On the 3rd Saturday of each month, Fort Bend Academy of Arts & Dance hosts FBAAD FUN SATURDAYS, a series of dance workshops for children and adults. Since 2007, Fort Bend Academy of Arts & Dance has been proud to serve the Missouri City and Fort Bend County area. As a thank you, we want to invite you and your family to participate in our community dance workshops!
Upcoming FFS Dates
October 21, 2023 – Healthy Hip Hop with Jalon Turner
November 18, 2023 – Line Dance
December 16, 2023- Praise Dance with Mayra Bullock
January 20, 2024 – Contemporary Jazz with Vincent James
February 17, 2024* – Ballet Masterclass with Lauren Anderson (10 a.m. Ages 12+ only)
March 16, 2024
April 20, 2024 – Gospel Fitness with Marlene Watts
Classic Dancewear, t-shirt/tank and leggings, or other appropriate athletic wear (no jeans). Hip Hop – sneakers, Tap – Tap shoes, Ballet – Ballet shoes, Jazz – Jazz shoes, turners, or dance socks
What should I bring?
Please Bring Personal Water Bottle
What is FBAAD's observation policy?
In an effort to lessen the traffic in the building, there will be no full class parent viewing. Parents will be allowed to view the end of class at 10:45a.m. and 11:50a.m., respectively
What is FBAAD's COVID protocol?
FBAAD is practicing strict CDC guidelines for safety – masks are optional
It’s All Good At FBAAD!
Check out our monthly 5, 6, 7, 8 Newsletter to stay in the know on what’s happening at the studio.
Brenden Winkfield dances with Open Dance Project, a contemporary company in Houston. Brenden, originally from Long Island, New York, danced competitively with David Sanders Dance Dynamics for eight years. While in New York, he was also invited to perform in multiple large-scale shows like The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Brenden moved to Houston at age 13. After high school, Brenden went to work for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Princess Cruise Lines as a dancer and performer on their entertainment fleets. He went on to perform as a tap soloist in Tokyo Disney’s Big Band Beat in Japan, and was a finalist on season 14 of SYTYCD.
Whylan Rucker has studied the art of dance through various styles, including, ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, hip hop, and musical theater. She attended Clifton J. Ozen Magnet High School and served as the Captain of her Drill Team during her Sophomore year. During her collegiate years, Whylan enhanced her experience as a choreographer and director by working at The Art of Dance Studio, teaching ballet, jazz and contemporary. Currently, she resides in Houston, Texas, where she teaches commercial dance classes and serves as a high school dance director. Her goal is to spread her passion and knowledge for dance and performing arts, with a focus on execution and performance quality. More importantly, she has the true desire to help dancers of all backgrounds understand WHY they love to dance.
Loren Holmes created Hearts in Motion in 2018 simply wanting to brand herself and her passion. What she didn’t know was that it would metamorphosis into this brand that has built many partnerships, collaborations, and most importantly, a strong connection to the youth. Her small brand has turned into a business that she uses to reach youth and offer dance services. This company is now more than she ever could have imagined and the vision is still so much bigger than what you see happening.
All the Feels is a workshop that uses the power of improvisation to help dancers express themselves. With the use of improvisation and storytelling techniques, dancers will apply these techniques by creating and learning choreography. Our goal is to make sure that they leave feeling more confident in their ability to move, create and express their true selves.
