The instructors of Donna Bella have a vast amount of experience in dance and fitness.  Each instructor has their own unique style and personality.  We encourage you to try classes with each of our instructors to determine which  style and personality is the best fit for you.
 
Rhonda Baxter
a.k.a "Rajaa"
Rajaa currently studies belly dancing, and other forms of world dance, with international performing artists Kaya and Sadie, and is a member of their exciting and cutting edge dance company "Groove du Monde" who perform locally and internationally. She has appeared in both the DVD and the live performance of The Temptation of Belly Dance as a back up dancer for Sadie. In addition to Groove du Monde, Rajaa also celebrates successes as a solo performer and dancing with other troupes such as Dance Hall Girls and Dreamland Babydolls.

Rajaa has also studied with Dahlia Carella, Eva Cernik, and has taken workshops with belly dancing greats such as Ansuya Rathor, Rachel Brice, Jamila Salimpour and Suhaila Salimpour to name a few.

Rajaa's first love is belly dancing, she began her experience with belly dancing 12 years ago, and during that journey has also explored Jazz, Ballet, Salsa, Brazilian, West African, Go Go, Burlesque and sensual dance. She teaches private and semi-private classes, and five group belly dance classes per week in addition to being part of the team at Donna Bella. 

Even with all of Rajaa's knowledge and experience, it is truly her high energy and sparkling sense of humor that make her a delight to work with, and her lightheartedness puts everyone who studies with her at ease.

 

 Kylea Killeen

Kylea fell in love with dancing as a toddler watching the Nutcracker on the television. Her mother put her into a variety of dance classes at the age of two. Kylea has studied various dance styles with instructors from more than eight studios during her many years of dancing. Her concentrations have been on ballet, lyrical, jazz and hip hop while also having dabbled in other styles. She has taken her passion for dance into burlesque & aerial fabric dancing. Kylea has studied with: 

Vivienne VaVoom, Eric Freeman, Brenda Garrity, Tim Nguyen, Ronnie Whittaker, Robin Gayton, Jody Gayton  & many more!
  
She also has many years studying pole and exotic dance and she brings a wealth of professional real-world experience to the classes. She has professional experience working in both Denver & San Francisco, as well as doing promotions. She incorporates the history of women into her classes because she believes that understanding and reclaiming the female essence empowers women to be stronger and realize they are both beautiful and sensual. She has been active in the industry before the rage of exotic dance studios and pole classes began, and knows the industry very well.
  
Kylea is a proponent of the mind, body soul philosophy and believes in using natural methods to heal the body whenever possible. She has been a strict vegetarian for 15 years, and enjoys vegetarian cooking and studying herbs, remedies and natural medicine. She also studies art, photography, animation, web design and graphic design. Kylea has a love for history and enjoys learning languages and traveling as well.
  
Kylea has been inspired by:
Martha Graham, Anna Pavlova, Maria Tallchief, Ronnie Whittaker, Sun Karma, Brenda Garrity, her mother & the fabulous Monica, who she shares her birthday with, and attributes to being her personality double given a few more years…
  
“Learning exotic dance is a true exercise in mind, body and soul. I believe women can learn to understand themselves and take power of being a woman, while learning how to sculpt their bodies and overcome inhibitions.” – Kylea Killeen
  
"I always thought eroticism was a beautiful word." – Martha Graham, Modern Dancer
  
ALLISON BROWN allison Allison

Allison began dancing at the age of 3, training in Ballet, Jazz and Tap.  She knew right away that this was her passion.  At age 13, she was put on scholarship with Rocky Mountain Lynne’s school of dance.  During the scholarship Allison expanded her training with lyrical and hip hop.  She was also dancing with the Classical Ballet Academy ;  performing and competing in both regional and national dance competitions and conventions.  Some of those included Showbiz, Showstoppers, Headliners, Starpower, L.A. Dance Magic, and West Coast Dance Explosion.

Allison attended Denver School of the Arts for high school, majoring in dance.  There she began teaching and choreographing for student projects and performances.

Allison also trained in Los Angeles California at the Edge Performing Arts.  She trained under Chris Dupre, Brian Fredman (Britney Spears, Christina Agularia, etc.) Micha Hamilton and many others.

Having recently moved back to Colorado , Allison is continuing her dance training at Colorado Contemporary Dance Academy where she dances on the Professional Company with the Mile High Pin Ups.  

 

 

Allison is also currently teaching Advanced Lyrical and Jazz at the Academy of Performing Arts .  With 20 years of dance under her belt, Allison is a very experienced instructor.  She’s very inspirational and a delight to train with. 

