Meet the Artistic Director
Tahlia Remer
Director of Dance Musical Theatre Co-SponsorMFAA DeanTahlia Remer is a dance director at Marcos de Niza High School and dance major faculty advisor for the Marcos Fine Arts Academy. During her high school years Mrs. Remer trained and performed with Ballet Etudes participating in a variety of ballet classes and productions. For her secondary education Mrs. Remer attended Brigham Young University in Provo, UT obtaining her Bachelors of the Arts in Dance Education. While at BYU Mrs. Remer participated in a variety of professional organizations related to dance including the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and dance and the Child international (daCi.) Additionally she participated in the dance genres of ballet, contemporary, ballroom, and folk dance to gain a variety of experience. She performed with their dance company Kinnect, which performs and teaches at local elementary schools, for two years. This year is her fifth year directing the dance program at Marcos de Niza High School. It is also her fourth year choreographing the school musical. She is currently pursing a masters degree in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado. Mrs. Remer is married and has one child on the way. When she is not dancing she enjoys cooking, eating, and watching hockey.
Dr. Angela R. Hines Director of TheatreBA Theatre M.Ed Theatre PH.D. Curriculum and Instruction-Curriculum
Dr. Angela R. Hines received her B.A. in Theatre, her M.Ed. and M.A.C. in Secondary Education-Theatre Education, and her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction-Curriculum Studies from Arizona State University (ASU). Her Dissertation; The Theatrical Ties that Bind: A Post-Structural Analysis of Theatre Education Programs, was a finalist for dissertation of the year for ABER. She has spent the last 9 years at Gilbert High School as the Theatre Director and is excited to begin this new chapter with Marcos de Niza High School. Additionally, she is a Faculty Associate for the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at ASU teaching courses in Developmental Psychology. She serves on the Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER) Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and serves on the Arizona Thespian Board as the Director for the Central Region. She was a performer in the valley and overseas for the past 20 years, and her writing on Theatre Education can be viewed in Youth Theatre Journal, Sage and Scholars Press.
Christian Luke Ottinger
Director of Choir/PianoBA Music EducationMr. Ottinger is a 2016 Marcos de Niza alumni. After studying Vocal Performance at SCC, Mr. O pursued a Music Education degree from Arizona State University. While there he studied voice with Dennis Rowland, and Nathan DeShon Myers and studied choral education with Bart Evans. Mr. O is super excited to be back at Marcos de Niza teaching in the classroom he used to call home. He is excited to bring his sense of hard work and dedication to the program and push these kids to establish a career in music outside of the classroom. He wants students to know that they matter in his classroom, and wants everyone to remember one key phrase, “Everything you want is on the other side of hard!”
Go Padres!!!