Emma has been a “triple threat” herself for more than 20 years. An accomplished singer, percussionist, and classical pianist, she has won several state and national awards for her performances and original compositions. She has also passed her music teaching  and performance exams through the Yamaha Music Program, and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in London and has trained in music across the country at Princeton, Kansas State, and Arizona State Universities. Emma continued her music studies through high school, where she was a member of the Arizona All State Band & Orchestras, where she was 1st in the state for orchestral percussion.

Emma has also been very active in the dance and theatre communities. She is trained in ballet, pointe, modern, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, tap, pom & cheer, and hip hop, and has performed in numerous community and professional productions. 

As a young adult, Emma attended the prestigious Millie Lewis AMTC Competition in Florida, where she took 1st place Dance Duet, 2nd overall Broadway Singer. She was also awarded the Role Model of the Year Award for her dedication and commitment to her students, who took 1st place overall in the Group Performance category and were awarded the coveted Agency of the Year award. Although the prospect of signing with an agent in New York was exciting, Emma decided to return to Arizona to pursue her career as an educator.

Emma graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance Education from Arizona State University in 2005, and began teaching dance in the Tempe Unified School District, first at Tempe High and Mountain Pointe High School, and later Corona del Sol High School.  In 2009, Studio 3 was born, becoming the first “triple threat training center” of its kind. Now, students could finally pursue dance, music, and theater training, all in the same place!

At Studio 3, Emma is Artistic Director of the Studio 3 Showstoppers Company and the Applause Musical Theatre & Pop Ensemble. She also enjoys teaching jazz technique, arranging vocal music for Studio 3′s many performing companies, and directing the professional all-girl pop group Ascension. Her favorite role, however, is directing and choreographing Studio 3′s mainstage musicals.

Emma continues to train and perform professionally with the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater in Mesa, including the recent productions of “Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, and “Chicago”. She also enjoys following her passion for directing and choreographing, and hopes to someday write a full-length musical of her own!

Above all, Emma is excited to be pursuing her  lifelong dream, and wants to open up performing experiences to as many students as possible!

Welcome to Studio 3 Performing Arts.

Director of Dance

Rachael Jacobs was born performing! She has been active in musical theater programs and productions since the age of 3. Rachael started in a musical theatre program, and soon caught the performing bug! She participated in every class, workshop, and show she could, and soon became a seasoned performer. Trained in jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, and lyrical, Rachael has performed with many different musical theater and dance companies across the Valley, including One Image Dance Company, Totality Musical Theater Ensemble, Class Act Dance Company, and Ovation.

Rachael has won many awards and scholarships throughout her career. She is currently on academic scholarship at Arizona State University, studying Photography and Dance. She attended the prestigious Millie Lewis ATMC Competition, where she was a Finalist for Top Commercial Model! She also took a 1st place finish in the dance duet category (with Emma! and honorable mentions in Broadway Singer and Monologue Competitions. She was also a part of the group that took 1st overall in the Group Performance category and the coveted “Agency of the Year” award. Rachael has toured the world, performing in Europe, Hawaii, New York, Washington DC, and California, and is excited to be home at Studio 3.

Rachael currently directs the Studio 3DC Dance Company and teaches classes in jazz and funky jazz. She also assists with the Studio 3 Showstoppers Company.

Director of Voice

Mandie Smithmier received her BA in Multi-Age Music Education with a Vocal Concentration, and a minor in Percussion from Cedarville University in Ohio. She has performed in many community theatre productions, and has professional experience as a vocalist, even having the opportunity to sing by invitation at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Mandie’s true passion is in teaching music. An accomplished vocalist, pianist, & percussionist, she has taught both in the classroom setting and her own private studio for many years. With experience in teaching music theory, sight singing, vocal technique, private percussion, and piano, she has had the honor of music directing for many youth and teen choirs, musical theatre productions, and her favorite, eight years as the instructor of the Brighton High School Drumline.

Mandie hopes to use her gifts of music to touch the lives around her and make a positive difference in the community. She has spent time in Durban, South Africa, touring with a music and theatre team,  and working with children affected by the AIDS/HIV epidemic there. Her hope is to one day return to Durban to work and teach full time. She loves being an educator, and hopes to inspire her students with life lessons in discipline, commitment, and most importantly, how fun it can be to work hard to reach your goals. She is very excited to be welcomed into the Studio 3 family!

Mandie currently teaches voice & piano lessons at Studio 3, and assists with the Showstoppers Glee Company and Applause Musical Theatre & Pop Academy. She has also music directed several of Studio 3′s Mainstage Musical Productions.

Director of Music

Aldy Montufar graduated in 2007 with a BFA in Music Education from the University of Arizona. His principal instruments are trumpet and percussion, but he loves to play many others, including piano and guitar.

He currently directs the general music and band programs at Lincoln Elementary and Guerrero Elementary Schools in Mesa, but has also directed high school and junior high band programs. Aldy is a lead musician and composer in the band, the Tryst, who tours the country each year with their eclectic jazz funk style. He also performs with local band Fatigo at major events around the Valley. As a member of the International Association of Jazz Educators, Aldy received a full scholarship to travel to Thailand with the International Trumpet Guild to study and perform.

