About Our Staff
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
Tari Trosclair
Tari Trosclair has forty-two years of teaching experience. At the age of 16, she was chosen to teach for a Los Angeles based company which taught high school dance teams nationwide. She then entered LSU and was selected for the dance major program and as an LSU Golden Girl. She was a member of the LSU Golden Girls for five years and served as captain and choreographer for four years. After earning a degree in education, she taught at St. Amant High School and Episcopal High School as a dance instructor, and taught middle school at St. Aloysius. She then became a Jazz Dance Instructor with the LSU Theater Department.
Tari opened Tari’s School of Dance in 1987 with 50 students ranging in age from 3 to 20. With knowledge gained through graduate work in the MBA program at LSU, she expanded the school to over 500 students and a faculty of 13 teachers. She has received numerous National and Regional awards for choreography and student competition numbers from West Coast Dance Explosion, Tremaine Dance Conventions, Los Angeles Dance Force, LA Dance Magic, Company Dance, NewYork City Dance Alliance, Jump Dance Conventions, Hollywood Vibe, 24/7 and LA Underground. She served on the faculty for the Louisiana Dance Festival sponsored by the Louisiana Dance Alliance in Baton Rouge for two years as a jazz instructor and has served as an adjudicator for the LSU Golden Girls, LSU Cheerleaders, LSU Tiger Girls, Northwestern State Pom Line, SLU Lionettes, Saintsations, Honeybees, Dance Masters, Drill Team World, All Star Dance Camps, Marching Auxiliaries of America, the Miss LSU Pageant, the LSU Songfest, and the Louisiana
Junior Miss Pageant.
Tari’s students have gone on to win many titles, as well as to work professionally in New York and Los Angeles. They have also been chosen as LSU Golden Girls and Tiger Girls, New Orleans Saintsations, New Orleans Pelicans Dancers, Los Angeles Laker Girls, Dallas Maverick Dancers, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and New York Rockettes. Her Dancers have performed for area functions such as the Baton Rouge Cancer Ball and the Krewe of Achilles Mardi Gras Ball, with many also appearing in musicals by Debbie Allen performed throughout Baton Rouge.
In 2001, Tari developed a dancewear clothing line called Tari Wear providing her students with quality dance and athletic clothing.
She dedicates her life to teaching and exposing the young dancers of LA and MS to opportunities available, not only regionally, but nationally.
Alisha Captain has been training as a dancer for over 20 years with a strong background in classical ballet. Her technical training has aided her development in other styles, including Graham and Horton modern techniques, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and pom. She began studying tap and ballet in Louisiana with Susan Ferrera, and later studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, under the tutelage of Jan Miller, former professional dancer with the American Ballet Theater and Joffery Ballet, and Miguel Lopez, former professional modern dancer and director of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Alisha later attended Louisiana State University where she served as a 4-year member and co-captain of the LSU Tiger Girls. Following graduation, she moved into the role of assistant coach and choreographer for the team. In 2010, Alisha helped lead the Tiger Girls to their first Hip Hop National Championship, beating teams from twenty-six other Division 1A colleges around the nation. After her tenure at LSU, she continued following her passion for dance through teaching and choreography, and in 2013, Alisha had the privilege of being assistant choreographer for Paula Abdul. Alisha feels blessed to have been able to teach and judge competitions both nationally and internationally, traveling to numerous countries to share her craft.
Blair Guilluame began her dance training at Creative Dance Center in Covington, Louisiana where she was a member of a modern dance company, The Dance Players. She continued her dance education at Northshore Academy of Dance and Tari’s School of Dance and was a member of Tari’s Company. While at Louisiana State University, she performed with the LSU Dance Ensemble and was an LSU Golden Girl for five years, serving as captain and choreographer from 2002-2004. In 2007, Blair moved to Houston where she danced with the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and worked as a nutrition coach for Life Time Fitness. Blair has taught dance in Louisiana (Tari’s School of Dance) and Houston (Connolly Dance Arts) and has choreographed for various groups, most recently the New Orleans Saintsations and is an instructor for the LSU dance program. She is a graduate of Louisiana State University where she received a B.S. in Dietetics, a minor in dance, and a MS in Human Nutrition. . She is a Registered Dietitian and you can visit her website at http://deliciouslygolden.blog-spot.com. Blair is currently the Golden Girl director.
