Jon Hamilton – Founder / Dance Director / Dance Instructor / Choreographer
Jon Hamilton comes from a large, musical family as the last of eleven children. His father, Ray Hamilton (1927-2004), has always been and will continue to be his hero, inspiration, and eternal life long mentor and friend. Jon’s parents taught him many of the life skills that Jon uses today on a regular basis, in particular to stand up for your God given dreams in order to turn them into a reality and to help others do the same. His mother, Joyce Hamilton, instilled in him a passion she had for dance. Jon and his mother were very close while in his youth. She had a desire to grow up to become a Broadway dancer, but rather chose a greater calling to serve as the mother of, and raise eleven children. While back in high school in Denver, Colorado, Jon knew what he had a passion for and was willing to fight against the odds to become a professional dancer. Jon loves taking advantage of opportunities to perform. However, early in his career he discovered another great passion he held from within. He discovered that teaching others about dance was indeed very rewarding and was what he had a true calling to do. Jon met his future mother-in-law, Nedra Smith, and wife, Cassie through teaching Ballroom dance and since has opened Allstar Ballroom Dance Company and has a family of his own now. He believes in being honest and fair, having fun, and striving to make a difference. He also feels a great sense of importance in helping people achieve their goals no matter how great or small they may be and lives under the impression that if you help others succeed, you in turn will be a success!
Cassie Hamilton began dancing and participating in fundraising activities at a very young age, but it was much later in life that she gained a deeper passion and appreciation for the art of partnership dance. A native Tulsan who earned both bachelors and masters degrees in Math Education from Northeastern State University, Cassie Hamilton found a new love of numbers when she connected mathematics to dance. She admits, however, that if it weren’t for her husband, Jon, she may have left dancing long ago.
Now, Cassie feels blessed to be able to express the many passions in her life through dance. Her love of family, people, music, expression, numbers, and art are all at the heart of her passion for dancing. “The geometric design left on the floor by dancers is a beautiful work of art,” she says.
Cassie has gained a testimony of the importance of Fine Arts in education and expresses a passion for relating mathematics throughout all disciplines. After school elementary school programs, high school courses, community classes and improv classroom lessons have all been a part of her dance instruction. Cassie maintains her certification from the State of Oklahoma for both math and dance instruction for grades Pre-K – 12. She currently teaches 6th grade math for Bixby Public Schools and dance for all ages at Allstar Ballroom Dance. Cassie and Jon have been married for 19 years and have 4 children.
Annette Baird – Dance Instructor
Annette first discovered her love of ballroom dancing eight years ago, and quickly knew that she wanted to focus on competitions and performances. She has competed in numerous local and national competitions in the American Smooth, American Rhythm, International Standard, and International Latin divisions. She has also studied ballet and modern dance. After dancing for several years, Annette decided that she wanted to share the joy of ballroom dance with others, and began teaching. She enjoys teaching both beginning and experienced students for social dancing, competitions, or local performances, and loves to teach technical precision and artistic styling. In addition to dance, Annette enjoys horseback riding, and participating in automotive enthusiast events. She also is currently pursuing a degree in Finance.
If your wedding is just days away or a year from now, simply quaint to very extravagant, elegance is Nedra’s middle name. She can help you showcase your dance exquisitely on your special day. No event is too big or too small. Your wedding dance will be a dance worth remembering for a lifetime.
For theatrical productions, “All the worlds a stage and the people are merely actors” is one of Nedra’s most often used quotes and an integral part of Nedra’s philosophy. If you’re interested in performance or taking part in opportunities to help those less fortunate, Nedra will include you in utilizing your talents and abilities to assist in the ongoing need! Nedra’s creative way of integrating each member of her cast allows for everyone to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Nedra’s visionary ability takes it to the next level and helps bring you along in the process.
Linda McCutchen-Keller – Dance Instructor
Linda has been dancing both socially and competitively for 13 years. Introducing beginning students to the sport of ballroom dancing is one of her favorite roles as a dance instructor. For the past 32 years Linda has worked in the public schools as an elementary and Jr. high teacher. She also used her Master’s Degree in Counseling to help students negotiate the challenges of growing up. Currently, she works part-time in the public schools allowing her plenty of time to pursue her passion of Ballroom Dancing. Linda is married to Dr. Khris Keller, a veterinarian and owner of Tulsa Veterinary Endoscopy located at Tulsa General Veterinary Hospital. He is a ballroom dancer, as well. Linda expects to see the art of “partner dancing” become popular with today’s children and grandchildren. She believes this skill will be something that they can enjoy through their entire lives.Trisha Zielinski – Dance Instructor
Trisha began dancing when she was 6 and has never stopped loving it. In high school, she had her first experience with ballroom on a competitive ballroom formation team. She went on to become a member of the Ricks College Ballroom Dance Team. She has competed at the college level and has received many awards in both the formation and individual categories. She has been the choreographer for both high school ballroom teams and show choirs. In addtion, she has taught ballroom to multiple youth and adult groups. At times, securing a willing ballroom partner has proved challenging, so Trisha has also been a member and instructor of multiple ladies’ tap dancing groups across the nation and in England. Trisha is married to her favorite dance partner, Daniel Zielinski, who is also an experienced dance instructor and theatre choreographer. He has a minor in dance from Bowling Green State University and taught for 3 years at a private studio in Pennsylvania. You will often see them teaching together. Trisha loves drowning herself in well written literature, old musicals with happy endings, laughing and learning with with her four children, and taking long naps. She dreams of one day having a beautiful garden and sharing her passion for reading as a reading specialist. To this end she is currently working on her master’s degree in reading at NSU. Above all, her passion is dance. She has personal experience with the healing that comes through ballroom dancing, and it is her joy to share this passion with others.
Dee Hara – Dance Instructor
Born and raised in Malawi, educated in Kenya and now a resident of Oklahoma, Dee’s multicultural heritage brings a unique flair of cadence and musicality to the ballroom floor.
Although she did not receive any formal dance training until later in her adult years, Dee’s life has always been punctuated by rhythm and dance. Dancing free style, she picked up on the Lambada dance craze, recreating the dance scenes from Dirty Dancing, and growing her signature dance repertoire from watching music videos of the queen of African rumba, Mbilia Bel.
As Lisa Hammond would say, “sometimes on the way to your dream, you get lost and find a better one…” this is a sentiment that is most certainly true with regard to how Dee discovered her passion for dance. When chronic illness interfered with her dream of becoming a human rights lawyer, Dee started taking ballroom dance lessons as a way to cope with her illness. Dancing not only eased her coping but also led to her getting her life back. Where pain and fatigue kept her from physical activity, dance helped her build up her endurance and dance is now the liberating strength that helps her forget the pain.
Because of her personal struggles with chronic illness, Dee relishes working with those with physical challenges and hopes to inspire them to embrace and enjoy an improved quality of life through dance, just like her.
Dee enjoys working with and learning from people of all dance levels and backgrounds. She also loves to perform and compete in dance competitions.