PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAM
INSTRUCTORS
TISHA LOVE BRYANT
Tisha received a BFA in Dance and Theatre from UH Manoa.
She is the president of Spotlight Entertainment Inc. which
develops entertainment and events for corporate clients. Through
Spotlight Entertainment Inc. Tisha has produced, directed, and
choreographed for Ala Moana Center’s “Santa’s
Light Parade”, “Magic of the Season”, and “A
Christmas to Remember”, and for Science City (Kansas City,
MO) education facility creating educational shows, and interactive
characters and multi-media/stage theatre. She has been Program
Director for Diamond Head Theatre’s Musical Theatre Experience
for five years.
AHNYA CHANG
Ahnya has received dance training in Honolulu, Pittsburgh, New
York, and New Delhi, and has studied a variety of dance forms
from Classical Ballet and Contemporary Jazz to Irish Step and
Traditional Balinese. She completed most of her training at Punahou
Dance School, where she danced for 13 years, and she has been
a dance instructor at Punahou School, Diamond Head Theatre, The
Center, and Carnegie Mellon University. Ahnya is also a frequent
performer, having danced 11 years with Hawaii Ballet Theatre,
appeared at the Aloha Showroom with Legends in Concert Hawaii,
and participated in a number of community theatre productions.
VANESSA CHONG
Vanessa has a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree from Santa
Clara University, a MBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa,
and a Master of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature from the
University of Hawaii at Manoa. Vanessa studied Flamenco dance
in Cordoba and Seville, Spain; Los Angeles; New York City; San
Francisco; and Albuquerque, New Mexico. She choreographed and
danced in Carmen during Hawaii Opera Theatre’s
2002 season, and she also danced in Carmen in 1995. Vanessa
has been teaching Flamenco at Diamond Head Theatre since 1994.
NANCY JENSEN
Nancy has been dancing since she was 9, and has been teaching
since she was 13 years old. She has a Bachelor’s degree
in Dance/Kinesiology from California State University at Los Angeles.
Nancy has taught at Punahou School and Diamond Head Theatre for
over 10 years. In California, she taught at several dance schools
and was the owner of Gary & Nancy’s School of Dance
(Riverside). She served as Dance Specialist, Cultural Center Director,
and.choreographed Valley Folklorico for the City of Los Angeles
Cultural Affairs. Nancy choreographed for Riverside City’s
Children and Adult Ballet Co. and City of Los Angeles Children’s
Dance and Drama Co. Her dance experience includes Ballet Morelli
(Los Angeles), Ballet Theatre U. C. L. A., Hawaii Ballet Theatre,
and Mariana Maduell Flamenco Dance Co.
KATHRYN MARIKO LEE
Kathryn has performed in several Diamond Head Theatre productions
including Sweet Charity as Helene, Cinderella, Thoroughly
Modern Millie, Beauty and The Beast and Anything Goes, as
well as ‘Ohi’a Productions’ On Dragonfly
Wings. A former DHT Shooting Star, Kathryn has also been
an assistant with the theatre's Musical Theatre Experience Summer
program.
DEANNA LUSTER
Deanna served as assistant choreographer for Hawaii Opera Theatre’s
The King & I, and she directed and choreographed
Manoa Valley Theatre’s Footloose. She choreographed and
stage managed South Pacific and Whasup’ Fables
for Kaimuki High School Performing Arts Center, and choreographed
Damn Yankees and Camelot for Army Community
Theatre, Fiddler On the Roof for Iolani School, and Konatown
Musicians for Honolulu Theatre for Youth. Her performing
credits include HOT’s Rigoletto, MVT’s Cabaret,
numerous DHT shows such as Phantom, Cinderella, Carousel,
Chess, Victor/Victoria and Follies, Dreamgirls
at HTC and West Side Story for Castle High School Performing
Arts Center. She teaches dance at Kaimuki High School, DHT, Tokai
International College and Curtain Up!.
ANNA MOTTELER
Anna began her dance training locally with Nolan Dingman, John
Landovsky, Brian DaSylva, and Gary McCurdy. She trained professionally
at The Alabama School of Fine Arts, with Dame Sonia Arova and
Thor Sutowski, while apprenticing with the State of Alabama Ballet.
Other professional training includes Chicago City Ballet with
Maria Tallchief and North Carolina School of the Arts. Over the
past 20 years, she has performed in various productions with Ballet
Hawaii, Honolulu Dance Theater, Hawaii Ballet Theater, Diamond
Head Theatre, and Tau Dance Theater.
ANN HAMILTON OGILVIE
Ann has a Masters degree in Theatre from ASU with a dual emphasis
in Child Drama and Directing. She has performed, directed and
taught in Colorado, Arizona and Hawaii, and has over 15 years
of training in ballet, tap, modern hula and ballroom. Ann taught
drama at La Pietra, where she founded the Fine Arts department.
She has also taught Creative Drama at Punahou, St. Andrew’s
Priory, Holy Nativity, and a variety of D.O.E. schools. Currently
she teaches at Kaiser High School where she advises the Drama
Club. Ann has been in over 20 shows at Diamond Head Theatre, the
most recent being Anything Goes, as well as being in
productions at Manoa Valley Theatre, Army Community Theatre, and
Kumu Kahua Theatre. Ann has also performed with an improvisational
troupe and worked in episodic television and commercials.
