The Team
Mary Love Hendrickson, SDPAC Program Manager
Mary Love Hendrickson has been involved in dance business administration for the past 19 years. She is a graduate of AUM with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Throughout the years she has worked in the banking industry, Department of Human Resources for Talladega County, and with various volunteer organizations in our community including PTO, church groups, Sylacauga Garden Club, and Alabama Cattle Women. One of her greatest joys at the studio is seeing young children come through the studio and blossom and grow into their God given potential in the arts and in life. She is a member of Church of the Highlands and enjoys serving on the dream team with the prayer team and as a small group leader. She has been married to Rob Hendrickson for 47 years and is wonderfully blessed by her family including six grandchildren.
Jeanna Sumners, Artistic Coordinator
Jeanna Sumners is the Artistic Coordinator for Southern Dance & Performing Arts Company and overseer of SDPAC’s performing group, Spirit & Company, as well as an instructor in Levels I through 5 at the school. Jeanna began her teaching career in 1972 and is in her 50th year in the dance industry. In the 50 years, she has always felt it was her greater call to teach, motivate, and cultivate the children of our community whether they chose dance as a career or not. She considers the art of dance, the training and discipline of it, as a mentor in itself to help students be better at whatever they choose as a career. In the past years, she has owned and operated two dance schools, one in Sylacauga and the other in Talladega, simultaneously for 17 years. Jeanna is certified to teach through Dancers Masters of America and more recently, Southern Association of Dance Masters. Since February 2018, she has three times been privileged to pray with others on A Call to Prayer with Roxanne and Ace at WDJC. A fun dream of Jeanna’s has always been to choreograph a Christian video. She got that opportunity in 2014 where she choreographed and appeared in Hezekiah Walker’s video “Every Praise”, which to date has been viewed on YouTube over 92 million times. Jeanna has been married for 47 years to her husband, Dane. They are parents to three grown children, Tangae Sumners Belter, Stacey Sumners Adcock, and Ramey Sumners (deceased), six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Classes: Elementary Combo 2, Hip Hop 2, Hip Hop 3, Tap 1, Tap 2/3, Ballet V, Pre-Pointe, Pointe, & Company
J. Patrick McDonald,
Musical Theatre Director
Patrick has been involved with concert production and community theatre for 35 years, beginning when he was an undergraduate at Samford University where he performed with a sketch-acting group, Act 8. His stage credits include Uncle Fester in The Addams Family Musical, Paul Vanderbloom/Dr. John Hunter in Too Soon for Daisies, Bill in On Golden Pond (Pulaski Dinner Theatre, Tennessee), and Roy in The Odd Couple (Savannah Community Theatre, Georgia). Additionally, he has produced and directed church drama/music programs across the country, including writing the drama book used for a production of the musical Sovereign Lord. He also directed the SCP Student Reader’s Theatre production of Inside the Box: An Evening from the Golden Age of Radio, co-directed Tarzan, the Stage Musical, and served as the producer for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and The Miracle Worker, as musical director for Disney’s Aladdin JR, director for Little Shop of Horror, and director for The Secret Garden. Patrick performed as Mr. Bradley in Prattville’s Way Off Broadway production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and directed their production of Little Women. He also directed Southern Dance and Performing Arts Company productions of Disney’s Frozen JR, Little Women, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Big Fish, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Wizard of Oz, Our Town, and Harvey. When he is not working with theatre, he supports his family and theatre habit by working as a computer engineer for Sharecare, Inc. and serves as Pastor for Alex City Reformed Baptist Church.
Classes: Theatre
Amy McDonald, Administrative Assistant/Marketing
Amy has been a homeschool mom for the past 17 years. The past 25 years of work, Amy has been helping non-profits implement their programs and making their visions become realities through public affairs, donor development, planned-giving, board development, and strategic planning. She has written and reviewed grants, developed and taught grant-writing, marketing, board development, and strategic planning courses for non-profits. Amy previously served as a member of the board of the Sylacauga Community Playhouse (SCP). She has been involved with the following SCP productions: The Miracle Worker (House Manager), Disney’s Aladdin JR. (Marketing Director), Little Shop of Horrors (Marketing Director), and The Secret Garden (Marketing Director). Most recently, she served as the marketing/sponsorship director for SDPAC productions Disney’s Frozen JR., Little Women, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Big Fish, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Aristocats KIDS, and Our Town. She loves being a part of the SDPAC family, helping with fundraising by writing grants, securing sponsorships, marketing, and assisting in the office. In her free time, she enjoys reading and playing the piano.
Jennifer Morrow, Dance Instructor
Jennifer Morrow has been teaching and mentoring through the ministry of dance for 30 years and teaching at SDPAC since 2012. Jennifer has a dance certification in ballet and jazz through Southern Dance Association of Dance Masters. Some of her teaching background includes: founder and director of dance ministries at The Church at Brook Hills,1997-2004 (Birmingham, AL) and Harvest Church/HPAA, 2008-2010 (Dothan, AL); Co-founder/director, Praise Him with The Dance Too!/DC Dance, 1997-2004; founder/artistic director of Destiny Dance, 2004-2007; founder/director of Restoration Arts Dance, and teaching RADical dance classes and workshops (including Dance Across Birmingham), 2008-2015, as well as numerous other workshops and ministry events (including a “Make us One” event at UAB arena). Jennifer has also taught with Jackie O’Neal, conducted Time 2 Dance workshops, as well as Jazz and Hip-Hop Workshops through Briarwood Ballet. God literally turned her mourning into dancing after the tragic murder of her brother in 1994 (Psalm 30:11-12); since that time, Jennifer has always seen teaching and mentoring through dance as part of her calling. Jennifer and her husband, David, have been married for 39 years. Since 2004, Jennifer has served on the Dream Team at Church of the Highlands through prayer, coaching and leading small groups. Jennifer is a Highlands College graduate Bible teacher, writer (at www.ponderit.org), and author. She loves inspiring her students to dance with joy or dance for joy! Jennifer is thankful to be a part of the SDPAC team, whose mission is beyond dance. Her heart’s desire is for every student to know they are “loved, special, chosen and called” to shine the light and share the love for such a time as this. Her prayer is for more artists to arise and answer the call to use all their gifts for God’s glory.
