This page will help you to get to know our faculty a little better. The blue teachers are teachers who are no longer part of our faculty but will always be in our hearts.
Lois Hunter is our Senior Program Specialist Dance/Theatre. As a professional artist, Ms. Hunter has performed with a number of professional dance companies, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and in Broadway musicals that include Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, The Wiz, and Pal Joey. She has also directed and choreographed numerous plays and musicals, taped voice-overs, appeared in music videos with Donna Summer and Rodney Dangerfield, and worked in television, film and print commercials.
Ms. Hunter has been an arts educator for 25 years, teaching theatre and dance in California secondary schools. For her work with teenagers, she received the coveted California Senate Arts Commendation, The Los Angeles Mayor's Community Award and the Lehman Award. In 1992, she won the prestigious Los Angeles Music Center Bravo Award for Outstanding Arts Specialist. Ms. Hunter was selected by UCLA to be the administrator for the California Arts Project from 1993 to 1998, providing professional development for teachers in the arts and local artists for schools without arts programs. She is a consultant to the UCLA ArtsBridge Program, placing college students as arts teachers in Los Angeles Schools. She has written several articles focusing on the issues of arts education in the lives of all children and was selected to be a member of the State Superintendent of Education's Arts Education Task Force, producing a report, Artswork, that addresses the need for arts education in California's public schools.
Ms. Hunter is on a number of advisory boards, including the Geffen Theater, Inc., and is a member of the California State Curriculum Commission, and one of the writers of "The California Visual and Performing Arts Framework" and "Prelude to Assessments in the Arts." She is one of the original members of the State's Arts Standards and Assessment Committees and serves on the board of the Los Angeles Music Center's Blue Ribbon Commission on the Arts.
Ms. Hunter received her B.A. in English and Drama from California State University, San Francisco and her M.A. in Theatre Arts/Arts Administration from California State University, Los Angeles. She holds a California life teaching credential in English and Dance.
Ka-Ron Brown-Lehman is the department chair at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. She teaches modern classes and manages our department. She has worked extensively as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, as well as on TV and the Concert stage.Some of her choreography credits include numerous shows at Inner City Cultural Center, e.g. showgirls, Wings� and Things, Four Seasons, If They Come Back, Sang Sista Sang, Brilliant Colours and Othello with Ted Lange. She also Choreographed NAACP Image Award Shows, and Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
As a teacher, Ka-Ron has a special gift for spotting unreleased talent, and a motivating students to let their abilities blossom to its fullest. She won a Distinguished Teacher Award by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.
Recently, Ka-Ron paid tribute through dance to Beah Richards together with Mel Carter, Danced the Spirit of Billie Holiday in Stephen Semien�s �Elegy for a Lady� and Choreographed a national commercial for Bayer Aspirin, Starring Ben Vereen.
Reggie Brown was born and raised in Los Angeles as he began his formal dance training at Santa Monica Dance Center while pursuing an acting career. After accepting a work-study position at Steven Peck Dance Studio in L.A., Mr. Brown became a member of the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Theater under Lula Washington.
One of L.A.'s most respected dance teachers, Mr. Brown is known for his ability to nurture a dancer to a higher technical and performance level. His concert work exudes both spiritual and social awareness. He has taught and facilitated master classes at many popular dance studios in Southern California including Tremaine Dance Center, Loyola Marymount University, Santa Monica College and Moro-Landis Dance Center.
Mr. Brown's class is both fun and energetic. Although it may be hard at firat, practice makes perfect. His style and Technique will definately raise you to a higher level of dance.
Randal Graham, is currently Ballet master for the Inland Pacific Ballet and on teaching staff for LACHSA teaching ballet technique and musical theatre. Credentials include: School of American Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School in NY, Boston Ballet Ensemble, Joffrey II Dancers in NY, and served as the Artistic Director of Ballet New Mexico, Associate Director of Ballet Theatre of New Mexico.
 Beth Hirschhaut-Iguchi Jazz Dance teacher at LACHSA, received her BA and MA in Dance from the University of Massachusetts. She studied Jazz with Luigi in New York and is a Luigi technician. In addition, she teachers Horton Technique and Ballet. Ms. Iguchi was an adjunct Associate Professor of Dance at the the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and taught at the National Dance Institute with Jacques d'Amboise for three years. Other teaching includes Jazz Unlimited, Baltimore School of the Arts, Mt. Vernon Dance Center, Harvard/Radcliffe Dance Program, Boston University, Amherst Ballet Center and the Donna Miceli Dance Center.
