Staff

Susan Dellinger, owner and administrator

Simone Peterson, Dance Director, Gig Harbor: Simone Peterson has been teaching and choreographing in the Tacoma/Seattle area for the last 11 years. In college, she worked with the Repertory Dance Group at the University of Puget Sound, where she graduated with a B.A in Psychology. She then began teaching at Harbor Conservatory in Gig Harbor from 2002-2005, where she helped run the Performing Company. Simone subsequently taught and choreographed for the Lakewood Family YMCA, and became the Dance Director for the program in 2005. As director at the Y, Simone supervised 18 instructors, ran the FLY Dance Company, planned and ran all productions, and spearheaded integral values and arts based curriculum. Simone continues to take classes at Westlake Dance Center, is a performer and choreographer for En L'air Dance Benefit Concerts, choreographs for local musicals, and is the founder and director of  "La Vie Nouvelle", a dance convention beginning in 2009.

Dawn Del Castillo, Dance Director, Tacoma: Dawn has been dancing for 14 years and teaching for eight. She focuses on creating a supportive and encouraging training ground for aspiring dancers. Dawn has enjoyed competing and performing since the age of 15, she has won several awards including First Place in Sonics. After high school she began volunteering her time to teach dance for under-privileged teens. There she founded the Hip Hop group Next Generation which provided the kids opportunities to perform at schools in hopes to get kids off the streets and into dance. Since then she has taught at several dance studios and choreographed and directed the award winning FLY Dance Hip Hop Company. She is also the co-founder of the hip hop groups Identity and ID both of which have performed with other talented Hip Hop Crews in Seattle including Daniel Cruz's Battle of Seattle. Identity and ID also recently took first and second place for the Best Dance Crew in Tacoma. Dawn lives by the knowledge that God has given us our talents, and so let us not think we can do things apart from Him.

Kristine Alskog Hall, Artistic Director Emeritus: Kristine has a B.A. in English from the University of Washington and a Masters in teaching from Simmons College. Kristine has been dancing her whole life and received her first and most important training in ballet from Jan Collum in Tacoma. She performed early in her career with the Concert Ballet Group (now Tacoma City Ballet) and then went on to study and perform with many impressive luminaries of the dance world, including Ruthana Boris, Bill Evans, Takako Asakawa, and Consuelo Atlas. She has performed with the University Performing Dance Company, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Rael Lamb's Dance for the New World, Phoenix Metropolitan Dance Theatre, and Arizona Ballet Theatre. While in Los Angeles, Kristine not only taught ballet at UCLA but also performed and choreographed professionally for musicals, film, and TV. She taught all levels at Tacoma City Ballet for 8 years and is well known for her amazing teaching ability and bringing the love of dance into children's lives.

Jomarie Carlson, Ballet Artistic Director: Jomarie Carlson's love for ballet and performance started in Tacoma, WA with Jan Collum. She continued studying under Robert Joffrey and other master teachers and ended up receiving a Ford Foundation Scholarship and a degree from the University of Utah home of Ballet West. Jomarie has danced professionally with Ballet West, the Joffrey Ballet, and numerous guest appearances with regional ballet companies. Currently she teaches at the University of Puget Sound and Tacoma School District. She also choreographs for professionals and amateurs in both musicals and operas.

Paula Johnson, Tap, Company Choreographer: Paula trained and performed extensively in Seattle and Redmond. Her training includes ballet, tap, and jazz. In addition to studying dance at University of Washington she received her B.A. degree in Psychology. Paula continues to perfect her art at PNB School and attends master classes in all styles. Paula has been teaching for over fifteen years locally and is presently Assistant Director of Dance at Morgan Family Branch YMCA.

Christy McNeil, Guest Master Instructor: Christy McNeil has been teaching and choreographing in the Seattle area for 12 years. She is currently on faculty at Cornish, Westlake Dance Center, Allegro, and Gotta Dance. Her choreography credits include Cornish Dance theatre, ARC, Interweave Dance Theatre, Riverside and Bellevue Community colleges, and several Seattle theatre houses. Christy received her BFA in Dance from Cornish where she studied on a full scholarship given by the Kreielesheimer Foundation. We are fortunate to have the energy and artistry of this wonderful teacher.

Pam Lenker, Guest Master Instructor: Pam Lenker is currently dancing and choreographing professionally in New York City. Her versatility as an artist and dancer makes her a sought after performer and teacher on both coasts. She has performed choreography by tap legend Savion Glover and contemporary choreographer Sonia Dawkins of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Additionally, she was a tap and contemporary soloist in Black Nativity at Seattle's Tony-Award winning Intiman Theater, and has performed several times in the Masters of Lindy Hop and Tap at the Century Ballroom in Seattle, WA. Recently, She could be seen dancing at Seattle's ACT Theater with the original New York cast of Back From the Brink, a contemporary/acrobatics ballet making its west coast debut. This year, Pam was a featured dancer in the New York City Tap Festival Main Event and the New York City Tap Extravaganza. She is a member of New York City based tap companies Sophisticated Sounds and SLURP, and is learning repertoire for the New American Tap Dance Orchestra, directed by the legendary Brenda Bufalino. Recent choreography credits include a music video for Nordstrom showcasing their spring line. Pam teaches at Steps on Broadway in New York City.

Nicole Brun Cisler: Nicole began her training in Los Angeles with Stanley Holden, Cynthia Young and Philip & Charles Fuller. She then attended North Carolina School of the Arts to study with Melissa Hayden for two years. She also studied at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Hartford National Ballet School during their summer programs. Nicole's professional experience includes dancing with Ballet Omaha, Cincinnati Ballet and the Milwaukee Ballet where she danced in ballets choreographed by Petipa Balanchine, Paul Taylor and David Parsons among others. After her professional career, Nicole went on to get a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. While in Madison, she taught for five years in the area and choreographed for Dance Wisconsin an honor company in the Midwest Region of the National Regional Dance Alliance, where two of her and her husband's pieces were performed on the gala night performances.

