WSDA Staff

Robin Jones-Thomas

Owner

Robin was born and raised in New Mexico and began dance at the age of 4. A few years later, Robin and her family moved to a more rural community where dance was no longer available, and Robin naturally gravitated towards sports. In middle school and high school, she participated in softball, volleyball, and track and still enjoys running and weightlifting. Robin went on to attend the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology where she earned her bachelor’s degree in engineering and met her now husband, Wade. Throughout her collegiate career, Robin worked at Sandia National Laboratory in the Robotics Division, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini Design Firm designing hospitals, and the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center testing explosives for government clients. Upon graduation, she moved to Washington with her husband and now works at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a Nuclear Engineer. Robin enjoys building West Sound Dance Academy with her husband and takes pride in being the leader of the Kitsap dance community.

Wade Thomas

Owner

Wade was born on a farm in Indiana and raised on a ranch in New Mexico. He attended New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology where he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering and met his now wife, Robin. Upon graduation, he moved to Washington with his now wife and works at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a Nuclear Engineer. Wade enjoys building West Sound Dance Academy with his wife and takes pride in the culture it promotes and the skills it teaches.

Camille Higashi

Studio Director

Dance Instructor

Artistic Director of Dance Arts Theatre

Camille grew up in the Kitsap area and attended Irene’s School of Dance from 3 years old until she graduated high school. During her time at Irene’s, she was a member of the Dance Arts Theatre dance company. Camille is now in her 2nd year as the Artistic Director of Dance Arts Theatre. After high school she attended University of Oregon where she earned her BA in Dance, specializing in Modern/ Contemporary and Ballet, with minors in Business and Music. While at the University of Oregon she taught various ballet classes at the University level and assisted with some tap classes as well. Camille was also a member of the Oregon Marching Band and performed around the country at various venues and high-profile events. Upon graduation she returned home and has been teaching dance locally since 2015. Camille is also a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant for Kitsap Physical Therapy. She has enjoyed being able to combine her knowledge of both disciplines to help her patients improve their balance for fall prevention and her dancers to avoid injury.

Kelley Hayes

Administration Assistant

Kelley is a military spouse of 14 years and counting. While she calls East Tennessee home, she has lived in Georgia, Connecticut and now Washington. Kelley grew up doing different sports like soccer and swimming but found my love and passion for Color Guard and Winter Guard, which utilizes elements of dance. Kelley has experience as a Title Processor but has found she enjoys being around a positive and lively environment. She has passion for volunteer work and loves helping her communities. This has led her to becoming the command Ombudsman for the USS Henry M Jackson Blue crew, a team captain for Operation Homefront and continues to coach cheerleading for the Silverdale Spartans. Both of Kelley’s daughters have been dancing since they were 3 and found a dance home at Irene’s School of Dance in 2020 and now West Sound Dance Academy. Kelley is excited to be a part of West Sound Dance Academy and getting to watch her dance family grow!

Tosha Camus

Lead Dance Instructor

Program Director - Kiddo Combos

Tosha started her dance career at Irene’s School of Dance at the age of 6. Tosha went on to join Dance Arts Theatre dance company at the age of 10 and continues to work with them today as an Assistant Director. As a former member and now Assistant with Dance Arts Theatre she has been given the opportunity to perform at Disney World, Disneyland, Leavenworth, and various other places in Washington. She started her dance instructing career at the age of 17 assisting her director at the time, Irene. Tosha has worked endlessly in the dance field to become one of the most senior instructors at West Sound Dance Academy. She has also attended a year of Dance Masters of America training in New York as well as attended many summer workshops. Outside of the studio she enjoys spending time with her husband Jeff and two kids, 13-year-old Malorie and 7-year-old Corbin. When she is not busy teaching classes or running Dance Arts Theatre rehearsals, she enjoys joining her family for their sporting shenanigans.

Jessica Campbell

Dance Instructor

Program Director - Teens and Toddlers

Jessica grew up dancing at Irene’s School of Dance starting at the age of 4. She joined Dance Arts Theatre dance company at the age of 10 until graduation. While in Dance Arts Theatre, Jessie had the opportunity to perform many solos such as Snow Princess in the Nutcracker, Sapphire in Sleeping Beauty, Emerald City Princess in Wizard of Oz, and her favorite, Marzipan in the Nutcracker. Jessie started her dance instructing career as an assistant at Irene’s when she was 16, she went on to teach her first ballet class at the age of 17. After high school she moved to Ft. Lewis and started a dance program that is still in place today. In 2012 Jessie became a preschool teacher at Childtime where she learned many skills that help her lead the Toddler dance program today. Jessie returned to Irene’s School of Dance as an instructor in 2018 where she learned that educating dancers is her purpose in life. She works hard to instill life lessons and skills learned while in dance class so that her dancers can apply them to their life outside of dance. Jessie is the proud mother of Sophie, a graduating senior in the dance company. Jessie and her family all enjoy being involved in the dance community with her husband, John, making the annual appearance of Mother Ginger and the Royal Father in the Nutcracker.

