Our Staff

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Meet the Owners

  • Simone Peterson

    Owner, Team Director Jazz/Lyrical: Simone Peterson has been teaching and choreographing in the Seattle, Tacoma, and Gig Harbor communities for 20 years (studio instruction). In college, at the University of Puget Sound, Simone participated in Repertory Dance Group, a student-choreography and dance group. Simone graduated from UPS with a B.A. in Psychology. She then began teaching at Harbor Conservatory (Harbor Dance’s former name, same location) in 2002-2005, working as an instructor and as a Performing Group Director. Simone then moved on to be the director of Dance at the Lakewood Family YMCA from 2005-2009, where she oversaw a program of between 500-600 students and integrated valuable curriculum. Simone then partnered with Sue Dellinger and Dawn Del Castillo in 2009 to become co-owners of Harbor Dance and Freedom Dance Centers. She continues to teach and choreograph for both studios, as well as participate in various collarborative endeavors with other choreographers and performers when time permits. Simone actively seeks out and attends educational opportunities surrounding dance, movement, instruction, anatomy/physiology, choreography, and holistic health regularly. Simone views dance as a holistic art that incorporates the entire being and benefits the mind, the body, the soul. She believes that dance enhances a person immensely, both internally and externally.

  • Dawn Del Castillo

    Owner and Dance Director: Dawn has been dancing for 25 years. She focuses on creating a supportive and encouraging training ground for aspiring dancers. Dawn has enjoyed competing and performing at a young age, 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 to help kids get off the streets and focused on dance. Since then she has taught at several dance studios and choreographed and directed the award winning FLY Dance Hip Hop Company. She also co-founded the hip hop groups Identity and ID both of which performed with other talented Hip Hop Crews in Seattle including Daniel Cruz's Battle of Seattle. Identity and ID also took first and second place for the Best Dance Crew in Tacoma in 2009. 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.

  • Sue Dellinger

    Owner and Administrator, Ballet Company and Ballet Elite coordinator: Sue has been immersed in dance since attending Pacific Lutheran University 30+ years ago. She loves all dance forms and has studied many including ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, flamenco and more. Her love of the artform is matched only by her love of working with children. She strives to provide a safe place for the area’s youth to foster creativity, confidence, and a sense of discipline; all qualities she believes are essential and will create a strong foundation for our children by equipping them with the tools they need to thrive as adults.

Meet our AMAZING staff!

Meet our AMAZING staff!

Paula Johnson

Jazz, Tap Team Director: 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 attending master classes in all styles. Paula has been teaching for over twenty years locally.

Kate Monthy

Ballet Company Artistic Director: Kate was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. She studied at Tacoma City Ballet, joining their professional division later in her dance training.  She performed leading roles in Carmina Burana, Cinderella, Dracula, Les Sylphides, Pas de Quatre, and The Nutcracker.

Her professional dance career includes company dancer for Zoe | Juniper, Eryc Taylor Dance Company NYC, and Spectrum Dance Theater.  While dancing for SDT, Kate performed works by Donald Byrd, Olivier Weavers, and Cyrus Khambatta.  She toured nationally and internationally to teach and perform as part of DanceMotion USA.  She has performed at Bumbershoot, Chop Shop, Jacob's Pillow, Seattle International Dance Festival, Summer Stages NYC, Velocity Fall Kick Off, and the 5th Avenue Theater.  Kate is the Ballet Director for Harbor Dance, and the Artistic Director of the Harbor Dance Ballet Company. 

Amber Klumker

Ballet, Tap: Amber grew up in Southern California and began her dance training in tap at the age of 6 with her mentor Elsie Leach. She went on to do competitive cheer/dance through High School and studied tap at Brigham Young University and jazz and ballet class at Cypress Community College. She moved to Gig Harbor with her husband, four children and their dog Tucker in 2003. After baby number 5 she decided it was time to dust off her tap shoes and in 2006 began teaching. She continues to study her craft through online learning/teacher training. Amber instructs many of our little dancers and wouldn’t have it any other way. She strives to make dance class a happy, comfortable, instructive environment where new dance friendships are formed and creativity fostered.

