Kathleen Miller Pointe - Ballet - Jazz
Kathleen Bostick Miller, native of Ocilla, started dancing at the tender age of seven. She received early training from local studios. Upon graduation from high school she was accepted into the dance program at Brenau College in Gainesville, GA, which has been one of the most reputable dance programs in the southeast. While at Brenau, she danced with Brenau Dance Ensemble, a company that performed ballet, modern, and jazz works for school demonstrations and community programs in addition to an annual spring concert. This experience enabled her to work with such well-known teachers and choreographers such as Marcus Alford, Ron Jones, Jack Yantis, Annette Lewis, Penny Burr-Pinson, and Diane Callahan. Kathleen was also very involved with the Gainesville/Brenau Community Theatre, performing as Principal Dancer and Dance Captain in Broadway Musicals such as "Grease", "Jumpin", "My Fair Lady", and "Salute".
She graduated from Brenau in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ballet Pedagogy, a teaching degree. By doing so, she became one of few instructors in Georgia who hold this type of degree. The 4-year degree required an intense 2-year demonstration and internship as well as dance terminology, history, and choreography. The following September, she moved to Atlanta where she began teaching with accomplished studios as En Pointe, Backstage, The Dancers Studio, Hutchinson Dance Academy, and Dance Clayton. She also performed with a number of dance companies such as Atlanta Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Georgia, and Atlanta Dance Unlimited. She spent two summers working with C.A.S.T. (Clayton Alliance Summer Theatre) as choreographer for the musical productions of "Grease" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Her choreography found favor with Atlanta-area dance critics.
Kathleen is so happy to be joining the staff at Empire Dance & Performing Arts studio to continue her love of teaching the art of dance!
Lauren French Barnette Tap & Musical Theatre
Lauren Barnette is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Following graduation, the Georgia Native could be seen in and around New York City, Kansas, Tennessee, and Georgia performing in shows including: 9 to 5, Legally Blonde, Brigadoon, Oliver, Copacabana, State Fair, Kiss Me Kate, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Carousel, Grease, Swing, Kiss Me Kate, Jekyll & Hyde, King and I, Annie, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Chaos Trade, Up in Central Park, Annie Get Your Gun, and various comedy sketches. In addition to performing Lauren has had experience teaching in New York City and was the Director of performing arts at a bilingual educational school in North New Jersey teaching children piano, voice, sight reading, dance, acting, and performing arts. She studied private piano and voice for over twenty years and was trained professionally in NYC in Dance and Acting. Lauren has a passion to teach, and her goal is to help mold and shape the lives of children through the Performing Arts. Pablo Picasso once said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." Lauren would love to help your student grow as a person and artist by teaching skills that will leave a positive impact for years to come.
Alex Rasmussen Acting & Agent Showcase
Alex was born and grew up in Iowa. In middle school is when she first started her love for musicals and singing. Then in high school, she had the option for theatre classes, where she explored Improv and acting. Her senior year, she applied and auditioned for AMDA in NYC. She got in, and fall of 2008, started her journey in the Big Apple.
At AMDA, she learned everything there was to know about Singing, Dancing, Acting, Musical Theatre, Improv, Film/TV acting, auditioning, and more! After graduation, she got the opportunity to move to Orlando to continue her dream and work as an actress at the Holy Land Experience. She played many different biblical characters, and a few animals (We all have to pay our dues) and worked at other theaters and theme parks (Sea World, Universal).
Something was still missing in her heart, and that was teaching. So she got a job at an acting school in Orlando. The students would come in, learn a scene, monologue, commercial and song. Then they would present that to different Orlando Agencies, and some would join those agencies, and start getting jobs. One of Alex's students went on to be very successful, Millie Brown (Now known as Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things) got invited to a big L.A. convention with even more agents. She did a few other things first, went though many auditions, keep trying and now is a working actress. Alex was privileged to teach a few other places in Orlando as well, when Lauren and her talked about opening their own studio in Cordele, GA. Alex is excited to be in Cordele with her family and her Empire family and feels very blessed everyday!