Terry Goetz (she/her) is Director of the Creative Dance Center in Seattle, Washington. She has been on the faculty of CDC since 2000 and began studying with CDC Founder Anne Green Gilbert in 1997. Terry was CDC’s Director of Education & Outreach beginning in 2005 and upon Anne’s retirement in 2014 became CDC Director. She has taught in preschools and elementary classrooms as a teaching artist, and in studios throughout the Seattle area since retiring from Pacific Northwest Ballet where she danced from 1988-1995. Prior to performing with PNB, she was a member of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater from 1986-1988. During her career, Terry performed works by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, José Limón, Antony Tudor, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Dendy, Merce Cunningham, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Ohad Naharin, Petipa, and Bournonville, as well as performing full-length classical works.

Since 2005 Terry has shared BrainDance and Brain-Compatible Dance Education workshops locally, nationally, and internationally, for dance teachers, early childhood specialists, educators, teaching artists, and community groups. She has been invited to present at the National Dance Education Organization conferences multiple times. Terry has taught for the International daCi (Dance and the Child) and National daCi conferences in Finland, Seattle, Copenhagen, and Adelaide, Australia. She has taught for the Kuopio International Dance Festival in Finland, Orff Schulwerk Associations, the East Asia Regional Council of International Schools Conferences held in Shanghai (2013) and Manila (2016), Hubbard St. Dance in Chicago, and at universities in the US (The Hartt School, East Carolina University, University of Washington, University of Tampa, Skidmore College, Hofstra University, Colorado State University) and Canada (University of Alberta). In 2024 she was invited to present at the Kennedy Center’s Leadership Exchange in Arts & Disability National Conference. Terry worked with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in WA state as a Dance Specialist developing updated state-wide K-12 Learning Standards for Dance. She has shared movement workshops for people of all ages throughout the King County Library System since 2013.

Terry co-directed the One-Week Refresher Course for the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers with her colleague Anna Mansbridge from 2016-2021. In 2015 Terry was honored as Dance Educator of the Year at the Fall DEAW Conference. This annual award is presented to dance educators working in the state of Washington who exemplify excellence in dance education.

Bronwen Houck (she/her) is a Seattle native and life long student of the Creative Dance Center, having started classes at CDC as an infant! Bronwen was a member of Kaleidoscope Dance Company from 1984-1993, performing in and around Seattle and traveling with the company to Japan, Canada, Australia, and Brazil. She studied modern dance under Ze’eva Cohen at Princeton University where she earned a Certificate in Theatre and Dance as well as a BA in Art History. Bronwen completed the Summer Dance Institute in 2010 and joined the CDC faculty in 2014, teaching creative dance to babies through kindergartners. Bronwen has taught creative movement classes in preschools and elementary schools, using the Brain-Compatible Dance Education curriculum, and has taught BrainDance workshops to elementary and high school students and adults. She served as the Treasurer on the CDC Board of Directors from 2017-2019. Bronwen joined the CDC staff in 2019 as Administrative Director. In September 2023 she took over as Kaleidoscope Artistic Director. Bronwen is beyond thrilled to step into this role, leading the dance company that influenced so many areas of her life.

A professional photographer by trade, Bronwen also acts as CDC studio and Kaleidoscope/Mosaic Dance Company photographer. Bronwen’s photographs have appears in the New York Times, Seattle Times, Dance Magazine, Seattle Bride, and TimeOut New York. She has worked extensively in the Seattle theater and film industry as a still and BTS photographer, for such clients as The Seattle Rep, PNB, Shoes & Pants Productions, Mechanical Dreams and renowned filmmaker Wes Hurley. Bronwen’s photos appear in “Brain-Compatible Dance Education, 2nd Edition” and “Creative Dance for All Ages”. Photography work and details on hiring Bronwen Houck Photography for dance, theater, family, fine art or event photography can be found at www.bronwenhouckphoto.com.

Bronwen is the proud daughter of CDC and Kaleidoscope Founder Anne Green Gilbert.

Darrah Parker (she/her) has extensive experience working both in front and behind the scenes of arts organizations. Having spent most of her life immersed in the world of art, theatre, and music, few things bring Darrah more joy than fostering creativity in the next generation. After spending her childhood attending classes and performing at a nonprofit children’s theatre, she earned a BFA in Theatre from the University of Florida and an MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College. She has taught for Seattle Children’s Theatre and Youth Theatre Northwest as well as managed programs for the EMP (now MoPOP) and Seattle ReCreative. Before joining Creative Dance Center, Darrah was the Managing Director at Roaring Mouse Creative Arts Studio. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, drawing, reading, thrift store shopping, and seeking out the perfect latte.

