Teachers
Pearl D. Wardlow
Dance Spectrum Teacher & Artistic Director
Pearl holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance with a Teaching of Dance Emphasis from the University of California at Irvine. In 1989, Pearl was selected to attend the California State Summer School for the Arts at Cal Arts in Valencia, CA and was honored by Governor George Dukmejian as a California Arts Scholar. Pearl's training began with Ann Hall and later Melinda Shaner in the Yucaipa area. She has studied with Paul Maure, Donald Mc Kayle, Bernard Johnson, Buddy Schwimmer, Christine Baltes, Evie Newman, and Brian Vernon. Pearl's performance Credits include Disneyland Parades and Shows as well as special events for KLOS radio station and the Harris' Corporation. She has danced the roles of Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Odette in Swan Lake and Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker under the direction of Melinda Shaner and with staging by Paul Maure. In high school and community theater, Pearl has acted in roles such as M'Lynn in Steel Magnolias and Andy in Steppin' Out (Redlands Footlighters), Maggie in Brigadoon, Ensemble and Congress of Beauties in Show Boat (Redlands Bowl), Ensemble and Virtue in Anything Goes!, Ensemble (featured tap dancer) in The Wizard of Oz. She also holds a Certificate in Television Production from San Bernardino Valley College. Her love of children, dance, and teaching inspired her to open Dance Spectrum in October 1999. In 2007, Pearl was recognized by Assemblyman Paul Cook & the California Legislature for Excellence in Choreography for Yucaipa High School's production of West Side Story. Currently, Pearl, along with other Dance Spectrum teachers, is training to become a Teacher Member of the Cecchetti Council of America under the teaching of Eliezer Rabelo. Pearl's students have been accepted into some of the nation's most prestigious summer dance programs including American Ballet Theater, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Joffrey Ballet, State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara, Inland Pacific Ballet, Tap Kids, Tap Sounds Underground, and the California State Summer School for the Arts. Former students have worked professionally in the entertainment industry and continue their dance and arts training at the college and university level. More importantly, Dance Spectrum students carry away a lifelong love and appreciation and understanding of dance, music, and the arts.
Carlos Renteria
Lyrical/Contemporary & Jazz Teacher
Born and raised in Southern California, Carlos Renteria started his training at the age of 12 at his local Middle School where he first met his Ballet Teacher, David King. He then continued dancing at his local High School and at Riverside Ballet Arts. During his training, Carlos spent a summer training under The Rock School of Ballet Education in Philadelphia. Carlos continued his training at The University of North Carolina of the Arts in the modern program where he trained and performed in various styles including Merce Cunningham, Jose Limon, and Shen Wei. Since then, he has had the pleasure of dancing for Nickerson-Rossie Dance, Intersect Dance, in the role of Snow King in Inland Dance Theater's Nutcracker and teaching at various schools around the Inland Empire in Southern California. Currently, Carlos is working on completing his dance degree and becoming a Certified Pilates Instructor. Dance Spectrum students enjoy his challenging classes and exciting choreography.
Rachel Sonyi
Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, & Cardio Dance Teacher
Rachel trained at Dance Spectrum from childhood through high school. In 2013, Rachel attended the Summer Program at Inland Pacific Ballet Academy. She completed the Teacher Apprenticeship Program during high school and taught classes at Dance Spectrum from 2013-2016. Rachel left to study dance at California State University Fullerton, and has just earned her Bachelor's of Arts degree in Dance in the spring of 2020. She is continuing her studies in hopes of attending a chiropractic college. Rachel is training to become a Teacher Member of the Cecchetti Council of America.
Eliezer Rabelo
Ballet and Pas de deux Teacher
Eliezer Rabelo is an international dancer trained at the Espaco Cultural Claudio Santoro and Teatro Americo Alvarez. His teachers included Ivo Karaguiorgiev (Vaganova & Bourgneville), Sharon McCormick (RAD), Jo Anna Hopkins (Cecchetti), and Allen Desterhaft (Cecchetti).
He has worked professionally with the following dance companies: Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Lake Arrowhead Classical Company, Project 21, Kin Dance Company, Bale Folklorico do Brasil, Corpo de Danca do Amazonas, and Grupo Espaco de Danca do Amazonas.
Eliezer has taught at various schools including schools in the Clark County School District, Nevada, USA, Olga Kresin Ballet School in Philadelphia, USA, Allegro Escuela de Ballet in Jalisco, Mexico, Lake Arrowhead School of Dance, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, The Studio for Performing Arts Malibu, and the Secretaria de Cultura do Estrado do Amazonas/Centro Cultural Claudio Santoro in Amazona, Brazil.
He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Cia.Ballet da Barra and 11th Hour Dance Project and the Studio Manager of La Quinta Pilates. He holds is Pilates Certification with BASI and is a Faculty Assistant with Body Arts and Science International. He is a Teaching Member of the Cecchetti Council of America and is currently teaching Grade One of the Cecchetti Syllabus for Teachers at Dance Spectrum. Eliezer’s love of the performing arts extends to vocal performance as well. He is a countertenor and has performed with In Nomine, Teatro Americo Alvarez, Mormon Choir Amazonas Brasil, Centro Cultural Claudio Santoro-Miscelaneous (Featured as alto in Carpentier’s Te Deun), and Voci Soli. In addition, he has acted in the films Mockmentary (Laura Behr), and Tiny Dancer (Ford Austin).
To add to his list of accomplishments, Eliezer speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and some Italian. We are so pleased to have Eliezer on our teaching staff at Dance Spectrum.
