LINDA DOBBINS DANCE STAFF
The Best in the Business
LINDA DOBBINS
OWNER
Linda is the owner and artistic director of Linda Dobbins Dance. She has won numerous awards for her teaching methods and is well known for her national champion competitive teams as well as her pre professional program and having performers receive $200,000 in scholarships and actual job placement with her students.
Named “Best Dance Trainer in Birmingham” by Birmingham Magazine
Her training consists of 35 years of dance education in the fields of jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, funk, lyrical, contemporary, vocal and acting. Starting her career in dance and moving on to acting, Linda has been seen throughout the country in national, regional and local commercials, films and print-work. Linda moved from the professional aspects of dancing and acting to open her own professional dance training studio in 1994. Many of her dancers have moved on to the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Radio City Rockettes, college dance teams, Broadway Bound and LA Bound dancers and actors have been featured in films, television and commercials.
Linda has a husband of over 30+ years, Barry, and two wonderful children, Michael and daughter in law Nanda, and her daughter Anna Marie. Her devotion to God, family, friends and dance is known throughout the Southeast region where she has lived all of her life.
ANNA MARIE DOBBINS
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Anna Marie has been dancing since the age of 5. She has won numerous regional titles as well as National Champion Titles in the fields of jazz and hip hop. She has been trained under the “LDD” program as well as world renowned studios in Los Angeles such as “The Edge” and “Debbie Reynolds”. Anna Marie interned for the world renowned company The Pulse (home of Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Sonya and more superstars of the dance world)
Anna Marie is also a professional actress working the Birmingham, Atlanta, southeast, New York and Los Angeles Markets. She has been signed with MSA Dance Agency, Sovereign Talent, and Real People Talent Agency. Anna Marie is a graduate of Birmingham Southern with her BA in dance and choreography.
She can be seen in numerous feature films and television shows such as: Lifetime Movies, Footloose, Being Mary Jane, Cross, Stalked By My Doctor, My Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Evil Things, and more. She has also danced professional for TLC, Rod Stewart, The Beach Boy, Vegas Shows and more!
COWLEY GARRETT
Studio Manager/Instructor
Cowley Garrett is a native of Philadelphia, Mississippi. As a junior in high school, she was one of four dancers in the state of Mississippi to be accepted to the Mississippi School of the Arts where she studied in modern and ballet. Upon graduating from the Mississippi School of the Arts in 2019, she decided to further her education at the University of Alabama as a Dance Major and Business Minor. While studying at U.A., she has trained in ballet, modern, and jazz styles. Instead of graduating in the originally estimated four years, she has been able to complete her undergraduate degree in three years and graduates in May of 2022. She is currently working at Druid City School of Ballet where she teaches children of the ages 3-7 and helps at the RISE Center of Tuscaloosa teaching ballet to children with special needs. As a student in the Theatre and Dance Department, she is a member of the Dance Honors Society and teaches movement classes to students with cerebral palsy. Upon receiving her B.A. in Dance, she plans to continue a career in dance while working with children and those with mental or physical disabilities and eventually receive her Master’s Degree in Dance Education.
RENEE STREET
Academy Director
Renee grew up in Cartersville, GA. She graduated with a Bachelors Degree in education from Jacksonville State, then, went on to get her Masters Degree in Education and Educational Specialist degree at University of Alabama in Birmingham. She has been teaching in the public school system for 35 years. Renee joined our Academy as the Academy Director in 2017 and has really enjoyed the online learning programs as an educational choice for our pre-professional dancers.
Outside of the Academy, Renee enjoy spending time with her growing family. She has been married to her husband, Tommy, for 36 years. She has three daughters and two son-in-laws. She also loves Alabama football. Roll Tide!
HAILEY BEASLEY
Instructor
Hailey has been dancing since the age of 2, growing up in the competition and convention world. She was trained in various styles, including jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, lyrical, tap, ballet, pointe, musical theatre, and jazz funk. Hailey was won numerous awards and scholarships growing up, as well as assisted renowned choreographers for Artists Simply Human and Revel Dance Convention starting at the age of 16.
She moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 and signed with Go2Talent Agency as she started professional commercial work and auditioning. Most of her training took place at The Edge, Millenium Dance Complex, Tmilly Studios, KM Dance Academy, and more. She trained with various choreographers in various styles and was under the mentorship of Jojo Gomez, Mollee Gray, Sabrina Phillip, and Erica Klein.
