Carlee Tocco

Written by Administrator | 03 March 2010

Carlee was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada where she began training in dance at the age of 3.  She joined the UNLV Starlets Dance Team and focused on cheer, hip-hop and jazz.  Over the course of 12 years she performed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ football, basketball, soccer and hockey games regularly.  As a dancer on this dance team, she was also able to participate in Breast Cancer Awareness football games, Christmas and New Years Day Parades, annual performances at Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm and Disney’s Magic Music Days.

Once she began high school, Carlee decided to audition for the Las Vegas Academy of Performing and Visual Arts where she had to act, dance and sing for the audition.  She was accepted her freshman year and majored in theatre her entire high school career.  Theatre took up most of her time so she had to quit Starlets to focus on this new passion.  Although she loved theatre she missed dancing so she decided to try something new and began to study ballet.  She worked her way to the top of her class and earned a solo by her first recital.

After one more year of ballet and theatre, Carlee had worked her way to the top of the theatre department.  She stage managed most of the theatre and dance shows and eventually earned a spot as the stage manager, tour manager, dancer, and actor in a show touring to Italy.  She toured Pisa, Florence, Siena, and a small town called San Gimignano with the show.

When she returned home she pursued an internship with Celine Dion’s A New Day at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace and was able to start an internship program that still continues today.  Carlee’s internship includes stage management, lighting, audio visual, and wardrobe for almost a year.

She was then hired on by Elton John’s lighting designer to be his assistant.

During this time, Carlee combined her love for dance and theatre and began choreographing Children’s Summer Music Camps and teaching for her old dance group, Starlets, for the next two years.  By October 2008, Carlee was married and moved to Surprise, Arizona.  She stumbled upon A Time To Dance as they were performing at a Relay For Life cancer walk at the Surprise Stadium.  She now works the front desk and substitute’s classes while she is continuing to train in Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Ballet, and Pointe at ATTD.  Carlee is a wonderful addition to our studio!