Jenny Rogers
Owner/Director
Jenny Rogers was able to fulfill her life-long dream when 28 years ago, she and her husband purchased the Safford Dance Academy (SDA). As an Alumni of the very studio she now directs, Jenny seeks to inspire each dancer just as she was inspired by her teachers. Jenny has spent the last 30+ years teaching dance in many capacities. She loves to teach all ages of dance from the little 3 & 4 year-olds through her college age students. She loves the interaction and happiness she finds with each and every age group she has the opportunity to teach. She finds joy in all kinds of movement and teaches many genres including jazz, tap, clogging, pom, lyrical, contemporary and ballet. She has had many wonderful opportunities to study with well known master teachers and continually seeks to take classes at workshops and conventions including Tremaine, Jump, Nuvo, West Coast Dance Explosion, Hollywood Connection, Radix, Jazzdance Showcase, and Dance Life Teacher Conference. Jenny has been blessed with three children, Bodie, Callie and Gavin, a lovely daughter in law and two beautiful grandaughters, and an amazingly supportive husband, Isaac. Together, they strive to make SDA a place where children can learn to love dance and to be inspired to become beautiful people.
Rena De La Cruz Holguin
Instructor
Rena started dance training at Safford Dance Academy (SDA) when she was five. She studied several dance styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, clogging, pointe, swing and salsa. She started teaching dance classes when she was sixteen and has been teaching at the academy ever since. After high school, she continued her education through Eastern Arizona College (EAC)where she received an AA degree in Theater Arts. During her time at EAC, Rena continued to study ballet and theater dance as an assistant choreographer and teacher under the direction of Rachael Jacob. She also performed in several of the college's main stage plays as a featured dancer. Some of these plays included Anything Goes, South Pacific, Cry for Love, and A Portrait of a Hunchback. Rena studied ballet and modern dance through Arizona State University in 2006. In 2008, she traveled to Australia where she took contemporary, jazz and hip-hop classes in Adelaide. She also joined a cheer and stunting team, which took second place at the Adelaide State Cheer Competition. After her adventure in Australia, Rena furthered her education through Northern Arizona University pursuing her passion for teaching. In 2012, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, graduating with honors. Now, Rena continues to teach ballet and other forms of dance at SDA and EAC. Rena truly has a passion for teaching and inspiring students to express themselves creatively by getting up to dance! Throughout her life, she has studied and continues to glean all styles of dance by going to conventions held under the direction of top notch teachers such as Joe Tremaine, Denise Wall, Greg Russell, Roni Mahler, etc. Rena is truly dedicated to her profession and wants to continue to grow and become the best she can be, not only for herself, but for all her students that she sincerely loves. She wants to be an inspiration . . . as well as . . . to be inspired.
Kacie Lee Shelton
Instructor
Kacie started dancing at age seven and enjoyed ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary and clogging. Kacie started teaching at age 16. She was also a cheerleader/dancer in high school for four years. She was spiritline captain and elected as an All-American dancer her senior year. She has been a choreographer for the Thatcher High School Spiritline and Show Choir during her high school experience. Later, she attended Maricopa Community College as a dance major and was a member of the MCC dance company. Currently, she is attending Eastern Arizona College and teaching contemporary, ballet, jazz and tap at the Safford Dance Academy.
Shannan Miller
Instructor
Shannan discovered her love for dance at the young age of five and has carried that passion with her ever since. With over a decade of teaching experience, she has inspired countless students to find confidence, creativity, and joy through movement.
Beyond the studio, Shannan is a proud wife and mother of two boys, embracing her role as a dedicated sports mom while balancing family life. She is also a driven entrepreneur and business owner, building her career as a skilled lash artist.
Whether she’s teaching the classroom, at the field cheering her boys on, or at her lash studio serving clients, Shannan pours her heart into everything she does. Her journey reflects dedication, artistry, and the ability to balance both passion and purpose.
Fallon Boren
Instructor
Fallon was born and raised in the Gila Valley and has been dancing for over 20 years. She started dancing at SDA when she was 12- and never looked back. Now as a teacher at the studio for the past 5 years, Fallon definitely has her full-circle dream come true.
Her favorite styles of dance are ballet and lyrical/contemporary, but she's also trained in jazz, tap, hip hop, and pointe. Dance has always been a huge part of her life, and getting to share that passion with the next generation is one of her greatest joys. Watching her students grow in both confidence and creativity is something she never takes for granted.
When she's not at the studio, you can probably find Fallon at Disneyland, behind the camera (she's also a photographer) or spending time with her wild and fun daughter, Quinn.
Safford Dance Academy has been Fall0n's second home for so many years, and she feels incredibly grateful to now be part of the teaching side- doing what she loves in the place that helped shape who she is today.
Lexi Henderson
Instructor
Lexi began dancing when she was five years old and has had a passion for it ever since. After moving from Florida at the age of nine, she was enrolled at Safford Dance Academy where her love for dance would continue to grow and last a lifetime. Safford Dance Academy quickly became a place that felt like home and attending her dance classes was a great light in her life. Dancing both on and off the stage has provided Lexi with some of her most special childhood experiences. After graduating from Thatcher High school in 2021, Lexi wanted to help other children have some of the same amazing experiences with dance. Getting to teach has been her dream come true as Lexi continues her education at Eastern Arizona College.
Carly McWhorter
Instructor
Carly is an EAC graduate, has been dancing since she was 18 months old and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon! Carly loves every second she gets to spend teaching our dancers. Outside of working at the dance studio she works in special education at Pima Junior High.
Kari Hull
Instructor
Kari began dancing at Safford Dance Academy at just three years old and also trained in gymnastics at Dekeuster's. After graduating from high school, she moved to Tempe and continued taking dance classes at Arizona State University while earning her nursing degree.
For nine years, Kari worked for a Phoenix-based pom and cheer company that traveled throughout the Phoenix area, coaching and choreographing for teams of all ages. During that time, she had the opportunity to take numerous teams to Nationals, helping dancers build their skills, confidence, and teamwork while creating lasting memories.
Kari returned to the Gila Valley in 2008 and has been teaching for Safford Dance Academy on and off ever since. Over the years, she has taught tap, jazz, pom, clogging, hip hop, and tumbling, and she currently teaches tumbling. Her favorite part of teaching is watching her students grow—not only as dancers, but as confident, hardworking individuals. She loves seeing their passion for dance develop, celebrating their accomplishments, and helping them realize they can achieve more than they ever thought possible.
Outside of the studio, Kari has been married to her best friend since 2004. Together they have four amazing children—Laci, Wade, Lane, and Sage—who keep life fun, busy, and full of adventure!
Kristin Adams
Instructor
Kristin is married to the love of her life and absolutely loves being a homeschool mom to her two beautiful children. Her love for dance began over a decade ago and has remained one of the greatest blessings in her life. While in high school, she earned a dance scholarship that allowed her to train extensively and perform on a competitive dance team.
After returning home from serving a mission for Jesus Christ, Kristin continued her dance education through college classes while beginning her teaching career. This year marks her sixth year teaching at Safford Dance Academy.
Kristin believes dance is a little bit of real-life magic. She especially loves teaching the littlest dancers -there is something special about a child that has the courage to dance with all their heart. Helping children build confidence, and be creative is the most enriching energy ever spent.
Dance has taught Kristin to find beauty in everyday moments, pursue excellence, and embrace lifelong learning. When she's not teaching dance you'll find her on some adventure or another even if that adventure is in a book.