Suncoast School of the Arts

Meet Our Staff

Ms. Marcy Rodriguez
Area of expertise: All disciplines

Marcy is a member of Dance Masters of America (DMA), Dance Educators of America (DEA), and the Professional Dance Teachers Association (PDTA). She is a past Regional Director, board member and Chairperson of Mr. & Miss Dance of Florida Chapter #2 for DMA. Marcy's students have won numerous National titles and have gone on to perform on Broadway, Las Vegas and television including MTV, Miss America, Most Talented Kid in America, Star Search, Saturday night at the Apollo, and In Living Color. She has choreographed for the Washington DC Symphony Orchestra, housed in the Kennedy Center and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she has choreographed for the cheerleaders of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of the NFL, Tampa Bay Storm, of the USAFL, and the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer. Marcy is very happy to back "home" teaching and choreographing in Florida.

Mr. Mike Rodriguez
Area of expertise: Gymnastics, Acro & Theater

Michael began studying dance & gymnastics at the age of 5. He has received numerous awards in dance and Gymnastics including a Silver Medal in the Sunshine State Games, a State Championship Title in Gymnastics and a National Championship Title in Dance. Michael was awarded a football scholarship and played for Averett University where he studied theater. He has been actively involved in theater, film and modeling. In 2001, Michael was awarded “Top 5” in the International Hispanic Model Search held in Houston, Texas. Michael has recently starred in Carrolwood Players productions of “Second Time Around” and “Summer and Smoke”. His most recent film credits include “Saturday
Night at Madam Wings” and “The Punisher” starring John Travolta.

Ms. Colleen Skaggs
Specializing in Pre-school to school age dance

Colleen is 21 years old has been dancing since the age of 3. She has danced at many different studios throughout the years taking many types of classes. Colleen went on to dance at the University of South Florida where she took class with master teachers such as Gretchen Warren. She currently attends the university of South Florida and is a nursing major. Colleen has been teaching for Miss Jane's class Inc. in Tampa for 3 years now and is thrilled to be part of the Suncoast Team and working with Marcy.

Yvonne Derdock
Areas of expertise include: Hip-Hop, Jazz, Tap, and Vocal

Yvonne has 27 years experience as an Actress, Vocalist, and Dancer. She has made numerous appearances in movies, TV, commercials, stage productions, and is currently a member of SAG and Equity. She was previously a Staging Specialist at the Disney MGM Studios, where she staged various shows for the Walt Disney World Company. Yvonne has studied with top choreographers and uses her education to teach hip-hop, jazz, tap, and vocal. She has been a dance and vocal instructor for 10 years. She has won numerous awards for her talent and choreography. Yvonne dedicates herself to teach and inspire the youth of Tampa Bay, to further their careers in the performing arts.

Sarah Gannaway
Areas of expertise include: Vocal

Sarah has been teaching for over 17 years and joined Ms. Marcy in January of 2005. Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in Music from the University of Southampton, England. She was the first person in England to be awarded, After examination, two Performer's Certificates on the same day fromTrinity College of Music, London, . She has studied piano, trumpet, recorders, and voice with many prominent London teachers. Sarah has performed throughout England, Belgium, Holland, Austria and Germany in choirs, bands, orchestras and in musicals. She made her stage debut at the age of 3 in a local production of Cinderella. Sarah has also conducted / directed choirs and orchestras and several of her choral and orchestral arrangements have been performed throughout Europe. All of her pupils in England have examination certificates from Trinity College of Music, London and The Royal Academy of Music, London. Sarah also has examination certificates in Ballet from the Royal Ballet in London and was a Regional All-Round Silver Medal gymnast.

Karin Mizell Areas of expertise include Dance Team, Funk, Jazz, and Creative Movement

Karin has been teaching dance for 12 years. Her love for dance team scored her a position as an National Dance Alliance Instructor (NDA), traveling the U.S. teaching high school dance team summer camps. Karin was a dancer/coach/choreographer for the Quad City Thunder Basketball league in Illinois, dancer for the Iowa Barnstormer Arena Football team, and coached an Iowa high school dance team. Karin has most recently worked as an entertainer for Walt Disneyworld parades and shows, as well spending two years in Tokyo, Japan performing in Tokyo Disneyland parades and shows. In 2003 Karin was a featured performer in a televised, New Years Eve, production for Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. She was also an entertainer for Tokyo Disneylands 20 year celebration. Currently, Karin is newly married and settling down in Brooksville, Florida. She has greatly missed her teaching days and can't wait to return to the classroom.

Ashley Gibson Areas of expertise include Clogging

Ashley's love for clogging began at the age of 6. She began clogging on a competitive team at the age of seven. Ashley has received numerous awards in team and individual events across the country. She was chosen to be on the National All Star Team and even participated in the Junior Olympics with her clogging team. Ashley is an active 16 year old who is her class President, two time Varsity letter recipient in basketball and golf, plays Bass Guitar in her youth group, participated in the Model United Nations Conferences and loves to compete in pageants. Currently she hold the title of Miss Zephyrhills Outstanding Teen. One unique thing about Ashley is that she has a twin brother two minutes older than her. She is excited to share her love of clogging and honored to be a part of the Suncoast Team.

Suncoast School of the Arts