Aleesha Alston (she/her) joined the CDC staff in 2024. She graduated from Western Washington University with a degree focused in Global Health, Sociology, and Communications.  This led her to work with family health groups including home care, blood banks, and health products. Aleesha has also worked in human resources for over 6 years with a focus in engagement. As an adult Aleesha is discovering the joy of dancing through aerial silks and the Creative Dance Center. In her spare time, Aleesha likes to train dogs, read books, and have afternoon tea.

Bri Wilson (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and educator based in Seattle. Originally from northwest Michigan, her creative work braids the elements of writing, movement, and nature into compelling, curious, and narrative-driven performances. As a performer in Seattle, Bri has worked with The Three Yells, Elia Mrak, and Marlo Martin + badmarmarDANCE, among others. She has presented her own work at 12 Minutes Max, Full Tilt Dance Festival, LAUNCH, and Seattle International Dance Festival. As an educator Bri teaches holistic modern and ballet technique with a focus on rigorous exploration and play. She holds a BFA from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California, has received training in Brain-Compatible Dance Education from CDC, and completed the Teaching Artist Training Lab from ArtsWA in 2022. Bri is currently earning her MFA in Dance from Hollins University.

Anne Green Gilbert (she/her)founded the Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company in Seattle, Washington in 1981 and the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers in 1994.  She was the Director of CDC from 1981 – 2014. Anne has had a varied teaching career starting as an elementary school teacher, moving on to dance and pedagogy classes at University of Illinois Chicago and University of Washington, then teaching children’s dance classes at Cornish College and Bill Evans/Dance Theatre Seattle before starting the Creative Dance Center. She was an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University for many years and taught for Lesley University’s Outreach Masters Program for ten years. Anne taught infants through adults at Creative Dance Center for 30 years. She continues to teach older adults at CDC. Anne trains teachers through the Summer Dance Institute and CDC Educator workshops. For 40 years she conducted hundreds of workshops and residencies across the United States and abroad. Anne developed the BrainDance, a focusing warm-up exercise, in 2000. The BrainDance is used in many schools, studios, and homes around the world. Anne is internationally recognized for her work with young artists and the creative process. She has choreographed dances for university dance companies as well as local Northwest dance companies and Kaleidoscope Dance Company.

Anne is the author of Teaching the Three Rs Through Movement (1977), Creative Dance for All Ages (1st edition 1992, 2nd edition 2015), Brain-Compatible Dance Education (1st edition 2006, 2nd edition 2019), Teaching Creative Dance DVD (2002) and BrainDance DVD (2003/2016), as well as numerous articles. Anne has also collaborated with composer Eric Chappelle on the CDs, BrainDance Music and Music for Creative Dance Volumes I-V. Anne is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization, and Dance and the Child International (daCi). Anne served on the daCi board for twelve years. Anne is founder and Past President of the Dance Educators Association of Washington, an organization promoting quality dance education in all Washington State schools K-12. As a member of the Arts Education Standards project, she helped write the Washington State Dance Standards and Learning Goals. Anne is the recipient of several awards including the National Dance Association Scholar/Artist award in 2005, the National Dance Education Organization Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, the Lawrence Tenney Stevens American Dance Award for her work with boys and men in dance in 2014, and the American Dance Festival Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching in 2016.

Anne is the mother of three amazing Kaleidoscope alums and grandmother of seven dancing grandchildren. She lives in Seattle with her talented husband, David.

Emi Aiken is originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. They hold a BFA in dance and a MFA in Choreography from UNC Greensboro studying dance, writing, pedagogy, and performance art. Emi holds a Certificate in Counseling from NC State University, a Certificate in Integrative Health Coaching from Duke University, and is a Kinetic Awareness (a mindful movement technique developed by Elaine Summers of Judson Dance Theater) trainee under the direction of Dr. Jill Green. Emi has performed nationally and internationally for COMPANY by Justin Tornow, Valerie Green Dance Entropy, and Collapss; danced for independent artists Sandra Kramerova, Thea Little, Rebecca Lloyd- Jones, and Brianna Taylor; and is a member of the Royal House of LaBeija, the first international vogue house.

Emi has taught creative dance, jazz, contemporary, gymnastics, and movement technique for 17 years in studios, public schools, community centers, and conferences in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Poland, and Bolivia. Emi practices liberatory and non-hierarchical pedagogy, viewing teaching and coaching as a responsibility to intersectional facilitation. Emi believes that children and young adults are creative and capable at their core, having the ability to understand and experience their bodies in space while implementing practice toward personal and collective visions.

