Pre-Professional Dance Company
Jordan Cruse is thrilled to be a part of Theatre on Tap! She is currently a freshman at Dominican High School. She also attends NOCCA for Musical Theatre in the after school program. Her love for acting began at age 8 and her love for musical theatre began at age 10 when she had her first solo in School House Rock, Jr. She has been in many productions with Jefferson Performing Arts Society including The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, 101 Dalmatians and How to Eat Like a Child. In addition, she was on the JPAS Theatre Kids! Competition Team in both 2011 and 2013. She has also been in Theatre Thirteen Productions including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as “Brother Gad” and Thoroughly Modern Millie as “Alice”. Other stage productions include A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant with the NOLA Project, Beauty and the Beast, A Year with Frog and Toad and High School Musical, Jr. She has been dancing at Encore Studio since the age of 4 where she is currently taking Tap, Ballet, Pointe and Lyrical Technique. She also studies both piano and voice and won for best vocal performance with “Good Morning Baltimore” at her Elementary School’s Talent Show in 2012.
Bella Florence is 14 years old, and thrilled to be a part of Gulf Coast Theatre on Tap. She is a Level 1 Musical Theatre student at NOCCA, and a freshman at Metairie Park Country Day. She has previously appeared in Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal), Stagedoor Manor's production of 42nd Street (ensemble), The Little Mermaid (Ariel), and Bye Bye Birdie (Rosie Alvarez). She would like to thank her parents for the long car rides, and Ms. Heidi for this amazing opportunity!
Amelia Jacquat is an 8th grader at Ursuline Academy. She loves singing, dancing, playing piano, and composing. She studies dance, acting, and musical theatre at Encore Studio and has performed in Theatre 13, JPAS – Kids, St. Rita School, and Gulf Coast Theatre on Tap productions. In 2013, she played Patty Simcox in Grease – School Edition, Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, Jr., Mrs.Paroo in The Music Man, Jr., and Duffy in Annie. She also performed with Theatre on Tap at Art Melt in Baton Rouge. Her next role is in All That Judy by Spotlight Productions. Amelia would like to thank Carrie Hill, Kyle Aucoin, Heidi Malnar, and Diana Cangemi for being great teachers, and her family for never-ending encouragement.
Ross Quinn is a freshman at the New Orleans Creative Center for the Arts (NOCCA). Some of his favorite roles include Danny Zuko in Grease, Prince Fritz in Rapunzel, Tiny Tom in Urinetown, Danny in Freckleface Straberry the Musical, and Ensemble in 42nd Street. This is his first time performing in a show with only dance and is excited to be a part of Love TAPS!
A freshman at Benjamin Franklin High School and NOCCA (the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts), Madison Smither loves musical theatre, especially tap! She has performed with multiple theatre groups here in New Orleans, including JPAS Theatre Kids!, JPAS Mainstage, Tulane Little Lyric, and Theatre 13. She was last seen as Mary-Clare in Ricky Graham’s Pecan Cracker at Rivertown, and was recently a 2012 Storer Boone Award Nominee for her performance as Louisa in The Sound of Music. Madison is so excited to be a member of Gulf Coast Theatre on Tap in both the Pre-Professional Company and as an apprentice in the Professional Company. A huge thank you to Ms. Heidi for being an amazing role model and teacher and for always inspiring me to work hard.