Reilly Zink

Ballet: Reilly received her ballet training at Willamette Ballet Academy under the direction of Deborah Higginbotham. There, she danced principal roles in classical ballets such as Giselle, Coppelia, Les Sylphides, and Paquita as well as many Balanchine ballets such as Serenade, Apollo, and Who Cares. She also studied at The Portland Ballet where she had the opportunity to dance for Nancy Davis and to perform George Balanchine's Valse Fantaisie under the direction of John Clifford. Reilly attended summer intensives at Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre in New York. She continued her professional training after highschool with Los Angeles Ballet. This is her ninth year teaching in the Washington area.

Larieza Leigh

Hip Hop Team Director: Larieza Leigh started dancing at the age of 15 at Mount Tahoma High School and was a part of their dance/drill team for 3 years (2006-2009). After graduating she stayed to help by becoming the assistant coach and was the choreographer for their WIAA Dance/Drill Competitions from 2009-2013. Since then Larieza has honed her teaching skills at a multitude of places such as local public schools, YMCA, Westlake Dance Center, The Beat Box, Image Studio of Dance, The Surge Dance Center, and other surrounding studios in the area. Larieza started dabbling in choreography when she made Mount Tahoma's Dance Team and has grown to create award-winning pieces over the years and is currently the Company Director at Freedom Dance Center. In addition to teaching, Larieza still loves to take classes and perform when an opportunity arises. She has consistently trained at Westlake Dance Center, Freedom Dance Center, and many other locations. In September 2016, Value Village aired a Halloween Commercial in which Larieza participated. She also choreographed and danced in SYML - The Bird music video that aired April 15, 2019. Larieza wants nothing more than to witness and foster the growth and achievements of her dancers. In these moments, she feels the most accomplished, and she finds the answer to her question, WHY? "Live to inspire & be inspired"

Brinessa Doremus

Gymnastics/Acro: Brinessa is an experienced gymnast and ballet dancer from Tacoma, Washington. She grew up as a competitive gymnast, then she decided to pursue her passion for dance. She was invited into Washington Contemporary Ballet's senior company almost immediately. There, she began her intense training and eventually gained the title of Principal dancer. She has played many lead roles in various performances, such as The Nutcracker, The Pied Piper, and Firebird. Ms. Link studied at Pierce College and graduated with both her Associate of Arts (AA) degree and high school diploma in 2015. She has been teaching ballet and gymnastics since 2013, and continues to broaden her repertoire of knowledge in all forms of the arts..

Dane Holman

Ballet: Dane began studying ballet in Jacksonville, Florida with Marta Jackson. She continued her training at Alabama School of Fine Arts, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.  She danced with American Ballet Theatre II and the Cleveland Ballet. Dane joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet School faculty in 1997 and retired in 2022. While at PNB she taught in the  Student Division, Professional Division, Adult Classes, Dance Chance Program and Company Class.  She presented lecture demonstrations in PNB’s Teacher Seminar workshops, assisted in rehearsing students for the Family Matinee and auditioned students across the country for PNB’s Summer Course. Dane has been a guest teacher and taught Master Classes at Cornish College, Gonzaga University, Olympia Dance Center and many more.  Dane is excited to work with the students at Harbor Dance!

Lynne Short

Ballet: During a brief professional dancing career Lynne Short was fortunate to have danced in ballets by George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, August Bournonville, Lew Christensen, Michael Fokine, Michael Uthoff and others. Ms. Short was part of the faculty at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, from 1984-2000, when, under the guidance of Francia Russell, Director of PNBS, the ideas of dedicated colleagues with various backgrounds were formed into a unified, cohesive curriculum. From 2001-2013, Ms. Short, as principal of Ballet Austin Academy, was able to implement a syllabus that produced students and dancers who learned to realize the joy of working in a deep, thorough, meticulous way. There were four years of teaching at Chamberlain Ballet in Plano, Texas before Ms. Short relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2017. She was on the faculty of Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center until 2021.