Tiffany Bierly (they/she) is a Seattle-based educator, choreographer, and performer with an MFA in Dance from Texas Woman’s University as well as a BA in Theater and a BS in Kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University. Their dance education began at Kennedy Dance Centre in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania under the ownership of  Joan Kennedy-Kirkpatrick, a.k.a. “Mrs. K,” whose teaching philosophy was highly inspired by Anne Green Gilbert. Having been gifted this amazing foundation, the honor to teach at Creative Dance Center feels full circle and rewarding. Tiffany’s biggest passion in life is helping others be present, empowered, strong, comfortable, and joyful in their bodies while building community with others. Through teaching, they have the privilege to help foster a lifelong joy of movement. In every class, they incorporate critical thinking, inter/intrapersonal skills, creative problem solving, and most importantly, maintaining an open and curious mind. Over the past fourteen years, Tiffany has instructed dance and fitness classes at various schools, shelters, universities, studios, and senior centers. Currently, they also teach Physical Education at Giddens School and Pilates at Vitality Pilates. Tiffany has presented and performed work throughout the US. Most recently they performed [you are (HERE)] a duet with Sara Caplan, choreographed by Betsy Miller in 12  Minutes Max and Inspect Before Use choreographed by Kara Beadle in numerous festivals and shows including Northwest New Works, Spectacle Spectacular at On the Boards, LAUNCH,  Punch Bowl, and Texas Dance Improvisation Festival.

Sara Caplan (she/her) is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist originally from Dedham, MA. She received her BA Theatre: Dance Performance and her BS in Biology from The Pennsylvania State University in 2013 and her MFA in Dance from the College at Brockport in 2017. Caplan has performed in works choreographed by Elisha Clark Halpin, Sherone Price, Laura Peterson, Juanita Suárez, Maura Keefe, Kendra Portier, Mariah Maloney, Beth Gill, Elise Beers AachixQaaduug, Lucille Jun, Bri Wilson, Shenandoah Harris, Madeleine Gregor, and Anja Kellner-Rogers. She currently dances for Karin Stevens Dance and collaborates on various independent movement projects. She has presented works in various theatres and urban venues, as well as virtually, in Pennsylvania, New York, and Seattle. Sara has more than 10 years of experience teaching in studio and has taught at the Pennsylvania State University, The College at Brockport, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Slippery Rock University.

Katie Daugherty (she/her) is a Seattle-based artist and is thrilled to teach at the Creative Dance Center. An active educator, performer, choreographer, and miniature maker, you can find her throughout Seattle sharing her passion for the arts. Katie holds a BA from the University of Washington (UW) with a major in dance. Katie began teaching at a preschool in 2020 which supplied her with a valuable foundation for teaching young children. In addition to teaching at the Creative Dance Center, Katie has also taught at the University of Washington and University Child Development School. In each class Katie teaches she aims to build a communal space that values exploration, fun, and supporting one another. Katie has performed works by Brian Brooks, AVID – A Vehicle for Improvised Dance, Alexandra Bradshaw-Yerby, Rachael Lincoln, Alethea Alexander, and Jennifer Salk, among others.

Olivia Evans (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. She grew up training primarily in classical ballet, but most recently attended the Training Program with Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco from 2021-23. There, she performed works by artists including Kayla Farrish, Moscelyne ParkeHarrison, Chuck Wilt, and Jay Carlon. Olivia has been choreographing her own work since 2019. Most recently, she co-choreographed an award-winning dance film, “Intimité Révélée,” in collaboration with Ballet22 and the San Francisco Dance Film Festival. She has also presented live works in collaboration with ZK Gallery, Mark Foehringer Dance Project, and the LINES Training Program. Following her graduation in May 2023, Olivia started working as a teaching artist and administrator with the LINES Community Programs. Over the past year, she has also taught for the Teens at LINES program and for SF Arts Education Project. She has worked with hundreds of PreK-12 students in schools and studios across the Bay Area, and is thrilled for the opportunity to continue her teaching journey with CDC! Throughout her time as a student and her transition into being an educator, she has developed a teaching practice rooted in both unique creative expression and strong physical and mental technique. She works to facilitate playful, open spaces where her students can support each other in investigating their curiosities. Olivia feels that students of any age and experience should feel empowered to embrace their artistic individuality.

Anne Green Gilbert (she/her) founded the Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company in Seattle, Washington in 1981 and the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers in 1994.  She was the Director of CDC from 1981 – 2014. Anne has had a varied teaching career starting as an elementary school teacher, moving on to dance and pedagogy classes at University of Illinois Chicago and University of Washington, then teaching children’s dance classes at Cornish College and Bill Evans/Dance Theatre Seattle before starting the Creative Dance Center. She was an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University for many years and taught for Lesley University’s Outreach Masters Program for ten years. Anne taught infants through adults at Creative Dance Center for 30 years. She continues to teach older adults at CDC. Anne trains teachers through the Summer Dance Institute and CDC Educator workshops. For 40 years she conducted hundreds of workshops and residencies across the United States and abroad. Anne developed the BrainDance, a focusing warm-up exercise, in 2000. The BrainDance is used in many schools, studios, and homes around the world. Anne is internationally recognized for her work with young artists and the creative process. She has choreographed dances for university dance companies as well as local Northwest dance companies and Kaleidoscope Dance Company.

