Diane Ratley: Owner/Director
Ballet, Tap, Tots, Musical Theatre, Performing Arts, Competition Teams

Keshia Fields: Tap

Stephanie Johnson: Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Tots

Kathy Magee: Lyrical Jazz, Jazz, Competition Teams

Kevin Williamson: Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop

Guest Teachers:

Angela Carter: Tap, Competition Teams

David Holladay: Ballet

Laurie Johnson: Tap

Diane C Ratley
owner/director
Ballet, Tap, Tots, Musical Theatre, Performing Arts, Competition Teams
Diane Ratley was born in England and began dancing at the age of three. She was trained by the Royal Academy of Ballet, The British Ballet Organization and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. At age five she passed her first ballet examinations with honors and by age twelve had passed all remaining ballet grades also with honors.

She then studied with the great ESPINOSA, founder of the British Ballet Organization and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy. Studying tap with Espinosa, she went on to become a stage performer at an early age, as well as working on TV specials and film.

Diane was presented by the Duke of Edinburgh with a gold medal for her dancing achievements through his "National Award Scheme", and was the holder of the "Aggregate Stage Dancing Cup" for five consecutive years. In addition, she held the winning title of the "All England Stage Competition" at age sixteen.

Her love of dance continued and she starred in, and choreographed many musicals such as “Oklahoma”, “Finian's Rainbow”, “My Fair Lady”, “Carousel”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Paint Your Wagon” and “West Side Story”. She became an associate of the Imperial Society of teachers of Dancing and has now been teaching for over forty years, as well as being a national adjudicator invited to judge competitions in many cities in the USA.

Her goal as owner and director of The Dance Center, is to impart as much knowledge as possible to her students, giving them the opportunity to train and become professional if this happens to be their desire, or to give them the opportunity to have fun in a safe environment through dance classes and learn how to express themselves through dance and movement building their self-esteem.

The life long gifts that dance training offers will be one of the most beautiful gifts that a parent can give their child and Diane wishes that all children that come to The Dance Center will one day look back and cherish the memories of going to class with their parents as she did.

Stephanie Johnson
Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Tots
Stephanie Johnson graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in theater and dance with an emphasis in dance performance.  She trained at Clifton Dance Project and Edge Performing Arts Center and has been teaching for more than 15 years at studios in Huntington Beach and local colleges. She has performed in numerous LA based benefit concerts. Stephanie loves teaching dance to all ages and hopes to see her love for dance shine through her students.

Kathy Magee
Lyrical Jazz, Jazz, Competition Teams
Kathy Magee has been teaching dance for 12 years from coast to coast. When not teaching, she was performing in shows such as American Superstar, Las Vegas Legends in Concert, Myrtle Beach, SC, Frightfest, NJ, and numerous shows in Los Angeles. Some of these were "Cirque de Main", "Tap on Broadway", "Stomp Review" and "La Nuit Parisienne" in which she choreographed.

She could be seen on NBA Allstar games, The Cut, MTV, Olympic Games, Extreme Games, and multiple music videos. Kathy also graduated from the Integrative School of Nutrition in New York City as a Holistic Nutritionist. She currently works at creative nutrition and teaches at dance conventions and The Dance Center.

Angela Carter
Tap, Competition Teams
Angela Carter is from Toledo, Ohio where she started dancing at the age of three. She has extensive professional training in tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet and lyrical dancing. Angela is a member of Tapsounds Underground under the direction of Gregg Russell. She has performed in various shows throughout the country including the opening for the Mary J. Bilge concert tour and Mark Goodman's "Seal With a Kiss". Angela has appeared on various awards shows including the NAACP National Awards Ceremony. Angela works with Open Window Entertainment, a touring theater company. She recently appeared in a commercial for Carvel Ice Cream.

Angela is a graduate of the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio.

David Holladay
Master Ballet Teacher
Mr. Holladay's early career as a dancer spans a wide range of soloist and principal roles with companies all across the U.S. as well as engagements as an independent guest artist. He has worked under the direction of such notables as Stanley Holden, Fernand Nault, Hector Zaraspe, Balentina Peryaslavic, Robert Denvers, David Howard, Edward Villella, Patricia Wildes, Ben Stevenson, and Terrence S. Orr.

In June of 1989 Patricia Wilde invited him to direct the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, where he developed a complete and intensive training program that is widely recognized as one of the country's finest. The School's alumni have gone on to become members of several companies, including New York City Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Louisville Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Ballet West, Milwaukee Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Kansas City Ballet St. Louis Ballet, Ft. Worth/Dallas Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater of Harlem, Ballet Tech, The White Oak Project, and American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company. No less importantly, graduates of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School/Schenley High School professional training program have gone on to attend or graduate from Harvard, Oxford, Cornell, William and Mary, Juilliard, Brown, The University of Illinois, Michigan State, and a host of other universities around the country.

Mr. Holladay has worked wtih schools and companies throughout the U.S. and in Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. As a guest teacher, choreographer, lecturer, presenter and consultant here in the U.S. he has worked with, among several others, Cincinnati Ballet, American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company, Brooklyn Ballet, the Northeast and Southwest Regional Dance Festivals, the Vail International Teacher's Conference, Ballet Project, The Carlisle Project, Duquesne University, Hallmark Television Productions, the National Association of Schools of Dance, Dance USA and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Having accomplished Miss Wilde's charge to "build a school," Mr. Holladay resigned the directorship of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School after an 11 year tenure in order to better meet increasing demands as an independent consultant. Prior to joining Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (1985 to 1989), Mr. Holladay directed the School of Ballet Oklahoma,at the invitation and under the direction of Edward Villella.

Graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California with a major in Social Psychology and adjunct studies in Cinema, Linguistics, Public Administration, and Comparative Literature, Mr. Holladay brings a unique set of skills and qualifications and a wealth of experience to his work in the field of dance.

Laurie Johnson
Master Tap Teacher
Laurie began dancing as a child at her mother's studio in New York, The Adele Johnson School of Performing Arts. She received a BA from the George Washington University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. Laurie's previous career included stints on Capitol Hill and working as an executive at various Fortune 500 companies.

Laurie gave up her corporate career, because she wanted to tap dance. Since she quit her six figure corporate job, she has tap danced on National television several times - first, with the late, great Gregory Hines, on his NBC sitcom, then as a featured guest on the John Walsh Show, Good Morning Texas and CNN's Real Life.

Laurie has since turned her creativity and passion into an exciting career. Today, she is a tap dancer, motivational speaker, life coach and author. A gifted speaker, Laurie inspires and challenges audiences to live up to their greatness. This is a lesson Laurie learned from her own life experiences and one she is helping others apply to their own lives. Her entertaining and innovative speeches are heralded as groundbreaking. Audiences are enchanted with her dancing and inspired by her powerful message. "Laurie's Passion Principles", her website, lauriejohnson.com and her book Rich by Choice Poor by Habit are the tools Laurie uses to guide people to pursue their passions, take intelligent risks, and live out their dreams.

Her book, Rich by Choice Poor by Habit, is a concise and easy-to-understand guide to some of the most powerful, life-enriching tools and principles. Her message, Live for Today, Choose for Tomorrow, inspires individuals to shake off mediocrity and "TAP IN" to their full potential in order to achieve complete personal and financial freedom.