Dance Happens Inc
Meet The Instructors
Paula LeVere
Founder & Artistic Director
Paula Le Vere was first introduced to dance 45 years ago through the art form of ballet. Over the course of her career, Paula has studied with some of the well-known names in the ballet world: Sylvester Campbell with The Baltimore School for the Arts, Laura Alonzo with the Cuban Ballet Company in Cuba, Arthur Mitchell with Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Fredrick Franklin of the Ballet Russe. Through her intense studies, Paula performed major ballets such as Giselle, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Firebird, and other notable works. Paula also appeared as a guest soloist on the PBS TV series Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. In 1993, she earned a B.A. in Dance from Point Park University, where she made a positive impact on the lives of toddlers, children, and young adults through her teachings of ballet. Most importantly, Paula found a love in being a positive role model to the children she guided and instructed throughout her profession. She has shared her knowledge and passion for ballet through volunteer work with the inner city. Furthering her accomplishments, Paula formed a youth ensemble, Union City Youth Ensemble, for the inner-city kids of New Jersey. Her love for dance brought her back to where it all began in Baltimore, Maryland. Before creating Dance Happens, Inc., she had the opportunity to build the dance program at Meade Senior High School, where she served as Director of the dance company. Currently, Paula is the Founding Artistic Director of Dance Happens, Inc., a thriving 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that caters to Baltimore's city kids.
Jihan Von Hendricks
African Rhythm & Movement
Jihan Von Hendricks is a native of Baltimore, Maryland where she had her early start in dance. At age 4, She studied ballet, tap, and jazz with Alice Bradfield. As she got older, she was introduced to African Dance by her mother, the late Mama Sheilah. Coming from a strong and close knit family, Jihan, her sister, and her brother studied at Sankofa Dance Theater. Jihan studied for 10+ years with Babacar N’Diaye, a former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Senegal. She served as dance captain for Return to Goree African Dance Company until June 2010, where she formed Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company. Jihan has performed in festivals such as Artscape, Kunta Kinte, African Heritage Festival of Towson, Dance Africa DC and various other events. Jihan has studied under many master dancers such as Marie Basse Wiles, Mariama Basse, Babacar Mbaye, Aziz Faye, N'deye Gueye, Assane Konte, Tacko Sisssokho, Tenefig Dioubate, Souleyman "Solo" Sana and Mouminatou Camara. Over the years, her passion for the culture has led her to create After School Programs and Summer Dance Camps with the Baltimore City Public School System and Private Schools. Jihan has taught over the years at numerous workshops, dance intensives and dance festivals for hundreds of children, teenagers and adults: Morgan State University, Goucher College, Maryland Academy of Dance, Baltimore Dance Tech, Baltimore City and County Public School System, Dance Baltimore, and most recently Peabody Institute.
Brittany Bryan
Tap / Tap Company
Ms. Bryan's formal dance training began at DeVe's Christian School of Performing Arts. She has since had the pleasure of performing at venues including the Baltimore Museum of Art, Walters Art Museum, Lyric Opera House, Towson University, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. She has been trained in various dance techniques, including ballet, jazz, tap, modern, African, lyrical, hip-hop, and liturgical. She has had the privilege of having her choreography showcased at different venues, including Artscape and Towson University. Ms. Bryan currently teaches dance to the next generation, conducts workshops, and continues to perform at various events.
Gabe Thomas
Hip-Hop/Hip-Hop Company
Gabriel "Marrs" Thomas, affectionately known as Gabe, started choreographing and performing for Meade Senior High School Dance Company in 2008 under Paula LeVere's direction. In 2009, Gabriel became captain of the Friendly High School dance team under the guidance of Sherrill Lilly. During his time on the team, Gabriel and his company showcased their skills at local high schools and colleges. He began teaching hip-hop classes for his peers and continued to expand his choreographic talents with "DizConekted" dance crew, where they performed alongside artists like Scola (formerly of Dru Hill) and on the entertainment show "Street Jams TV." Gabriel's passion for teaching led him to join Dance Happens Hip-Hop Company, where he honed his choreography skills. While attending Morgan State University, he founded his own dance crew called "Visual Audio," performing at Towson University, various events at Morgan State University, and Bath & Body Works holiday sales. Apart from dance, Gabriel is a skilled bass guitarist and singer, lending his talents to an on-campus church. He is also part of a band called "JQG" (Just Quiet Gentlemen), performing at notable venues in the Baltimore, Maryland area such as Lux Lounge and The Haven.
Aalayah Easter
Hip-Hop/DHI Reach Program
Coming Soon...
Cheryl Hinton
African Rhythm & Movement
Mama Cheryl Hinton a.k.a. Love is an Artist, Storyteller, African Dancer, Fabric Sculptress, and Author. She is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers, volunteer and Griot-in-Residence with the Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures, volunteer for the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, African Dance Instructor and Seamstress a.k.a. Fabric Sculptress. She runs her own fabric sculpting and storytelling projects called Love’s Pieces. For over five decades, she has sewn hundreds of dance costumes for various University dance programs in Maryland and Pennsylvania, Baltimore City/County Public School Dance programs, Ailey Camp Summer Dance, Dance Happens, Inc. to name a few. She is a graduate of Delaware State and Coppin State Universities. She is a retired Higher Education Director and yet has still traveled to many countries in Africa and throughout the US capturing stories, dance movements, memories, performing, and facilitating workshops. She believes in the African proverb, "A youth that does not cultivate a friendship with the elderly is like a tree without roots."
Alyssa McKay
Liturgical
Coming Soon...
Amara Taylor
Ballet ages 5 - 7
Coming Soon...