About Our Staff
Tiffany Okerson, Owner/Creative Director
Miss Tiffany grew up in central Arkansas, Destin, FL and Memphis, TN. She began singing and dancing at five years old and choreographing by age 13. What pushed her to start taking performing seriously was being accepted into Overton High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Memphis, TN. There, she studied extensively in all dance styles for three years under the direction of James Farris and had the opportunity to perform for Mid-South Youth Talent, galas, parades, fundraisers, and other events across the Memphis area. Tiffany has trained under dance dynamos Stacy Tookie, Sonya Tayeh, Mark Meismer, Ray Leeper, Kim McSwain, Mandy Moore, Marcus Alpert, Alex Wong, Denise Wall, Ian Eastwood, Tom Richardson, and Miles Keeney, among others. In 2013, she received her certification in Ballet and Jazz from the Southern Association of Dance Masters. Tiffany also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Union University where she studied voice for three years. In her high school/college years, Tiffany was invited to sing and dance for Mid-South Youth Talent Contest in Memphis, TN 3 different times (the largest talent competition in the world, and where both Elvis Presley and Justin Timberlake got their start!) She was also an entertainer at Libertyland in Memphis when she was just 17 years old. In 2001, she toured Germany with the Union University Singers. In 2005, she was a National Semifinalist for Gospel Music Channel’s show Gospel Dream, where she sang for Zomba Gospel's President, Max Siegel. Since then, she has been a worship leader through church and sang for various local events including Dancing With Our Stars five different times. She has been privileged to sing with the acclaimed Memphis Jazz Orchestra, home to veteran musician and mother Jojo Jefferies. She has enjoyed leads in such musicals as Footloose (Urleen), Fame (Serena), and Market House Theatre's Anything Goes (Hope) and The Wizard of Oz (Glinda). Other notable credits include Telethon of Stars, Symphony Sing-Off, commercial appearances for Frank Farmer Chevrolet, voiceovers for Bristol Broadcasting, a choreographer for Miss Illinois pageant for three consecutive years, an instructor for Dancing With Our Stars for two years, and a back-up dancer in Weird Al Yankovich’s Mandatory Fun Tour. Tiffany has been a singer/dancer at the Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers, KY since 2010. She has been a part of such shows as Fabulous 50’s, The Big Band Show, Variety: Music, Memories & More, Variety: Christmas Spectacular, Big Band Christmas, Country Sweethearts, The Super 60's Show, The 70's Show, The Sounds of Memphis and The Awesome 80's Show. Tiffany says she feels blessed to have worked with such a professional cast of musicians, singers and dancers, incomparable to a vast majority of venues throughout the country. She is also a backup singer for Mr. Terry Mike Jeffrey and has toured with his band part-time in his renowned Elvis tribute shows since Fall of 2014.
This year marks Tiffany's fourteenth year of teaching dance and ninth year of teaching voice and theatre. She resides in Paducah with her husband Trent and their six-year old spunky son Hansen and Heeler/Lab Champ. She is especially thankful to Trent for his continuous support, belief, patience and sacrifice with helping bring the TRF dream to life and to God for His unfailing love, grace, and for making "all things possible". Jeremiah 29:11 - which says "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." - will continue to be at the heart of why TRF exists today.
Amber Taylor
Miss Amber is the Dramatic Arts teacher at TRF. She began her acting career at the age of 8 in Southern California. she has performed in T.V. commercials, radio ads, and on stage in both leading roles and chorus in over 25 plays and musicals in four states. Amber has performed with Market House Theater in The Miracle Worker, Beehive - The 60's Musical, as well as having assisted April Cochran with the 'Footlights' program in 2004. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Acting and Directing with a Minor in Music from Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) in 2010. While there, she trained under NYC's well-known vocal instructor Judith Farris and performed in Carousel under the direction of critically acclaimed Director/Choreographer Dennis Courtney. Amber enjoys working behind the stage just as much as being in the center of it, and has operated as an Assistant Costumer at SEMO and also served as Hair and Makeup designer for their production of Rumors.
