Faculty
Allee Blake Passmore
owner, Artistic Director, Teacher
Allee Passmore is a lifelong Lawtonian who loves teaching, dancing, and the Lawton-Fort Sill community. She began dancing at age seven with Ms. Sherri. Allee began assisting and teaching classes at Sherri's Dance Center when she was 14 years old. Allee graduated from Lawton High School where she was a Captain of the Highsteppers dance team and went on to graduate from Cameron University with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Education and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership. While in college, Ms. Allee was a member of the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry Dance Team, eventually becoming the Dance Team Coordinator. Ms. Allee is certified through the Oklahoma State Department of Education in the areas of Social Studies, English, Secondary Principal, and Dance. She was a long time coach of the Lawton Highsteppers as well as the LHS Cheerleaders, and the former Activities Director at Lawton High School. She is also a member of the Texas Association Teachers of Dance where she attends convention every summer to continue her dance education. Ms. Allee is level 1 certified in the Progressing Ballet Training Method and believes continuing her own education is the best way to enrich and better serve her dancers. She has choreographed for area pageants, various cheer and dance competitions, and variety shows. Ms. Allee has taught dance to all ages for over 15 years and is also currently an educator for Epic Charter Schools.
Adla-Marie Tait
Teacher, Company Director
Adla-Marie Tait, raised in Cincinnati began dancing at a young age and continues to this day. She trained at a studio in Cincinnati, where she began competing at the age of seven and continued her studies in dance through college at Bowling Green State University. At BGSU, Adla-Marie went on to earn a BS in Dance Education, minoring in Business Administration while choreographing and performing in multiple dance performances with her program, as well as with the Bowling Green State University Dance Team. As a part of the BGSU Dance Team, she performed at all home football and basketball games, and also competed at UDA Nationals each winter. Adla-Marie continued developing her skills by training for a summer at Gus Giordano Dance School in Chicago; she also performed in the Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis, Missouri with Kristi Faulkner Dance. Adla-Marie currently works as Cameron University as the Spirit Team Coach, where she is in charge of cheer, dance and mascots. Her main focus is aiding students in becoming a well-rounded dancer, developing skills that can be used to help them continue to grow within their dancing and throughout life.
Elena Manning
Teacher
Elena Manning has been dancing at Sherri's Dance Center since the age of 4 where Ms. Allee was her first teacher. She has a strong passion for dancing and teaching. She is a MacArthur High School Highlanderette and was recently named Captain of the team. She has taught at Sherri's Dance Center for 2 years and plans to further her dance education after high school.
Aisha Valle Quinones
Teacher
Aisha Valle Quinones danced for Sherri’s Dance Center for a total of nine years. Along with dancing for Sherri’s she is a former Highlanderette who danced for four years on the MacArthur High School dance team. In those years she landed officer positions making her a lieutenant her junior year and captain her senior year. After graduating high school Aisha went to Cameron University to obtain her degree in Early Childhood Education. Aisha is currently pursuing her master's degree at Cameron in Reading and aspires to become a speech pathologist. Aisha is loud, sweet, quirky, and full of spunk. She who loves to teach and find the beauty in curiosity.
Tannon Meaders
Teacher
Tannon Meaders has been dancing for 8 years at Sherri's Dance Center. This is her 3rd year as a MacArthur High School Highlanderette. Tannon loves all styles of dance but especially loves every opportunity to let her personality shine on stage. She attends many dance conventions and intensives each year, and was recently named All-American at the National Dance Alliance summer camp in Edmond, Oklahoma. She enjoys teaching and coming up with new ways to engage her students with exciting musical theater lessons. She plans to further her education by attending the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 2022.
Valli Duffy
Assistant
Valli has been dancing at Sherri's Dance Center for 5 years. She is currently a freshman at Cameron University. Valli is an early childhood education major and on the dance team for the university. Valli loves working with children and sharing her passion for dance with her students.
James & Dee Burkey
Acro Teachers
James & Dee Burkey are lifelong educators. James began teaching gymnastics at his gym in Wayne, Oklahoma over 25 years ago. It was there that he met his wife Dee. They both moved to southwest Oklahoma where they began coaching cheer and gymnastics for various gyms and school districts.
Sherri CoNwell
Founder
Sherri Conwell founded Sherri’s Dance Center in 1982. She is a member of the Texas Association of Teachers of Dance. She was a founder of Southwest Oklahoma Dance Alliance and served on the board for Arts for All. She was named a Lawton Cultural Award winner as an Educator in the Arts. Sherri was Miss Lawton 1978. She has danced in productions of “Oklahoma,” “A Chorus Line,” and with the Oklahoma University Modern Dance Company.
Sherri has choreographed for many different events including; SODA’s Choreographer Showcase, local pageants, a commercial for The Salt Cellar as well as The Drowsy Chaperone for Cameron University. Sherri was also an Artist-in-Residence for the Oklahoma State Arts Council for 15 years.
Students of Sherri’s Dance Center have been accepted into many dance departments including Walt Disney World, the Oklahoma Summer Arts Intensive at Quarts Mountain, the Bill Evans Dance Institute, the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, and the University of California at Irvine. She also has taught students in several musical theater programs including the University of Central Oklahoma, and Oklahoma University. In addition Ms Sherri has had students accepted into a to a variety of Oklahoma University Youth Programs.
Miss Sherri's Students have also attained honors such as: winners of several area and state level pageants, a finalist for Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant, soloists for SODA’s Nutcracker Ballet, OK Kids Scholarship winners, LA Dance Force Scholarship Winners, National KAR solo finalists. Miss Sherri's students also have obtained careers as cast members of Broadway musicals to include; Hamilton, Les Miserables, and Radio City Rockettes' Holiday Spectacular.
Sherri has choreographed for many different events including; SODA’s Choreographer Showcase, local pageants, a commercial for The Salt Cellar as well as The Drowsy Chaperone for Cameron University. Sherri was also an Artist-in-Residence for the Oklahoma State Arts Council for 15 years.
Students of Sherri’s Dance Center have been accepted into many dance departments including Walt Disney World, the Oklahoma Summer Arts Intensive at Quarts Mountain, the Bill Evans Dance Institute, the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, and the University of California at Irvine. She also has taught students in several musical theater programs including the University of Central Oklahoma, and Oklahoma University. In addition Ms Sherri has had students accepted into a to a variety of Oklahoma University Youth Programs.
Miss Sherri's Students have also attained honors such as: winners of several area and state level pageants, a finalist for Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant, soloists for SODA’s Nutcracker Ballet, OK Kids Scholarship winners, LA Dance Force Scholarship Winners, National KAR solo finalists. Miss Sherri's students also have obtained careers as cast members of Broadway musicals to include; Hamilton, Les Miserables, and Radio City Rockettes' Holiday Spectacular.