Kelly Ivy
Ballet, Tap, Lyrical, Jazz, & SDE Choreograqpher
Kelly trained at Dance Spectrum for eight years and has been on the teaching staff since 2007. She has competed at various dance adjudications and performed throughout Southern California as a member of the SDE. She has performed in many Dance Spectrum productions and performed the roles of Fairy Godmother (Sleeping Beauty) and the Dew Drop Fairy (Nutcracker). She is a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications. Kelly is working on obtaining her teaching credential and will become a school teacher in the near future while still teaching at Dance Spectrum on some evenings. She is also training to become a Teacher Member of the Cecchetti Council of America. Recently, Kelly's dance "Troop Beverly Hills" won 1st overall in Musical Theater at Kids Artistic Revue competition in San Gabriel. Along with her love of dance she also has a passion for video production and editing and has helped produce the Dance Spectrum production. She enjoys sharing her love of dance and the arts with all of her students.
Julia Diaz
Acro/Tumbling, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop Teacher &
SDE Choreographer
Julia trained at Dance Spectrum for over 12 years. She has performed and competed as a member of Spectrum Dance Ensemble and was a member of the Beaumont High School Cheer Squad. Her fun and creative choreography has won top awards at multiple dance competitions-most recently at PDN & Kids Artistic Revue in San Gabriel.
Rhonda Gerwin-Vaughan
Hawaiian/Polynesian Teacher
Rhonda has been a dance professional for over 30 years. She was one of the youngest, at the time, to receive her dance instructor's accreditations from the Dance Educators of America Association which accredits teachers, choreographers, and professional dancers throughout the U.S.A. She has taught and performed professionally in Hawaiian, Polynesian, Ballet, Tap, Jazz and founded her own dance performing troupes. She has directed and choreographed many stage shows through the years. Rhonda owned her own dance studio in Beaumont (Rhonda and Co.) and she is thrilled to return to a studio setting in which she can share her love of dance with others.
Brett Ordaz
Tap Teacher
Brett studied tap, jazz, and more at Dance Spectrum and has gone on to train with and perform with Sarah Reich's now defunct Tap Dance Company, Tap Con Sabor. She regularly attends major Tap Festivals including the Washington D.C. Tap Fest and the L.A Tap Fest where she has worked as an intern for Chloe Arnold. Having studied tap at summer intensives such as Tap Kids in New York, Slide in N.Y.C., and Tap Sounds Underground in L.A., Brett's rhythms and choreography are beloved by her students and we are so pleased to have her on our teaching staff. We are also very proud that Brett recently graduated and will be working as an occupational therapist in the near future.
Alyse Deatherage
Ballet, Tap & Jazz Teacher
Alyse was a student at Dance Spectrum for 12 years. She graduated from Mt. San Jacinto Community College with her AA in English and she is currently attending California Stage University, San Bernardino, for her Bachelor's Degree in English. Her passion is teaching and she plans to work as an English and Literature College Professor. She has taught at Dance Spectrum since 2016 and she plans to continue doing so. During her time as a member of Spectrum Dance Ensemble, she has performed in competitions and attended conventions such as Rainbow Dance Competition, Professional Dance Network (PDN), and Jump (where she won a scholarship to attend the Dancer Palooza Convention). Alyse has a giving spirit and has served as a volunteer at New Creation Church for over 3 years and has helped at Calvary Christian School's holiday events, as well as at Beaumont High School's Catering class.
Eliza Palmer
Ballet, Tap, and Jazz Teacher
Eliza has trained at Dance Spectrum for 14 years. Since the beginning of her training, she has always wanted to become a teacher. For the last 5 years, Eliza has trained to become a student teacher at Dance Spectrum. This year she is so excited to have joined the Dance Spectrum staff. In the near future, Eliza plans to attend UC Riverside to obtain her teaching credential and become an elementary school teacher.
Lyah Pettie
Hip-hop Teacher
Lyah started training at Dance Spectrum at the age of 2 1/2. She has been a member of Spectrum Dance Ensemble for 6 years and has assisted classes for 2 years. Lyah graduated from California Connections Academy in June 2021 and will be attending Santa Monica City College with plans to transfer to UC Berkeley. She wants to attend medical school at UCLA and become a pediatric doctor. We are excited to see Lyah as she sets out on her exciting journey!
Allison Ogden
Student Teacher
For 13 years, Allison has been training at Dance Spectrum. She was a member of Spectrum Dance Ensemble since 2007. Allison was recently selected by audition to be a KAR Protege dancer. She has the opportunity to attended any KAR Dance Convention for free next season where she will assist the teachers as a demonstrator, perform a closing show dance with the other KAR Protoge dancers selected from around the country, and film a promotional video-we are so proud of her! Allison is a member of the National Honor Society of Dance Arts. She is currently training to become a Teacher Member in the Cecchetti Council of America. Prior to teaching at Dance Spectrum, Allison was a helper in classes for about 7 years and has been trained in the teacher apprentice program for 3 years. She is so happy to be sharing her love of dance with her students. Allison would like to become a professional dancer/cheerleader for a NFL team and eventually open her own restaurant.
Jasmine Poulin
Ballet, Tap, & Jazz Student Teacher
Jasmine began dancing with a handful of her many siblings in 2013. She has been dancing at Dance Spectrum for the past eight years After training for three years in our teacher's program, she is so excited to finally share her passion with our students. Jasmine is considering a degree in interior design while growing her dance career as a dance teacher. Jasmine is currently training to become a Teacher Member of the Cecchetti Council of America.
Taryn Wagner
Student Teacher
Taryn has been training at Dance Spectrum for 11 years. She was a member of Spectrum Dance Ensemble for 3 seasons. Prior to teaching she was a helper in classes for about 5 years and trained in the teacher apprentice program for 3 years. She is so happy to be entering her second year of teaching dance and is excited to have an additional class this year. After high school, Taryn plans to attend college with the goal of becoming a school teacher.