Amber has directed more than 15 productions, taught several acting workshops, camps and classes. While Amber's professional interests focus on the acting techniques of Uta Hagen and Constantin Stanislavsky, her love for he stage reaches far beyond textbook verbatim. Amber is a strong advocate for the arts and believes that they are a major necessity in the lives of young people.
In addition to Theater, Amber is also a part-time photographer with her own label: New Dawning Photography, as well as the Children's Activities Coordinator at Texas Roadhouse. She currently resides in Paducah, KY with her daughter Ealyn and son Euriah. She is proud to be a part of the TRF family and is extremely thankful to her Heavenly Father for His goodness.
Christy Bowkamp
Miss Christy is the Level III Dance, Pre-Pointe and Jumps & Turns teacher at TRF. She started dancing when she was just 4 years old at Gotta Dance Studio in Lexington, KY, training in all styles, including Pointe, which she began at the age of 12. She danced throughout her childhood, keeping her Ballet training at the forefront. With the constant support of her parents, she joined the competition team when she was in grade school and competed all the way through high school. She was also a member of the dance team at Tates Creek Middle and High Schools. Christy attended Murray State University and was a member of the Racer Girls Dance Team, where she was Co-Captain her Junior year and Captain her Senior year, acting as "coach" and choreographing all of the routines. Along with Racer Girls, she also joined Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority and won "Best Choreography" for their 2014 performance in Murray State's All Campus Sing Competition. Christy was Choreographer for 2015's Miss Murray State pageant. She graduated from MSU with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and is working toward a Master's in Business Administration. She currently resides in Paducah, KY, working in the accounting department at Paducah & Louisville Railway. Christy is excited to be continuing her passion for dance by teaching the students of TRF!
Jordan Williams
Miss Jordan is TRF's Dance II and Hip Hop instructor, as well as an assistant for many other aspects of our program, including the Rhythmic Youth Performance Team. She began dancing at the age of eight, adding voice, dramatic arts and creative writing to her repertoire in more recent years. Her passion for the Arts dates back to as early as she can remember. In her teens, Jordan began dancing competitively, having trained in Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Pointe, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Lyrical and Modern, also taking part in extra technique classes and local workshops. Jordan has had the privilege of performing at events such as Dancing with Our Stars, The Lion's Club Telethon of Stars, Sympohny Sing-Off for Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Stomp Towards a Cure, and more. She has worked with the McCracken Co. Public Library in their program "Musical Story Time" with their presentation of The Cat and the Fiddler. and was chosen to be a guest teacher at Market House Theater's "Thrill the World" event. She has trained with world-renowned master teacher Marcus Alpert and So You Think You Can Dance finalist Alex Wong, Broadway Dance Center's own Tom Richardson and Miles Keeney, and one of her biggest inspirations - Ian Eastwood. You can currently see Jordan performing professionally at the Badgett Playhouse in The Sounds of Memphis. Homeschooled throughout her primary years, Jordan resides with her family in Paducah, KY where she studies at WKCTC, working to obtain her Associates Degree in the Arts. She is thrilled to now be teaching and choreographing for the students of TRF, having grown up training with the school since the beginning. She plans to continue dancing throughout her adult years and as a part of her career.
Caitie Easter
Miss Caitie is TRF's lead instructor at the Children's Arts Center in Benton, KY (in conjunction with the Marshall County Arts Commission). She was born in Matthews, NC and moved with her family to Metropolis, IL at the age of 2. She began dancing a year later, but took a few years off to pursue softball, cheerleading and soccer. She started back at the age of 12, when TRF first began in the Musical Theater program. the following year, she began taking more technique-based dance classes and continued to take most of the classes offered at TRF. Caitie has a tremendous love for the performing arts. She has been singing with the youth band at her church - First Baptist Metropolis - since the age of 12 and is currently the lead singer. She was also a Rhythmic Youth team member for four years. She has performed for various local events like Stomp Towards a Cure, The Lion's Club Telethon of Stars and most recently Dancing with Our Stars. She has performed in Market House Theater's production of Annie's Kids. She has also worked with the McCracken Co. Public Library's "Musical Story Time" program in The Cat and the Fiddler. She has also trained with highly regarded Teacher/Choreographer Marcus Alpert and Alex Wong, a So You Think You Can Dance finalist. Caitie has most recently trained with World of Dance finalist Ian Eastwood and Broadway Dance Center's own Tom Richardson and Miles Keeney. She also had the pleasure of being invited to compete in the Mid-South Fair Youth Talent Contest in Memphis, TN in both singing and dancing. Most recently, Caitie received the special award of "Emotional Commitment" at Creation Dance Champs Competition 2017 in Louisville, KY. She also placed 2nd overall in her age division for her solo "The Hill".
George Jamey
"Mr. G" is a Paducah native. He began singing and playing music when he was 14 years old. He is the Minister of Music at Mt. Horeb Baptist Church in Metropolis, IL and also is a guest musician for other area churches on a regular basis. He is the sole Director for the Paducah Community Mass Gospel Choir. He has lead workshops and sang/played for countless weddings, funerals, revivals and parties locally as well. George's passion is music - all for the glory of God. He and his wife Ke-Neshia have 8 children. We are honored to bring George on staff at TRF this year; we know he will accomplish great things in teaching our vocal students!
Cassidy Edwards
Cassidy is a professional dancer and choreographer from Paducah, KY and holds a B.A. in Theatre with a Performance Emphasis from Murray State University. She was given
the Diane O’Brien Dance Scholarship, awarded the title of “Outstanding Senior in Theatre,” and graduated Summa Cum Laude. She is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Choreography emphasizing Practice as Research at Jacksonville University. Cassidy began dancing at the age of 4 with the Bradley Academy of Dance, training in classical ballet and tap until the academy's final year. She added jazz, contemporary, and hip hop into her repertoire once she began working under The Rhythm Factory, School of
Performing Arts at the beginning of her teaching career.
She has trained and studied with the Nashville Ballet Company and is a 2-year alumnus of the Rockettes Summer Intensive Program,
training under Rockettes Choreographer Julie Branam at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City. She has had the privilege of training under other choreographers prior to her
college career such as Mia Michaels, Kate Jablonski, and Billy Bell.
Her debut as choreographer was at Murray State for The Tempest, where she portrayed and choreographed the role of Ariel and was dance captain. She was officially brought onto production as choreographer for Curtains! the following fall. She has since worked proudly as choreographer at Murray State for shows including The Glass Menagerie, Frankenstein, Little
Shop of Horrors, Crazy For You, and for the Campus Lights Production of Sister Act. In 2016, Miss Cassidy worked at Stagedoor Manor in Loch Sheldrake, New York as a choreographer, counselor,
and teaching artist for Will Rogers' Follies, Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown, Avenue Q, and Grand Hotel. Recently, she has worked for Florida Repertory Theatre as choreographer for Fiddler on the Roof and The Lion King and was the head teaching artist for the Florida premiere of Madagascar: A Musical Adventure.
As of May 2018, she is now an official alumnus of the Broadway Dance Center Training Program in New York City, having been mentored by Lizz Picini, Lane Napper, Heather Rigg, Jill Kenney, and Germaine Salsberg. She is now a certified specialist in Theatre Jazz Dance. Miss Cassidy is very excited to rejoin the TRF staff while back in her hometown and cannot wait to see where God takes her next in this dance journey!
Emily Swinford
Miss Emily found her passion for dance at the age of 10, and hasn't looked back. Training with Miss Tiffany one year prior to the opening of The Rhythm Factory and then transitioning as one of the "originals" at TRF, she grew in her love for dance and became more involved in classes each year. She competed regionally for 3 years, then expanded her repertoire to the Dance Team at McCracken Co. High School in her Junior and Senior years. She became Captain in her Senior Year, and proudly led one of the highest ranked dance teams in the nation, even taking them to Disney World to compete nationally both years. Emily is glad to be back "home" with her TRF family, teaching the next generation of kids the art and thrill of dance.
Sarah Okerson
Bio coming soon.
Tyran Fitzgerald
Mr. Tyran is a Paducah native. He is a classically trained Singer, Dancer, Actor, and Instrumentalist. He is a Governor’s School for the Arts alumni. Tyran is currently acquiring his degree in Musical Theatre Performance at Murray State University and hopes to pursue a career on Broadway in New York City. He has been performing in shows for 12 solid years and has no intention of slowing down! When he isn’t doing musical related things he loves being athletic and working out. He looks forward to sharing his love, passion and expertise with the students of TRF!
Rebecca Gangemella
Miss Rebecca has only been in Paducah for a short time, but is happy to have a new home and family within The Rhythm Factory! She has been dancing for 15 years with 4 of those years geared towards a Bachelors of Arts degree in Dance at Southeast Missouri State University. She graduated in May 2019 with that degree and an additional degree in Mass Communications: Multimedia Journalism. She studied under Southeast faculty members Hilary Peterson, Philip Edgecombe, Alyssa Alger and Michelle Contrino expanding her knowledge of ballet, jazz and modern. She participated in two group routines in two different dance concerts and as an ensemble member in their sold-out production of “Mary Poppins.” Her favorite character was a chimney sweep, as she performed a tap routine to “Step in Time” when she was 14! Unfortunately, she dealt with severe back spasms and Achilles’ tendinitis, pushing her to take more of a behind-the-scenes role in the majority of Southeast’s productions. Rebecca served as an assistant stage manager and light board operator for 2 different shows before taking the reins of Fall for Dance 2018 as the stage manager.
Prior to SEMO, Rebecca studied ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and hip hop at Center Stage Academy of the Performing Arts in Warrensburg, Missouri. In her 12 years there, she witnessed a building and population expansion, growing to almost 500 kids by the time she graduated. She began competing with groups at age 11 and as a soloist at age 16. Her greatest accomplishments at Center Stage include two invitations to KIDZ ROC, a professional show at the Clay Cooper Theatre in Branson, Missouri through Talent on Parade National Talent Competition, for two different tap routines her junior and senior years. Rebecca also spent her final 5 years at the studio serving as an assistant dance instructor for the 3-5 year old beginning tap and ballet classes.
Rebecca is also a Web Editor/Producer at WPSD Local 6, working alongside Miss Tiff’s husband, meteorologist Trent Okerson! At Southeast, she was the Multimedia Editor of the Southeast Arrow, the award-winning student newspaper. She grew the paper’s video content and created two sports web shows for their social media. Rebecca was also in front of the camera for the school’s ESPN + streams, covering football, basketball, baseball and softball. For this reason, she really enjoys watching sports in her spare time!
Rebecca wants to continue fusing her two passions – dance and videography - together by working on dance-on-film projects in the future!
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Marci Paris
Bio coming soon.
Barb Patterson
Bio coming soon.
Michele Easter
Miss Michele is the administrative assistant at TRF and she is darn fabulous at it. She was born and raised in Weddington, NC (a suburb of Charlotte). She graduated from Wingate University with a Bachelor's Degree in English with a minor in Business Administration. She worked in accounting and was an office manager for various homebuilders in the Charlotte area. She and her husband Cliff moved to Metropolis, IL in 2002. Cliff works as Minister in Youth and Families at First Baptist Church of Metropolis. Michele is a stay-at-home mom, who has homeschooed her three daughters Kenzie, Caitie and Reagan. Both Caitie and Reagan have been very active students at TRF since 2011, and Caite now teaches for the school. Michele recently added to her resume as she obtained the impressive position of District Manager for Driveline Retail Merchandising.