Meet The Team
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Instructor
Jolena Payan
Jolena Payan was born in San Diego, CA and began dancing at the age of 3! She graduated from the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Chula Vista and began her professional career aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. After gaining her sea legs, she performed in a variety of shows ranging from Superbowl XXXVII to American Superstars in Las Vegas. Performing was exhilarating but she discovered that her true passion was sharing the gift of dance with others when she began teaching and studying dance education. Jolena holds her bachelor's degree in dance and theater, a master's degree in secondary education and is committed to being a lifelong learner by pursuing frequent professional development opportunities. Jolena has over 20 years of teaching experience in studios, public schools and dance conventions and her favorite thing about teaching is watching dancers light up when they achieve their goals!
Instructor
Megan Smothers
Miss Megan was born in Phoenix and started her dance career at the age of 3. She danced competively throughout highschool and assisted with classes growing up. She then went on to college where she earned a fine arts degree with an emphasis in dance. Megan has 8 years of teaching experience and is certified through Acrobatic Arts. She continues to take classes and earn more certification to further her dance education.
Instructor
Traci Mann
Traci Mann has made a living as a professional dancer and instructor for over 40 years! She began dancing at a young age in New Mexico and eventually found her way to New York City where she worked extensively in the dance industry. Once in NYC, Traci ran her own dance company called The Young Hoofers. Traci choreographed and performed in a number of shows such as, 'Les MIserables', 'Shrek', 'Once on this Island', and the Lincoln Center Broadway Series - 'Reel to Real'. She has also produced and co-produced for over 30 years for events such as, the annual Tap Extravaganza, Taste of Broadway, Tap in for Clean Tap Water, and a 12-series show for New York Town Hall. To this day, Traci is an active member of the NY Committee to Celebrate National Tap Day as Chair Emeritus, and her favorite thing about working at a dance studio is the poise, progressive thinking, creativity, teamwork, and, most importantly, the joy that dance creates!
Instructor
Hailee Mastrapasqua
Hailee Mastrapasqua was born in Glendale, Arizona and began her dance journey at age ten. Hailee has grown with the Heart & Sole family since they opened in 2015 and considers the studio her second home. She has been trained in several styles of dance including jazz, contemporary, ballet, tap, hip hop, and acro. Hailee served as captain of her high school dance team which opened her eyes to being a leader. After graduating in May 2022, Hailee decided that she wanted to pursue teaching as a way to share her passion for dance. She is currently attending Glendale Community College working towards achieving an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Dance. Hailee’s favorite part about being a teacher at Heart & Sole is that it is an outlet to create alongside amazing teachers, students, and families that show her unconditional love and support.
Instructor
Bailey Wegner
Bailey Wegner was born in Huntington Beach, California in 2004 and lived there for 2 years before moving to Surprise, Arizona. She took her first dance class when she was 3 years old and has not stopped dancing since! She began competing with a dance team when she was 7 years old, and continued to dance competitively until she graduated High School. Bailey graduated from Shadow Ridge High School where she was a participant in the Shadow Ridge dance program as well as the Varsity Pom team. She discovered her love for choreographing and teaching during her 4 years of High School and hoped to continue that passion after she graduated. Her first year out of High School she joined the Heart & Sole team! Bailey holds a comprehensive certification in mat and reformer Pilates from Breathe Education. She is passionate about creating strong and fearless dancers through safe yet empowering training! She loves the relationships she builds with the kids and how rewarding it is to watch them achieve their goals!
Instructor
Rylee Maki
Rylee Maki was born in Glendale, Arizona and has lived in Arizona her whole life. At the age of 5, she started doing softball and soccer, but learned at the age of 10 that dance was the best activity ever. She started her dance journey at Heart and Sole with only three classes. After two years of dancing, she was then in every type of dance class as well as the performance team. Later, when she started high school, she joined the competition dance team at Heart and Sole. As well as dancing at the studio, she was an active part of the Shadow Ridge High School dance program and was a member of the dance team for the last two years of her high school career. She has always loved choreographing and creating new stories with dance and is so excited to start a new chapter in her life with the Heart and Sole families, students, and staff spreading her love for dance!
