Studio Director, Tena Novy (Ms. Tena), is beginning her 32nd year of teaching.  She began her ballet training at age 7 with Veronica Gaw from England, and continued her primary training with mentor, Pat George Mitchell, founder and director of Longview Ballet Theatre.  After becoming a Longview Ballet Theatre charter member at 12, Ms. Tena continued her training attending summer workshops at Texas Christian University working with such teachers as Arthur Mitchell, Dance Theatre Of Harlem founder and director, and New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, and Royes Fernandez, American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, and Ballet Theatre teacher.  At ages 14 and 15, she was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship for summer study in New York for 6 weeks at The School Of American Ballet (SAB), the training ground for New York City Ballet.  At 15, she was invited to study year round at The School on full scholarship, and did so for the next two years finishing high school at Professional Children's School.  While training at SAB, Ms. Tena was blessed to study intensely six days each week with such famous teachers as Stanley Williams (Bournonville method), Suki Schorer (Balanchine technique), Muriel Stuart (discovered by and trained with Anna Pavlova, and Enrico Cecchetti), and legendary Russian Ballerina Alexandra Danilova.  After an ankle surgery at 17, Ms. Tena left New York and attended Texas Christian University on one of the two Nordan Fine Arts Scholarships where she also danced as a soloist with Ft. Worth Ballet under the directorship of Fernando Schaffenburg, and received training in  Graham Technique with Jerry Bywaters Cochran.  She was a member of the Kilgore College Rangerettes 1979-1981, and is a member of Rangerettes Forever.  Besides guesting with Longview Ballet Theatre on several occassions, she has had the privilege of commissioning works for the company, and has had the honor of choreographing for Rangerette Revels.  She has choreographed many, many pieces for students over her past 28 years of teaching.  She has taught ballet classes at Kilgore College, worked with The Longview Arts Council bringing dance into the public schools, and has had the joy of watching students get dance degrees, become wonderful teachers, found company's, become drill team directors, Ballet Magnificat Trainees, several students who went on to become Rangerettes themselves, as well as those who continued their training at various summer intensives such as American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Ballet Magnificat, Austin Ballet, Ballet Academy Of Texas, Texas Ballet Theatre, and Texas Christian University, but mostly, she has been privileged to see so many  treasured students grow into amazing people making beautiful contributions to life.  From the beginning, it has been an honor for Ms. Tena to be a part of Blue Jeans And Ball Gowns, the annual fundraiser benefiting the children who are a part of CASA.  Ms. Tena's greatest blessings came from raising her four amazing children, and now she has the incredible joy of being a part of the lives of her six grandchildren.   

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Brazie Adamez (Ms. Brazie) is coming back for her 8th year with The Dance Studio Longview.  She received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Texas in Austin, and taught for McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy's Dance Department in Austin for nearly 10 years.  Prior to living in Austin, Ms. Brazie was a Rangerette and Rangerette Officer from 1991-2001.  She is a certified Arts Integration Specialist, and often goes back to Austin to assist in Austin's Creative Learning Initiative, teaching classroom teachers the magic of movement in the classroom.  Married, and a mom of four, she is also an 8th grade Computer Literacy teacher for Kilgore Middle School.  Ms. Brazie also spends her summers working for the Texas Shakespeare Festival in Kilgore, and is a board member for both the Reel East Texas (Film Festival) as well as the Kilgore Historical Preservation Foundation.

