Our Team
Jeannette Sermak-Proulx
Owner & Director
Jeannette has been teaching since 1981. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the California Institute of the Arts, a Bachelor of Arts in English/Dance from Loyola Marymount University, and a Polish Folk Dance Teaching credential from Bursa Szkol Artystynych Lublin, Poland.
Jeannette taught Dance for Musical Theatre at Hamilton High School, as well as beginning Modern Dance at RD Colburne School of the Arts, a division of the University of Southern California. Jeannette has choreographed for the Greater Los Angeles Children’s Theatre, the Magnificent Melodrama and Vaudeville Company, and for MTV. She performed as a dancer for the Long Beach Opera, Normandy Casino, Universal Studios, and in regional commercials. Jeannette Sermak-Proulx has directed Plaza Production One since its inception in 1984.
Jessika Betschart
Executive Assistant
Jessika is a 2020 Graduate from the University of Oregon where she received a B.A. in Dance, Business as well as earned a teaching Dance Certificate. Jessika has been teaching dance since 2018 and has experience in many different styles such as Hip Hop, Acrobatics & Tumbling, Cheer, Ballet, African Dance, and many others.
Jessika was the captain of her High School’s competitive cheer team in Oregon. She’s performed in many different musical productions such as Pilar in “Legally Blonde”, Violet in “Charlie in the Chocolate Factory”, Lucy in “13” and “Aladdin” to list a few. Currently she is a member of a competitive dance team located in Southern California where she will be competing in the 2023 World of Dance Finals. In addition to teaching dance and performing, Jessika enjoys working on the administrative side of dance, in efforts to bring dance to children who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity. She has been on staff at Plaza Production One since October 2021. Jessika is also married with a daughter and is soon expecting a son.
Aracy Morales is most at home when she is with children!
A native of Southern California, Aracy has taught; swimming, Spanish, tutoring and of course dance for nearly twenty years. Miss Aracy is bilingual, a self taught salsa dancer and a believer that dance and movement is the source of
energy. Aracy holds an AA degree from Santa Monica college.
Jennifer Hagan holds a BFA in Dance and Talent from Touring in New York. She has been teaching dance for over 35 years, and owned her own studio in Minnesota for twenty years.
Miss Jenn is married, with two sons who are both actors and dancers.
Jackie Cooper started dancing competitively at the age of 4 in Moreno Valley, CA and continued training throughout college while being a part of the Riverside City College Rally Cats dance team. She has trained extensively in Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Tap, and Ballet. Jackie has worked professionally as a dancer playing a cheerleader in the Warner Bros movie “The Way Back” as well as the Netflix movie “Moxie”. She is currently dancing at SeaWorld San Diego in the Summer Spectacular Parade. Besides Jackie’s commercial career, she has over 8+ years of teaching experience. She has taught all ages of dancers in Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and Youth Creative Movement in the Southern California area. Jackie is passionate about and grateful to be a part of shaping the lives of the youth and adults of the dance community.
Jennifer Donaldson has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California Irvine. She has taught dance throughout her teens and for all of her adult life. Miss Jen is an accomplished choreographer in musical theatre and is also an instructor in fencing. She is married and has three daughters: Aurora, Cyra, and Brecklin. Miss Jen has been on the staff of Plaza Production One since 1995.
Emily Acuna is currently working as an instructional aide for a transitional kindergarten class at an elementary school in the city of Whittier; as one of her passions is teaching. Her favorite hobbies are: watching movies, shopping, and dancing! She is also an aspiring actress, so she does a little bit of acting on the side. She started dancing when she was three years old. She did tap, ballet, and jazz. She had also taken dance classes during the last two years of high school; Beginner and Intermediate dance courses. Emily had learned a variety of movements and choreographed their dance routines. Ever since then, she’s always continued dancing by creating dance choreographies to perform for family and friends and doing Zumba (as a part of her exercise routine). This is her first year working with Plaza Production One, and so far she is grateful to be part of this team! “It’s the best of both worlds; I can dance and teach children at the same time.”
Natalie Cottrell grew up in El Paso, Texas and has been a
performer of dance, singing and acting for over 15 years: she has performed in theater productions, commercials, short films & at Disneyland. Natalie is also the choreographer at Burbank High School as well as the vocal and assistant director for children’s seasonal musical productions. It is Natalie’s goal to
spread positivity to everyone in her classes: she truly enjoys teaching and spreading the joy of dance so her students leave happier than they arrived! She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles. Natalie has been on the staff of Plaza Production One since September 2022.
Ashley Douglas is an educator and numbers enthusiast. A Siemens scholar, Ashley received a B.A. in Theater Studies at Yale University and has published robotics research. She teaches ages 3 through adult. Besides tutoring math, Ashley enjoys counting 8’s as a dancer, having appeared in The Prom (2020) and Penny Dreadful (2020). Her studying skills and techniques were happily honed in the dance studio!
Mary Gamboa was a college dancer, cheerleader and a professional sports dancer. In past years she was an Independent Professional dancer in Chicagoland. She has 30 years experience in teaching Physical Education and dance in Chicago and Phoenix. She was also a Dance instructor for Abby Bella Dance Studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mary has been with Plaza Production One for many years and her students adore her.
Reagan Brummett started dancing at the age of 9 years old in her hometown, Spokane, Washington. She fell in love with dance from her very first class. She grew up training in a variety of techniques and competing across the pacific northwest. She went to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy for college and graduated with her associates in occupational studies of dance theater. She shows her joy, passion, and inspiration through her diverse technical movement, and is eager to dive into the industry and explore every opportunity that comes her way.
Mary Hillman A San Diego native, Mary graduated from Our Lady of Peace High School and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English from San Diego State University where she was the captain of the cheer squad and team choreographer. While in college, she taught tap, jazz, and hip hop with San Diego Civic Dance Arts for 7 years, where she was also a student from the age of 3. She has taught all levels and all age groups.
Additionally, Mary was an Instructor with Championship Cheerleading for three years, while also coaching gymnastics for five years at the Mira Mesa Recreation Center where she was the Gymnastics Program Director. After 7 years of teaching and coaching, Mary made the decision to join the 8-5:00 workforce and became an Executive Assistant, a career she enjoyed for 20 years. It was during the pandemic that she started dancing again, and the more she danced, the more she realized how much she missed it, and missed teaching. Mary now splits her time teaching hip hop, tap, ballet, musical theater, tiny tots, and art classes, plus coaching gymnastics and cheerleading, six days a week. “I am passionate about creating something good through healthy activities and having fun!” In her spare time, Mary enjoys neighborhood runs with her Chocolate Lab, spending time with her husband of 19 years, baking sweet desserts from scratch, and crafting.
Mandy Williams was born in Essex, England, and attended the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Performing Arts in London. Mandy traveled extensively as a dancer and eventually resided in Orlando, Florida, where she performed for Disney, Universal Studios, and Dinner Theaters. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2006, Mandy has narrated numerous audiobooks for Penguin Random House and Deyan Audio, some of which have received awards and recognition. She continues to perform live and share her passion for the arts by teaching music, dance, and theater to all ages, from 2 to 80. Miss Mandy’s Creative Movement class is always a popular choice as the children are mesmerized by her charm.