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Discover the Art of Dance at Sparrow Dance Productions

Our Approach

At Sparrow Dance Productions, we believe in nurturing tradition, precision, and grace through the art of dance. Our philosophy centers around providing a supportive and inspiring environment for students of all ages. We offer a wide range of dance classes including Ballet, Pointe, Partnering, Variations, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary, Tap, Hip Hop, Break Dance, Belly Dancing, Pilates, Alexander Technique, and Strength and Conditioning.

Christina Daly

Director Christina Daly

Founder & Director

An Albuquerque native, Christina Daly began her training with Ballet Repertory Theatre before transitioning to the prestigious Virginia School of the Arts.  Daly trained with VSA intensively on scholarship for two years, as well as with the schools at Kansas City Ballet and Ballet Pacifica.  Upon her acceptance to SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, she graduated high school early to earn her BFA in Dance Performance.  Accomplishments during her college career include: earning a Minor Degree in Asian Studies, training at Taipei National University of the Arts, premiering her first choreographic work in representation of SUNY Purchase at New York, NY's world renowned Dance Theatre Workshop, performing two featured roles for an original Dianne McIntyre work and graduating summa cum laude.

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Following college, Daly launched her dance company, Sparrow Dance Productions, doing numerous productions throughout New York.  Since returning to New Mexico, Sparrow Dance Productions has performed at numerous locations throughout Rio Rancho, Santa Fe and the greater Albuquerque area.  In the meantime, Daly has performed as a Senior Company member with Ballet Repertory Theatre and Festival Ballet Albuquerque.  Professional performance credits include dancing with BRT, as Carmen in Alex Ossadnik's ballet, Carmen, as well as the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid, to name the highlights.  

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Daly has become the face for Adaptive Dancers in Rio Rancho, NM as she herself lives with fibromyalgia-a chronic disorder characterized by widespread pain and other symptoms such as fatigue, muscle stiffness, and insomnia; a traumatic brain injury, and compounded post traumatic stress disorder. Her passion for using dance and the performing arts to help heal herself and the Sparrow Dance Productions community bleeds through her work. Whether in the studio or on stage, her continued drive to do better, be better and master her dragons boldly inspires those around her to do and be the same. She lives authentically, unapologetically and to the fullest with kindness at the forefront of her every move.

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James D. Smith

Director James D Smith

Director of Operations

James D. Smith is an Albuquerque native who has grown up with a sense of "New Mexico pride".  He has a heart for community outreach, the a

rts, and local businesses.  Smith is known both for his avid support for the local arts and his passion for the students, staff and company dancers at Sparrow Dance Productions. Smith’s newest endeavor as Director of Operations is his role as Stage Manager, Sound Engineer and Lighting Designer. Smith is highly motivated to pursue professional growth as an owner of a Dance Conservatory and Company. Stepping into these production roles is inspiring to his wife, Christina Daly-Smith, the dancers of Sparrow Dance Productions and the community at large as he truly leads by example. 

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Furthermore, Smith formerly served as District 2 Arts Commissioner for the City of Rio Rancho.  Serving as Art Commissioner allowed for Smith to learn the intricacies of city arts collaboration, city arts support and city arts funding, as well as inspire his creativity as Sparrow Dance Productions' Director of Operations.  Smith's passion, love and commitment to the City of Rio Rancho, Sparrow Dance Productions and his family are both undeniable and irreplaceable.  He looks forward to all that Sparrow will continue to grow into.

Instructors

Kira Akmajian

Kira Akmajian

Lyrical and Tap Instructor

Kira Akmajian has been dancing since she was 3. She has trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and even hip hop, folkloric, flamenco, and swing dance, but tap dance has always been her passion. She has had the opportunity to train with some amazing tappers through the NM Tap Fest and UNM tap program. She is an Albuquerque native, a graduate of UNM, and an elementary school teacher. 

Photo Coming Soon

Joe Hererra

Musical Theatre Instructor

Bio Coming Soon.

Amanda Hoyt

Amanda Hoyt

Ballet, Mommy & Me Instructor

Amanda Hoyt moved to Albuquerque in 2024 and is excited to join the Sparrow family! Originally from Buffalo, NY, she began dancing at the age of 3, and went on to study and compete in all disciplines.  She began assisting at the age of 12, and quickly discovered her passion for teaching.  While training in Buffalo, she took classes with Configuration Ballet Company, attended the Dance Masters of America Student Honor’s Intensive Program at the University of Buffalo, and trained and performed with Lehrerdance, a modern based dance company founded and directed by Jon Lehrer (now called Jon Lehrer Dance Company.)

