ART
Karen L. Samuel: art, quilting, sewing, fashion design. Ms. Samuel is a native of St. John. At fourteen, she was awarded a scholarship to Southampton College in New York to study drawing and painting. She attended Corcoran School of Arts and received a BA degree in Secondary Art Education from The George Washington University in 1979. She has taught in the public school system for nine years and has been with SJSA since 1995. As an artist, she works primarily in oils, but also produces work in graphite, conté crayons, watercolors, hard pastels and colored pencils. Her subject matter includes portraiture, landscapes, seascapes, and scenes from contemporary life. Her work may be seen at Bajo el Sol Gallery on St. John.
DANCE/MOVEMENT
Jude Woodcock: creative movement, modern dance, tumbling.Ms. Woodcock received a BS degree from Southwest Missouri State and toured with Pilobolus Dance Theater from 1984-1994. She helped choreograph over 20 new works for the company and acted as touring and rehearsal director from 1989-1994. She still maintains ties with the company by representing them through teaching at various locales on the main land. Ms. Woodcock has taught at the American Dance Festival working with the young dancers program.
Kim Wild: ballet, tap, creative movement, developing the artistic eye through movement. Ms. Wild also serves as Assistant Director & Business Manager at SJSA. She holds a BA degree in dance at Columbia College and a MFA degree in dance at Florida State University. She has over 25 years of teaching experience extending from the young child to the professional student. With a teaching assistantship at FSU, she taught non-major dance classes in ballet and jazz as well as teaching choreography, modern and ballet to students at Tallahassee Community College as adjunct faculty. She served as Dance Director (1990) for the Colquitt County Arts Center, a community arts school in Georgia.
Shatik Stephens: ballet and art of modeling. Ms. Stephens is a native St. Johnian and a former Miss St. John. She was selected to be a representative as one of Governor Schneider’s Youth Commissioners, where she worked with different youths of all ages. She attended the Bethune-Cookman College and studied Music Education and Technology. While in school, she performed with the Concert Chorale, Young Artists, Jazz Combo and the Opera Workshop, which led to performances at Walt Disney World, the Citrus Bowl and the Rosen Centre. After returning home, she became the director of the Bethany Moravian Church Youth Choir and performs with “3 Sweet” along with solo engagements. Ms. Stephens is also our choir and voice instructor.
Elizabeth Gowan: yoga, ballroom dance. Ms. Gowan is a certified Yoga Power Flow instructor and Thai Yoga Massage Therapist. As a certified Yoga for Children teacher, she has taught the SJSA in-school Mind Body Connection for Scholastic Improvement program. She is an instructor and therapist for The Self Centre at Caneel and maintains a private practice in yoga and Thai massage. As a Dancing Classroom instructor trained by internationally renowned Pierre Dulaine, she is an in-school ballroom dance and Mad Hot St. John instructor.
Mindy Michtner: lyrical jazz. Ms. Michtner received her BFA in dance at Philadelphia University of the Arts. Before becoming a Rockette in Radio City Christmas Spectacular, she was the principal dancer and assistant choreographer for David Copperfield’s World Tour from 1994-97 and Dreams and Nightmares in 1998. She has danced in Las Vegas and on cruise ships as well as opening for stars like Frank Sinatra, Joe Cocker, James Brown, Celine Dion and Donna Summers.
Gina Wellner: hoop dance, ballroom dance. Ms. Wellner has a varied and extensive background in music, dance, promotion and directing. Her hands-on experience and passion for the arts are noted through her small yet successful production companies in themed club parties and an independent label company promoting alternative bands in Austin, Texas. She has performed as an electric bass player around St. John. As a Dancing Classroom instructor trained by internationally renowned Pierre Dulaine, she is an in-school ballroom dance and Mad Hot St. John instructor.
Teresa Fraguada: ballroom dance. Ms. Fraguada received her BA at Brown University in Africana Studies. She taught high school English for five years at Gifft Hill School on St. John. Her love of dance began at an early age and included classes in ballet, tap, jazz and flamenco in New York. She has taken ballet classes at SJSA for three years. In 2010, she plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Public History and Archiving. As a Dancing Classroom instructor trained by internationally renowned Pierre Dulaine, she is an in-school ballroom dance and Mad Hot St. John instructor.
