OUR STAFF

MIKA NEWEY

Owner / Artistic Director

Mika Newey was born in Hobbs, NM and graduated as the 1992 valedictorian of Hobbs High School. Mika studied tap, jazz, and ballet at Maciolek School of Dance for 15 years under the direction of Karen Salb. She earned a Bachelors’ Degree in Music Education from the University of New Mexico, met and married her husband, Paul Newey, and moved back to Hobbs. Mika was the band director at Heizer Junior High for 4 years. She was the general music and band teacher at St. Helena’s Catholic School for 11 years. She is the Colorguard Director for Hobbs High School, a position she has held for a total of 20 years. She is a regular guest clinician and choreographer for Lovington High School Colorguard. Mika is beginning her 20th season as principal clarinetist for Southwest Symphony Orchestra. She teaches private band instrument lessons and has helped many students earn placements in All-State and International Honor Bands. Mika was a teacher at Maciolek School of Dance for 15 years, teaching tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and Irish classes and serving as head of the Tap and Irish programs. Mika has been a part of the Hobbs Municipal Schools Residency Program with Maciolek School of Dance, teaching students at Stone, Taylor, Jefferson, and Booker T. Washington Elementary Schools. Mika is a recipient of the Joe and Joyce Walker Award for Music and Dance given through the Lea County Commission for the Arts. She has attended summer workshops with DanceLife’s Teacher Conference in Scottsdale, AZ and their Summer Retreat in Boston, MA as well as Dance Teacher Web Conferences in Las Vegas, NV. Mika and her husband, Paul, have four children who make them proud and keep them busy. Mika has served in the Hobbs community by organizing performances at St. Helena’s Family Fair, United Way Chili Cook Off, and Gus Macker Tournament. Mika volunteers by organizing three blood drives a year through Vitalant Blood Services and hosts them at her church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She serves in various positions in her church, organizing music, playing piano for the children’s program, and leading the choir. She has organized and hosted an annual Community Christmas Concert for the past 8 years for various musical groups in the Hobbs community. Mika looks forward to serving as owner, artistic director, and director of the tap and Irish programs for Studio M School of Dance and Music LLC and continuing the rich legacy of excellence in the arts that has been established for the Hobbs community.

JANEY ROAN

Director of Ballet Programs

Janey Roan trained with Karen Salb at Maciolek School of Dance throughout her childhood and later went on to graduate from Texas Tech University with a BA in Advertising and a BA in Dance with a ballet focus. After graduation, she taught ballet in Louisiana as the assistant director of The Ballet Studio and Manager of LEAP ‘N LEARN, a program that provides dance teachers with numerous products, syllabi, and training for early childhood dance programs. With LEAP ‘N LEARN, Janey helped to develop teacher training programs, an early childhood dance syllabus, DANCEcamps and other dance teacher training tools. She returned to teach ballet at Maciolek school of dance in 2007 and continued teaching there until the studio permanently closed in the summer of 2020. In addition to her teaching experience, Janey has also studied ballet at the University of the Arts, American Academy of Ballet, The International Ballet Competition Teacher’s Workshop, Finis Jhung Teacher’s Workshops, DanceLife Teacher Conferences, the Leading Edge Dance Workshop and at numerous master classes. Janey’s performance credits include Ballet Acadiana, the Willis Ballet, King’s Court Dancer with the Lubbock Cotton Kings, as well as multiple Texas Tech Productions such as Coppelia, Giselle, and Khoreographer’s Kick. Janey’s choreography credits include many many recitals, Nutcrackers, as well as dance and musical theatre shows for children as part of a residency program in which the Maciolek School of Dance brought dance education into the public school system to the schools Stone, Taylor, Jefferson, and Booker T. Washington Elementary Schools.

CLAIRE NEWEY

Dance Instructor / Assistant

Claire Newey is a 2020 honor graduate of Hobbs High School, where she graduated as salutatorian of her class. She is a Maddox Scholar. Planning to attend Texas Tech University as a dance or theatre major, her plans were changed due to COVID. She is attending NMJC for the year and then will complete her degree at Texas Tech. Claire has studied tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, partnering, hip hop, and Irish tap for 15 years at Maciolek School of Dance under the direction of Karen Salb. She has attended Joffrey Ballet and Musical Theatre Intensives in Colorado and NYC. She has taken numerous master classes in numerous dance and musical theatre styles. Claire has performed at many community events such as St. Helena’s Family Fair, United Way Chili Cook Off, Gus Macker Tournament, Western Heritage Museum, NMJC Basketball Halftime, St. Helena’s St. Patrick’s Day Fish Fry, Lea County Center for the Arts, and Notre Dame Glee Club. Claire is a four year All-State, Southwest International Honor Band, and SENMMEA All-District clarinetist, having studied clarinet with Mika Newey. Claire is a vocal student of Ann Tsonis and has been featured as leads in community musicals. Claire regularly volunteers by organizing and running blood drives hosted by her church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Claire is excited to be able to spend a year continuing to train and teach/assistant teach at Studio M.