Thais Leavitt is a native Californian who studied Spanish dance with Lola Montes and studied ballet with Don Hewitt and at the Royal Ballet School in London. While abroad, she studied both the Vaganova and Bournonville methods of training, appearing in the latter's ballets. As a principal dancer with the Dusseldorf Ballet in Germany, Ms. Leavitt danced the role of The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring and leading roles in the works of Balanchine and de Mille, to name a few. She also performed extensively with renowned guest artist Paolo Bortoluzzi. Upon her return to Los Angeles, Ms. Leavitt taught at Cal State, LA and Loyola Marymount University and joined the staff at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. In addition to coaching, Ms. Leavitt has been called upon to do on-site evaluations for the California Arts Council.
Francisco Martinez is the founder and artistic director of Francisco Martinez Dancetheatre and master teacher in ballet and modern dance techniques. He was a recipient of the Lester Horton Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography in 1999 and 2000 and recently received the 2001 California Dance Educators Association�s Artist Award for outstanding artistry, creativity, outreach and dedication in the field of dance.
 Krista Monson is a choreographer, instructor and producer whose passion for dance, music and theatre continue to make her fulfilled and at peace. As a tap dancer, she has trained with many of today's masters including Henry LeTang, Germaine Salsberg, Brenda Buffalino, Barbara Duffy, Jimmy Tate and most recently Mark Goodman, with whom she studies and performs out of the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles.
 Jennifer Nelson has worked as a professional in technical production and entertainment design for over ten years. She has a BA in Technical Theater and Design from Cal Poly Pomona and studied costume illustration and design at Otis Parsons. Her resume includes a wide breadth of experiences in technical production, including work in the worlds of dance, theater, television, event, rock and roll, and architecture.*worked for Disneyland!!*
Rudy Perez one of the pioneers of the American postmodern dance movement, joined the Judson Dance Theatre in New York and subsequently founded the Men's Coalition and founded and directed the Rudy Perez Dance Theatre and Classic Kitetails (young dancers). Experimental dance in the 60's pushed the boundaries of the roles of sound, movement, costume and everything else about dance. The Judson Dance Theatre's prevailing attitude was "anything goes' and Mr. Perez pushed the boundaries of that with his innovative choreography.
Since his arrival in Los Angeles in 1978, Mr. Perez has received choreography commissions from the LACE Gallery, MOCA/Mark Taper Forum, Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts, UCLA Center for the Performing Arts, Japan American Theatre and LA Festival/Visions Complex. Many of his pieces have been performed nationally, globally and locally by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Ballet Repertory Theatre (ABTII), Washington Ballet (D.C), Tanzproject Munchen (Germany), Quebec et Danse (Montreal), DANCE/LA and the Pacific Dance Ensemble.
While at Arts High, Mr. Perez has produced innovative works with his students including 1994's Sign in Please, 1995's Assorted Moves and Search for the Inner Mirror, 1997's Online and Access in 1998.
Mr. Perez was recognized in 1991 and 1997 with the Lester Horton Dance Award and received an honorary doctorate from Otis Art Institute. This year he received the prestigious James Irvine Foundation Award to reconstruct his works due to their significance to the field of dance. Mr. Perez is no longer with us, but if you would liket to take class with him he is currently teaching at
Meri Bender has been teaching, dancing and choreographing in the Los Angeles area for over 30 years. She received her early training at the American School of Dance, studying ballet with Eugene Loring and modern dance with Gloria Newman.
Ms. Bender went on to dance professionally with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Los Angeles Junior Programs "Directions in Dance" and Gloria Newman. She received her BA (with honors) and MA in Dance from UCLA and was a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship. Ms. Bender was active with "Concert Dance Workshop" at Loyola Marymount and with Choreographer's Theater Ensemble. She has been on the dance faculty of both Loyola Marymount University and UCLA and was chosen to teach a special class for gifted high school students for UCLA extension.
Ms. Bender has had numerous choreographic commissions from colleges and universities including L.A. Harbor College, Santa Monica College, UCLA and Loyola Marymount. She was part of the "Artists in the Schools Program" funded by the California Arts Council. Ms. Bender has been choreographing and presenting programs in under-served areas for the last ten years. She has received grants from Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles to produce other dance/dramas, some of which have been filmed for cable TV. Two of her works were chosen for Dance Kaleidoscope Festival in 1990 and 1991.
Ms. Bender, currently teaching dance and choreography at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, has also formed "Children's Dance Theater" which tours local elementary schools giving performances and master classes. She is also on the faculty of Santa Monica College. Ms. Bender is married to Dr. David Bender and has three daughters, internationally known writers Aimee and Karen Bender and Suzanne Bender M.D. who is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School.
Kimberly, is the lovely assistant for our department. She does everything from our attendance to grades. Without her, we would be lost!!!
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