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NOW ENROLLING! Register online through our ADT Portal
If you have any questions, please reach out to us by email at info@alaskadancetheatre.org or by phone at (907)277-9591.
Meet Our Guest Artists!
Mark & Danielle Tucker - Eugene Ballet Principal Dancers
Mark Tucker
Mark Tucker is honored to be taking part in his seventeenth season with Eugene Ballet Company. Mark began his training in his home state of Hawaii with Ballet Hawaii. As well as continuing his training in Miami, Houston, and Washington DC, Mark attended The North Carolina School of the Arts where he graduated high school and obtained a BFA in Classical Ballet with a minor in Modern Dance. Mark joined Eugene Ballet in 2008 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2015. Mark has defined his career as a strong partner and has had the opportunity to dance an expanding range of roles with choreographers and directors both internationally and from across the country.
Danielle Tucker
Danielle Tucker received her early training from Connecticut Dance School and attended the University of Utah where she graduated with a BFA in Ballet Performance and a BS in Business Management. She joined Eugene Ballet in 2008 as an Apprentice, was promoted to the Company in 2011, and Principal in 2015. Last season, Danielle had the privilege to help set ballets and work alongside the artistic staff and guest choreographers. Danielle is an instructor for Eugene Ballet Academy and also performs and teaches throughout the northwest. Danielle is a proud mom to two sons, Luca and Theo, whom she shares with her husband and fellow principal dancer Mark Tucker.
In 2015 Mark starred alongside his wife Danielle. “Dancing the role of Don Jose across from my wife was one of the most memorable and powerful moments I have ever experienced on stage.” He then added “the only thing that may beat that is dancing Siegfried with Danielle while she was pregnant with our first son Luca. He was moving around like crazy during Black Swan.” 2022-2023 was a big year for Mark and Danielle, The Sleeping Beauty, as well as being a part of two world premieres, Petrushka and The Little Mermaid. They also welcomed their second son, Theo into the world. Follow them on Instagram @markdani8688
Farah Zoetmulder - ADT Artistic Director
Ms. Farah began dancing at age 5 at Interplay Ballet in Toronto, Canada, under Anna McCowan Johnson and Arnold Spohr. She later attended and graduated from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School under David Moroni and Julia Arkos.
While in Winnipeg, Ms. Zoetmulder was awarded the Paddy Stone Choreographic Award and appeared as a dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet before moving to Anchorage. Locally Farah has appeared as a dancer for the Anchorage Opera, The Anchorage Symphony, Theatre Artists United, and Anchorage Ballet. She is considered one of the best ballet and pointe instructors in the State of Alaska and has had several students under her instruction place in the top 3 at the Youth America Grand Prix, classical division. Farah's students have been accepted into numerous professional ballet schools, companies, and Universities, including The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, The Kirov Academy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, The Royal Ballet School in London, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Arizona, Houston Ballet, and Ohio State University.
Greta Baker-Hodge
Greta is a passionate dancer, choreographer, and performer with a strong foundation in performance and choreography. She graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) with a BFA and was honored as the Outstanding Senior Choreographer. Currently, Greta dances with Live Arts in Las Vegas, a company that recently performed at the 2025 IABD Conference and Festival. Throughout her career, Greta has honed her craft through intensives at renowned institutions such as BodyTraffic, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, DanceWorks Chicago, and Hubbard Street Dance. Her dance journey began at Alaska Dance Theatre at the age of four, where she also became a company member, participating in numerous performances and competitions. She has worked with Avree Walker, Jason Hotrtin, Victoria Dale, Cathy Allen, Hayley Meier, Louis Kavouras, and Pip Schultz all at UNLV. Greta is very excited to be able to work with Alaska Dance Theater. She is dedicated to inspiring and nurturing the next generation of dancers, using her extensive experience to lead, teach, and share her love for dance.