Sydney Buckley

Jazz/Lyrical, Contemporary: Sydney Buckley is an alumna of the University of Washington where she earned her B.A. in English and dance. She has performed with the 5th Avenue Theater in A Chorus Line and the World-Premiere production of Secondhand Lions with choreographers Joshua Bergasse (SMASH), Kerry Casserly (A Chorus Line), and director Scott Schwartz (The Prince of Egypt). Sydney was a Cast Member at the Disneyland Resort, appearing in California Adventure’s Pixar Play Parade and as an original member of Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary nighttime spectacular, Paint the Night.

A Seattle native, Sydney trained, taught, and coached competitive teams at her mother’s studio.  Most recently, she has gone on to teach classes at the University of Washington, Cornish College of the Arts’ summer program, Idaho State University, and assist Ellenore Scott on Pride and Prejudice at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.  Sydney spent a number of years teaching on faculty with Dupree Dance and now travels as a freelance educator and choreographer.  Integrating her penchant for theatre with the belief that at its core, dance training should spark joy, Sydney’s classes equip dancers to flourish in both their technical and storytelling abilities.  Regardless of age or experience, students can anticipate an inviting and always upbeat classroom environment with

Annelise Lawrence

Ballet: Annelise was born and raised in Tacoma, WA. She began dancing at the age of two at the Morgan Family YMCA. She trained in many styles including: Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Contemporary, Tap, Jazz, and Modern. Annelise performed in The Y Dance Company for six years. Her passion for dance continued to grow and led her to Saint Mary’s College where she combined her interests for science and dance to begin pursing her dream of Physical Therapy.

Annelise is a graduate from Saint Mary’s College of California where she received a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health Science and Dance Choreography and Performance. She performed in the Saint Mary’s Dance Company and trained in: Ballet, Modern, and Contemporary. She intensively studied dance courses including: Dance Science, Dance History, Dance Pedagogy, Choreography, Laban/Bartenieff Fundamentals, Dance in Performance, Dance and Social Justice and much more. She co-produced the senior dance show, The Spaces In Between, directing and showcasing her own work of art and senior thesis, To Have a Guardian Angel.

Annelise provides a supportive and inclusive environment for all dancers to achieve movement and an exploration of dance. 

Shadou Mintrone

Contemporary, Jazz, and Ballet: Shadou received her dance training from a tiny vaudeville school in southwest Florida. She graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in jazz dance. She currently is performing, co-producing and costume designing for Can Can Culinary Cabaret in the Pike Place Market. Credits include: Brian Sanders’ JUNK, Gunnar Montana Productions, Breton Follies, 7Doors, RudduR Dance, Spectrum Dance Theater, 5th Avenue Theater, Verlaine/McCann Productions, Paulanow Events, SIDF, Bumbershoot, BAM’s Dancemotion USA, Village Theater, and ArtsWest. She has taught jazz, ballet and tap at multiple studios around the PNW over the course of her career. 

Shadou has also been highlighted in Dance Magazine. To read the article, click on the image of Miss Shadou.

Charles Bontemps

Contemporary, Jazz, and Ballet: Charles is a highly accomplished and dedicated professional dancer with a diverse background in various dance styles. Having discovered his passion for dance at a young age, Charles began his journey in southeastern Washington, where he embarked on his training in Jazz. Recognizing his potential, he was encouraged to explore Ballet at the age of 9, which became a pivotal turning point in his dance education. Charles devoted himself to dance and participated in summer dance intensives and summer musicals, further honing his skills and expanding his artistic repertoire.
 
In 2016, Charles relocated to Seattle. Through his network of friends and training at Pacific Northwest Ballet, he was fortunate to collaborate with two esteemed ballet companies: Ballet Bellevue and later Olympic Ballet Theatre. During his tenure at Olympic Ballet Theatre, Charles distinguished himself as a soloist for two years.

Charles possesses a passion for choreography. He finds joy in creating captivating dance works that resonate with audiences on an emotional level. Charles has embraced the role of educator, sharing his knowledge and expertise as teacher at Olympic Ballet Theatre and Freedom Dance Center. His commitment to nurturing the next generation of dancers is a testament to his dedication and love for the art form.
 
