Welcome to the dance class website for Marin School of the Arts and Novato High School. In this site you can navigate to your class and view the Syllabus, complete homework assignments, submit participation make-up assignments, see the upcoming events and find photos and videos.
About the Teacher
Janelle Mitnick was born and raised in Ventura, California. She trained in ballet at the Ventura Ballet Academy from childhood through her teenage years, while simultaneously training as a competitive gymnast.
She fell in love with Northern California's natural beauty and attended Humboldt State University. There she studied modern dance technique, release technique and multicultural dance studies. She graduated with a BA in Interdisciplinary Dance Studies. Soon thereafter, she attended Sonoma State University and received her Elementary School Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential. Along with a MS Credential, Janelle holds a Subject-Authorization in Physical Education for dance from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. She is credentialed to teach K-12 Dance. She is a certified yoga instructor and TEFL instructor.
Janelle has taught in both elementary and high-school. Her most recent teaching experience was as a full-time high-school dance teacher at Deer Valley Performing-Arts High School in the East-Bay. She feels privileged to be able to share her passion for dance and dance education with her new students here in the North-Bay.
She fell in love with Northern California's natural beauty and attended Humboldt State University. There she studied modern dance technique, release technique and multicultural dance studies. She graduated with a BA in Interdisciplinary Dance Studies. Soon thereafter, she attended Sonoma State University and received her Elementary School Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential. Along with a MS Credential, Janelle holds a Subject-Authorization in Physical Education for dance from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. She is credentialed to teach K-12 Dance. She is a certified yoga instructor and TEFL instructor.
Janelle has taught in both elementary and high-school. Her most recent teaching experience was as a full-time high-school dance teacher at Deer Valley Performing-Arts High School in the East-Bay. She feels privileged to be able to share her passion for dance and dance education with her new students here in the North-Bay.
about the teacher
Renee Cacchi grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and began dancing at a young age. She attended Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, CA, and under the direction of CatherineMarie Davalos she received her BA in Performing Arts with an emphasis in Dance. Throughout her 4 years at Saint Mary’s College she studied the Humphrey-Limon Technique and the Cunningham Technique. She went on to perform with the Davalos Dance Company, a Modern Dance company based out of Berkeley, CA. During her time performing and choreographing with the Davalos Dance Company she performed at the ODC Theater in San Francisco in Pilot and Flight performance venues as well as in Works in the Works in Berkeley.
In 2005 Renee moved to New York City and started working in collaboration with two other choreographers to form The Movement Collective, a collaborative modern dance company. The Movement Collective had it’s first performance with Open Floor Dance at Dance Forum in March 2006 and continued to self produce two evening length shows per year for the next three years. Through her work with The Movement Collective, Renee had the opportunity to share her choreography as well as bring emerging artists into the light of the NYC dance scene.
In 2009 Renee graduated from New York University, Steinhardt School of Education, with an MA in Dance Education and K-12 Teaching Credential and shifted her focus to arts education in the public school. Upon her return to the Bay Area in 2010, Renee began working as a Dance Teaching Artist for Luna Dance Institute, a dance education nonprofit in Berkeley. While working at Luna, Renee was able to bring standards based dance education to underserved schools in the Oakland Unified School District.
Renee is very excited to be part of the team at MSA and NHS as the Director of Dance and looks forward to sharing her love for the art of dance with the students and their families.
In 2005 Renee moved to New York City and started working in collaboration with two other choreographers to form The Movement Collective, a collaborative modern dance company. The Movement Collective had it’s first performance with Open Floor Dance at Dance Forum in March 2006 and continued to self produce two evening length shows per year for the next three years. Through her work with The Movement Collective, Renee had the opportunity to share her choreography as well as bring emerging artists into the light of the NYC dance scene.
In 2009 Renee graduated from New York University, Steinhardt School of Education, with an MA in Dance Education and K-12 Teaching Credential and shifted her focus to arts education in the public school. Upon her return to the Bay Area in 2010, Renee began working as a Dance Teaching Artist for Luna Dance Institute, a dance education nonprofit in Berkeley. While working at Luna, Renee was able to bring standards based dance education to underserved schools in the Oakland Unified School District.
Renee is very excited to be part of the team at MSA and NHS as the Director of Dance and looks forward to sharing her love for the art of dance with the students and their families.