 

McKenna Airhart (Ms. McKenna) is the competitive dance company's, Grace En Motion (GEM) Sr/Jr, director, and trained with her mom, Ms. Tena, from the time she was 3 until she graduated.  Her training was in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, and tap.  She continued training during her summers while attending workshops at Texas Christian University, with Pat George Mitchell (Longview Ballet Theatre), Amanda Edge (New York City Ballet), at Ballet Academy of Texas, and in Tyler with Tyler Civic Ballet where she was also a company member and had many performance opportunities.  She attended several dance conventions to expand her dance training including JUMP, Joe Tremaine, and LA Dance Force.  Beginning in the 5th grade, she attended a Rangerette Summer Camp every year until she made the 68th line with the Rangerettes 2007-2009.  While a Rangerette, Ms. McKenna was blessed to have some special performance opportunities.  She performed in Washington D.C. at the Texas Governor's Black Tie And Boots Ball after President Obama was elected, at the UBS Thanksgiving Day Parade in Stamford Connecticut, and in Santa Barbara where she also had the opportunity to sing The National Anthem.  While at Kilgore College, she was a dance major taking ballet and modern classes from Cathy Beckman, and jazz and tap classes with Shelley Wayne.  After graduating from Kilgore College, Ms. McKenna moved to Denton to attend Texas Woman's University to continue her dance training studying with Sarah Gamblin (BeBe Miller Company).  While living in the DFW area, she taught at several schools and pre schools, including Texas Ballet Theatre, where she taught and choreographed for the Jr. Competition Team.  At Studio Dance Centre, she taught Pre Professional ballet classes, tap, jazz, modern dance, and a dance history class.  She was also the office manager, and a main choreographer for the performance company.  Ms. McKenna has taught drill team prep classes, and choreographed competition solos.  In 2014, she had the honor of  choreographing the Freshman dance for Rangerette Revels.  Before working at The Dance Studio Longview, she worked at FlexJobs in client services.  Ms. McKenna lives in Longview with her husband and two children.

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Sarah Fritz (Ms. Sarah)

 

Kassi Fountain (Ms. Kassi)

 

Mya Giselle (Ms. Mya)

 

Alexis Metz (Ms. Alexis) is a teacher for The Dance Studio Longview.  She began dancing with Ms. Tena at the age of 6.  During high school, besides ballet and pointe, she expanded the dance styles she took to include modern and hip hop, and attended summer intensives with Ballet Magnigicat and Ballet Academy of Texas.  At age 17, Ms. Alexis was recognized by the Trainee Director of Ballet Magnificat and was invited to be a trainee the fall of 2013 in Jackson, MI.  She danced for 3 years in the Professional Trainee Company with Ballet Magnificat, focusing on classical ballet, pointe, and contemporary.  In 2017 she graduated from the Trainee Program and moved to Tulsa where she danced part time, and danced as a full time instructor.  During this time she received ballet training from Matthew Bridwell, former principal dancer with Tulsa Ballet Theatre.  In 2017, Ms. Alexis retired from dancing and became a certified personal trainer.  Currently she works as a personal trainer in Longview where she lives with her husband, and enjoys teaching ballet classes. 

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Emma Kate Skinner (Ms. Emma)

 

Tandra Warnock (Ms. Tandra) grew up dancing in Beaumont with a strong foundation in classical ballet.  She came to our area to atttend Kilgore Jr. College where she was a Rangerette and Rangerette Swingster.  After graduating from Kilgore, we were blessed to have her teach at our studio for a couple of years before marrying her husband and having three daughters who have danced with us since they were little ones.  Tandra was able to get back to teaching a little a couple of years ago.  She and her family are committed to their ministry at New Covenant Church where her husband is the Lead Pastor, and she leads Praise And Worship.  

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Assistant Charlotte Anne Bradshaw

 

Assistant Reagan Comeaux

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Assistant Madison Duncan​

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Michelle Fritz  is the studio's bookkeeper.  Her daughter Sarah danced with us for several years, and is now in her second year as a Tyler Jr. College Apache Belle.  Michelle is married to Richard Fritz and has 3 other children, Skylar, who serves in the Army, and Spencer, and Sawyer.  She is also the Administrator/Investor Relations for the Executive Director of LeTourneau University Foundation.  She attended Kilgore College and Tyler School Of Business.  Michelle was a home school teacher to her children for many years.  She loves the energy, the music, and the family at the studio, and loves to serve and assist in any capacity.  Although she no longer has a student at the studio, we are so incredibly blessed to still have Michelle with us.

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