Erika Klein, Ballet: Erika Klein trained and performed in Tacoma for Jan Collum, and six years at Damaris Hayden's School of Classical Ballet. She has also studied with Wade Walthall (Evergreen City Ballet), Suzanne Farrel at Cedar Island, at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and summer intensives at the School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey, and Houston Ballet. She spent 3 years in the Professional Division at PNB and as a guest apprentice performing in their Nutcracker, Midsummer Night's Dream, Firebird, Sleeping Beauty, La Valse, Symphony in C, Symphony in Three Movements, Jewels, and Swan Lake. This past year she has been an apprentice with Oregon Ballet Theatre and performed in the Nutcracker, the Concert, Four Temperaments, and Sleeping Beauty. Erika has taught creative movement and assisted in many dance classes throughout the area. She also has studied modern, jazz, hip-hop, character, Spanish and swing. Watch for Erika sharing her love of dance on the stage and in the classroom.

Joel Myers, Ballet: Joel Myers received the majority of his training at Evergreen City Ballet under artistic director Wade Walthall. While at ECB, Joel has performed principal roles in many of the major classical ballets including Swan Lake, Giselle, the Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker, as well as many of Mr. Walthall's original works. Mr. Myers is formerly a member of Spectrum Dance Theater, and has performed artistic director Donald Byrd's work locally as well as nationally and internationally. As a choreographer, he has set work on the dancers of ECB as well as on the students of the Tacoma School of the Arts and Seattle's The Northwest School. He is also the in-house choreographer for the Loyalty Conglomerate of Tacoma. We are very pleased to have him as a teacher and choreographer at Harbor Dance and Performance Center.

Kate Monthy, Ballet, Contemporary: Kate received her formal training at Tacoma City Ballet under Jan Collum and Erin Ceragioli. While studying there, she danced in the professional division of the company, and at an early age began assisting and teaching classes. After graduating from Annie Wright school, she studied at Boston Ballet for a summer intensive program. During college at PLU, where she received a B.A. in Political Science, she studied abroad in Cannes, France. Here she spent six months at the Ecole Superieure de Dance Cannes Rosella Hightower. She is the founder and principal teacher at MLK Ballet, a tuition-free ballet school in the Hilltop district of Tacoma. Kate also dances professionally for the Zoe Scofield Dance Company in Seattle and is a wonderful addition to our staff.

Anessa McClendon, Ballroom: Anessa has been dancing for fun and profession most of her life. Her favorite thing about teaching is helping people learn how to interpret music and melody. Her love for dance was kindled at a young age with her first tap and jazz classes and continues in her adult life through continuing education in dance and group exercise instruction. Anessa danced professionally for 5th Avenue Dance Studios in Tacoma and Seattle as well as trained amateur dancers for competition, showcases and weddings. Throughout her dance career Anessa has participated in numerous private and group, choreography and technique lessons from National and International ballroom dance champions. Anessa currently continues her teaching at the Lakewood Family YMCA.

Jacy Griffin, Acro: Jacy began gymnastics at an early age and has loved the sport ever since. She was fortunate enough to train under a wide range of amazing coaches, qualified as an elite gymnast, and competed nationally and internationally for many years. She came to the University of Washington on a full gymnastics scholarship, was a four year letter winner and team captain. After completing her B.A. in English at UW, she attended Seattle University for her graduate work where she received her Masters in Teaching. Teaching and coaching have always brought her great happiness and she is excited to bring her skill set to the dance community. Jacy believes in helping kids gain confidence and pride in themselves as they discover what they can accomplish and the joy they can find via movement, gymnastics, and dance.

Annie Ellis, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Physical theater:  Annie began dancing 18 years ago and has taught for 7. She has been travelling the world dancing and performing on a variety of stages from the MGM studios in Disney World, theaters in Croatia, to orphanages in Rwanda, Africa, she loves how dance has no language barriers therefore can speak to every culture. This last year she has been continuing her training in London at Laban Conservatoire of Dance where she received a Diploma in Dance Studies. Annie is excited to be back in Seattle to teach and inspire her passion for dance.

Kathy Lynette McGilliard, Acting Coach:  Kathy initially studied ballet with Jan Collum in Tacoma performing with the company now recognized as Tacoma City Ballet.  Professional training in theater and dance includes extensive work with numerous well-known professionals in addition to college training resulting in a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of Utah and a Master of Fine Arts degree from The University of North Carolina.  Professional appearances include work stretching from coast to coast.  In 1973, after teaching for The State University of New York for 5 years, she returned to Washington to found The Gig Harbor School of Performing Arts and two years later The Performance Circle Theater.  During that time she additionally taught at the University of Puget Sound and Annie Wright School.  In 1996 GHSPA became Encore! Theater and The Academy of Performing Arts was established.  She also teaches for PenMet Parks and Evergreen Elementary School.  Over the years she has written several plays in addition choreographing ballets (“The Nutcracker”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Cinderella” to name a few) and directing and choreographing hundreds of plays including “Annie”, “Oliver”, “The Sound of Music”, while working with hundreds of children and adults.  She has been recognized in "Who's Who of American Women" for her accomplishments in the arts.

Giselle Lorenz Brock, Jazz/Lyrical Performing Group Director:   Giselle Lorenz Brock has recently been cast as Cassie in Seattle Musical Theatre's production of A Chorus Line. The show will run from February 10th-March 4th, 2012 in Seattle's Sand Point neighborhood. For more information visit: http://seattlemusicaltheatre.org/shows/Season34/AChorusLine/