Prescott dance school

Diana Schmelzer

Dance Instructor / Owner

Diana has been dancing, teaching, choreographing and directing for over 31 years.

She began her dance training in San Jose, California at a young age. She studied ballet with Carol Peterson, jazz with Marie Stinette and tap with Debbie Wilson.

She was the Captain of the dance team at Lynbrook High School where they were national champions four years running. Following high school, she became the Director and Choreographer for the Lynbrook Dance Team. She then went on to graduate from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance.

Following college, she became the Assistant Director of the Melissa Draper Dance Company. She then moved to South Lake Tahoe where she owned and Directed LightSong School of Dance and taught various disciplines of dance for seven years.

She began teaching jazz classes at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prescott, Arizona in March of 2004 and purchased the Academy in December of 2004. Diana has been training most of her life to become the Owner, Executive Director and Dance Teacher of the Academy of Performing Arts and feels she has realized her life-long dream.

Diana teaches the following classes

• Beginning Jazz - Chino Valley
• Intermediate Jazz - Prescott and Chino Valley
• Broadway Jazz - Prescott
• Beginning Jazz/Hip Hop (Young Dancer) - Chino Valley