Aldy currently directs the music programs at Studio 3, teaches group guitar, and offers private lessons in drumset, guitar, brass, & woodwind instruments. Aldy also serves as Sound Technician for Studio 3, and creates original music arrangements for the Studio 3 Showstoppers with his wife, Emma, in their recording studio.

Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Tumbling

Kelsey Kebric began her dance career at the age of three. She is proficient in many styles of dance, and enjoys passing her love of dance to her students. Kelsey received much of her dance training from Dance Connection Too, where she trained in jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical, hip hop, and tumbling. She was also involved with cheer and gymnastics, which broadened her experiences and augmented her dance training. A competitive dancer, her groups often took platinum awards at competitions and became renowned for their cutting edge choreography. Attending these competitions and conventions gave Kelsey the opportunity to train under some of the most well-respected choreographers and dancers, including Mia Michaels, Brian Friedman, and Ray Leaper. Most recently, Kelsey danced with One Image Dance Company and the professional company, Ovation.

Kelsey will graduate from Arizona State University this year with a degree in nutritional studies. She currently teaches contemporary and tumbling at Studio 3, and specializes in nutrition, strength, and flexibility training for our company dancers.

Musical Theatre, Jazz, & Ballet

Elizabeth Jacobs has been active in the musical theatre and dance communities since a young age. She has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, tap, and hip hop, as well as voice and musical theatre. Zib’s musical theatre talents have given the opportunity to perform all over the world, including England, Ireland, Japan, New York, California, Pennsylvania, & Washington DC. She currently trains with Studio 3DC and local professional dance company EPIK. She also regularly trains at the Edge Performing Arts Studio in Los Angeles, where she has studied under many world-reknown choreographers.

Most recently, Zib performed with One Image Dance Company. and with the professional all-girl pop group Ascension with Artistic Director Emma England. She has also performed in community theatre, starring as “Rizzo” in Grease, and as Dance Captain & Scarecrow Understudy of Studio 3′s recent production of The Wizard of Oz.

Zib recently graduated with her cosmetology liscense, and is pursuing a career in aesthetics and massage therapy. She also uses her talents of costume design and organizational management with Studio 3′s many performing companies.

Zib has trained under Artistic Director Emma England for over 9 years, and knows the Studio 3 programs very well! Currently, Zib assists with the Studio 3 Showstoppers Company and performs and choregraphs as a member of Studio 3DC. She is also assistant director of Studio 3′s Applause Musical Theatre & Pop Academy and teaches jazz and ballet technique to students of all ages.

Hip Hop/Break

Nick began dancing at the late age of 13 in musical theatre. While being trained in numerous different styles such as jazz, ballroom, and Latin ballroom; hip hop is his area of expertise. He has had the opportunity and privilege to have taught for over eight years now in the styles of hip hop, jazz, musical theatre, and Latin ballroom for numerous different schools, studios, clinics, and professional teams around the valley and country to all ages.

Nick has performed all over the nation including Europe where he has received many different awards, scholarships, and opportunities along the way. He now teaches at two different studios and is currently a member of EPIK Dance Company and Stilo Dance Company

Nick is currently a senior at Arizona State. Nick has danced for groups such as ASU Hip Hop Coalition (dance assistant), Phoenix Mercury Hip Hop Squad, Phoenix Theatre, Electrolytes Dance Crew, and Leslie Scott (Choreographers Carnival). His most recent credits of choreography include the Phoenix Mercury Hip Hop Squad, Epik Dance Company, Arizona Rattlers’ Sidewinders Dance Team, Denver Nuggets Dance Team, Phoenix Theatre, the U of A Black & Blue Hip Hop Team and The Phoenix Suns Dance Team. Nick now only tries to take his passion as far as it will let him, teaching as many others as he can along the way.

Nick currently teaches hip hop at Studio 3, and choreographs for 3DC, Studio 3′s award-winning dance company. He has also inspired a passion in our students to learn more than just choreography – he teaches them the true roots, founders, & vocabulary of hip hop, and encourages them to explore an always-growing hip hop community.

Contemporary, Hip Hop, & Jazz Funk

Alix Clark first fell in love with dance in junior high, when she joined the Hendrix Dance Company. She continued performing into high school, where she was a member and officer of the Dobson Dance Company. Over those four years of dancing, she won four ‘Best Choreographer’ awards and was awarded two scholarships. During the summer of her Sophomore year, she was asked to join Epik Dance Company, a professional dance company based out of Phoenix, AZ.

Alix now attends Mesa Community College, where she is studying toward her associates degree in Dance Education. She also continues to perform with EPIK and teaches master classes all over the Valley. She plans to someday attend University to pursue her MFA in Dance Education. Alix has had the privilege to train with Alvin Ailey and various teachers from Broadway Dance Center in New York, the Joffrey Ballet and Giordano Jazz Company in Chicago, also dancers from the Broadway musicals Chicago and Wicked. Someday, Alix aspires to perform on Broadway or on So You Think You Can Dance. She would also love to teach at the reknowned Broadway Dance Center in New York City.

Alix currently teaches contemporary, hip hop, and jazz funk at Studio 3, and has been a guest choreographer for Studio 3DC Dance Company.