 
                LAURA BLAKEMAN

Now an enthusiastic member of the Kaivalya Hoop Dancers in Denver, and an avid Yogini, Laura's dance career started outside of conventional dance instruction. Her earliest memories are of clumsily choreographed numbers to popular 80's songs, and her first debut stage experience at the elementary school talent show.
Guided by her own passion of artistic self-expression, Laura explored all types of dance classes and groups - first with her high school dance team and then into lyrical, modern and even African rhythm and dance in college. She's explored dance as a universal communication and studied its evolution across geographic boundaries, but it is her love of live music that has continually fueled her flame and led her to hoop dancing.
 
"Hoop Dance is an exploration of body and mind, an art form that is both freedom and freeing from conventional thought, it's my therapy." she laughs.
 
In her teaching she seeks to help people reconnect to themselves, and to discover the celebration of life in dance.
 
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching." - Keller Williams  
 
 
STEPHANI SALAZAR
a.k.a. "Hooptini" 
Originating as a fusion and free-form dancer out of the jamband scene in the mid 90s, Stephani Salazar uses dance as a meditative tool to catalyze personal transcendence and conscious evolution. The inspiration behind her ability to express herself through dance comes from her passion for hearing great music and just letting loose!
 
In 2003, Stephani began hoop dancing and fire dancing with poi. Since then, she has additionally taken up various unique dance elements, including fire dancing with palm torches and batons, as well as contact juggling and Mudori. Apart from hoop, fire, fusion, and go-go dancing, Stephani's background in dance also includes elements of Nia, Modern, African, Tai Chi/hsing-i, Ba gua, Contact Improv, and nature herself.   

Stephani, who dances under the aliases "maia monia" and "Hoopiniti," has assisted in forming the Denver-based hoop troupe, The Kaivalya Hoop Dancers, as well as Visual Vibrations, a small, nomadic visual and performance art company.  She is a resident fire and hoop dancer at Tabu in Denver and has performed at numerous private parties, special events, clubs, and music festivals; her most memorable being Sonic Bloom in 2006, with Zilla, Bassnectar, and Ooah at The Mishawaka.  

Stephani is a University of Colorado , Boulder graduate, majoring in philosophy and religious studies, with an additional emphasis on studio and performance arts.  Her hobbies, among many, include drawing mandalas, attending concerts, and reading fantasy fiction.
 
Heather Huffman heather
Heather is a NASM certified Personal Trainer and massage therapist.  She has also been an actress and singer over the past ten years, appearing in several commercials, television shows and short films. As a vegetarian and health  & fitness enthusiast, Heather has lost over 52 pounds and maintained that loss for 6 years.  She is currently a full-time pre-medical and psychology student at CU Boulder.  
 
Heather had never danced before, until after her divorce, when she started pole dancing for fitness in Los Angeles.   She was instantly hooked, and it transformed her life!  She has trained through many different programs in both California and Colorado, specializing in climbing and inverted pole tricks  Heather's philosophy is to help women build confidence and feel beautiful in every aspect of life, no matter what their size, strength or flexibility.  
 
 
 Kim Townsend
 (aka Midnite Martini)
Kims a high flying, burlesque dancing, human spin cyle dynamo with lots of energy and an addiction to performance.  She has been professionally trained to execute and teach aerial by Frequent Flyers Productions. Kim has been performing dance, figure skating, musical theatre and aerial.for most her life.  Currently she performs aerial dance (modern dance mixed with Cirque aerial apparatus) with Frequent Flyers Productions and her aerial burlesque alter ego, Midnite Martini combines the classic art of tease and fun with aerial with Burlesque as it Was troupe.
 
Some venues that Kim has been lucky enough to prance and fly around in are: locally- Lannies Clocktower Cabaret, Oriental Theatre, Gothic Theatre, Arvada Center, Dairy Center, Macky Auditorium, and nationally/internationally: Las Vegas Aruba Hotel, Disneyland, Tiki Oasis in San Diego, and the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.
 
She loves burlesque because of its empowering love for all women, any age, shape, size, or experience. Burlesque builds inner strength and confidence in an always classy and tasteful way and respects all who are open and willing to explore the art.
 
When asked why she loves aerial so much, she says "where else, after childhood,  can you fly around, hang upsidedown, and spin until you fall down?"  It builds body muscle, but is still graceful and flowing, which helps elongate and polish those newly defined aerial muscles! So combining these two loves is common sense to her. There's no better way to gain and explore one's strength, grace, poise, and beauty on the inside and out!
 
Meet the Woman who run the Studio and Boutique
 
Jennifer
Jennifer is a proud mom of three beautiful daughters.  She's been very active in Animal Rescue for the past 5 years.  She has a passion for anitque steamer trunks and enjoys restoring them in her spare time.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kimberly