​​Arizona Dance Education Organization (AzDEO)  

 2022-2023 Board Bios (terms begin Oct. 1 2022)                                                                        

                              Contact info: lmonson@cox.net      

 AzDEO is pleased to announce the Board for  2022-2023

Tiffany White-President
Tiffany graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Dance and Choreography and BS in Creative Advertising. I taught Dance at several  private and performing arts schools and danced professionally in several local companies in Washington D.C. before moving out to Arizona. While teaching high school and middle school Dance, I received my Master’s in Secondary Education from University of Arizona in 2015 and most recently, my Master’s in Counseling from Prescott College in 2019. This will be my fourth year teaching at Chandler High School. I was a member of the Arizona Department of Education’s Standards Revision Committee and the Student Learning Objectives Committee, and  sat on the ADE's SEL x Arts committee to help create lesson plans and other resources that encourage educators to connect the Social Emotional framework to State Arts Standards. I have served as a Grant Panelist for the Arizona Commission of the Arts and as a member of the Mesa Arts Center Dance Café, a group that was tasked at helping to revitalize the Dance community in Mesa. Currently, I am a member of the NCAAS Model Cornerstone Assessments Pilot Team. In 2019, I was awarded the Kathy Lindholm Lane Dance Educator of the Year and was recognized at a Gilbert Public Schools board meeting for outstanding work.

 
Jeanette Layton-President-Elect
Mrs. Layton started her dance career at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona. She soon found that she had a love and passion for not just dance but teaching as well. After high school Mrs. Layton continued her education in dance at SCC where she studied Dance Technology. While at SCC she also participated in the school's Movement Dance Company. After SCC she continued her studies at ASU where she majored in English Education and minored in Dance. While she was pursuing her degrees Mrs. Layton stayed active in the dance community by dancing with Mesa Arts Centers Offcenter Dance Company for nine years. She taught dance classes at the Mesa Arts Center for six years and directed the Jr Offcenter Dance Company. She also danced with Dulce Dance Theater for a season. After receiving her bachelors degree she began teaching at Central High School. While there she taught beginning, intermediate advanced and dance company classes, coached color guard and she choreographed the annual performing arts department musical. She also continued her education at NAU where she received her Masters in Educational Technology. She has been teaching at Westwood since 2010.

Jennifer Florey-Treasurer
Jennifer Florey is the dance educator at Castle Dome Middle School in Yuma, Arizona. Florey started the dance program at Castle Dome Middle School in July 2021, which was the first middle school dance program in Yuma. Prior to moving to middle school, Florey was the dance educator at Kofa High School in Yuma, Arizona for eight years. While at Kofa she traveled with her dancers to Hawaii for the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, San Diego for the Holiday Bowl Halftime Performance, and New York City. Florey has also brought a number of guest teachers down to Yuma for her students to experience, including Stephanie Rankin, Steven Iannacone, William Crowley, and Dustin and Sheraton Philips. Florey graduated from Hope College in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Dance Education under the direction of Nicole Flinn, and recently received her Master of Arts in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro under the direction of Dr. Mila Parrish. Florey currently holds the position of Treasurer for the Arizona Dance Education Organization, a chapter of NDEO, and was recently elected as a Member at Large for the Dance and the Children International board. I have been a member of AzDEO since 2013 when I began teaching in Yuma, AZ. I began attending events immediately, as well as bringing my students to the High School Dance Festival. AzDEO was a huge support for my growth in dance education. A few years later I became chair of the southwest regional committee, where I began a smaller version of the high school dance festival among the high schools in Yuma. In 2019 I became Treasurer of AzDEO, and also helped with the planning of the first Leadership conference in fall 2019.