Claire Cunningham is a junior at Louisiana State University from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has been dancing since the tender age of three and began dancing competitively at 8 years old. Claire has traveled across the country and has received countless awards and scholarships for her talent. She trained under several industrial choreographers throughout the years, as well assisting as a team member for Tremaine Dance Company for two years. As a Tari’s Pro Company alumnae, she has grown as a student and now serves as an instructor. After graduating from St. Joseph’s Academy, she moved to Lafayette, LA to attend ULL and dance for the Ragin Jazz dance team. She continued to pursue her ultimate goal and, the following year, transferred to Louisiana State University as a LSU Tiger Girl dance team member. She and her Tiger Girls team earned the 2024 national title in their Smooth Criminal performance and placed 3rd in their jazz routine. Claire will soon embark on her second year as a Tiger Girl, while majoring in Kinesiology - Pre PT. Dance training and helping other athletes (dancers) will always hold real estate in her heart.
Giulia Fedeli graduated from the Ballet Academy of the Teatro Carcano in Milan and later graduated with honors from the Certificate Program of The Ailey School in New York. While at Ailey she also performed with the Alvin Ailey Students Performance Group. After graduation, she worked with Francesca Harper, performing in New York City and Venice, Italy. She danced as a soloist with Rome, Italy based "Danza Prospettiva" - ARSlab Production from 2010 to 2016, touring in the United States, France, Germany, Bulgaria and Italy. While based in Rome she completed her studies and obtained her law degree in 2015. After spending one year in Shanghai, China, dancing and teaching, she moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and since then has been performing with New Orleans Ballet, Baton Rouge Ballet and Of Moving Colors Productions and teaching in several local schools. In 2019 she completed her Antigymnastique teacher training and became a certified practitioner.
Hillary Melara began her dance training at Tari’s School of Dance at the age of three. As a member of pro company, Hillary attended LADM, 24/7, Hollywood Vibe, Nuvo, Pulse, Jump, West Coast Dance Explosion, and Dance Makers and is trained in a variety of different styles. Hillary attributes her well rounded, diverse training to, not only, TSOD, but also, Sonya Tayeh, Kevin Maher, Jonathan Sison, and Cultura. She has participated in concept videos by Matthew Deloch and Rikashi Sensei and had the privilege of assisting Liz Imperio, Dean Tubic, Jordan Harris, Kim Wolf, Denise Dicharry, Gabi Guidry, and David Moore. Hillary is currently enrolled at Louisiana State University and pursuing minors in both Dance and Communications and Leadership. Hillary continues to train and pursue her dance career all while teaching at Tari’s School of Dance.
Ivy Delk received her ballet training in Atlanta Ballet’s Pre-Professional program, under the supervision of Rosemary Miles, Sharon Story, Armando Luna, and Martha Goodman. She attended numerous summer intensive programs across the country including: School of American Ballet, Houston Ballet, Nashville Ballet, City Ballet of
San Diego, Milwaukee Ballet, and PaciÀ c Northwest Ballet. Ivy eventually joined The Atlanta Ballet and continued on to dance for Nashville Ballet, Houston Ballet II, City Ballet of San Diego, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. She has appeared in a multitude of ballets over the span of her career, ranging from classical to neoclassical
works. Most notably, Ivy performed lead roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Rubies, Symphony in C, The Nutcracker, and Walpurgisnacht, as well as, classical roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Raymonda, Paquita, La Sylphide, Le Corsaire, and The Sleeping Beauty. This is now Ivy’s tenth year with Tari’s School of Dance. She is will begin transitioning from teaching recreational students to focus on creating a Pre-Professional ballet program within Tari’s School of Dance for students who wish to pursue professional careers in ballet.