MUSIC
Jan Kinder: Orff Schulwerk, piano and voice. Ms. Kinder is a registered nurse (1975) and received her BA in Psychology from Upsala College (1977). She is a certified music therapist by the American Association for Music Therapy (1985); and Master Level Clinician in the musical development/sound and music therapy philosophy of Dr. Carl Orff with formal training at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Teacher’s College at Columbia University and Mont Clair State University; vocal training with Jutta Rose, NYC (1979-89). In the late 1970s she created and established comprehensive healing arts and music and dance programs at Turtle Bay Music School in New York, and was co-founder of the Isadora Duncan International Institute (IDII). She is an accomplished classical pianist, composer and television commercial singer. Her early studies in piano were with Flora McGill Thomas who was a direct teaching lineage of Clara Schumann.
Thia Muilenburg: music & expressive arts therapist. Ms. Muilenburg received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Arts Management from Long Island University, and a Master of Arts degree in Expressive Therapies from Lesley College Graduate School. She is a board-certified music therapist since 1996. As a clinical and expressive arts therapist specializing in music therapy, she has worked with children with both psychological and developmental needs in hospitals, schools and community based programs. She has also worked with various adult populations, including the elderly, adults with mental illness, victims of domestic violence and adults seeking wellness. She taught Music Therapy to post-graduates at the University of California for five years, and conducted numerous expressive therapy-training seminars for therapists and counselors.
Mahlon Pickering: scratch band/quelbe music. Mr. Pickering, a.k.a. “KoKo” as he is known on St. John, performs at various events with his band “KoKo and the Sunshine Band,” a scratch band. He is employed as a police officer by the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA). When he was a young boy, he started playing a small “uke” that the fisherman made him in payment for cleaning their boat. At Charlotte Amalie High School he was a member of the chorus. Between 1959 – 1967, he played steel drums with the Silver Tones, drums and vocals with the Jealous Sounds and played piano with the Waves. He is also a veteran in the Armed Forces.
Edward Bruce: percussion and guitar. Mr. Bruce received his BA degree in Anthropology from Columbia University along with 25 credits in Mandarin and German. In 1982, he received his MA Ed. Degree from University of Phoenix, majoring in Reading Acquisition, problem prescriptions. In 2005, he received his International T.E.F.L. Diploma, Boland School, including China certificate. He came to St. John in 1974 as the director of the Cruz Bay Daycare Center. For many years, he has volunteered his skills to Julius E. Sprauve School as a reading teacher, special and general education teacher. As an accomplished musician, he is serving as SJSA’s ethnic drumming and dance teacher.
Abigail Rene: violin. Ms. Rene taught violin and music theory in Dominica for grades 1 – 6 from 1989 - 1997 and was head of the science department at a secondary school. She also teaches violin for students at Antilles School on St. Thomas. She is a service representative for a local bank and is working toward a degree in finance.
Luba Dolgopolsky: piano, Orff, voice, choir. Ms. Dolgopolsky is a Russian trained concert pianist who performed as a soloist with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra at the age of fifteen. In 2004 she received her MA degree in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, NY and holds a BFA in Music Performance from The New School, New York, NY. She is Level 1 & 2 Kodaly and Level 1 Orff certified. She has taught in New York’s public schools as well as private instruction.
Kenneth Pierce: cello. Mr. Pierce began his music studies at the age of six and performed his first public appearance at the age of ten. His extensive teaching and performance background in music led to the position of adjunct instructor in Applied Music at the University of Maine. He has conducted lectures and has been a guest artist at several venues. He performs a wide variety of Jazz, Classical, and World Music that reflects his travels throughout the US, Canada, South Pacific and Asia.
Staff
Jan Kinder: Executive Director
Kim Wild: Assistant Director/Business Manager
Kazumi Schaub: Office Assistant/Building Manager
Board of Directors
Sis Frank: Co-Founder
Ronnie Jones: President
Ronnie Lee: Vice President
Deborah Marsh: Treasurer
Lori Barlas
Mary Anne Campbell
Tom Campbell
Steve Deisher
Faye Fredericks
Andrew Penn
Elroy Sprauve
Donald Sussman
Michael Weinman
Glenda Werbel
Harvey Werbel
Advisory Council
Corky Siegel
Steven Lipman
Garry Dial
J. Brion Morrisette
Marcia T. Thompson
Lawrence O. Benjamin