Kelly Chase
Kelly Chase is an alumni of Alaska Dance Theatre! Kelly is currently a San Francisco based artist and is a member of the Alonzo King LINES Training Program. She received her BFA in Dance from Florida State University. Kelly was a company member of the Tallahassee Ballet for three years under Artistic Director Tyrone Brooks, performing repertoire by Christopher Huggins and more. She is also an alumni of The School at Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ensemble 2023, where she performed repertoire by Ronald Brown, Jennifer Archibald, and Amy J. Garner. Kelly performed ‘The Running Show’ with Monica Bill Barnes & Company at the La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival. Kelly has presented work at Joe Goode Annex as an Emerging Choreographer with Mark Foehringer Dance Project (SF), with the LINES Training Program, at the Center for Performance Research (NYC), at Florida State University, at ACDA representing Florida State University, with the Anchorage Festival of Music, and at dance competitions such as NUVO and YAGP. Kelly has been teaching and choreographing with Alaska Dance Theatre since 2020!
Colby Deemer
Colby Deemer is a local Alaskan Dancer who has traveled around the world reaching and performing. He has worked with the Deutsche Ballet Company, Vaga Lume, Kids Artistic Revue, Dance Driven, as well as in Alaska. In 2019, he brought his experience back to Anchorage to share what he has learned from his time abroad. His training has allowed him opportunities to perform with Dick Van Dyke, The Mountain Dew Tour, The Portland Trailblazers, Nappy Tabs, Nick Lazarino, and Mike Minery, Mr. Deemer has 15 years experience teaching in Tap, Hip Hop, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical and more. He is excited to be sharing his knowledge with the emerging generation of dancers.
Mikayla Gyfteas
Mikayla began her dance journey at the age of three in her first creative movement class in Alaska, igniting a lifelong passion for the art form. A dedicated and accomplished performer, she has earned numerous top awards at prestigious competitions, including the Nuvo Dance Convention and the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) semifinals and finals. These achievements garnered her scholarships and exclusive invitations to train both in the United States and internationally. After honing her skills at Alaska Dance Theatre, Mikayla relocated to Salt Lake City at just 15 years old to join Ballet West’s Professional Training Division. Her talent and commitment propelled her through the ranks, culminating in an invitation to join Ballet West’s Second Company in 2023, followed by her promotion to a contracted Corps Artist in the Ballet West Company beginning in the 2024 season. Mikayla‘s extensive training encompasses a diverse array of dance styles, including jazz, contemporary, acro, European character dance, flamenco, ballet, and pointe. She has received rigorous instruction in the esteemed Vaganova technique from renowned Bolshoi Ballet instructors and has studied Balanchine technique in addition to furthering her Vaganova training under prominent mentors in United States. While she embraces the beauty and versatility of all dance styles, Mikayla‘s true passion lies in classical ballet, where her artistry and dedication continue to shine.
Tony Seeger
Coach Tony is from Ashland, Wisconsin. Since Coach Tony was young, he has trained in many styles of martial arts such as Shotokan, Ryujuitsu, and Lie Tung Pi kungfu. His years in martial arts lead him to Acrobatic gymnastics where he first competed in the sport in 2017. A year later in 2018 he and his partner would go on to win the national championship. He and his partner were the first mixed pair to win nationals for their region in over ten years. Once he retired Coach Tony started his own Acrobatic gymnastics team in Columbus Ohio. While starting his program he was able to train in multiple different styles of Gymnastics, such as Rhythmic, trampoline and tumbling, and ballet from one of the top gyms in Columbus Ohio. He is now the Acrobatic director for Universal Gymnasts in Hilliard, Ohio.
Margarita Merkusheva
Margarita began studying piano at age five. She is a graduate of the Vologda Music College in Russia in piano and voice and furthered her studies at the Armenian Musical Conservatory in the class of renowned pianist Professor Robert Oganian. Her music has inspired dances by many noted choreographers, including Israel (El) Gabriel of the University of California, Irvine, and is performed in productions by New World School of th Arts, Anchorage Ballet, and ADT. She has released two CD's, It's My Life and Believe in Yourself.
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