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Ms. Deming began her training under the tutelage of Janet Reed, Fred Douglas DeMayo, Sarah Cook and Anne Hebard. She appeared with the the New Windsor Ballet, The NYCB at SPAC and at the Woodstock Playhouse. Her training in NYC included work as a trainee at Harkness House of Ballet Arts, American Ballet Theatre, and Finus Jhung. In 1981 Ms. Deming began her teaching career at The Hochstein Music School in Rochester, NY. Her interest in teaching ballet inspired her to enroll at the Hartford Ballet School to study pedagogy, dance and music history. While in Hartford she also performed with The Hartford Ballet Company. Returning to Rochester, she taught at a number of small schools from 1984 until 1987. In 1986 Ms. Deming became a founding member and Assistant Director of “The Studio”, now known as The Timothy M. Draper Center for Dance Education in Rochester. She is also a founding member of the Draper Dance Theatre, currently known as the Rochester City Ballet. In addition to dancing as a soloist, Ms. Deming served as Assistant Director in the company’s formative years. Since 1986 she has focused her energies towards the development of serious students. This progression entails teaching intermediate and advanced students the beauty and discipline inherent in this exacting art. A demonstration of Ms. Deming’s success as a teacher is the number of former students dancing in major companies throughout the U.S. and Europe. Among them are, Aesha Ash (NYCB, Bejart, Lines), Sarah Lane, Kristy Boone (ABT), Jim Nowakowski (Houston Ballet), Jonatan & Gabriel Davidsson (National Ballet Canada, Swedish Nat’l Ballet), Tina Brock (Hubbard Street), Hayley Meier (River North), Jordan Drew (Cirque de Soleil), Cameron Thomas (Kansas City Ballet), Jamie Cullen (Tulsa Ballet). Many adult students not going on to professional careers as dancers, gained lifelong respect for the decorum and discipline of the art form.

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Dana Shavin's essays and articles have appeared in Garden and Gun, Oxford American, The Sun, Today.com, Psychology Today, Parade, Bark, The Writer, PBS's Next Avenue, AARP's The Ethel, Fourth Genre, Appalachian Review, storySouth, Alaska Quarterly Review, Chatter, Get Out, and numerous other commercial and literary magazines (full publishing history at Danashavin.com). She is an award-winning humor columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the author of a memoir, The Body Tourist: A Memoir of Hunger and the Search for Home (Little Feather Books, 2014), and of Finding the World: Thoughts on Life, Love, Home and Dogs, a collection of her most popular columns spanning twenty years. She has conducted writing workshops at the Meacham Writers Workshop, Keystone College in PA, and at Chattanooga State, and has been a guest speaker at fundraisers, book clubs, writers’ groups, colleges, and alternative worship centers. She was a therapist for many years, and is a Certified Professional Life Coach.

Our teachers have unique backgrounds and training from Ireland, England, and America which give our school diversity and experience in all areas of dance, including team and solo competition, performance, exercise, and sharing the love of the tradition and culture of Irish dance. We each share the passion of teaching, and we are committed to the education and success of every student. Our lives have been influenced by many great teachers and dancers, and we are excited to pass on our knowledge to our dancers.

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Banjo and Mandolin
Dean has been involved in the folk and bluegrass music scene for several years. Starting out with banjo he has played and performed with many bluegrass bands. One of his early teachers on banjo was Eddie Shelton who was also Alan Munde’s first instructor. His primary style is three-finger “Scruggs” style, which is the foundational sound for banjo in a bluegrass setting. Dean honed his skills on the mandolin as well with the help of Roland White and Matt Flinner. He has played with several groups in the Chattanooga area and has performed at local venues such as the Three Sister’s and Boxcar Pinion bluegrass festivals and events at Miller Plaza. While teaching mostly bluegrass style he also teaches formal reading of music and classical, swing and jazz music styles as well. Beginner and intermediate students of banjo and mandolin are welcome.