Lauran Stanis-Secretary
Lauran Stanis started the dance program at Metro Tech High School in 2015. Since then, she has grown the program, collaborated with the theatre teacher for after school musicals, is a valued leader in the Dance teacher PLC in PXU, writes assessments, is the keeper of the dance curriculum Notebook for the district, and was named 2018 Teacher of the Year. In 2020, AzDEO awarded her the Kathy Lindholm Lane Arizona Dance Educator of the Year award and in 2021 she was a Governor’s Award for the Arts nominee in Arts Education. Her extracurricular activities are focused in the theatrical community of greater Phoenix. Lauran choreographs and teaches throughout the Valley at Childsplay, Phoenix Theatre, East Valley Children’s Theatre, Arizona Broadway Theatre, GreasePaint Youth Theatre among others. Lauran completed her MFA in Dance through Montclair State University where her research and creative work focused on the intersection of musical theatre dance and film. She also holds an MA in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado and a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University. I have been a member of AzDEO since 2016. I have served on the recognition committee, an adjudicator for HS festival, and as secretary for the past two years. As a member, I have regularly attended Pink Tutu Flu and the Educator Retreat and have presented sessions on technology and dance film. I have enjoyed serving on the board and wish to earn another term as Secretary. I truly believe in the work and efforts of AzDEO and want to help in a more meaningful capacity. I believe in our mission and I'm not afraid to engage in the challenging questions around dance education that have arisen in the past several years. Collaboration, problem solving, future-minded thinking, and knowing how to both lead and follow are all skills I've honed that make me a valuable member of a board. I also bring a sassy sense of humor, fabulous costumes (just ask the PXU dance teachers), and a whole lot of passion to every conversation!

 

Rebecca (Bekki) Price-Higher Ed Representative
 Rebecca Blair Price (Bekki) is the Dance Director and Assistant Professor at Grand Canyon University. Price has been with Grand Canyon University since 2011 where she teaches dance pedagogy, choreography, modern, jazz, dance research, and oversees the student teachers. Price received her MFA in Dance from Arizona State University. Her thesis research focused on implementing somatic practices into the choreographic process. She graduated from Slippery Rock University with a BA in Dance. Price’s aesthetic and choreographic style emphasizes the anatomic human body and physical components of dance. Her work requires her performers demonstrate a wide range of feelings and emotions through kinesthetic dynamics. My involvement with AzDEO has been limited up to this point. I have taught master classes in the past for AzDEO including at the high school dance festival and presented at the College Connections Expo. GCU has always had a great relationship with AzDEO and I want to continue that relationship and support future dance educators and our high school partners. I am passionate about education. I am inspired by the future dance educators that go through GCU’s program and I would love the opportunity to continue to inspire future dancers. My personal values align with the core values of AzDEO and would love the opportunity to support the mission of AzDEO and its partners to advance dance education centered in the arts.

 
Lynn Monson: Executive Assistant
Lynn completed Hartford Ballet’s Teacher Training Certificate Program in 1975, and began her teaching career co-directing
a branch school for Hartford Ballet. Over the years, she has taught dance to all ages at a variety of organizations. She studied Labanotation at the Dance Notation Bureau and is a certified Labanotation teacher. She completed a BA in Dance at ASU and performed with the Thursday in the Dark Dance Co. At Carmel Community Arts & Technology Charter School, Lynn worked as the Director of Arts Education and Community Performance, Operations Manager and Executive Director. At Carmel, Lynn was able to connect and expand her dance expertise to the other arts and K-12 education. She briefly worked as  a trainer for the City of Phoenix’s Artspace program. Lynn was a member of the team that wrote the Performance Objectives for the Arizona Dance Standards in 1997 and a member of the planning/writing team to revise the Arizona Dance Standards in 2005-06 and in 2015. She is a member of the Dance Notation Bureau, International Council of Kinetography Laban, National Dance Education Organization, former board member of the Arizona Alliance for Arts Education, and served on the board of the Arizona Dance Arts Alliance. Lynn was instrumental in the formation of the Arizona Dance Education Organization (AzDEO), and served as Secretary and President and has served as the Executive Assistant since 2009.  She served as the State Affiliate on the NDEO board.