Anne is the author of Teaching the Three Rs Through Movement (1977), Creative Dance for All Ages (1^st edition 1992, 2^nd edition 2015), Brain-Compatible Dance Education (1^st edition 2006, 2^nd edition 2019), Teaching Creative Dance DVD (2002) and BrainDance DVD (2003/2016), as well as numerous articles. Anne has also collaborated with composer Eric Chappelle on the CDs, BrainDance Music and Music for Creative Dance Volumes I-V. Anne is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization, and Dance and the Child International (daCi). Anne served on the daCi board for twelve years. Anne is founder and Past President of the Dance Educators Association of Washington, an organization promoting quality dance education in all Washington State schools K-12. As a member of the Arts Education Standards project, she helped write the Washington State Dance Standards and Learning Goals. Anne is the recipient of several awards including the National Dance Association Scholar/Artist award in 2005, the National Dance Education Organization Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, the Lawrence Tenney Stevens American Dance Award for her work with boys and men in dance in 2014, and the American Dance Festival Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching in 2016.

Anne is the mother of three amazing Kaleidoscope alums and grandmother of seven dancing grandchildren. She lives in Seattle with her talented husband, David.

Terry Goetz (she/her) is Director of the Creative Dance Center in Seattle, Washington. She has been on the faculty of CDC since 2000 and began studying with CDC Founder Anne Green Gilbert in 1997. Terry was CDC’s Director of Education & Outreach beginning in 2005 and upon Anne’s retirement in 2014 became CDC Director. She has taught in preschools and elementary classrooms as a teaching artist, and in studios throughout the Seattle area since retiring from Pacific Northwest Ballet where she danced from 1988-1995. Prior to performing with PNB, she was a member of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater from 1986-1988. During her career, Terry performed works by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, José Limón, Antony Tudor, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Dendy, Merce Cunningham, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Ohad Naharin, Petipa, and Bournonville, as well as performing full-length classical works.

Since 2005 Terry has shared BrainDance and Brain-Compatible Dance Education workshops locally, nationally, and internationally, for dance teachers, early childhood specialists, educators, teaching artists, and community groups. She has been invited to present at the National Dance Education Organization conferences multiple times. Terry has taught for the International daCi (Dance and the Child) and National daCi conferences in Finland, Seattle, Copenhagen, and Adelaide, Australia. She has taught for the Kuopio International Dance Festival in Finland, Orff Schulwerk Associations, the East Asia Regional Council of International Schools Conferences held in Shanghai (2013) and Manila (2016), Hubbard St. Dance in Chicago, and at universities in the US (The Hartt School, East Carolina University, University of Washington, University of Tampa, Skidmore College, Hofstra University, Colorado State University) and Canada (University of Alberta). In 2024 she was invited to present at the Kennedy Center’s Leadership Exchange in Arts & Disability National Conference. Terry worked with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in WA state as a Dance Specialist developing updated state-wide K-12 Learning Standards for Dance. She has shared movement workshops for people of all ages throughout the King County Library System since 2013.

Terry co-directed the One-Week Refresher Course for the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers with her colleague Anna Mansbridge from 2016-2021. In 2015 Terry was honored as Dance Educator of the Year at the Fall DEAW Conference. This annual award is presented to dance educators working in the state of Washington who exemplify excellence in dance education.

Gail Heilbron (she/her) has a BA (Psychology), MA and MFA in Dance/Theater from Case Western Reserve University. Gail’s training since a young girl was with the modern dance pioneers and their companies such as Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Erick Hawkins, Merce Cunningham, Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp. She later became an associate artist with the Erick Hawkins and Bill Evans dance companies. She has been teaching ages 3 – adult at the Creative Dance Center since its founding, grateful for the mentoring of Anne Green Gilbert. She has been a dancer, teacher, and choreographer for 49 years. From 1978-2003 Gail was Co-Artistic Director with Jesse Jaramillo and Clay Taliaferro (Associate Artistic Director) of Co-Motion Dance. Co-Motion Dance was a repertory modern dance company featuring hundreds of dances by modern dance pioneers as well as award winning national and international choreographers. Performing throughout the US, Canada, and China, Co-Motion’s extensive dance education programs impacted approximately three quarters of a million students in about 1600 schools and school districts in the Pacific Northwest.

