Instructor

Joleen started dancing at 3 years old and trained at the Pointe Academy under the tutelage of Hank and Beth Adams. There, she trained in ballet, pointe, modern, and tap. Her love of performing grew from participating in numerous Iowa Dance Theatre productions where she danced principal roles such as the titular role in The Little Mermaid and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. After high school, she attended the University of Kansas as a dance major and also trained overseas in the Philippines under the guidance of dancers from Philippine Ballet Theatre. After returning to the United States, Joleen began her professional freelance dance career by performing at dance festivals with The Novomisle Project and even working on a regional commercial. In 2024, she began dancing with Ballet Des Moines as a trainee where she had the opportunity to dance roles such as Clara and the Mouse King in The Nutcracker. After graduating from the trainee program in May 2026, Joleen has returned to her freelance career and is excited to teach at Artists Unlimited! Aside from dance, she holds an A.A. in Liberal Studies from Des Moines Area Community College and a B.A. in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Arizona State University. She also helps produce the Iowa Choreography Festival by running its social media.

Joleen’s 2026-2027 Course Offerings

Ballet 2	Thursday 4:30pm-6:00pm
Gold Enrichment Class	Thursday 6:00pm-6:30pm
Ballet 3	Thursday 6:30pm-8:15pm
Adult Ballet	Thursday 8:15pm-9:15pm

The first semester of Joleen’s Gold Enrichment Class will feature 8 weeks of improv and 8 weeks of composition.