Kennedy Cooks is a Georgia native and graduate of Brookwood High School. She grew up dancing competitively from the age of 4. She spent her formative years training at Dance Arts Centre in Suwannee, GA where she was awarded numerous national competition awards. She is currently pursuing a bachelors degree in Entrepreneurial Studies at Louisiana State University while being a second year member of the LSU Tiger Girls Dance Team and an executive member of the Black Student-Athlete Association. She is grateful and so excited to join the Tari’s family.
Kourtni Hughes is a Baton Rouge native and graduated from Baton Rouge Magnet High School. She is a Tari’s alumna and has attended various dance conventions across the south including Radix, Dancemakers, Hollywood Vibe, LADM and Streetz. Through her high school years she also trained under the dance program at Baton Rouge Magnet High, as well as serving as Vice President of the program. She choreographed many numbers in the spring and fall concerts at Baton Rouge High. She is currently attending Louisiana State University pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences, Pre-Medicine and a minor in Spanish while being involved in various student organizations on campus. She currently serves as the associate chair of PERTA within LSU ambassadors and the secretary of the Eta Kappa Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, INC. She currently teaches 5 & 6 Hip Hop and continues to find ways to be creative with her dance career
Londyn Daniel is from Hammond, Louisiana and recently graduated from Louisiana State University. She was on the Tiger Girls dance team for 4 years, and captain for 2 years. She and her team just recently were awarded National Champions in the 2022 UDA college nationals D1A Hip Hop division. She graduated with a degree in Kinesiology. She has grown up dancing all of her life and attended Lemoine Academy of Dance and was on the St. Thomas Aquinas dance team. She has taught dance for many years and is so grateful to be a part of the Tari’s family.
Lyndl Barrick is a 23 year old born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.She is one of six kids and comes from a big family. She started dancing at Tari’s School of Dance when she was 12 years old. Lyndl started to fall in love with the art of ballet. In order to further her education in classical ballet she moved away from home at the young age of 15 to study at a local ballet school in the heart of Houston Texas. Later on she moved to train at the Orlando Ballet School. Unfortunately she had a major hip injury which led her to ending her career early. Now she is teaching amazing young dancers what many knowledgeable professors have taught her along with starting a family of her own.
Makayla Hertzock started her dance training at Tari’s School of Dance in Baton Rouge Louisiana at the age of three and was a member of pro company for eight years. As a pro company member, Makayla attended numerous competitions and conventions including, West Coast Dance Explosion, Jump, Pulse, Nuvo, Hollywood Vibe, Dancemakers, LADM, Ash, and 24/7. During her senior year of high school, she performed with a professional company, LEHER Dance and was president of Baton Rouge Magnet High School’s dance program, where she choreographed a variety of dance pieces. Upon graduation, she began training under current LSU Tiger Girl coach, Kandace Hale, on the championship team, LA Fierce, in addition to training and assisting Shayla Taylor, Matthew Deloch, and Denise Dicharry. Makayla has also continued dancing at Louisiana State University. Makayla is excited to continue her dance career by teaching at Tari’s School of Dance.
Sami Koppenhagen grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana and trained at Cathy Kurth Dance Academy for fifteen years. While attending Louisiana State University, she continued dancing under Kandace Hale as a member of the LSU Tiger Girls. While on the team, they placed in the top four in the D1A Hip-Hop division at the Universal Dance Association National Competition each year and placed in the top four in the Jazz category her senior year. Sami coached University Laboratory School’s high school dance team for two years, choreographed high school dance team routines, and has taught at both Machita Dance Company and Tari’s School of Dance. Sami graduated from LSU May of 2020 with a General Business degree and a minor in Dance. She is now the Manager at Tari’s School of Dance, where she also continues to teach and share her passion with her students.