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Classes: Jazz I, Jazz II, and Jazz III
Heather Adair,
Dance Instructor
Heather Hendrickson Adair is the wife of Michael Adair and is the mother of two children Anderson (13) and Owen (9). She graduated from Sylacauga High School in 1997 and is a 2002 graduate of Samford University with a B.A. in Communications. In 2002 she founded Dance and Performing Arts Company. Heather is currently an instructor for SAFE’s SDPAC. Her dance training includes study with Alabama Ballet, Ballet Magnificat!, and Samford University. She is a member of First Baptist Church where she facilitates a ladies Bible study, serves on the Operation Christmas Child team, and teaches Kids BLAST. She is a member of the Magnolia Garden Club, Nichols Lawson Middle School PTO and is a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Character Coach.
Heather’s life changed when she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2017. As a cancer survivor this experience changed her outlook on life. She sees each day as a beautiful gift.
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Classes: Pre-School and Elementary Combo 1
Rachel McDonald,
Dance Instructor
Rachel is a student at Central Alabama Community College She has performed in the following Sylacauga Community Theatre productions: Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR. (Seagull), Tarzan, the Stage Musical (Ape), The Miracle Worker (Blind Student), Tom Sawyer (Young Girl), and Disney’s Aladdin JR. (Narrator). Rachel performed in the 2019 Alabama Ballet’s production of Balanchine’s Nutcracker as a Party Girl. She auditioned and trained at Alabama Ballet’s 2019 and 2021 Summer Dance Intensive and Ballet Magnificat’s 2020 and 2021 Summer Dance Intensive. Rachel performed as a Benevolent Angel in the 2019 production of Christmas Angels, produced by SDPAC. In the 2020 Christmas Angels production, she danced as the Star of Bethlehem and a Benevolent Angel. Rachel has choreographed SDPAC’s productions Disney’s Frozen JR., Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Big Fish and The Wizard of Oz.
Classes: Ballet IV, Pre-Pointe & Pointe
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Shaylyn Vick, Dance Instructor
Shaylyn teaches Ballet Levels I and II at SAFE’s Southern Dance & Performing Arts Company. She danced ballet for twelve years at Briarwood Ballet and Dance for Jesus. Shaylyn was a featured dancer as the Bow & Arrow in Briarwood Ballet’s production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. She also appeared in SDPAC’s productions of Disney’s Frozen JR (Elsa), Little Women (Beth March), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Understudy for Belle, Silly Girl 2, Napkin), Big Fish (Jenny Hill), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Esmeralda), Christmas Angels (Gabriella the Cherubim), The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy Gale/Girls’ Chorus), Disney’s Aristocats KIDS (Co-Director/Choreographer), and Our Town (Mrs. Myrtle Webb). She enjoys playing piano, learning new songs, drawing, sculpting, dancing, and baking.
Classes: Ballet I, II, and III
Rachael Barnes,
Teaching Intern
Rachael loves to dance. She first started dance lessons with Heather Adair at 18 months. Rachael has taken ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, company prep, pre pointe, worship/lyrical. She loves to perform and take master classes. Rachael likes learning new dance styles and contemporary tricks and lifts. She has been with SDPAC for 13 years and Dance for Jesus for 3 years. The past 5 years Rachael has been a teacher’s assistant and has enjoyed teaching a Tap 1 class for the past two years. She enjoys sharing her love for dance with the younger students. Rachael also loves music and helps to lead worship on Sunday evenings at Trinity Baptist Church. She has attended Alabama School of Gospel Music at Snead State for 3 years and enjoys playing piano and singing harmony with her sisters. Rachael has worked at Poplar Point Camp for the past two summers helping in the kitchen and was a counselor for the Superhero camp this summer and Winter Camp over New Year’s break. She has a heart for children and has a dream to teach dance after she graduates. Rachael’s SDPAC credits include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Townsperson & Napkin) and Big Fish (Choreographer Assistant, Alabama Lamb, Witch’s Ensemble, Sorority Sister, & USO Singer).
Classes: Contemporary 1 and 2
Marinda Sadler,
Teaching Intern
Marinda is a senior homeschool student with The Way, The Truth, and The Life Christian School. She has nine years of dance training and is a first-year company prep member at SDPAC. She hopes to one day become a dance teacher and run her own business. Marinda enjoys fashion design and horseback riding. In 2020 she won the EAHA Youth Saddle 13-17 in Western Pleasure and first alternate for the ACHRC Queens contest. Marinda’s SDPAC credits include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Cogsworth understudy/Fish Townsperson/Spoon), Big Fish (Girl in Water), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Gargoyle 1/Cloaked Soul), Christmas Angels (Innkeeper’s Daughter), and The Wizard of Oz (Aunt Em/Glenda/Girls’ Chorus).
Classes: Preschool and Elementary Combo 2
Lexie Wimmer,
Teaching Intern
Lexie is a freshman at Winterboro High School. She is a part of the Beta Club, Leadership Team, and has been a Cheerleading Co-Captain for 2 years and is now Captain. She is also involved in the Sylacauga Community Playhouse. This is Lexie’s 13th year dancing at SDPAC. She’s currently taking Ballet, Jazz, Pointe, Hip-hop, and is a part of Company.
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Classes: Kid Hop and Hip Hop 2
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