Gail served on many dance faculties in universities, colleges, schools, and studios throughout the country, including Western Michigan University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland Modern Dance Association; locally, University of Washington, Cornish College of the Arts, Spectrum/Madrona Dance Studio, Bill Evans Dance Seattle as well as the Creative Dance Center. Gail was a founding board member of the Dance Educators Association of Washington and served on the Washington State Office of Public Instruction and Washington State Arts Commission’s task force to create dance as a basic form of public education curriculum. Gail is also a certified Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis® Trainer since 1999. She was named to Who’s Who in the West. She is grateful for the opportunity to share the joy of dance through teaching, choreographing or performing and the gift of being part of the Creative Dance Center.

Ranita (she/her) has been dancing for thirteen years, training primarily in hip hop. Starting her dance journey at the age of 12, Ranita began taking classes at Westlake Dance Center. She instantly knew that she had found her passion in dance and later joined her high school dance team, Shorecrest Hip Hop, at the age of 15. In 2017, Ranita decided to take a break from dance to focus on work and her future. By the end of August 2018, she realized that dance was supposed to be her future and began taking classes again. Aside from hip hop she enjoys training in the following styles; contemporary, jazzfunk, commercial dance, Afro, popping, and house. She continues to train at Westlake Dance Center and takes private lessons from instructors in the community. When Ranita is not training you can find her teaching at Creative Dance Center, Duvall Performing Arts where she has been an instructor for the last 3 years, and coaching at Shorecrest High School as the Hip Hop team’s head coach. In July of 2023 Ranita attended CDC’s Summer Dance Institute for Teachers deepening her understanding of brain-compatible dance education as a teaching practice.

Annie Garlick Hughes (she/her) is the dancing mother of two energetic boys and one independent daughter. She believes that dance can be a vehicle to greater creativity and enrichment regardless of age or experience. Annie grew up in Utah where she danced with Brigham Young University’s Children’s Creative Dance Program. In high school she began teaching at local studios and trained with the Step-up program at Ririe-Woodbury dance company. During her undergraduate education, she was a member of various dance groups including Artsbridge, Kinnect, Dancesemble and Contemporary Dance Theater (CDT). As a part of CDT she performed in India and various parts of the United States. She has also studied dance in China and enjoys integrating cultural research into her work.

After completing her BA in Dance Education from Brigham Young University, Annie taught dance in the public school system, after-school programs for elementary school children, and various studios. Since moving to Washington she has developed a dance program for the Everett YMCA and taught virtual dance to students across the country. Annie attended CDC’s Summer Dance Institute for Teachers in 2021 and is excited to be a part of the Creative Dance Center community.

Carly Squires Hutchison (she/her) is honored to be a part of the Creative Dance Center summer team since 2017! She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and Minor in Dance Performance from Central Washington University. A musical theatre performer herself, Carly is a passionate teaching artist, director, and choreographer. She has taught dance and musical theatre with The Evergreen School, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Village Theatre, Foundry10, Backstage Dance Studio, Spectrum Dance Theatre, and Central Washington University (CWU). Carly has directed and/or choreographed with The Evergreen School, Village Theatre’s KIDSTAGE, Drama School at Seattle Children’s Theatre, Issaquah Middle School through Youth Theatre Northwest, and Everett, Blanchet, Newport, Liberty, and Auburn Riverside high schools. Additionally, Carly has performed locally with Village Theatre, StoryBook Theater, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Taproot Theatre, Seattle Musical Theatre, Wooden O (Seattle Shakespeare), and SecondStory Repertory. Carly brings a buoyant and positive attitude to her teaching and loves seeing her students grow in their technical abilities as well as their life skills learned through the arts. She says, “The arts are a way to connect communities and get to know people from all different walks of life. While learning songs and dances we are learning to work together, take turns, speak kindly towards ourselves and others, and have fun while trying something new. Sometimes trying new things can be scary, but if you’re in a supportive environment it can be invigorating, and that’s my goal for camp!” Carly attended CDC’s Summer Dance Institute for Teachers, training in Brain-Compatible Dance Education, in 2018.

Anna Mansbridge (she/her) is Artistic Director of Kaleidoscope Dance Company and Mosaic Dance Company. She is originally from Australia and the UK, and now resides in Seattle, WA. She holds a First Class Honors Degree in Dance and Education from Bedford College, UK, and an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Mills College, CA. She has been on faculty at the Creative Dance Center since September 1999 teaching all ages. She has created many dances for Kaleidoscope Dance Company and co-directed the company with Anne Green Gilbert for 5 years before taking over the Artistic Directorship upon Anne’s retirement in July 2014. Mosaic Dance Company was first formed by Anne in 2006. After a hiatus Anna reconvened the company in the Fall of 2018 to offer additional performance opportunities to interested CDC students. Anna is also the Founder (in 2000) and Artistic Director of Seattle Early Dance, a company dedicated to recreating dances from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. She has directed/choreographed a number of early operas and concerts locally with Pacific Musicworks, Cornish College of the Arts, University of Washington Music Department, and Early Music Seattle. Her choreography for Christoph Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice (1774) presented by University of Washington School of Music and Pacific MusicWorks at Meany Theater, was descried in a review in the Seattle Times as “effective and beautiful.” In addition, Anna has directed a DVD titled Baroque Basics: An Introduction to the Dance and the Music of the Baroque Period, and she has taught early dance workshops in the US, Europe and Asia.