BILL OGILVIE
Bill
is a dedicated actor, stage director and drama educator responsible
for numerous large-scale productions of plays and musicals in
Hawaii. Training in New York City included theatre/film acting
at H/B Studios, theatre voice with Kristen Linkzater, musical
theatre voice with Ron Clairmont, and stage combat with B.H. Barry.
Opportunities have lured him to various nightclubs and theatres
in Puerto Rico, New York, summer stock, bus and truck tours, “Hawaii
5-0”, “Magnum P.I.”, “Jake and the Fatman”,
Booga Booga, many many commercials, directing at Diamond Head
Theatre and Manoa Valley Theatre, as well as provides long and
short-term Creative Drama residencies at various private and public
high, middle and elementary schools. Bill also has privately coached
several of Hawaii’s foremost public speakers, ranging from
high-level executives to 8-year-old aspiring orators.
RENEE OSHIRO
Renee has been dancing since the age of 8 and has been teaching
dance for about 14 years. Her training began with ballet at a
little dance school in Honolulu. In college she was a member of
the University of Hawaii Rainbow Dancers. She performed at the
LA Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks half-time shows, the Pro Bowl, and
was featured on the Today Show. Renee has a P. D. in Elementary
Education and a Bachelors of Education degree from the University
of Hawaii, where she also studied modern dance and creative movement.
Renee taught beginning, intermediate and advanced street/hip hop
classes at The Movement Center and at PULSE. She was also a member
of Dance Central’s “SLAM” Dance Company. Renee
has also performed in local musicals and has done background work
on TV shows.
NANILISA PASCUA
Nanilisa received her BA in Music from the University of Hawaii
at Manoa. She has sung with many choirs and has been seen in numerous
productions in Honolulu. Nanilisa is a music educator in the parochial
school system and teaches private voice lessons at the Craig Young
School of Music. She recently served as musical director for Manoa
Valley Theatre’s Footloose, appeared as Stella
Deems in Diamond Head Theatre’s Follies, and in
Lee Cataluna’s musical Ulua at Kumu Kahua Theatre.
Nanilisa is the musical director for DHT’s highly successful
Musical Theatre Experience summer program, and for Kaimuki High
School Performing Arts Center’s seasonal student productions,
most recently South Pacific. Nanilisa has also been musical director
for the DHT Shooting Stars since its inception.
JOHN RAMPAGE
John is well known to Honolulu audiences, having most recently
directed and/or choreographed Into the Woods, La Cage aux
Folles, Anything Goes, Hello, Dolly!, Peter Pan, Follies, Mame,
Cinderella and Phantom. Prior to that, he directed
and choreographed the musical Nine, a recipient of seven
Po‘okela Awards. A 30-time Po‘okela Award winner,
John’s work for Diamond Head Theatre includes directing,
choreographing and starring in Cabaret. John has also
directed and choreographed DHT’s productions of The
Pirates of Penzance, Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park
with George and Crazy for You, as well as Manoa
Valley Theatre’s productions of Into the Woods, Grand
Hotel, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Cabaret. In
addition, he has headed award-winning productions of Cabaret,
Anything Goes, La Cage aux Folles and Gypsy at LCC.
John continues to teach musical theatre at Queen Emma Dance, Inc.
and DHT. John is the recipient of the Hawaii State Theatre Council
2006 Pierre Bowman Award.
CARYN YEE
Caryn has been dancing since she was 5, getting her start in Kailua
and at Punahou Dance School. Her training continued at Dupree
Dance Academy and Edge in Los Angeles. Caryn has performed in
numerous productions, including Crazy For You, The Will Roger’s
Follies, 42nd Street and Anything Goes at Diamond
Head Theatre. She choreographed tap production numbers for DHT’s
Follies and Anything Goes, as well as various
DHT Shooting Stars and The Movement Center performances. She has
taught at Diamond Head Theatre, The Movement Center, Punahou Dance
School, Dupree, Edge and other dance studios in Honolulu and Los
Angeles.
CANDACE YOSHIOKA
Candace has been studying tap since she was 4 years old. She
has trained with teachers such as Marion Jay Morrison, Jim Hutchinson,
Alan Onickel, Lars Rosager, Mark Santoro, Charles Goddertz and
Ray Hesselink. Candace moved to New York six years ago and is
a 2001 graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
She is pursuing her career in musical theatre and has been doing
small productions within the city. While visiting home last summer,
she was the assistant program director for Diamond Head Theatre’s
Musical Theatre Experience Summer 2005 program. Candace was also
the
assistant to the director and played the roles of Silly Girl and
Flatware in the DHT production of Disney’s Beauty and
The Beast. Candace will be choreographing Castle High School’s
42nd Street in winter 2006.
EMMETT YOSHIOKA
Known affectionately as Hawaii’s “Mr. Music,”
Emmett is a musician, composer, conductor, teacher and Honolulu
entrepreneur. He began his musical career with piano lessons at
the age of five and soon became a piano prodigy, performing on
Hawaiian radio and television. Emmett attended the University
of Southern California, where he received his Bachelor of Music
and Master of Music degrees in composition. A Po‘okela Award-winner
for Diamond Head Theatre’s smash hits including The
Will Rogers Follies, Crazy For You, Cabaret, The Pirates of Penzance,
Evita, Guys & Dolls, and Funny Girl, Emmett
holds a special place at Diamond Head Theatre for his auditioning,
arranging and conducting skills. Emmett currently teaches privately
students of all ages in various music disciplines at his home
in Honolulu.