Lindsay Clark

Dance Instructor

Lindsay grew up dancing at Irene’s School of Dance and has spent much of her life in the Kitsap area. Lindsay took a brief hiatus from dance to focus on her studies at Klahowya Secondary School. Upon graduation she attended the University of Washington where she returned to dance. At the U she took classes in ballet, modern, jazz, and other disciplines. She graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s in history and a minor in Dance. Go Huskies! After graduation, she spent some time in the real estate world before coming back to dance via her two daughters. Sydney, the oldest, started dancing at Irene’s in 2017, and Harper, the youngest, in 2019. Lindsay followed suit and began teaching at Irene’s School of Dance in 2021. Since then, the whole Clark family has been involved with Kitsap’s amazing dance community. Her husband Scott has even appeared with Lindsay as a parent in the party scene of “The Nutcracker!” The Clark family also enjoys traveling together, especially camping trips in their RV in the Summer. When Lindsay is not teaching dance, she is working as a teaching assistant at Silverwood School.

Irene Miller

Dance Instructor

Irene is a graduate of the University of Washington, Irene is a certified teacher-member of Dance Masters of America. She was the owner, director and a teacher of Irene’s School of Dance for 47 years as well as the founder and Artistic Director of Dance Arts Theatre for 41 years until her retirement in August 2023. She traveled with Dance Arts Theatre and directed performances in Disneyland, Disneyworld, Hawaii, New York and Leavenworth. Born and raised in Wenatchee, she studied dance with her mentor, Arlene Wagner, now Curator of the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum. Before moving to Silverdale in 1975, Irene taught dance in Wenatchee for 5 years and in Port Angeles/Sequim for 3 years. Irene, and husband Don, have two daughters, Kim and Becky. They plan on spending quality time with them, their son in law Brent, and Grandson Gavyn in their retirement. Irene and Don also hope to do some traveling when Irene is not busy teaching her adult tap class. Irene credits Ms. Arlene with giving her the inspiration and experience to run a dance school, put on “Nutcracker” productions and “Dance for the Joy of It”.

Stephanie Spencer

Pointe Instructor

Stephanie is from Baltimore, Maryland and began her ballet training at the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts. She danced professionally with the Washington Ballet, performing on the Kennedy Center Stage. She spent her early years in class with George Balanchine, Peter Martins, Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, whom she apprenticed with at Pacific Northwest Ballet. She was then hired as a soloist for the company, where she danced for 11 years. Stephanie then went on to earn a BFA at the University of Washington in Dance. She has been sharing her love of ballet by teaching, choreographing and mentoring dancers for the last 20 years. She holds an Advantage Teaching Degree from the Royal Academy of Dance as well as teaching certification from the Cecchetti Counsil of America.

Annie Reitz

Barre and Dance Fitness Instructor

Annie has been a Kitsap County resident for over 20 years. Prior to settling in Kitsap County, her family had the experience of traveling the US & internationally as a military family until settling here and making this their home. She has been teaching Group Fitness Classes for the last 8 years at local gyms where she continues to enjoy meeting wonderful people every day in her classes! When she’s not teaching, you can find her visiting other instructors in their classes!

Marina Hartford

Dance Instructor

Marina grew up in the Kitsap area and danced for 13 years at Irene’s School of Dance, where she was a dedicated member of the Dance Arts Theatre for 6 years. She performed various roles that ignited her passion for both performing and teaching. Marina holds a degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and has been a second-grade teacher for 4 years, as well as a dance instructor for a collective of 3 years. Marina knows three languages and is fluent in both Spanish and ASL, which she incorporates into her teaching to foster inclusivity and engagement. Marina’s unique blend of skills, her enthusiasm for dance and teaching continues to create an inspiring and supportive environment for her students at West Sound Dance Academy.

Aeryn Maxey

Dance Instructor Assistant

Office Assistant

Aeryn started dancing when she was 3 years old at the YMCA. She later enrolled in Irene's School of Dance when she was 8 and joined Dance Arts Theater dance company at the age of 14. While she didn't always love dancing, her passion for it has grown tremendously while dancing for DAT and working at the dance academy. Aeryn is trained in Ballet, Pointe, and other dance styles such as Jazz, Contemporary, hip-hop, and tap. When she is not busy dancing, she likes to sew, crochet, and knit. Aeryn is currently a student at University of Washington majoring in Art with a focus in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts.

Evee Bell

Dance Instructor Assistant

Office Assistant

Evee grew up in Port Orchard and started her dance career at The Dance Gallery at 4 years old, she then danced for 2 years at Just For Kicks starting in 2021. Evee has won a national title at the age of 6 competing and performing her first solo at Celebrity's "Nationals at Sea" in 2014. She now dances on South Kitsap High School’s Wolf Pack Dance Team, which is one of the top 5 programs in the state of Washington, since 2022. She is a Junior at South Kitsap High School and plans to go to the University of Washington to join their dance team. Evee is still exploring her options for what she plans to study while at the University. Evee has experience in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary, lyrical, musical theatre, and pom. She has always had a passion for dance and continues to enjoy sharing this with all of her students!

Susie Slater

Dance Instructor Assistant

Office Assistant

is a Junior at Klahowya Secondary School and is dual enrolled with Central Washington University. She has been dancing since she was 8 years old. She started her dance career at Irene’s School of Dance and continued with the studio through its transition to West Sound Dance Academy. Susie is a varsity player on Klahowya’s Tennis team and is involved in the Honors Society where she enjoys helping her community. Susie is a Senior company member of Dance Arts Theatre. She has enjoyed her time with the company and her experience performing solos such as Snow Princess in the Nutcracker, Spanish Doll in Fairy Doll, Russian lead in the Nutcracker, and the Bear Doll in the Nutcracker. Susie is still exploring her options for what she wants to study eventually in college but for now she enjoys teaching and helping other students.