students can explore their creativity and develop their skills as dancers. She is thrilled to share her passion for ballet with the next generation of dancers at Ballet Rincon and looks forward to inspiring each student to reach their full potential.