Meet Our Faculty
Serkan Usta - Director
Serkan Usta was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and received his early classical training at the Ballet Conservatory in Istanbul. Upon moving to the United States in 1991, he furthered his dance education at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. and the School of San Francisco Ballet. Usta is a recipient of the Hellman’s Scholarship Award and was featured on the cover of the September 2002 issue of Dance Magazine. Usta has been featured in the roles of Champion Roper in Rodeo, Dartanian from Three Musketeers, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Basilio in Don Quixote and Prince Albrecht in Giselle. His performing experience also includes roles in Company B, Rosalinda, La Fille Mal Gardee, Troy Game, Prawn-Watching, and Coming Together as well as Nacho Duato’s Arenal, Duende, Na Floresta, and Rassemblement. Usta danced the role of Cavalier in Ballet Des Moines’ The Nutcracker in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2012.
In July 2005, Serkan joined Ballet Des Moines as Artistic Director. Since then he has choreographed “Kélé Mandi” in Ballet Des Moines’ 2006 triple bill, New Beginnings, “Primavera” in Ballet Des Moines’ 2007 triple bill, Continuum, “Bubbles!” in the 2008 triple bill Elevation, “Bir Demet Yasemen” in Ballet Des Moines’ 2009 production Momentum, and Ballet Des Moines’ annual productions of The Nutcracker since 2010. Usta produced Alice in Wonderland at the Civic Center in 2011 and co-choreographed and produced The Wizard of Oz held at the Civic Center April of 2012. In 2012 Serkan choreographed “The Awakenings” for Ballet Des Moines’ fall production of Prelude: A Triple Bill. Usta also produced and co-choreographed snow White in 2013
Lori Grooters - Director
Lori Grooters is a Des Moines native and former soloist with Tulsa Ballet, Lori Grooters became Assistant Principal of the Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education. While with Tulsa Ballet, she danced numerous roles in both classical and contemporary ballets, including those of Kitty in Anna Karenina, Nichette in Lady of the Camilias, the Cowgirl in Rodeo, Red Girl in Celts and the Rum and Coca Cola girl in Company B, as well as Pas de Quatre and Four Little Swans in Swan Lake. She also toured Portugal with the Tulsa Ballet in 2002. Before dancing with the Tulsa Ballet, Grooters was a dancer with Ballet Iowa from 1994-1997. Her ballet training included study with Ballet Iowa, Boston Ballet School, School of American Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. Her instructors at Ballet Iowa included Lynn Andlauer, Irina Vaselini-Uralsky, Konstantin Uralsky, and Kennet Oberly. Grooters, with her husband, Artistic Director Serkan Usta, moved back to Des Moines to be instructors at The School of Classical Ballet & Dance and raise their children Emma and Uzay. She joined Ballet Des Moines as Ballet Mistress in July of 2005. Since then she has choreographed for Ballet Des Moines’ spring shows on the pre-professional dancers, Illumine, Ascending, Penumbra, and Stars & Stripes. She also co-choreographed Wizard of Oz, Snow White, and their annual productions of The Nutcracker with Serkan. She also choreographed Nesting and Vivaldi in Motion. Grooters has also taken on the role as dancer with BDM and performed Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Snow White in Snow White. Contemporary performances have included Ma Cong’s ballets: Melodia, Within the Bodies, Fragmented Figures, Luscious and Angeli and Serkan Usta’s ballets Kelemandi, Primavera, Bubbles, The Awakenings and Death & the Maiden.
Cee Cee Garton - Admin/Teacher
Cee Cee Garton has been a SCBD faculty member since 2004, teaching ballet, lyrical, contemporary, tap, and jazz; she has been the office administrator since 2011. Cee Cee trained with Foster Powell, Darrell and Sally Notara, and received her Russian ballet training with Ida Krasova. She has a BS from Drake University with an emphasis in accounting. While teaching ballet class is her first love, she also enjoys rehearsing classical ballet variations and choreographing contemporary pieces for the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), as well as other competitions. Her pieces have received numerous choreography awards and her contemporary pieces have placed in the top 12 at YAGP.
Eleanor Albaugh - Teacher
Bobbie Lynn Kandravi - Teacher
Tami Saidat - Teacher
Sarah Sanftner - Teacher
Elizabeth McCoy - Teacher
Madeline Ungs - Teacher
Madeline Ungs started dance at SCBD at the age of three and continued there until graduating high school. During that time she started her teaching career at SCBD and was a member of Ballet Des Moines II. Madeline attended summer intensives across the US including the School of American Ballet, Houston Ballet, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Rockettes Summer Intensive, and Joffrey Cirque Arts. She then attended the University of Iowa, where in 2019 she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology, minor in Dance, and minor in American Sign Language. Her time at UIowa included performing at Hancher Auditorium and Cornell College, and choreographing and teaching classes for the UI Dance club and Ballet Club at Iowa. Madeline’s teaching styles include ballet, pointe, Pilates, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, and tap; she is also a certified teacher of Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). She has choreographed and coached several solos and group dances for competitions, and also enjoys teaching adaptive ballet and dance for students with disabilities with Dance Without Limits. Madeline is currently an aerial dance performer in the Des Moines area and a member of En L’Air: an aerial dance company.
Dawn Grooters-Haase - Teacher
Holly McFarland - Teacher
Gabi Grimes - Teacher
Emma Hasanusta - Teacher
Kianna Moss - Teacher
Katie Sickel - Teacher
Katie has been dancing since the age of 4. She trained full time in Des Moines where she worked to perfect her ballet technique. During summers away she trained in all forms of dance, with a main focus in contemporary, jazz and ballet. She has worked with several companies in master classes and performed with local theatre’s where she was able to perform many lead roles in ballets like, the nutcracker, the little mermaid, and many contemporary works.
This will be Katie’s 10th year teaching.
Miss Katie is passionate about teaching and inspiring the next generation of students to love to dance.
Sheridan Johnson - Teacher
Sheridan began dancing at 3 years old. In 2018 she started training at SCBD to further her dance education. Sheridan’s favorite dance styles include classical ballet, contemporary and tap. She competed at regional dance competitions for 11 years and at the Youth American Grand Prix regional ballet competition in Kansas City for four years. She has placed at several competitions and received many awards and recognitions. Since 2014, Sheridan has participated in Ballet Des Moines and SCBD productions of The Nutcracker and several story ballets, including Alice and Wonderland and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Sheridan volunteered for three years for Dance Without Limits and is beginning her second year of teaching for SCBD. During her senior year in high school, Sheridan also attended DMACC and obtained her CNA and Advanced CNA diplomas. She is currently attending DMACC working towards nursing school.
Hannah Hanson - Teacher
Hannah Hanson began dancing when she was 3 and joined SCBD in 2009. Hannah participated in various competition teams, local solo & group competitions, and competed at the Youth America Grand Prix. She was also a member of Ballet Des Moines II and performed in fall shows, nutcrackers, and spring shows starting in 2010. Hannah has taught at SCBD since 2015 across all levels and specializes in ballet and tap.
After graduating from Valley High school in 2017, Hannah went on to the University of Northern Iowa and graduated with a BA of Elementary and Middle Level Education and an Instructional Strategist II (k-12) minor.
Hannah has taught level 2/3 special education in the Ankeny Community School District since 2021. She lives in Des Moines with her husband, Alex, and Australian Shepard, Wilson.