Sarah Broekhoven began dancing at the age of one and a half, soon began soloing at the age of four, and danced competitively for fourteen years. Sarah has trained in many disciplines of dance but has always had a special love for tap. She attended numerous masterclasses with renowned tap dancers including Dianne Walker, Anthony Morigerato, Mike Minery, Sam Weber, Derick Grant, Brenda Bufalino, Star Dixon, Ayodele Casel, and Jason Janas. The highlights of Sarah’s professional career, thus far, include dancing backup for Beyoncé at Super Bowl XLVII, performing in the ensemble of Rivertown Theater’s production of 42nd Street, teaching tap as an Adjunct Professor for the Film and Theatre Department of the University of New Orleans, serving as the Assistant Choreographer for Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre’s production of Pippin, and being a professional company member of Gulf Coast Theatre on Tap for several years. In addition to being a dance teacher, Sarah is a Registered Dietitian who works for the YMCA of the Capital Area as the Director of Nutrition and Community Engagement. She is also a Fitness Trainer for Pilates Plus and is certified in the Lagree Fitness Method. Sarah loves teaching tap at Tari’s School of Dance and is so proud of her students for all that they continue to achieve.
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Shannon Feet is a former studio owner of 20 years and teaches all levels of dance classes, focusing on ballet, jazz and tap. She is also a choreographer and her work has been recognized for excellence in jazz and tap choreography winning numerous awards in both regional and national competitions and conventions. Shannon attended the Master Teacher’s Courses and Certifications at the Broadway Dance Center. She is also a judge in the regional and national dance circuit. Shannon is excited to bring her knowledge of dance and business to Tari’s School of Dance. She looks forward to continuing her passion of dance and sharing it with all of her students!
Shayla Taylor is a Baton Rouge native and a proud alumni of Tari’s School of Dance Pro Company. Early in her dance career, she had the opportunity to be featured in several dance films under the direction of Robin Gee, performing in New York in conjunction with NYU for the original Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane Company, as well as assisting artists such as Liz Emperio, Clarice Young, and Maurice Watson. In 2020 she received her BFA at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a concentration in dance and choreography. After college, she began her professional career and performed with Helen Simoneau Danse Company, was accepted into the Camille A. Brown and Dancers Mentorship program, and choreographed work for North Carolina State University’s Dance program as an Emerging Artist. In 2022 Shayla was invited to become a New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellow as an apprentice for Urban Bush Women. With Urban Bush Women, she toured across the country to perform and help lecture several dance programs in the secondary and collegiate platforms. In 2022 She was an honored Alumni at her university for her accomplishments within the dance field. As a choreographer, she has been able to set works for a university, several music videos for artists in North Carolina and New York, studios along the east coast, and a dance film “La Danseuse Vieillissante ”. Shayla is very excited to be back home and looking forward to helping dancers grow as she continues to grow into her own dance pedagogy.
Theresa Langlois is a dance teacher, acrobatics teacher and choreographer. She has over 25 years experience in dance and 12 years in Acro and the circus arts. Theresa performs with the Acadian circus and Vaudeville Entertainment at Festivals, Mardi Gras Balls, parties and live events, where she performs on the Lyra hoop and Aerial Straps. She has choreographed for shows at the Manship Theater such as Hook & House of Fae, as well as for many dance competitions and UDA camps. Her choreography has won state and national titles for group and solo performances. Theresa is a certified yoga instructor and Acro teacher. She has taught hip hop, tumbling, beginner ballet, tap, jazz, technique, strength & conditioning, silks and lyra hoop. She is currently teaching tumbling, hip hop, and starting this summer our new two year old class at Tari’s School of Dance. Theresa will also be teaching technique for the St. Theresa dance team for the 24’-25’ season.