Instructor
Devin Cruz
Devin Cruz was born in Los Angeles, California and moved to Arizona during middle school. She grew up playing soccer and didn’t start dancing until her freshman year. Heart & Sole holds a special place in her heart because Miss Jolena was her high school Dance Teacher. Devin was on the dance company for 4 years at Willow Canyon High School. Devin also danced with the Arizona Jam Dancers at the Arizona Grand Resort and got the opportunity to perform with the Suns Dancers at an NBA Game. Devin went on to pursue her love for dance by getting her Bachelors in Dance Education at Arizona State University. Her favorite styles of dance are Jazz and Contemporary! Before coming to the studio, Devin was the Dance Teacher at West Point Elementary School.
“I didn’t start dance when I was younger like most, but if I could give any advice to my students it would be- No matter how or when you start dance, it’s never too late to go after your dreams!”
Instructor
Grace Kokora
Grace Kokora was born and raised in Arizona and started dancing at age 7 at Heart and Sole Performing Arts! She’s trained in a wide variety of styles including Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Acro, and other technique-based classes. Grace has been part of Heart and Sole’s Performance Team for 2 years and on the Competition Team for 4 years.
Wanting to continue growing as a dancer, Grace joined the Shadow Ridge High School dance program and stayed involved all 4 years. She was a member of their Junior and Senior Dance Company for 3 years, where she also found her passion for choreographing. During that time, she choreographed several solo and group pieces for school dance shows.
Grace has been with Heart and Sole since they first opened, and she’s so excited to take on a new role as part of the teaching staff and share her love of dance with students!
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Instructor & Receptionist
Sam Stogner
Samantha Stogner was born and raised in northern New Jersey, and began dancing at the age of 3. She started competitively dancing when she was 4, and moved to Arizona at the age of 12 where she continued to compete until she was 16. She graduated from Shadow Ridge High School where she was apart of the dance program and cheerleading team throughout all four years. She has continued to choreograph for the schools programs since she graduated, and loves to watch the growth of the students. She took classes and continued to train in college at the University of Arizona prior to transferring to the University of Hawai’i, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising. Dance and performing is a huge part of who she is, and she’s excited to share the love with Heart and Sole.
Receptionist
Abbi McLyman
Miss Abbi grew up dancing, competing in gymnastics and in high school she was a member of her school's Pom team. Miss Abbi has a keen eye for detail and always strives to provide amazing customer service. Miss Abbi has been the receptionist at Heart and Sole for about 2 and a half years and her favorite part of the job has been building relationships with all of our dance families.
"This job has brought so many happy memories to myself, the staff and dancers and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Heart and Sole!!"
- Miss Abbi
Receptionist
Debbie Mensah
Deborah Mensah is a native of Phoenix, AZ who is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University. She has years of experience of working with children, teenagers, and young adults. Her experience as a mentor and leader has enhanced her passion for children’s success. She also experienced in dance- lear dance in high school and teaching it at church. She is excited to work with the team at Heart and Sole hopes to bring her skills and dance background to the team.
Office Manager
Sam Oliphint
Samantha Oliphint was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and moved to Surprise, Arizona, at the age of 5. She began her performing arts career in her elementary school band, a little over 10 years ago! Samantha first started playing trumpet at the age of 10 in her school’s band, and then the cello at age 13 in her school’s orchestra. She went on to perform in the Shadow Ridge High School marching and Symphonic concert band, and competed in several competitions for both bands throughout her 4 years in high school. Her favorite memory from band was getting to be a part of the 2016 Holiday Bowl halftime show and parade in San Diego, California! Samantha has also earned her Associate of Arts in Psychology from Glendale Community College. What Samantha loves most about working at Heart and Sole Performing Arts is getting to watch dancers hone their dance skills and grow throughout the season!
Social Media Specialist
Hannah Natale
Hannah Natale was born in Corpus Christi, TX and started dancing at the age of 3! She trained in various styles of dance at an Arizona dance studio and was a part of her high school's dance team and pom team. Hannah competed regionally throughout the state with both her studio and high school teams and had the opportunity to perform in Super Bowl XLIX. After high school, Hannah went on to obtain her Bachelor's in Community Health and Master's in Family and Human Development through Arizona State University. It was during this time that she found her way back into the dance world as the office manager of Heart and Sole and now serves as the social media specialist. Her favorite thing about working at a dance studio is being able to see the dancers shine on stage and share her passion for dance with everyone that comes through the doors!