Lauren Anderson is a native Houstonian and American ballet dancer. Anderson danced with the Houston Ballet from 1983 to 2006 performing leading roles in all the great classical ballets, appearing across the world to critical acclaim, and in the process, becoming one of Houston Ballet’s most beloved stars. In 1990, she was one of the first African-American ballerinas to become a principal for a major dance company, an important milestone in American ballet. She has danced all of the major classics, and Don Quixote and Cleopatra were created especially for her. January 2007, Anderson assumed her new role in Houston Ballet’s education department where she teaches ballet classes at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. In 2016, Anderson had her pointe shoes from her final performance placed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Lauren Burke is a native Houstonian with a BA in Dance from University of Houston. She has been recognized with “Best Emerging Artist” from the Houston Fringe Festival, an American Dance Festival’s top merit scholarship, “Houston’s Top 100 Creatives” by the Houston Press, and several articles and televised features for her collaborative works on UnCovering The Legacy: Black History Celebration of Dance and Visceral: An Examination of Beauty Standards. While in Houston, Burke has performed with Urban Souls Dance Company, Open Dance Project, FrenetiCore Dance Theater, & Dance Houston. She’s worked with choreographers such as Adam Casteñeda, Jenn Mabus, Walter Hull, Becky Valls, Teresa Chapman, Sara Draper, Eric Wreck, and Jennifer Woods. During her years in New York, she studied with Milton Myers (Horton), Max Stone (Contemporary) and performed the works of: Aimee Plauche, Bennyroyce Royon, Apollonia Holzer, and others. Lauren currently teaches Ballet, Horton, and Creative Movement alongside Charity Carter, the Founder and President of Edison Arts Foundation, where she is its Creative Director.
Micah Bullard was born and raised in Houston where he trained at The Dance Center of Baytown and taught at FBAAD. He received his bachelor’s degree in Ballet Performance from The University of Oklahoma School of Dance where he performed Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake and works by Merce Cunningham, Alejandro Cerrudo, Trey McIntyre, Amy Hall Garner, and Nilas Martins. Following graduation, Micah joined Oklahoma City Ballet as an apprentice, where he danced in Michael Pink’s “Dracula” and many classical works by Artistic Director Robert Mills. Micah is currently in his second season with Dance Theatre of Harlem where he has danced works by George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Helen Pickett, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Stanton Welch, Robert Garland, and Claudia Schreier. In addition to performing, Micah has taught master classes and educational workshops around the country.
Joseph Stevens was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, later relocating to San Antonio, Texas where he attended Tom Clark High School studying vocal performance and training in dance for 4 years under Director Sarah Visel. He continued his studies at the University of North Texas, earning a degree in the Bachelor of Arts in Dance under professors Shelley Cushman, Claudia Howard Queen, Mary Lynn Babcock, Robin Lakes, Erin Boone, Sue Collins, Karen Maclntyre, Whitney Geldon, and Lily Sloan. He serves as a dance educator at Hunter Dance Center and Cypress Dance Project. He is currently in his 7th season with Open Dance Project and 5th season with NobleMotion Dance.
Monica Josette is a native Houstonian who graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. Monica was the interim Artistic Director for FBAAD 2020-2021. She has served as the Director of the Edison Arts Foundation’s S.T.A.R. Program from 2021-present. Her most recent projects include choreographer for HSPVA’s 2022 production of “Dreamgirls,” choreographer for On The Verge Theater’s production of “Runaways,” choreographer for The Ensemble Theater’s production “Southern Discomfort,” and associate choreographer of Theater Under The Stars’ production of “The Secret of My Success!” Josette is currently the Casting Director for TUTS’s upcoming production of “RENT” The Musical!
Jalon Turner
Jalon Turner is a professional dancer hailing from the vibrant city of Houston, Texas. He has showcased his dance skills as a part of esteemed performance companies, such as the electrifying Houston Rockets Launch Crew, the creative powerhouse known as Highclass Productions, and the world-renowned Fly Dance Company. As a dedicated Bboy, he’s traveled to international dance battles as well. Through it all, instructing has held a special place in his heart.
Vincent James
Vincent E James is a native of Houston, Texas and graduate from the High School of Visual and Performing Arts. He has performed with the Philadelphia Dance Company, during the American Dance Festival School, at the Duchense Academy. He is also a former member of the Sandra Organ Dance Company, the Dallas Black Dance Theater, the Park Street Dance Company, and the Houston Grand Opera Ballet. Coming slowly and powerfully out of retirement, he continues to shine his light and showcase his tenured talents around the Greater Houston area.
Marlene Watts
Marlene is a Houston native and began her classical dance training at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts at age 14. Thanks to her wonderful HSPVA Instructor, Paula Sloan, her professional career was jump started with the Houston Symphony as a tap dancing reindeer in A Very Merry Pops Holiday Concert.