 

After leaving Buffalo, Miss Amanda attended The Ohio State University where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance with a focus on modern and ballet pedagogy. In addition to daily technique classes, she studied topics such as dance history, Labanotation and movement analysis, and kinesiology. During her senior year, she organized and ran a program teaching dance to patients from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, specifically working with pediatric cancer patients and children with Ehler-Danlos syndrome. 

 

Miss Amanda taught in Columbus, OH for 8 years, teaching ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical/contemporary, jumps and turns, and stretch and conditioning classes. She moved to Northwest Florida in 2017, and served as Ballet Company Director for a studio in Pensacola for the past 5 years. 

 

In addition to her BFA, Miss Amanda also has a BS in finance from The Ohio State University, and an MBA from Florida State University. She lives in Rio Rancho with her husband, her 2 boys, and their dog. 

Jessica Layman

Jessica Layman

Ballet Instructor

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Jessica Layman is an accomplished
dance instructor, born in Texas city,
Texas. She started with ballet at the age
of three then moved to New Mexico at
the age of of four, having her focused
training begin by the age of 9;
continuing with multiple genres of
dance. She has performed in numerous
productions such as: “The Nutcracker”, “Billy the kid”, “Alice in wonderland”, and her favorite being a Landmark Production of “A Chorus Line”
in 2015 and most recently “A White
Christmas” in 2022. She has
choreographed numerous overall and
high score competition pieces and
enjoys kayaking in her free time.

Rachael Martin

Rachael Martin

Ballet, Jazz Instructor

Mrs. Rachel has been dancing for 35 years and teaching dance for 25 years. She has taught in various studios in South Carolina, Oregon and New Mexico. She has taught dancers of all ages and skill levels. She studied tap, jazz, ballet and clogging as a teenager. She then went on to earn a BA in Dance. Adding Modern/Contemporary to her dance styles. She loves sharing her knowledge of dance with everyone around her.

Tracy Mensching

Tracy Mensching

Ballet Instructor

Bio Coming Soon.

Marissa Montano

Marissa Montano

Tap Instructor

Marissa has been dancing since she was 7 years old. She first took classes at La Mesa Dance Academy where she studied the styles of Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. Marissa joined Sparrow Dance Productions in 2018 where she added Modern dance into her repertoire. She fell in love with the style and it continues to be one of her favorites alongside ballet and tap dancing. She loves everything about the art form from rehearsing, to performing, and watching others enjoy it. Marissa is at her happiest when with the students she teaches. She strives to help them fall in love with dance as well, and hopes to continue teaching and inspiring kids both in and outside of the studio.

Ya'vani Ocasio

Ya'vani Ocasio

Break Dance, Hip Hop Instructor

Ya’vani is a Cuban-American dancer who’s been dancing her whole life, starting with traditional ritual Taino dance, salsa and Bachata, Freestyled for over 10 years and started seriously working on Hip Hop in 2016, started breaking 3 years ago and has is passionate about growth, progression and keeping authenticity while doing so. 

Photo Coming Soon

Cameron Russom

Ballet Instructor

Bio Coming Soon.

Photo Coming Soon

Tabitha Swain

Ballet Instructor

Tabitha has been dancing for 12 years, with much of her experience being in lyrical and hip hop. She has also coached gymnastics for four years, bringing a well-rounded approach to movement and coordination. Tabitha loves dancing and teaching ballet, she enjoys sharing the love of dance with her young students. Her goal is to inspire creativity and confidence in every child she teaches.

Natalie Trujillo

Natalie Trujillo

Ballet, Pointe, Variations, and Lyrical Instructor

Natalie started dancing at the age 8 with New Mexico Ballet Repertory Theater where she learned ballet, jazz, and contemporary. She started dancing with Sparrow Dance Productions in the Summer of 2023. Natalie has also danced with “The Jilliana School” for two years, training in classical ballet. She has performed in several Nutcracker productions and has been in other performances such as “Wizards of Oz” and “Sleeping Beauty”. Natalie continues to pursue her dream in dance and hopes to share the joy of dance with the community through performance.

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