Marcus Coker has been dancing since 1999.

"Some friends of mine were taking lessons and encouraged my sister and me to take as well. It seemed like a fun idea, so we tried it, although it took me quite a while to catch on (my sister had 'natural' rhythm). Still, it was fun, and we stuck with it. I never would have guessed that it would become such
a passion for me, but it has."

Marcus studied for two years with DeAnna Lee, who learned from US Open National Swing Champions David and Tracy Appel. DeAnna describes Marcus as "an incredible dancer and a spirited teacher."

In 2001 Marcus began teaching swing dance at Mercy Fitness Center in Fort Smith. Other classes he taught at Mercy included lindy hop, merengue, salsa, and tango.

"The foxtrot, waltz, and swing are standard requests, but two-step is also a favorite."

Marcus has taught at and choreographed for many local schools and organizations. Each year he is a substantial part of teaching swing dance at Northridge Middle School in Van Buren, as well as teaching swing dance and creative movement at Cook Elementary in Fort Smith. Marcus is often a choreographer for the annual PromFest held at Central Mall. He has choreographed for Greenwood High School's productions of The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella. Additionally, he has choreographed for the Youth Arts Coalition in their productions of Peter Pan, Damn Yankees, The Wizard of Oz, and Broadway, Our Way!

In 2005 Marcus was hired as the lead choreographer and dance instructor for the Fort Smith Junior Cotillion, where he teaches fifth through ninth graders foxtrot, waltz, swing, cha-cha, and salsa.

When Marcus isn't dancing, he enjoys writing short stories and poetry. On the weekends, he shoots candid wedding photos for Memories by Jody. Also, he spends part of his summers working for a camp in Mississippi that takes teenage boys white-water rafting in the Carolinas.

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Valerie Brents began studying ballet at a local studio when she was nine. A student for eight years she studied tap, jazz, pointe, and lyrical in addition to ballet.

When Valerie was fourteen she became an assistant dance instructor for two years. At sixteen she became a dance instructor teaching ballet, tap, and jazz classes for two years.

In 2005 she opened Lifesong Dance studio and began teaching classes there. During that same year she became the director of the dance ministry at City Christian Fellowship church where she directed several mini productions as well as taught class in worship dance and ballet.

Valerie has taught several eight-week dance programs to groups of home school students for the past several years. In 2002 she taught dance classes at Fort Smith Christian Church for a semester, and in the summer of 2005, she directed and taught a dance camp at Central Christian Church.

In 2007 she worked with a show choir choreographing and teaching for their summer camp. These experiences have given Valerie the opportunity to teach students of all ages, from three years old to adult. She also performed in A Son is Given, a Christmas production, three different times.

In 2004 Valerie was a member of the performance group Ingenue’ Lumine, which presented Ingenue’ –A Night of Creative Dance at the alma Performing Arts Center.

She has performed in and directed the spring recitals for Lifesong Dance for the past two years as well as directed many other dance performances for City Christian Fellowship Church.

Valerie is currently training at UMKC pursuing her bachelors in dance. The faculty at UMKC consists of many professional dancers who have danced with a variety of well known dance companies. She will continue to study different styles of dance, but now has a major emphasis on ballet and modern.

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Heather Brents began studying ballet when she was seven. A student for nine years, she studied tap, jazz, modern, and lyrical in addition to ballet. When Heather was 12 she became an assistant dance instructor for two years.

At 14, she began teaching various dance classes and mini dance camps. Heather has been teaching out of her home as well as at City Christian Fellowship Church for the past 3 years.

Her many teaching experiences have given her the opportunity to work with students of all ages, from three years old to adult. The majority of Heather’s dance training has been in lyrical/modern.

In January of 2002, she began training under Malia Drinkwitz in addition to her regular weekly classes. Malia teaches a variety of dance styles while focusing on lyrical. Training under Malia, Heather participated in a number of mini-productions and regular classes. She also performed in A Son Is Given, a Christmas production, three different times.

In 2004 Heather was a member of the performance group Ingenue’ Lumine, which presented Ingenue’-A Night of Creative Dance at the Alma Performing Arts Center.

Heather has been the main choreographer for the dance team at City Christian Fellowship Church for the past two years where she has choreographed many different dance pieces. She has been involved in many other dance performances throughout the past seven years, as well as attended several dance conferences and camps taught by a variety of instructors.