Anna has been an adjunct instructor at Cornish College of the Arts and the University of Washington, and she is the former Chair for daCi USA (dance and the Child international). She organized the very successful 5th National Gathering at the University of Washington, Seattle, June 2014. Anna co-directs the one-week Summer Dance Institute for Teachers at the Creative Dance Center with Terry Goetz, and she gives workshops in Brain-Based Dance Education locally, nationally and internationally.

Robbi A. Moore (they/them), from Hamden, CT, began dancing at New England Ballet and continued at Dee Dee’s Dance Center and New Haven Ballet. They are an alumnus of Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts, the Ailey Summer Intensive, Cunningham Trust Workshop, Jacob’s Pillow’s Commercial Dance Program, and the Complexions Intensive. Robbi graduated magna cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program and has danced with Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, The Steps Repertory Ensemble, AATMA Performing Arts, Whidbey Island Dance Theatre, Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, Karin Stevens Dance, the Guild Dance Company, Kinesis Project Dance Theater, The Gray, PRICEarts, Coriolis Dance, Trial and Error Productions, Khambatta Dance Company, VCBynum Arts and Education, and Spectrum Dance Theater. Robbi recently worked for The Village Theatre as Associate Choreographer for Little Shop of Horrors, Ballyhoo Theatre’s production of Shapeshifters, and Westside Drama’s Mean Girls: The Musical (2024). Robbi has choreographed three works for Kaleidoscope, CDC’s resident youth dance company.

Joel has been dancing since age 3 and has been a leader in our Adaptive Dance program since it began. Joel shares: “I am a twenty-three year old dancer and song writer. I have danced mostly in my imagination my whole life because my brain functions differently and my body does not follow its instructions. Learning the BrainDance has increased my ability to move my body. I love helping others see the power of dance.”

A daily advocate for the spelling community, Joel is a “Spellebrity Ambassador” for the International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC). Joel spells, “I am proud to use a letterboard to communicate” to advocate that nonspeaking people need to be recognized as intelligent human beings. Joel’s words and actions remind others to be kind and useful. He has performed his original songs in the Neurolyrical Café and at Boards & Chords. His first full album, Presume Competency, featuring Joel’s songs with contributions by Caden Rainey is available on Amazon Music and iTunes. His second album, Sounds of Gratitude, is available on many platforms including YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify.

Amanda Oie (she/her) is from Seattle, WA and trained under Pat Hon’s mentorship in the Preparatory Dance Program at Cornish College of the Arts, where she went on to receive her BFA in Dance. Attending summer dance programs at The Ailey School in NYC sparked her interest for exploring and training in other forms of dance. She has a strong Ballet and Modern background and is also a versatile performer and teacher in Jazz and Musical Theatre Dance. Amanda has danced with ARC Dance Company, Walrus Dance Company, Maureen Whiting Dance Company and has worked with local choreographers Wade Madsen, Vivian Little, and Daniel Linehan. Her choreography has been presented at On The Boards’ 12 Minutes Max, Velocity Dance Center and Northwest Film Forum.  Amanda teaches Creative Movement, Ballet and Modern at Maple Valley School of Ballet and is thrilled to join the Faculty at Creative Dance Center.  As a teacher she is excited to inspire students to find their love and passion for dance and discover expression and technique through the joy of movement. Amanda attended CDC’s Summer Dance Institute for Teachers in 2015 and continues to embody brain-compatible dance curriculum throughout her teaching practices.

Elana Skeers (she/her) is a Seattle-based dance educator and performer. Beginning her dance studies as a child in Southern California, Elana trained and performed with Dance Dynamics, Inland Pacific Ballet School, and Joffrey Ballet School across Southern California, San Francisco, and New York City. She moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington (UW) where she received her Bachelor of Arts with College Honors, majoring in dance and minoring in applied mathematics and data science in 2023. Elana has had the opportunity to perform works by Robert Moses, Jesse Obremski, Alana Isiguen, Rachael Lincoln, Ronald K. Brown, and Savannah Dunn, among others. Elana began teaching Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, and Jazz in Southern California to dancers ages 2-16 years old. Upon moving to Seattle, she expanded her teaching to include Creative Dance for young dancers and Ballet, Contemporary, and Tap for adult dancers. Elana believes art has the potential to create community by exploring life and culture in a way that connects people to one another. She aims to provide dancers a safe space to express themselves honestly and joyfully and is excited to share her passion for dance at the Creative Dance Center.

