FACULTY

Owner | Instructor

Morgan Kate Hicks is a Northern California native and the proud owner and director of Dixon Dance Studio—the very place where her dance journey began in 2001. With over two decades of experience as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, Morgan is passionate about preserving the legacy of her home studio while continually evolving as an educator and artist.

She earned her B.A. in Dance from the University of California, San Diego. After graduation, she co-founded the collaboration-based company Collective Dance Collective with fellow alumni and later moved to New York City, presenting and performing work at respected venues such as The Ailey Citigroup Theater, City Center Studios, and the Center for Performance Research. During her time in NYC, she had the pleasure of dancing for and being influenced by notable choreographers including Max Stone, The Next Stage Project, and Allyson Green.

Morgan’s teaching career began at the age of sixteen and has taken her across California and beyond. She has served on faculty at the Academy of Performing Arts – San Diego and UC San Diego Recreation. Her versatile teaching repertoire spans tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, musical theater, modern, and contemporary for students ranging in age from three to adult. Her classes are known for being technically sound, creatively engaging, and filled with energy and purpose.

Her choreographic style draws from ballet, jazz, modern, and post-modern contemporary forms, emphasizing athleticism, musicality, and a healthy dash of playfulness. She enjoys creating work that explores joy, celebration, wonder, and all the things that make us radiate with happiness.

Morgan is also a proud member of the Dance Studio Owners Association Inner Circle, where she continues her professional education and leadership development alongside studio owners from around the globe—committed to building vibrant, community-centered studios with lasting impact.

When she’s not dancing, Morgan can be found chasing after her two sweet boys, Finley and Asher, or spending time with her husband, Kevin. Together, they share a full and joyful life—and especially love being outdoors and going camping whenever they can.

Founder | Instructor

Amy Stokes began her dance journey at the age of three, training under Cindy Kuzman, Shari McLeod, and Bubba Gong. She began teaching in 1989 and has been sharing her passion for dance ever since. After graduating high school—and while continuing her dance education—she attended Don’s Beauty School, where she earned her license in Cosmetology. Over the years, she studied with renowned dance instructors such as Jackie Sleight, Joe Tremaine, and Doug Caldwell. Her choreography blends jazz and hip hop into a high-energy, funky, fresh, and fun style though tap remains her favorite.

In November 2000, with the encouragement of her beloved grandmother, Josephine Carcione, Amy opened Dixon Dance Studio. In 2005, she returned to school and earned her RDA, but her heart remained in the studio, where she continued to inspire dancers of all ages and levels. She is deeply committed to her students and passionate about nurturing their individuality and love for dance.

As a lifelong learner, Amy attends annual dance conventions and teacher conferences to stay current with evolving styles and techniques. In 2017, she was honored with the first-ever Jackie Sleight Educator of the Year Award. After selling her studio in 2023, she embraced a semi-retired lifestyle but still teaches two days a week, cherishing her continued connection to the dance community.

Outside the studio, Amy works full-time as an office administrator at a relocation engineering firm. She is the proud mother of four—Savannah (26), Bud (26), Taylor (19), and Hayden (17)—and is happily married to her best friend, Paul Stokes. She also shares her home with a robot dog named Astro.

Competition Team Director | Instructor

Instructor | Marketing

Lexi Cardinale was born and raised in Northern California and is a proud alumna of Dixon Dance Studio. After graduating from Winters High School and DDS in 2018, she attended Boise State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. She returned to her hometown roots in 2022.

During her time in Idaho, Lexi worked as a cheerleading and gymnastics coach at Bronco Elite Gymnastics and later taught at Dance Arts Academy in Meridian. There, she led both the Hip Hop and Acro programs, choreographed for the competition team, and coached dancers across multiple styles.

Lexi currently serves as the Lead Acro Instructor and Marketing & Engagement Coordinator at Dixon Dance Studio. She is passionate about helping dancers develop technical skills, artistry, and confidence, while also guiding the studio’s communication and creative direction.

In addition to her work at DDS, Lexi is a certified group fitness coach and personal trainer at Fit House in Davis, where she teaches indoor cycling, Pilates, and yoga. She balances her careers in both the dance and fitness industries, with future goals to continue advancing in health and wellness while inspiring others through movement.

Outside of work, Lexi is an avid traveler and enjoys exploring new places whenever she can. She currently lives in Sacramento with her boyfriend, Bradley, and together they enjoy hiking, lake trips, cooking, and visiting local coffee shops.

Instructor

Justina grew up dancing at Dixon Dance Studio, where she trained in tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and later expanded her training to include acro and contemporary. During middle and high school, she was also a member of the dance/drill team. 

After graduating, Justina toured with the LADM company for two years, where she gained valuable experience in leadership and mentoring young dancers. At the same time, she continued to support Dixon Dance Studio by shadowing Ms. Amy—an experience that helped shape her journey as an instructor.

Today, Justina loves being part of the Dixon Dance Studio staff, where she is passionate about inspiring and guiding the next generation of dancers.