Charles continues to inspire and captivate through his artistry. He eagerly looks forward to the future, where he can continue to push boundaries, create meaningful choreography, and inspire dancers to reach their full potential.

Carolyn Saccomanno

Hip Hop, Tap, Jazz: Carolyn grew up studying all styles of dance in her hometown of Spokane, WA, beginning at age 3. Her studio teams, solos, duos, and trios won numerous local and national titles, and she had the opportunity to learn from some incredible teachers at various intensives and master classes throughout her formative years — most memorably, the chance to dance with the legendary tap choreographer and teacher, Henry LeTang.

She expanded her versatility as a dancer when she joined the Mead High School Dance Team, where she served as team captain for two years. This first exposure to teaching dance to her peers led to many more early experiences that shaped her as a dance educator — from volunteering to teach dance to young children in a homeless shelter and at the Boys and Girls Club, to teaching classes in all styles and to all ages at a variety of dance studios, and working as a freelance choreographer for studio and high school teams. She worked as a dance/drill instructor for the United Spirit Association for several years, where she taught dance camps to middle and high school students all over the west coast. 

Carolyn graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English from Washington State University, where she was also a member and captain of the nationally ranked Crimson Girls Dance Team. She went on to earn her Master in Teaching degree from Whitworth University, which led to a career in English and Dance education in public schools. She had the honor of coaching two high school dance team programs, which she brought to the WIAA state championships in a variety of styles. She is now a proud wife and mom of three daughters, and she’s thrilled to bring her lifelong love of dance and teaching to Harbor Dance students. 

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Lorraine Costantine

Ballet: Lorraine Constantine has dedicated her life to the study, practice, and performance of dance. She performs, choreographs, teaches, coaches, and produces dance throughout the Puget Sound region. She trained on scholarship at Tacoma City Ballet and attended summer programs on full merit scholarship at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Spectrum Dance Theater, and Dance Theater of Harlem. Lorraine pursued an education in international studies with a minor in Spanish language and culture, and human rights at the University of Washington Tacoma, and served as a medical interpreter for medical missions in Honduras for several years. She has worked as a background artist in several commercial projects for Apple and Microsoft, films including 21 and Over, Laggies, The Architect and TV series such as Twin Peaks and Station 19. Lorraine has had the privilege of collaborating with numerous, incredibly talented and notable dancers, choreographers, musicians, designers, and artists on the stage, behind the scenes, and in the studio. She currently dances for Stone Dance Collective in Bellevue, WA, and has previously danced for City Opera Ballet, the Mov!ng Company, and with many other independent artists and musicians. She serves as the Director of Ballet for Image Studio of Dance where her choreography has received numerous awards at the national level, and has been teaching at the Tacoma School of the Arts since 2016. In 2019 she was certified in the junior, senior, and advanced programs with Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). It is Lorraine’s passion to instill in her students a profound appreciation, proficiency, and respect for the technical foundations, physical demands, and history of ballet, as well as a deep love for the freedom and self-expression of the art form, and to carry these lessons with them throughout their lives. “We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once…”-Nietzche of the arts..

Aundrea Gresham

Contemporary / Hip Hop: Aundrea has been an active member of Freedom Dance Center since 2015, joining their company in 2016. With a strong passion for teaching dance, Aundrea embarked on her teaching journey at the age of 13 as a teacher's assistant. In 2019, she expanded her dance repertoire by enrolling in contemporary hip hop classes, and in 2022, she further honed her technique through ballet training.

Aundrea's love for competition is matched by her deep affinity for contemporary hip hop, where she has discovered her true passion. She attributes her inspiration to her esteemed instructors, Jazzy Kilcrease and Larieza Smith, who have not only provided guidance but also entrusted her with the opportunity to assist and substitute classes, eventually leading to her own teaching role.

Aundrea's ultimate goal is to shape the next generation of exceptional dancers, just as her coaches did for her. Embracing the motto "Dance like no one's watching," she strives to integrate this philosophy into her teaching methods.

Student Instructors

Lauren Wrolson

Veronica Bray

Laney Schmidt