Throughout her childhood, Monica Wright grew to love music and education beginning early in her childhood. She was homeschooled and spent much of her education outdoors, learning to observe nature’s changes. As she connected more with her natural environment, she also developed her love for music.
Because of her intense musical studies beginning with violin at age three, by high school Monica was performing in college orchestras like Providence College and Rhode Island College, adult classical choruses like the Providence Singers and mentoring middle school choirs in the Rhode Island Children’s Chorus. Monica went on to receive her undergraduate degree from Lee University in Cleveland, TN, with a teaching licensure and degree in Music Education with a vocal emphasis in 2019.
During college, she taught pre-k music classes at the Children’s Learning Center and student taught from grades pre-k to 12. She also began teaching private music lessons in violin and piano. Since her graduation, Monica has taught for three years at the Woodsong Forest School and received certifications in Trust-Based Relational Intervention and level 1 Orff Scheulwerk. According to the American Orff Scheulwerk Association, “In Orff Schulwerk classrooms, children begin with what they do instinctively: play! Imitation, experimentation, and personal expression occur naturally as students become confident, life-long musicians and creative problem solvers.”. She has a passion for teaching child-led, creative play in early elementary music and now specializes in Piano, Violin and Guitar!
She now teaches at River Gorge Forest School near Suck Creek and serves as a Pre-K teacher as well as the music teacher for all classes. Along with her passion for education, Monica enjoys writing and recording music, gardening, practicing yoga and hiking. She also loves creating food that heals and brings people together.

Lindsay Fussell is delighted to begin teaching Tap and Theatre Dance at the MACC.
She has choreographed the past three Signal Mtn Playhouse productions: Matilda
(’22), Bye Bye Birdie (‘21) and Annie (‘19) and appeared in MACC’s Holiday Lane
monologue play last December.

Dance teacher/choreographer/director/actor Fussell has long associations with
various theatres in the Chattanooga area. For the Chattanooga Theatre Centre she
has served as resident dance teacher since 1996, and has choreographed numerous
musicals for CTC. (Hairspray, Hello Dolly, Legally Blonde, A Christmas Story,
Chicago, Cabaret, Anything Goes, High School Musical, to name just a few) Lindsay
has also served as Director /choreographer for 9 to 5, Spamalot and Miracle on 34th Street at CTC.

At Chattanooga State she served as Movement & Dance instructor in the
Professional Actor Training program and has choreographed many musicals there,
including Big Fish, Into the Woods, Xanadu, Seussical, Secret Garden,The Drowsy
Chaperone and Nutcracker Christmas Carol.

She taught theatre dance and tap at Center for Creative Arts 1999-2019 and
remains as resident choreographer for the Choo Choo Kids and for the high school
musicals. Those include Chicago, Hairspray, Big, Hello Dolly, Tarzan the Musical,
Aida, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Lindsay has served as guest choreographer at Theatre Memphis, Stagedoor Manor,
and Stephens College. Fussell’s choreography has been seen internationally in
Germany, Portugal, South Korea and Italy; Her 2010 flash mob video, with 144
dancers, “Footloose in Chattanooga” can be seen on YouTube.

Jeremy moved to the Chattanooga area to attend Covenant College, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano in 2014. After graduating he has had the privilege of leading worship music at Grace Presbyterian in Jasper, TN, accompanying for student recitals, and playing for churches and weddings in the Chattanooga area. But his focus and joy has been teaching piano lessons to students from beginning to advanced levels, ages 5 to 70. He enjoys coaching and encouraging his students through their challenges with manageable steps.

Jordan is a freelance educator & clinician serving students across East Tennessee & North Georgia. From Seymour Tennessee, Jordan attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to study music education and tuba performance under Kenyon Wilson. Jordan works closely with the Signal Mountain Middle/ High School Band programs, as well as programs across Hamilton County and North Georgia.

Elizabeth DeSeguirant holds a dual BA in Fine Arts/Theatre Arts and has enjoyed an exciting career teaching, dancing, choreographing and producing in cities across the US, including NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, Washington, DC and Tampa, FL. She has danced with numerous companies and residencies including Psophonia Dance Company (TX), Dancepath Theater (TX), Hope Stone's Hopewerks (TX), Amalgamate Dance Company (NYC), and Gin Dance Company (DC), as well as served as faculty member and choreographer for a number of schools and studios including YES Prep Southeast (TX), BalletNova center for Dance (DC), Metropolitan School of the Arts (DC), Premier Dance Academy (FL) and St. Petersburg College (FL). Elizabeth has also served as assistant producer for Project Dance Times Square, Choreographer for the NYC equity production of Job and the Snake, Choreographer for YAGP finalists and semi-finalists, and guest choreographer for numerous recitals, solos and showcases. In 2015, Elizabeth started the project-based dance company ONELIGHT which seeks to serve local artists, professionals, and audience members with work that will have a positive and lasting effect. To date, ONELIGHT has raised and helped raise over $8,000 for organizations that serve their local communities with vital, life-changing services. Elizabeth also served as co-founder of Pinellas Dance Collective and BRIDGEfest, an organization and annual production that worked to connect dancers and professionals in the greater Tampa Bay area through teaching, class and performance opportunities. Elizabeth and her family moved to Chattanooga in the Spring of 2020. She currently teaches at Chattanooga Ballet and Mountain Arts Community Center. onelightdance.org