COME TO DANCE,
WALK AWAY INSPIRED!

KAR Dance Convention 2017 | Experience the hottest new choreography styles this season at our convenient one-day event!

Where
Sacramento Convention Center
1400 J St
Sacramento, CA 95814
When
September 16, 2017
8am – 5pm

Faculty Members

Erika Goe
Musical Theater

Erika Goe is a native of Riverside, California, and has been dancing since the age of four. Her 27 years of dance experience began at Just Plain Dancin’ of Riverside, where she trained for 12 years and then onto Riverside Ballet Arts, West Coast School of the Arts Irvine, EDGE Performing Arts Center of Hollywood, and Riverside Community College. Erika's dance training includes ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and some modern. Teaching dance is Erika’s true passion, and she has been teaching and choreographing for over fifteen years in and around the Inland Empire. Her work has been seen at California Dancer, Riverside Ballet Arts, University Dance Company of CSUSB, A.B. Miller High School, John W. North High School, Martin Luther King High School, Cope Middle School, Cal State Fullerton, Dance Horizons, Chaffey Community College, Riverside City College, Arlington High School, Elevate Dance & Fitness, and Kristi’s Forever Dancin’. Erika continues to work as a part-time faculty member at Riverside City College where she instructs beginning to advanced level jazz classes as well as Dance 6 within the dance department. Erika Goe graduated with her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology May 2005 and her MS in Educational Counseling October 2011.

Kira Dimartino
Jazz

Moving bodies while moving souls, Kira immersed myself into the dance culture twenty-eight years ago. Studying relentlessly, I moved through Dance Connection Scottsdale, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Etudes, Edge Performing arts California and Millennium Dance Center mastering all styles and movement as well as incorporating a fierce history in theater arts. Professionally, dance led her to the Phoenix Suns Dance Team, Royal Caribbean Broadway Revue, Superbowl XXX, Miss Dance of Arizona, Ballet Arizona’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and various Industrials. Her performance credits also include a back-up dancer for Ricky Martin’s, “She Bangs”, MTV’s “N-Synce Reunion Special,” “Broadway Review”, model/dancer for Matrix Hair, and local commercials for Toyota and Fiat. However, Kira’s true passion has always been teaching and choreography. Currently, she is one of the most sought after Master Dance Teachers in Arizona who is currently teaching and choreographing for some of the industry’s top dance students.

Marco Cruz
Hip Hop

Marco Cruz is a Choreographer, Dancer, Artistic Director, Judge, Master Class Instructor, and Leader in the Contemporary and Hip Hop Arenas. His musicality and attention to detail have been described as captivating, inspirational and breathtaking. His passion for dance is what has made him one of todayʼs most sought after choreographers and a true original in his field. His professional persuits have no end, he has performed in, choreographed, and directed music videos, commercials and award shows for recording artist such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Rihanna, Naturi Naughton, Olivia Newton John, Kenny Loggins, and Kwanza Jones; and production companies including Paramount Pictures, ABC, Nickelodeon, Disney, Power of Youth, Variety Magazine, and Nigel Lythgoe’s Dizzy Feet Foundation. Cruz is no stranger to the world of competitive dance. His works have placed first against some of today’s most elite dance studios. He has earned several National Championship Titles at some of the most prestigious competitions: ShowStoppers, Hollywood Vibe, Starpower, Hall of Fame, Hollywood Connection, Jump, The Dance Awards and KAR just to name a few. Dance education and instilling a respect of the art of dance is of primary focus for Cruz. Several of his students have chosen to pursue dance education at the collegiate level. Likewise, many of Cruz’s students have excelled in dance and the entertainment industry and have moved on to dance professionally for companies such as Joffrey, Ballet Hispanico in New York, Lines in San Francisco, Santa Barbra’s State Street Ballet, and many more.

Michelle Chandler-Smith
Lyrical

Michelle has studied under the guidance of Joe Tremaine, Gus Giordano, Dave Massey, Doug Caldwell, Sean Greene, and several others. She has also had the privilege of performing as a member of the jazz-based Eastside Moving Company and the modern-jazz Company Fusion, both in Seattle. After three years at Chapman University in Orange, California and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Theatre, she began her teaching career in Bellevue, Washington at Backstage Dance Studio. Several of Chandler-Smith’s students have won title awards regionally and nationally and have gone onto careers with Holland America, Carnival Cruise Lines, Stiletto Entertainment and are seen in many industrial pieces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York City, as well as Company work in Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Pennsylvania, Saipan and London. Michelle also sits on the judging panel regionally and nationally for KAR, Rainbow Dance and other esteemed Dance Competitions. Michelle continues to teach master classes, convention classes on staff at Kids Artistic Revue (KAR) and Dance Masters of America (DMA), and shares her choreography across the country, all of which she feels so honored and blessed to continue to do. Michelle is now Co-Owner/Director at Inspire Academy of Dance which opened this past summer 2016 in the Seattle area. Michelle is truly excited to be sharing her choreography, knowledge and insight with students willing to pursue the heart and soul of dance as an innovative and expanding art form.

Raymon Ashley
Tap

Raymon Ashley found his passion for dance at the young age of 8 years old, while residing in Northern California. He went on to attend the University of Arizona where he continued to study dance and furthered his training extensively in the styles of Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Tap where he graduated with his BFA in Dance. Raymon immediately went on to pursue a professional career in dance, booking jobs with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble as well as the David Taylor Dance Theatre, both companies located in Denver, Colorado. Raymon has had the honor and privilege of working with legendary educators and choreographers, Donald McKale and Milton Meyers. After pursuing his career in the "company" world of dance, Raymon made his way to San Diego as well as Los Angeles where he turned his sights to the "commercial" industry of dance. He booked steady work dancing in Industrials, Pepsi and Ford commercials as well as Music Video's with some of the music industries top recording artists. Once Raymon fulfilled his passions as a dancer, he began pursuing his career as a dance educator. His fresh, upbeat approach to teaching has made him one of the most popular and in demand teachers in Southern California as well as across the Country as a guest teacher. When not traveling as one of our fabulous Directors, Raymon spends much of his time traveling with "Fusion Dance" and "KAR Dance" Conventions. The VERY MOST rewarding opportunity in Raymon's life, is being the proud father of his amazing son, Rylan.

Your Dancers
Will Thank You!

Convention Price List / 6 classes + showcase at only $235

6 Classes

$185
 Jazz
 Tap
 Contemporary
 Hip Hop
 Musical Theater
 Audition Workshop

6 Classes +
Protege Performer Audition +
1 Parent Observer Band

$255
 Jazz
 Tap
 Contemporary
 Hip Hop
 Musical Theater
 Audition Workshop

$20 Parent Observer Band

Register Now