Shana Wakefield

Shana began her voyage into the dance world as a competitive gymnast at the age of four, adding tap at the age of seven later followed by jazz and ballet. She began teaching in 1984 at the age of 14 under the guidance of Debbie Wirt-Kasten, her teacher and mentor. She spent two years as the artist director of Debbie’s Dance Studio in Schofield, WI before transferring to the Judy Peterson School of Dance.

Shana attended master classes, conventions and competitions throughout the mid-western states. In 1997, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater Arts – Dance, and a minor in business. During her studies she added Modern Dance to her repertoire of training. She focussed her studies on dance education and kinesiology, primarily, injury prevention. She choreographed several musicals and assisted with staging plays for Community Theater, Community College theater programs and her Alma Mater UWSP (Oliver, Dancing at Lughnasa, Olympus on my Mind, By George! and The Secret Garden, to name a few). She was often called as a substitute teacher at her Alma Mater and became a tap instructor for the summer dance camps.

On December 31, 1999, Shana moved to Arizona with her family. Due to unforeseen circumstances, she was no longer able to maintain a full time career in dance and theater. She was hired as an Adult Probation Officer in Maricopa County and has served over 20 years on the job. Due to her passion for the arts and love for children, Shana continued to teach part time at local dance studios, gave master classes at Dobson High School and choreographed for dance productions at Westwood High School. She spent fourteen years with SWIMkids USA as a dance, gymnastics and swim instructor. She became a certified lifeguard and maintains her CPR/First certifications. On September 11, 2014, Shana became a licensed Zumba instructor and began teaching at the Mesa YMCA. Her passion for fitness led her to the creation of a stretch and tone class that compiles Yoga, Pilates, Barre, band and ball resistance training. In 2020, Shana became an instructor with Inspire Entertainment.