Jay Tan’s love for dance began at 15 when he participated in a cultural festival that incorporated various art forms to promote peace. From there, he dabbled in both Modern Contemporary and Hip Hop for two years, before fully immersing himself in Hip Hop and its culture. Since then, Jay has directed 2 dance companies in Singapore, served as a director for Hip Hop Connxion, and founded an Indiana based kids Hip Hop dance company ‘Jaywalkerz’. Jay has also provided artistic direction for the opening ceremony of the first Youth Olympic games held in Singapore, as well as produced, and directed a 2 hour long dance musical that was based loosely on the game ‘Clue’.
Today, Jay is a producer and storyteller at Microsoft, and continues to be passionate about mentoring the next generation of changemakers through hip hop. He believes that dance is a powerful tool and language to leverage in building a strong community of youth who will propel society forward in the many decades to come. Jay’s classes focus on students discovering their innate qualities through movement, connecting deeper with their bodies, and honing their individual voices. He constantly strives to ensure that students feel safe enough to take risks and fosters an environment that spurs his students’ creative energy in new directions.

Bri Wilson (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and educator based in Seattle. Originally from northwest Michigan, her creative work braids the elements of writing, movement, and nature into compelling, curious, and narrative-driven performances. As a performer in Seattle, Bri has worked with The Three Yells, Elia Mrak, and Marlo Martin + badmarmarDANCE, among others. She has presented her own work at 12 Minutes Max, Full Tilt Dance Festival, LAUNCH, and Seattle International Dance Festival. As an educator Bri teaches holistic modern and ballet technique with a focus on rigorous exploration and play. She holds a BFA from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California, has received training in Brain-Compatible Dance Education from CDC, and completed the Teaching Artist Training Lab from ArtsWA in 2022. Bri is currently earning her MFA in Dance from Hollins University.

Tom Bergersen (he/him) is a dance accompanist and musician. He has accompanied modern dance classes at the Creative Dance Center for over 20 years. As a dance accompanist he works with the University of Washington Dance Department, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and many local dance studios. He has worked previously with Bochinche’s school program and with master modern dance educator, Bill Evans. Currently Tom performs with the Seattle based Latin Jazz group Sonando.

Andrew Rishikof (he/him) is a native of Montreal, having performed as a drummer, percussionist, dance accompanist and teaching artist for the last twenty years. Andrew studied Jazz Performance and Percussion at the McGill Conservatory of Music (Montreal), Berklee College of Music (Boston), and Drummer’s Collective (New York). He holds a degree in Social Sciences from Marianopolis College (Montreal) and completed a residency in Computer Assisted Music at Musitechnic (Montreal). He has performed internationally in Jazz festivals, radio, television, film, theater, and album projects. Album highlights include Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion; Rufus Wainwright’s debut album, Rufus Wainwright; two Quebec Billboard #1 albums: Les Maringouins Chantent La Bolduc (1995), and Panavision by Lili Fatale (2001); and the soundtrack for the film, 2 Secondes (1999 Max Films) which garnered a Cannes Film Festival selection and two Felix award (Canada’s Oscars) nominations. As a solo Dance Accompanist Andrew has worked with renowned Ecole Nationale de Cirque, in Montreal, the Universite de Montreal, and dance companies Atelier de Danse Moderne and Studio 303. Moving to Pittsburgh in 2002 Andrew took over duties as Resident Accompanist for Dance Alloy Theater under the direction of Beth Corning. Andrew’s artistry extended into numerous outreach activities where he was engaged in gifting children of all ages and backgrounds with the exciting world of rhythm and musicality. Subsequently, Andrew co-designed a grant-awarded creative movement course, mixing mathematics and movement, meeting Pennsylvania academic standards. In 2005 Andrew joined the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust where he accompanied numerous Master classes by international dance companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Urban Bush Women, and Doug Varone and Dancers. At Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Andrew’s comprehensive music/dance background contributed to its outreach programs where he helped to grow and improve the program as a partner and advisor. Currently living in Seattle, Andrew has been a solo accompanist at the Creative Dance Center for eight years. A leader in dance education, CDC’s strong mission and dedicated talent has inspired new opportunities for Andrew, including teaching drumming to special-needs children and adults, helping them realize broader choices in their expression. There is a unique interdependent relationship between music and movement that Andrew continues to explore with fascination, and the desire to pass along these insights to an enthusiastic new generation is his reward.