Some of her professional work in Los Angeles included a music video with Vinadra Dunn, live performances for Rumer Noel and Mollee Gray, assistant choreographer to Nick Pauley for Elton John’s Aids Foundation promo video, and more!
She began teaching dance and choreographing at the age of 16 and has been able to teach for multiple conventions over the last year, which is where she found her true passion for teaching! In addition, Hailey has completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Kennesaw State University and obtained her personal training certification from NASM. She has experience working as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor.
SARA CHILDERS
Instructor
Sara is a native to Birmingham, Al. Raised in Hoover, originally trained under Frances Armstrong. As a graduate of Birmingham Southern College she trained under many excellent teachers in the Birmingham area. Some of which include: Mira Popovich, Ruth Henry, Teri Weksler and Monica Smith. She worked under Monica Smith as her assistant artistic director for 10 years. There she was the director of the competition team & a full time instructor teaching all ages. As the head of the competition team they competed with some of the best dancers in the southeast. They achieved many accolades some of which include “Best choreography”, “Judges Pic”, “Most Entertaining” and many more. She has experience teaching Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern & Musical Theater.
Mccall Hundley
Instructor
McCall Hundley is from in Mandeville, LA and has been dancing for twenty-two years. She trained at Northshore Academy of Dance on their Pro Company. McCall was a member of her high school dance team at St. Scholastica Academy and was named captain her senior year. She has trained under a variety of different choreographers including Stacy Boeddeker, Nate Poole, Lance and Daneille Guillermo, and Dee Caspary. While in college she was a member of the LSU Golden Girls, LA Fierce college dance training, a staff member for Universal Dance Association (UDA), and a part of LSU's dance ensemble. McCall has taught and judged all styles of dance at various studios and schools. She has choreographed halftime shows for different high schools across the South. McCall was a company dancer for Of Moving Colors Productions performing in the city of Baton Rouge, LA. She recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Accounting with a minor in Dance at Louisiana State University. McCall just moved to Birmingham and is so excited to be teaching at Linda Dobbin's Dance!
EMMA THEUS
Instructor
Emma is a graduate of the University of Florida where she was on Dazzlers, the official dance team of the Florida Gators. She began dancing at age 2 and competitively at age 5 at her mother’s studio where she was trained in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre. Emma has won numerous regional titles such as Senior, Teen, and Junior Miss Platinum, Teen Miss Legacy, Teen Miss Starsystems, and Junior Miss Starbound. Her national titles include 2015 Celebration Talent’s Senior Dancer of the Year, Teen National Miss Platinum, and Junior International Dance Idol. While dancing competitively, she attended Lavilla School of the Arts and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts where she was classically trained in pointe, ballet, and modern. Emma was also an apprentice for Tremaine Dance Conventions where she traveled across the nation assisting choreographers such as Derrick Schrader, Tiffany Maher, and Meghan Sanett. Some of her favorite dance memories have been dancing at Debbie Reynold’s studio in LA, modeling for Glamour Costumes catalog in NY, and appearing on Season 3 of Dance Moms!
PROTEGE PROGRAM
Teacher Assistant Position
To be Eligible:
Competitive Company Member going into their Junior Year
You must have received DOMinator
You must have a A/B average in academics and maintain that average while protégé. If your grades drop below an A/B average while protege, then you go on probation and your protégé duties/title are no longer effective until grades are back up. If you are in our Academy you (as protege) can never be more than 5 lessons behind or Protege will be on probation.
You must have a dance teacher recommendation.
You must not be involved in any other outside activities, as you are expected to be at the studio daily
You must score platinum or double platinum (whatever the highest score is of the competition) in elite and place top 3 overall at a competition. All done at one time (It can not be platinum at one competition and high gold top 3 at another.) There must be at least 10 or more dancers in elite solos and/or title for eligibility. It must also be a competition we are attending as a studio.
Duties:
Protégés will be assistants in classes and rehearsals for their protege year. They will be the leaders and mentors of the studio. They will be in charge of assisting at competitions and LDD outings.
Their senior year they attend all dance classes for free. A $2,500.00 scholarship and can return anytime after their senior year for free classes. They are also hired as a teacher assistant at $10.00 per hour.
It is the highest honor of our studio.