Movement Innovations Dance Studio
Brina has been teaching dance for over 29years. She started dancing at the age of nine, training in ballet, tap, and jazz. She has received training from Joe Tremaine, Jackie Slight, Doug Caldwell, and Frank Hatchet to name a few. At the age of sixteen, she received a one week scholarship to Tremaine / Slight Dance Studio in Los Angeles, California.
In 1986 she performed with the American Kids Competition, which was televised on CBS and was accepted as an "American Kid Performer."
Brina attended and received a scholarship to the University of Central Oklahoma and was a company member of the "Kaleidoscope Dancers."
In 1994 she moved to California and was given another dance scholarship to The Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. That summer, she signed a contract with Jean Anne Ryan Company as an entertainer with Norwegian Cruise Lines for two years.
In addition to teaching at two of the most successful dance studios in Oklahoma, she was an adjunct teacher at Classen School of Advanced Studies for three years. She was also on faculty at the Mercersburg Summer Intensive in 2000 and was invited to return in the fall as a guest teacher. She also had the great privilege to teach at the Washington Ballet the summer of 2004. In 2005, she choreographed a piece that was performed and televised at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Since September 2006, Brina is a dance instructor and the proud owner of Movement Innovations Dance Studio.
Brina Hurst
Owner/Director
Jessica DeArman graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Originally from St. Louis Missouri, her passion for dance has taken her around the world. She has appeared in Les Grand Ballet Canadians Nutcracker in St. Louis, opened for Legends in Concert in Branson, performed with New Beginnings in an off-Broadway production, and performed in both ensemble and solo performances in Australia in a pre-Olympian tour to Cairns and Sydney. Most recently, she performed with Sesame Street Live! on a USO tour across the United States as Elmo. Over the years, Jessie has also volunteered as Director of Operations with the St. Louis Tap Festival. As a jazz, Tap, hip hop, musical theatre and ballet dancer, Jessie has been teaching and choreographing for the past eleven years.
Jessica DeArman
Studio Manager
Chris “Twix” Shepard is a graduate of the Dance Department at the University of Central Oklahoma. He has performed with Rhythmically Speaking for over eighteen years and is an eight year member of R.A.C.E. Dance Collective. He also has worked with the Pollard Theatre in: In The Heights, Shrek The Musical, The Color Purple, Hairspray, American Idiot, Bring it On as well as played Cory in their production of Fences. This is Chris Shepard’s 5th season at Movement Innovations Dance Studio and he loves teaching his students the culture and movement of hip hop dance as well as challenging his student to be better dancers and their most authentic selves.
Chris Shepard
Mayu Odaka received her training under the direction of Diane Lauridsen at Lauridsen Ballet Center where she danced in the pre-professional company of South Bay Ballet performing many lead roles. She has participated in the Regional Dance of America Pacific region as part of SBB. While still in school, she was invited to perform in a professional ballet company, Utah Regional Ballet's Romeo and Juliet. During the summer, she attended Orlando Ballet, Washington School of Ballet, International Ballet Competition Jackson, and Oklahoma City Ballet all on full scholarships. Ms. Odaka was offered an apprenticeship with Oklahoma City Ballet after participating in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2015 summer intensive and was promoted to Corps de Ballet for the 2017-18 and the 2018-19 season. She is excited to teach ballet at Movement Innovations Dance Studio.
Mayu Odaka
Abby was born in Michigan and raised in Dallas, Texas. She is a Dance Performance major at the University of Central Oklahoma. She started dance at the age of 3 and has not stopped. She was a competition and convention dancer growing up. Abby loves being able to share her love of the art with people around her and is excited to share her passion with the dancers of MIDS. She has experience in acro, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, modern, musical theater, tap, and hip hop. She is a bit newer to the teaching world but it eager to choreograph and make an impact on children’s lives.