Kaci Parker

                                                 Kaci began her dance training at the age of 6 at Ozark Dance Academy. She continued her

                                                training at Credo Dance Academy from 2012-2016, and at Petra Ballet School of the Arts from                                                  2016-2019. Kaci has received extensive training in ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, lyrical,

                                                modern, and Irish dancing. During her time at Petra’s School of the Arts, she completed

                                                multiple levels of Cecchetti Examinations, receiving excellent scores with each exam. Kaci

                                                performed the Arabian Variation in Moscow Ballet’s Nutcracker and at the age of 16 joined

                                                Petra Ballet’s Professional Company as a Student Apprentice. She was able to dance on multiple tours nation wide until she left the Company in 2022. Kaci became an instructor with Ozark Dance Academy in 2020 where she found her passion for teaching. During her time at O.D.A she has been an instructor and Choreographer for not only classes but a valued addition to our competition team since summer of 2021 choreographing many of our award winning routines. 

Vallerie Ellingsworth

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                                                Vallerie Ellingsworth started her dance training in 2016, with the Pride and Joy Cloggers dance

                                                team. During her time as a dance team member she performed twice a month at places such as

                                                Silver Dollar City, Top of the Rock, Elfindale, and many more! Vallerie eventually became team

                                                captain who's role was teaching new members steps and choreography. In 2019 Vallerie decided

                                                to make the switch to train at Ozark Dance Academy where she found her passion for tap, jazz,

                                                and ballet. She was also a member of our competition team competing at events like Stage One,

                                                Hollywood Dance Jams and Talent on Parade. She is excited to join our staff at O.D.A. and teach our beginning clogging students.

                                            Alisha Clifton has studied ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and modern dance since her childhood.  She                                                         graduated from Missouri State University in 2010 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and a                                                      minor in French.  She has attended an intensive training session with the New York Baroque                                                          Dance Company Historical Dance Workshop, where she studied pre-classic dance forms and                                                          styles, as well as master classes with Momix, Parsons Dance Company, Alvin Ailey II, Steve Rooks                                                and Missouri Contemporary Ballet Company.  She has been a part of the Ozark Dance Academy family for years, as a student, part of the spring performance backstage team, and now as a faculty member specializing in creative movement, ballet, jazz and tap for the younger dancers. 

Julia Alderman 

                                             Julia Alderman began her dance training at the age of seven in Westerville, Ohio. By the age of ten,                                               she was dancing as a scholarship student through the Ford Foundation, a national program to                                                         assist gifted young dancers. This gave her an opportunity to train with Tatjana Akinfieva-Smith                                                     and to dance with Ballet Met, a professional company in Columbus, Ohio. In addition, she studied                                                   with the Dayton Ballet, in Dayton, Ohio and at the School of American Ballet in New York.
                                             In 1987, she moved to Las Vegas where she trained with the Nevada Dance Theatre and traveled                                                     with them to Moscow, Russia. After moving to Memphis, TN, she performed with the Mid-South Dance Theatre.
In 1991, she moved to Springfield, MO and began teaching ballet for Springfield Ballet while she completed a degree in Business Administration from Drury University. In 1994, she founded the Ozark Dance Academy where she continues to teach, choreograph and direct. Ms. Bubalo was an adjunct staff instructor in the Theatre and Dance Department at Missouri State University between 2003-2017. She is currently teaching company class for PETRA Ballet Company. In May 2019, she married Jeffery Alderman.

Caroline Wolfe

                                                Caroline Wolfe started her training at the age of 4 at Showtime Productions. When she was 10,

                                                she continued her dance education at Ozark Dance Academy until she graduated from high        

                                                school. Throughout her time as a student, she trained extensively in ballet, tap, jazz,                             

                                                contemporary and modern. While at Ozark Dance Academy, she competed with the competition

                                                team and earned selective scholarships from many of the competitions including Dance Makers,

                                                Hollywood Dance Jamz, and Talent on Parade. She performed and competed with the Ozark High

                                                School dance team, ultimately placing 2nd in the state for their kick routine. Over the summer of 2022, she travelled all across the country as an instructor for Universal Dance Association. Now, she is studying to earn her BFA in Dance at Missouri State University. She is so excited to teach at Ozark Dance Academy this year!

                                                Caroline Wolfe 

Laura Nowakowski

                                                Laura is a 2017 graduate of Ozark High School, where she performed with the Dance Team                                                              for two years and won the Dance Talent Contest her junior and senior years. She was                                                                            formally trained at Ozark Dance Academy and found her passion to be Hip-Hop. In regional                                                            competitions, she choreographed and performed winning Hip-Hop solos. 
                                                She joins Ozark Dance Academy for a second season teaching Hip-Hop - one of her favorite                                                            things to do!
                                                Laura is a member of Springfield Dance Alliance and teaches at Divinity Dance.  

Instructors