I have been a resident of Eugene and Springfield for over 20 years. My training began at several studios, including Eugene School of Ballet and On Your Toes School of Dance. I danced with ZAPP for 14 years, performing from Hawaii to New York City, and as far away as England. While attending Lane Community College, I performed for the Lane Dance Company. In 2005, I moved to San Diego, CA to pursue my dancing career, where I taught at the world renowned Culture Shock. I was a member of the professional hip-hop company Urban FX while in San Diego as well. I have experience teaching all age groups at many different locations including On Your Toes School of Dance, The EDGE, Musical Feet, TaDa, Amazon and Sheldon Community Centers, South Eugene High School, The Village School, Culture Shock, and most recently, King’s Krew. My passion has always been dancing, and my dream of owning and operating my own studio has finally come true!
As a young child, I was naturally drawn to the rhythms of the world. Both parents, artists in their youth, put forth the encouragement and support for me to pursue what they saw as a natural gift. In my young adulthood I was heavily influenced by the graceful beauty of martial arts as well as the physical feats of breakdancing (and the freedom of expression that goes with it). Now honored with the opportunity to inspire improvement through movement, I can wholeheartedly dedicate myself to what I have experienced as a constantly rewarding journey to students of present and future generations.
I started dancing when I was eight years old at the Albany Dance Academy in Albany, Oregon. I studied ballet and jazz for about 8 years there before I studied ballet more intensely at the Regional School of Ballet in Corvallis, Oregon. Meanwhile, I danced on the West Albany High School dance team for four years, two of which I was a captain. After high school, I attended Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. There I studied an intense dance curriculum focused mostly on ballet and modern. I then taught ballet and jazz at Musical Feet School of Dance in Eugene, Oregon. In 2008, I started dancing with King's Krew (an enthusiastic hip-hop/jazz company) which then led me to teach at Unity School of Dance, teaching ballet and lyrical jazz.
I began my love of dance at the age of 2 when I started dancing for the Rogue Valley School of Ballet (Age 2-6). I received formal dance education at the Eugene Ballet Academy (formerly Eugene School of Ballet), under the training of Sara Lombardi, Florabelle Moses, and Pamela Lehan-Siegel. I performed with both the school, and the company in several works: The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and Skinwalkers. It was there where I came to love dance and ballet as the foundation of dance in my life. I furthered my training and dance genres through summers spent dancing with Tada Dance Studio, where I had the opportunity to dance at Disneyland and several local venues. I danced on the Sheldon High School Dance Team, UCA Dance Camp and several dance courses at University of Oregon and Lane Community College. I was involved in the Oregon Dance Project, and also taught dance in Eugene Schools for after-school programs. Last year I taught Creative Dance, as well as, Ballet/Jazz at Junction City School of Dance. My true passion is teaching children the love of dance with ballet and creative movement at the core.
Born and raised in Eugene, I have been dancing since the age of three. As many little girls do, I entered the world of dance through Ballet classes. Then, I worked my way into Jazz and Hip-Hop at 7-years-old. I began my journey with the Eugene School of Ballet as a child, taking Ballet classes with Florabelle Moses, and then I spent seven years dancing with Ta-Da Productions Dance Studio where I had the pleasure of learning from many wonderful instructors including, Sarah Bixby and Eileen King! At age 14 I began dancing with the Dance Factory and joined Lisa Gilliam’s Hip-hop company, now called Urban Vibe. From 2006 to 2009, I danced with various Hip-Hop performance companies such as Breakdown Dance Company, Exozia, and Savvy Hip-hop Dancers. During the 2008-2009 school year I attended Lane Community College with a focus on dance. I took classes from Bonnie Simoa, Anita Sanford, and many more talented and passionate instructors. In the Spring of 2009 I joined King’s Krew! Since joining the company I feel challenged and pushed harder every day to become a stronger dancer. Hip-hop dancing is my passion and my favorite way to be active. I look forward to teaching at Unity and passing on my love for Hip-hop through the art of dance.