From there, Marlene spent 10 years off and on performing with small modern dance companies, dancing in off-Broadway musicals and site-specific Operas, doing VoiceOver work, background acting, and commercial dance work in independent music videos throughout Houston, TX and New York City. Some of her hometown credits include: Urban Souls Dance Company, SonKiss’d Dance Theatre, Houston Dynamo Girls, and Houston Urban Nutcracker. Marlene joined the list of Houston Chronicle’s Top Fitness Pros in 2022 and currently teaches pop-up classes online and in-person for her Gospel Dance + Tone fitness class as well as teaching indoor cycling, bounce, and barre group fitness classes. Marlene holds a BFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (’09) as well as a MA in Dance Education from Hunter College (’19). When she’s not dancing or teaching a group fitness class, she enjoys spending her free time with her two dogs Nala and Q-Tip, trying different seafood dishes/Asian cuisine, or meditating.
Sanchel Brown
Sanchel is a highly acclaimed performing artist/spiritual fitness coach. She began her career in Brooklyn, NY as an apprentice with Urban Bush Women before pursuing a fruitful career as a freelance artist. Sanchel is a 2022 US Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador with Next Level International Hip Hop Diplomacy initiative by the U.S. Department of State. She recently completed travels to The Philippines and Senegal, West Africa as a performing and teaching artist. Sanchel has received several awards for her creative vision including the 2023 Broadway World award for best choreography for Theatre in the x’s production of “Dreamgirls. She holds a robust performance and teaching experience across the United States and is a reiki practitioner, and ACE certified fitness coach.
Brenden Winkfield dances with Open Dance Project, a contemporary company in Houston. Brenden, originally from Long Island, New York, danced competitively with David Sanders Dance Dynamics for eight years. While in New York, he was also invited to perform in multiple large-scale shows like The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Brenden moved to Houston at age 13. After high school, Brenden went to work for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Princess Cruise Lines as a dancer and performer on their entertainment fleets. He went on to perform as a tap soloist in Tokyo Disney’s Big Band Beat in Japan, and was a finalist on season 14 of SYTYCD.
Whylan Rucker has studied the art of dance through various styles, including, ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, hip hop, and musical theater. She attended Clifton J. Ozen Magnet High School and served as the Captain of her Drill Team during her Sophomore year. During her collegiate years, Whylan enhanced her experience as a choreographer and director by working at The Art of Dance Studio, teaching ballet, jazz and contemporary. Currently, she resides in Houston, Texas, where she teaches commercial dance classes and serves as a high school dance director. Her goal is to spread her passion and knowledge for dance and performing arts, with a focus on execution and performance quality. More importantly, she has the true desire to help dancers of all backgrounds understand WHY they love to dance.
Loren Holmes created Hearts in Motion in 2018 simply wanting to brand herself and her passion. What she didn’t know was that it would metamorphosis into this brand that has built many partnerships, collaborations, and most importantly, a strong connection to the youth. Her small brand has turned into a business that she uses to reach youth and offer dance services. This company is now more than she ever could have imagined and the vision is still so much bigger than what you see happening.
Lauren Burke is a native Houstonian with a BA in Dance from University of Houston. She has been recognized with “Best Emerging Artist” from the Houston Fringe Festival, an American Dance Festival’s top merit scholarship, “Houston’s Top 100 Creatives” by the Houston Press, and several articles and televised features for her collaborative works on UnCovering The Legacy: Black History Celebration of Dance and Visceral: An Examination of Beauty Standards. While in Houston, Burke has performed with Urban Souls Dance Company, Open Dance Project, FrenetiCore Dance Theater, & Dance Houston. She’s worked with choreographers such as Adam Casteñeda, Jenn Mabus, Walter Hull, Becky Valls, Teresa Chapman, Sara Draper, Eric Wreck, and Jennifer Woods. During her years in New York, she studied with Milton Myers (Horton), Max Stone (Contemporary) and performed the works of: Aimee Plauche, Bennyroyce Royon, Apollonia Holzer, and others. Lauren currently teaches Ballet, Horton, and Creative Movement alongside Charity Carter, the Founder and President of Edison Arts Foundation, where she is its Creative Director.