Outside of teaching, Justina works part time at Dutch Bros. She is an avid reader, enjoys creating art, and loves to travel—having already visited five countries. A fun fact about Justina is that she is fluent in Spanish, a language she grew up speaking.

Instructor

Ms. Jacobson has been teaching professionally since 2003 and has served as Artistic Director, Assistant Director, Choreographer and Dance Captain for numerous dance and theatre productions in the Sacramento region. Her teaching style encourages students to develop an appreciation and understanding of classical and neoclassical ballet techniques and performance, injury prevention, nutrition, and dance history, encouraging students to make connections not only across dance styles, but with the greater world around them. 

Jeanne received her classical ballet training from Yvonne Mounsey and Rosemary Valaire at The Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica, California and studied theatre and voice at The Santa Monica Playhouse, Crossroads School for The Arts and Sciences, and The Adderley School of Musical Theatre.  She received additional training from The San Francisco Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre, and The Miami City Ballet School. 

Her awards include Westside Ballet's Inaugural Rosemary Valaire Scholarship, First Place in Ballet at the Phi Beta Fraternity for the Creative and Performing Arts Competition, and Semi-finalist at the prestigious Spotlight Awards at the Los Angeles Music Center.  She was most recently recognized with a TMilly TV faculty scholarship at LA Dance Magic's 2023 Santa Clara convention.

A former soloist with The Sacramento Ballet, her professional credits include membership with both Actor’s Equity Association and the Screen Actor's Guild, as well as performances for the ABC and CBS networks, Universal Pictures, Sacramento Music Circus, Sunny Mitchell Theatre Projects, and The Wildwood Performing Arts Foundation. Additionally, she has directed several productions for the Placer Theatre Ballet and currently serves as an Artistic Advisor for the company's Board of Directors.

For more information, please visit www.jeanneteachesdance.blogspot.com 

Instructor

Miss Kiana started dancing at Dixon Dance Studio when it first opened its doors in 2000. She trained in tap, jazz, ballet and hip hop at DDS until graduating from Dixon High in 2010. After high school she went to San Jose State University, but still came home to teach hip hop classes at Dixon Dance. At San Jose State, Miss Kiana majored in Advertising and took many jazz and hip hop classes through the university. She joined Alpha Xi Delta her freshman year and participated in all philanthropies associated with dance- both as a dancer and a choreographer.

After college Miss Kiana continued to teach hip hop at Dixon Dance Studio. She especially enjoyed going to dance conventions and competitions where you get exposure to some of the best choreographers and teachers in the dance world. 

Miss Kiana took 2 years away from her beloved DDS when her then fiancé went to medical school on the Caribbean island of Grenada. For those 2 years she had the time of her life enjoying all that the island had to offer. She taught hip hop at the medical school’s gym, and taught jazz at a small dance studio in the downtown Carenage. She was asked to adjudicate the dance portion of Grenada’s Annual Festival of the Arts; a country wide showcase of local artistry and excellence. This was definitely a highlight of her time in Grenada. 

Once back on the mainland Miss Kiana came right back to teaching. She taught tap, jazz, ballet and hip hop in Stockton, CA as well as hip hop at Dixon Dance Studio. She is currently full time in Dixon now with her husband, Jonny, and son, Enzo. They are very happy to be home!

Office Manager

Sara grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1994. Shortly after, she settled in Winters, where she has happily called home for the past 30 years. She is married to her wonderful husband, affectionately known around the studio as “Mr. Will.” Together, they have built a full and joyful life with nine children, a wonderful daughter-in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren.

For the past 25 years, Sara has dedicated her career to helping individuals and families achieve the dream of homeownership as a mortgage loan advisor—a role she continues to be deeply passionate about today.

Her connection to Dixon Dance Studio began in 2018, when her daughters, Emma and Allyson, joined classes—Emma at just three years old, and Allyson not far behind. Since then, both girls have grown through being part of the studio’s dance company and competition teams, and the entire family has become an active part of this incredible community.

A few years later, Sara was honored with the opportunity to step into the role of Office Manager at Dixon Dance Studio. It has been a blessing for her to support the dancers, staff, and families while watching talented young people grow in confidence and discover their passion for dance.

Today, Sara feels fortunate to balance two careers she loves—continuing her work as a mortgage loan advisor while also serving as Office Manager at the studio. Both roles allow her to do what brings her the greatest joy: helping people reach their goals and celebrating their successes. 

Office Staff

Elizabeth Johnson, better known as Miss Liz inside DDS walls, was born and raised in Northern California. She’s a lifelong lover of art, music, and everything creative, often found doodling on sticky notes and scrap pieces of paper.

At the age of two her mother decided she needed somewhere to put all that little kid energy and quickly enrolled her at Dixon Dance Studio! Elizabeth immediately fell for the energy and amount of love that poured out of those doors which drove her to dance for 17 years straight.

Currently, she works administratively in the office, but if you don’t spot her there she’s likely at home drawing, playing video games, or spending quality time with her five cats!