Philip Krauter began his dance training with the Fort Worth Ballet under the direction of Fernando & Nancy Schaffenburg, receiving a Ford Foundation scholarship from the School of American Ballet. Awarded a full scholarship, he continued his training at the San Francisco Ballet School and later studied with Robert Joffrey. Philip has danced with many ballet companies, including Ballet West, Hartford Ballet, Nevada Dance Theatre and the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet. He has danced for opera, film and as a show dancer in Las Vegas. As a ballet instructor, his experience includes over 20 years of teaching dancers of all levels and ages. In 2002, Mr. Krauter was the first American to teach at the Ankara State Opera Ballet/Modern Dance in Turkey. Between 1992-2007, he was a faculty member of Summer Dance Lab at Whitman College. From 2004-2007, he was the Ballet Master for Juneau Dance Unlimited and set the original choreography for JDU’s Nutcracker Ballet. Most recently, Mr. Krauter lived in Woodstock NY and was a faculty member with the Saugerties Ballet Center. JDU welcomes Mr. Krauter back as a JDU staff member.

Alex Brown is currently a student at the University of Alaska Southeast and is a Juneau Douglas High School Dance/Drill Team alumni. Alex has been interested in the performing arts since a young age and has had a long and rigorous relationship with gymnastics since the age of 6. Since then she has performed in the 2006 JDHS production of "Pippin", as a trapeze artist and dancer, but did not truly fall in love with dance till she started taking salsa classes and performing at the Academia Sylvia Garcia Salsa y Merengue in Quito, Ecuador. She has most recently taught and choreographed a hip hop routine for the Auke Bay School's spoof teachers' dance team, the ABC's, and now spends most of her time picking up new age hip hop moves and choreography off of "Youtube". Alex hopes to bring creativity and style to JDU's floor and wants to encourage others to express themselves.

Serena Drazkowski is currently a student at the University of Alaska Southeast and is a Juneau Douglas Dance Team alumni. Serena has been involved in dance since a young age and has always chosen dance as her most passionate sport. Dancing is something she could always go to for an escape. Serena was a hip hop dance instructor at JDU’s Fine Arts Camp in June 2010 and was an assistant hip hop instructor during JDU’s fall semester. She would like to one day perform for a larger crowd doing what she loves. In the meantime, teaching is one of her favorite things to do and she is looking forward to pass on her love for dance in others.

Kiana Ford is 15 years old and a student at Juneau Douglas High School. She has been a student at JDU since the age of three, primarily training in classical ballet but has also taken advanced hip hop classes. Ms. Kiana was selected and attended the Joffrey Ballet 3-week summer dance lab in 2009 and 5-week international dance intensive in 2010. She was also selected and attended American Ballet Theatre's 3-week international dance intensive during the summer of 2010. In addition to classical ballet, her training includes jazz, contemporary, character, and modern. Ms. Kiana is also an assistant teacher for Janice Hurley and Alex Brown at JDU. She hopes to pursue dance as a career.

Leslie Wagner has her Master's Degree in Modern Dance from Temple University, and her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from Philadelphia College of Performing Art. She has worked as a teacher, choreographer, and performer. In her 20 years of experience, she has worked in many facets of dance education, including designing dance curriculum, teaching college courses, and choreographing several large musicals. Leslie teaches Modern Dance at JDU.

Artistic Director :: Janice Hurley

PHONE: 907-463-leap (5327) FAX: 907-463-3601
EMAIL: juneaudance@gci.net
BUSINESS OFFICE HOURS: Mon 2–8pm, Tues–Fri, 12–5 pm
STUDIO LOCATION: 8420 Airport Blvd, Ste 202 (Alaska Litho Building, upstairs) MAP