About Us

History of Hawkins School of Performing Arts
The Hawkins School opened its doors in January of 1987 as the “Deirdre Hawkins School of Dance” in a small historic house formerly known as “Emma’s Place.”  Ten years later, it expanded its class offerings with acting, voice and piano to become the “Hawkins School of Performing Arts” and moved into a 6,000 sq foot facility in the heart of Folsom.  The studio’s final move was in 2008, to a spacious 13,000 sq foot building on Woodmere Road.  The Hawkins School has “raised” many of the city’s youngsters with the joy of the performing arts in their lives, including many who have continued with careers in dance and theatre.

The Mission of The Hawkins School of Performing Arts
The mission of the Hawkins School’s performing arts education program is that of teaching and nurturing the student with the finest instruction in the performing arts that each may attain their fullest potential.  We welcome both the student who wishes to dance, sing or act for pure personal enjoyment and recreation, as well as the student who aspires to a career in the performing arts. 

About the Founder
Deirdre Hawkins the founder and Artistic Director of the Ballet Folsom, holds a Master of Arts in Education, with a specialization in Dance, from Stanford University. Her early training began with William and Harold Christensen and the San Francisco Ballet. Deirdre studied modern dance under Frank Shawl and Victor Anderson and was a company member of the Shawl Anderson Modern Dance Center in Berkeley. As a graduate student at Stanford University, Ms. Hawkins was a teaching assistant in ballet and modern dance. She also co-founded “Children’s Dance at Stanford,” a program for children of students and alumni, and established the “Friends of the Dance at Stanford; a fundraising organization. Both programs continue to enrich the Stanford community today.Owner and director of the Hawkins’ School of Performing Arts for the past 23 years, Ms. Hawkins has won numerous regional and national awards for her choreography and for the high level of technical proficiency and artistry of her dancers. She was recognized in 2003 by the City of Folsom for her “outstanding contribution to the performing arts in Folsom,” her third such commendation by the City Council in the past eight years. Ms. Hawkins was also the recipient of the 2005 Elly Award for choreography in the “young people’s Theater” category for “Alice in Wonderland”. In 2006, she had the honor of collaborating with Maestro Michael Neumann and the Folsom Lake Symphony in FLCB’s production of “Peter and the Wolf.” Also, in 2006, Ms. Hawkins choreographed the Camilla Symphony’s production of Stavinsky’s “The Firebird,” under the direction of Allen Pollack, Music Director and Conductor. In December 2008 and 2009, she again collaborated with Maestro Neumann and the Folsom Lake Symphony in presenting excerpts from the “Nutcracker.” Ms. Hawkins is the proud mother of Luke, a dancer/singer/actor currently living in New York City.

Administration Staff
Monica Watts, Assistant Director
Monica is a native of Sacramento, California who has received dance training as well as performance and teaching experience from local studios. Since the age of three, she has undertaken a disciplinary training in the art of ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical which has enabled her to perform at national and international venues such as Disneyland, Las Vegas, and  Rome. She has also had the opportunity to perform with the Russian Ballet Company in their production of The Nutcracker, guest perform with the Folsom Lake Civic Ballet in the productions of Coppelia and Cinderella as well as lead master workshops for California Dance and Movement Workshop for Educators. She is a graduate of Sacramento State University with Master’s degrees in Theatre and English and currently teaches at American River College as a Dance Professor.

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Anita Felix, Director of Special Events & Account Manager
Anita was raised in Michigan and has lived in North Carolina, Arizona and Brazil.   She has worked for Coco Cola as an inside Sales Manager and for several financial institutions as a Personal Banker.  Anita and family moved to California in 1991 and, in her plight to find a great dance studio for her daughter, was referred to Hawkins in 1992 and hasn’t left yet.  Her daughter, Andrea, became a company dancer with both the Folsom Lake Civic Ballet and iMPACT Contemporary Dance Company, housed at Hawkins.  Andrea went on to attend Chapman University in Public Relations and Advertising.

Anita has worked at Hawkins since 1993, taking the studio from ledger books to the computer.  In addition to being Accounts Manager, Anita has handled numerous jobs:  Special Events and Showcase Coordinator, Competition Coordinator and Costume Manager.  Anita is an avid reader of most genres and a huge animal lover. She has been married to Ernie since 1984 and has two lovely daughters, Andrea and April.  She also has two pet dogs, Joey and Chica, and a cat, Millie.