Lisa Applegate

Lisa Applegate is the director of Applegate Dance Studio. She has taught, choreographed and directed dance performances in the area for over 25 years.  Lisa’s warm, optimistic nature can be seen in the classroom. Lisa strives to form strong relationships with her students. Her aim is to both inspire and draw out the special talents of each dancer. Lisa is very passionate about dancing and teaching, always eager and enthusiastic to pass on her knowledge.  As Artistic Director of Applegate Dance Company, she stages one or two dance performances for the community of Davis a year. In addition, she choreographs and teaches short dances, which are performed throughout California. Lisa Applegate trained and performed with the Phares Theater Ballet and the Sacramento Ballet. She has taken classes with renowned teacher Finis Jung. She has also attended teacher's training courses at the National Ballet School of Canada. Lisa continues to dance and train in the Bay Area at various Berkeley and San Francisco Ballet Schools.

Jean Snyder

Jean Snyder teaches Teen/Adult Intermediate to Advanced Ballet.
We are very fortunate to have Jean on staff. Jean brings years of professional experience to Applegate Dance Studio. Jean was a professional dancer touring internationally with the Marquis de Cuevas Ballet, and also danced in European films and TV. She took her teacher's training courses at the Royal Academy of Dancing, and at the Marin Ballet School, and has been teaching and choreographing for over 25 years.

Anja Dingman

Anja Dingman started dancing at the age of 3 in Sylvia Hawk's creative movement classes. Four years later she started ballet with Lisa Applegate and joined the Applegate Dance company in 2001. Over the years she has studied many different styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical/modern, musical theatre, african, and hip-hop. Anja has performed such roles as Rosebud in "The Nutcracker", Bert in "Mary Poppins", Sebastian in "The Little Mermaid", and a princess in Applegate Dance Company’s "The Firebird". She helped teach Hawk's creative movement classes for two years and later started teaching Pre-ballet and Beginning Ballet classes at the Applegate Dance Studio in 2002. Anja has always loved working with younger children, inspired by their creativity and uninhibited forms of dancing. She hopes to help create a full program of creative movement and pre-ballet classes at the Applegate Dance Studio that will encourage young children to embrace all forms of movement and to give back some of the joy she has found in dance.

photo to come

Sequence ("Q")

Sequence ("Q"), a native Californian, has been dancing since
the age of five. Discovering that dancing was his fortay, he began to
study dance formally at the East Bay Center of Performing Arts, where
he was introduced to Indian, African, Ballet, Modern, Laotian, and
Mexican styles of dance, adding to his already rooted Latin and
Hip-Hop skills. "Q" went on to compete locally and nationally, in such
competitions as Broadway Magic, and Headliners. After "whoahing" the
judges in Rhode Island, he and his team went forward to compete  in
the International Hip-Hop Competition in Bremen, Germany in 2003. Aside from choreographing for various singing  and dance groups in the bay, Q at a begginer/intermediate level,  introduces hip-hop movement to any and all ages, from 5 through adult; pin-pointing such basics as: spacial awareness, isolations, strength, balance, groove, and technique. So whether it's for cardio, shill enhancement, or it's your first time and you want to try something new, come join Q as he brings some of his many talents to the classroom!!

Dawn McDonald

Dawn McDonald has been dancing for over thirteen years.  This is her ninth year dancing with the Applegate Dance Studio and her seventh year as a member of the Applegate Dance Company.  Dawn's roles with the company have included "Cinderella" in The Cinderella Ballet (02), the lead in "Les Sylphides" (03) and "Firebird" in The Firebird Ballet (04).  In addition to training at Applegate, Dawn has spent time studying with the Deane Dance Center and the Ballet Magnificat! summer dance intensive among others.  Her performing experience also includes the 03-04 Davis High varsity dance team and the Davis High Drama Department.  Next year, Dawn plans to go to college and study both dance and human biology/exercise science." 

Rebecca Johnson

Rebecca Johnson is currently attending California State University, Sacramento where she is bouble majoring in vocal performance and musical theatre.  She loves all aspects of theatre and is the make up and technical designer for the Sac State opera theatre company.  Her greatest achievement in theatre thus far has been her role as Mother in "Ragtime."  Other noteworthy performances include "The Boyfriend," "Working," and Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute."