Dance Faculty/Staff

Dance Coordinator/Instructor:
Tianna Pourciau Sykes

Tianna Pourciau Sykes is a performing artist, choreographer, and dance educator with experience spanning 20 years. She has choreographed numerous dance works, creating solo and group dances, dance dramas and productions. Her choreographic works have been selected for Southern Voices in New Orleans, "SHE Created IT" dance festival and tour, the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, the Dance Gathering Houston, and Dance Canvas Atlanta.
Tianna was a Dance honors student at Kennesaw State University of Georgia, graduating Cum Laude. During her time in the Dance program at Kennesaw State University, Tianna trained in ballet, modern and jazz dance, and dance composition. Her concentrations included Modern dance, Dance Pedagogy, and Dance Analysis and Criticism. Tianna was on the College of the Arts, academic Dean’s List and Honor Roll all years, President's List in 2010, as well as a 2010 Moultrie Endowed Arts Scholarship recipient.
Tianna is a dance educator specializing in ballet & modern dance instruction. Throughout her career, she has taught various forms of dance from hip-hop, lyrical to contemporary, as well as musical theatre. As an arts educator, she has a love for curriculum design, lesson plan development & implementation. She has taught at various schools, private studios, after school programs, camps, and summer intensives.
Tianna has performed in productions with the Atlanta Festival Ballet, and with Atlanta’s Zoetic Dance Ensemble. She has also participated in various dance workshops, panels and competitions, such as Dance Olympus, Dance America, Dance USA and the American College Dance Festival. Tianna Pourciau Sykes is the Executive Director of Paideia Arts, Inc. She is a professional member of the UNESCO International Council of Dance, the National Dance Education Organization, the National Dance Association, and SHAPE America.

ADJUNCT DANCE FACULTY

Kim Linenkohl, Ballet Adjunct

Kim Linenkohl began her early training in Gainesville, Florida at the Joni Messler Studio of Dance where she eventually became artistic director of the performing company, Gainesville Ballet Theatre II. She received her Associates degree from Santa Fe Community College where she performed and choreographed for Dance Theatre of Santa Fe. She also studied on scholarship at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and the Joffrey Ballet School. She danced professionally with the Georgia Ballet under the late Iris Hensley and Gina Hyatt-Mazon where she was featured in many productions including Balanchine’s Allegro Brilliante and Serenade and Hensley’s Nutcracker as Dew Drop and Lead Spanish. Mrs. Linenkohl has enjoyed teaching and choreographing throughout the metro Atlanta area and her work has been presented by Academy of Ballet, Steps of Faith, The Georgia Ballet, Atlanta Jazz Theatre, Paideia Arts and Dance Canvas. She recently won a choreography award at the Celebration Talent competition in 2015 with her piece, On My Way. Her most recent win was for Loving Arms Cancer Outreach's event Dancing With the Stars of Cobb County where she received a perfect score. Kim Linenkohl is excited to join the dance faculty of Heritage High School this year.

Alainna Batchelor, Modern Adjunct

Alainna Batchelor is an emerging artist who has been training in dance for the past eighteen years. Alainna began her training at Fancy Dancer in Dublin, Ga under the direction of Laura Carswell and continued dancing under the direction of Abby Avery, Gilda Loyd, and Mario Mitchell. Through her years training at Fancy Dancer, she developed her skills in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Hip-Hop. As a dancer with the Fancy Dancer Company, she won various awards at numerous competitions. Attending many master classes, she has had the opportunity to take from many renowned teachers and choreographers. After graduating high school, Alainna was honored to become the Hip-Hop Director at Fancy Dancer. She discovered a love for teaching dance and for creating award-winning choreography. Alainna holds her dancers to the highest standards, so that they develop to their highest potential. Nuvo Dance competition awarded her Hip-Hop dance “Studio Pick” and “Best Nu Group”. Her choreography was also recognized at Starquest Dance Competition. Alainna continued her training at Valdosta State University where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. While in college, Alainna was a member of VSU’s repertory dancers and had many performance opportunities through this ensemble. It was in college that she fell in love with Modern dance and began to study it in depth. She recently performed and presented choreography at the American College Dance conference. The Communication Arts department at VSU awarded her with the “Creative Research Award” in dance. She is now dancing with Fuerta Dance Company and SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company in the Atlanta area. Alainna also shares her passion of teaching dance at Giselle Diblasi School of Ballet, where she is the competition team director. She looks forward to sharing her love for the art of dance with the next generation of dancers.