Anne Green Gilbert (she/her) founded the Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company in Seattle, Washington in 1981 and the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers in 1994. She was the Director of CDC from 1981 – 2014. Anne has had a varied teaching career starting as an elementary school teacher, moving on to dance and pedagogy classes at University of Illinois Chicago and University of Washington, then teaching children’s dance classes at Cornish College and Bill Evans/Dance Theatre Seattle before starting the Creative Dance Center. She was an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University for many years and taught for Lesley University’s Outreach Masters Program for ten years. Anne taught infants through adults at Creative Dance Center for 30 years. She continues to teach older adults at CDC. Anne trains teachers through the Summer Dance Institute and CDC Educator workshops. For 40 years she conducted hundreds of workshops and residencies across the United States and abroad. Anne developed the BrainDance, a focusing warm-up exercise, in 2000. The BrainDance is used in many schools, studios, and homes around the world. Anne is internationally recognized for her work with young artists and the creative process. She has choreographed dances for university dance companies as well as local Northwest dance companies and Kaleidoscope Dance Company.

Anne is the author of Teaching the Three Rs Through Movement (1977), Creative Dance for All Ages (1^st edition 1992, 2^nd edition 2015), Brain-Compatible Dance Education (1^st edition 2006, 2^nd edition 2019), Teaching Creative Dance DVD (2002) and BrainDance DVD (2003/2016), as well as numerous articles. Anne has also collaborated with composer Eric Chappelle on the CDs, BrainDance Music and Music for Creative Dance Volumes I-V. Anne is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization, and Dance and the Child International (daCi). Anne served on the daCi board for twelve years. Anne is founder and Past President of the Dance Educators Association of Washington, an organization promoting quality dance education in all Washington State schools K-12. As a member of the Arts Education Standards project, she helped write the Washington State Dance Standards and Learning Goals. Anne is the recipient of several awards including the National Dance Association Scholar/Artist award in 2005, the National Dance Education Organization Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, the Lawrence Tenney Stevens American Dance Award for her work with boys and men in dance in 2014, and the American Dance Festival Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching in 2016.

Anne is the mother of three amazing Kaleidoscope alums and grandmother of seven dancing grandchildren. She lives in Seattle with her talented husband, David.

Dionne Kamara (she/her), a former member of Urban Bush Women performance company, is currently a resident teaching artist in New York City. Dionne teaches creative dance integrating academic curriculum to children in public schools, enabling them to express their thoughts and ideas through the art of dance. She has taught creative and traditional West African dance in schools, community centers and cultural institutions in the New York metropolitan area for many years and also teaches creative dance to infants through adults in several NYC studios. Dionne has been an SDIT faculty member since 2003.

https://www.dionnesimonekamara.com/

Anne Green Gilbert (she/her)founded the Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company in Seattle, Washington in 1981 and the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers in 1994.  She was the Director of CDC from 1981 – 2014. Anne has had a varied teaching career starting as an elementary school teacher, moving on to dance and pedagogy classes at University of Illinois Chicago and University of Washington, then teaching children’s dance classes at Cornish College and Bill Evans/Dance Theatre Seattle before starting the Creative Dance Center. She was an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University for many years and taught for Lesley University’s Outreach Masters Program for ten years. Anne taught infants through adults at Creative Dance Center for 30 years. She continues to teach older adults at CDC. Anne trains teachers through the Summer Dance Institute and CDC Educator workshops. For 40 years she conducted hundreds of workshops and residencies across the United States and abroad. Anne developed the BrainDance, a focusing warm-up exercise, in 2000. The BrainDance is used in many schools, studios, and homes around the world. Anne is internationally recognized for her work with young artists and the creative process. She has choreographed dances for university dance companies as well as local Northwest dance companies and Kaleidoscope Dance Company.

Anne is the author of Teaching the Three Rs Through Movement (1977), Creative Dance for All Ages (1st edition 1992, 2nd edition 2015), Brain-Compatible Dance Education (1st edition 2006, 2nd edition 2019), Teaching Creative Dance DVD (2002) and BrainDance DVD (2003/2016), as well as numerous articles. Anne has also collaborated with composer Eric Chappelle on the CDs, BrainDance Music and Music for Creative Dance Volumes I-V. Anne is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization, and Dance and the Child International (daCi). Anne served on the daCi board for twelve years. Anne is founder and Past President of the Dance Educators Association of Washington, an organization promoting quality dance education in all Washington State schools K-12. As a member of the Arts Education Standards project, she helped write the Washington State Dance Standards and Learning Goals. Anne is the recipient of several awards including the National Dance Association Scholar/Artist award in 2005, the National Dance Education Organization Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, the Lawrence Tenney Stevens American Dance Award for her work with boys and men in dance in 2014, and the American Dance Festival Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching in 2016.

Anne is the mother of three amazing Kaleidoscope alums and grandmother of seven dancing grandchildren. She lives in Seattle with her talented husband, David.