Faculty Members
Pamela Trokanski received her BA in Dance from SUNY Empire State college. In addition to teaching and running the Dance Workshop since August of 1984, she has directed the Pamela Trokanski Dance Theatre (since 1985), The Third Stage (since 1994), and the PTDT Apprentice Company (since 2009).
She worked with the California Arts Project from 1993 - 2003 as a presenter in Dance across the Curriculum and holds a current California Teachers Credential and CLAD Credential, teaching dance at Davis Senior High School from January 1984 - June 2022, where she also directed the Momentum Dance Company. In 2010, she trained with David Leventhal of the Mark Morris Dance Group and now teaches Dance for people with Parkinson's Disease.
When time has allowed, she has also written as a dance critic for the Davis Enterprise.
Charlotte deRoulhac was born and raised in San Francisco and has been dancing for over 15 years. Her dance training includes 12 years of classical ballet with Oberlin Dance Company (ODC) where in addition to ballet, her training included world dance: Afro-Brazilian, Bollywood and Flamenco. Charlotte also trained in contemporary dance technique and choreography at Mobu DancEsteem in San Francisco where she developed her skill in improvisation and learned the power of self-expression through movement. Charlotte’s performance experience includes annual performances in San Francisco with Dance Esteem, The Velveteen Rabbit with ODC, and in Marika Brussel’s original ballet, House of Names. Now a student at UC Davis she continues to dance with the Davis Ballet Company while pursuing a degree in Psychology and Human Development. Charlotte is eager to share her passion for dance and hopes to inspire others to find self-confidence and expression through movement.
Rebecca Hennagir has been studying various forms of dance since she was 11 years old. She has studied belly dance since 2005 and has been a belly dance instructor since 2009. Prior to 2012, Rebecca performed under the direction of the belly dance pioneer Amy Sigil throughout the U.S. and abroad with Amy's internationally renowned Tribal Fusion troupes, UNMATA and Verbatim. Since 2013, Rebecca has been a troupe member and contributing choreographer to the award-winning Fusion belly dance troupe, ShupaDa, founded by Ayre Briar. While she has studied various forms of traditional and folk Middle Eastern dance, most of Rebecca's training and experience with belly dance has been in Tribal Fusion and Improvisational Tribal Style (ITS). Rebecca holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Sacramento State University.
Taylor Herrera has studied classical ballet since 1996, with her primary training in RAD technique with Katie Heil. She also studied ballet at Applegate Dance Studio, Steps on Broadway, Sacramento Ballet, Deane Dance Center, and the Berkeley Ballet Theater. Taylor graduated with her B.A. in Spanish and Spanish-American studies in 2012 from Mills College, where she trained with Sonya Delwaidea-Nichols, department head of dance. In addition to her training in classical ballet, Taylor has taken classes in African, Zumba, modern, hip hop, and flamenco. Her performance experience includes six consecutive years in the Sacramento Ballet's annual Nutcracker, three years as a member of the Applegate Dance Co, and one year with Momentum Dance Co of Davis High School. She also participated in the Idyllwild Arts Academy summer program for dance in 2005.
She has been the Artistic Director of Light Ballet Company since its first season in 2018.
Hilary Sanders began dancing at the age of three. She grew up dancing at Ballet Petit in Hayward, and spent her summers training at various intensives, including ABT, Boston Ballet, and the Royal Danish Ballet. She began a BFA in Ballet at University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and later transferred to Cornell University, dancing as a principal dancer at Ithaca Ballet while completing her undergraduate degree.
During college, Hilary developed a passion for sharing dance as a means of inclusion and empowerment. Through the organization Movement Exchange, she has taught dance to underserved kids in her own communities and at Movement Exchange’s partner schools in Panama. She has also been teaching ballet since 2011. Hilary is currently pursuing a joint J.D./M.S. in Ecology at UC Davis.
Bob Stephenson began studying Pilates in 1975. He studied anatomy, physiology, and related subjects while earning his BS and DVM from UC Davis.Pilates incorporates exercises and principles from anatomy, physiology, ballet, kung fu, tai chi, yoga, weight lifting, and gymnastics. Bob has had training in weight lifting, yoga, and gymnastics exercises, and trained in ballet at various studios in Sacramento and Yolo County. He is a certified kung fu and tai chi instructor, and has taught Pilates, kung fu, tai chi, and self defense in California, Canada, Washington State, and Arizona.
In addition, we are excited to be hosting classes in multiple art forms!
Find out more about classes in Zentangle, Acting, and Screenwriting.
Curious about Zentangle and like to know more?
Just click on What is Zentangle and why is it being taught at PTDW?
Analisa Bevan is a Certified Zentangle Teacher who’s been tangling for nearly ten years. She’s excited to share her passion for this mindful non- representational art form that can be done anywhere with almost any writing instrument and surface. She’s found deep joy in making Zentangle art ranging from standard 3 ½ inch square tiles to embellished shoes and
one of a kind holiday cards to the most intriguing meeting notes margins. In her other job as a regulator at the California Air Resources Board she’s found that using Zentangle doodling has helped her focus and contribute critically to her work.
Sterling Anderson won a NAACP Image Award for “The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn” and is a two-time nominee. He is also a winner of the Movieguide Faith & Freedom award and a Christopher award for “The Gabby Douglas Story”.
Sterling is currently working on a limited-series about Booker T. Washington. This comes on heels of an assignment for the HBO limited-series “Jack Johnson” starring Mahershla Ali. He has written for some of the most popular network television shows, such as “The Unit” on CBS, as well as NBC's “Medium” and “Heist”. His teleplay “The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn”, written for CBS starring Sidney Poitier, received three Emmy nominations and won an NAACP Image Award. Sterling's extensive resume also includes screenplays written for Lifetime, Disney, HBO, TriStar Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
A graduate in English from St. Mary's College, the accomplished writer also spent five years teaching screenwriting as an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Sterling has written two books on writing: Go To Script: Screenwriting Tips From A Pro and 15 Steps To Becoming A Successful (Artist) Screenwriter and a fiction book called Five Seconds To Go. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sterling spent his early childhood in Tuskegee, Alabama, before moving to Davis, California. His talents span far outside the world of writing. Sterling has a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and was an award-winning winemaker in Napa Valley.
Lamondo Hill II, born in Oakland and raised in Richmond CA is a talented and hardworking actor seeking to cement his legacy in the world of entertainment by being a part of impactful and inspiring art. He was introduced into the world of television and film acting by his teacher and mentor Sterling Norman Anderson. Since their inception Lamondo has gained much experience and success in the world of film, including being a principal in a feature film, previously being attached to an HBO show, and working background on hit TV shows such as "13 Reason why".
He has also gained agency and commercial success under the tutelage of his mentor Sandra Dee Richardson. While he works diligently on his craft to keep his skills sharp, he has also begun creating his own art to further stand out and show his range on his YouTube channel.