MONTANA DANCE WORKS FACULTY
Ashley Nikolaisen
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Shauna Hollow
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HEATHER ADAMS
INSTRUCTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE Ms. Adams is very excited to be joining the Montana Dance Works Family for the 20/21 season. Thank you Ashley and Shauna! Ms. Adams began her training at Phoenix School of Ballet in Arizona. She graduated high school from the South Center for the Performing Arts Magnet Program. She left for college and received a BFA in Modern and Ballet from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. From there, she continued her studies at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Broadway Dance Center and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She has performed with many companies including Ballet Arizona, Eurasian Dance Company, Complexions, Lydia Torea Spanish Dance Company, and Koresh Dance. A versatile teacher, Ms. Adams is well versed in Modern, Ballet, Tap, Salsa, Flamenco, Swing, Musical Theatre and Creative Movement. She’s directed and choreographed for many theatre companies including Arizona Broadway Theatre, University of Montana, Fort Peck Summer Theatre, Bigfork Summer Theatre, Helena Symphony and the Missoula Community Theatre. She is the owner of the Downtown Dance Collective in Missoula which has become a hub of arts in Missoula. In 2017 and 2018, Ms. Adams traveled to Malawi and South Africa respectively, to help create an Arts and Empowerment Camp for Girls. She is very excited to work with the children of the Butte community. Thank for the opportunity! 
ALEX CANAVAN
INSTRUCTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE Alex Canavan is a Butte native and lover of any and all art. Along with dance instruction Alex is a licensed Esthetician working out of Jade Hair Studio and Day Spa. She has a passion for helping others to feel great about themselves inside and out. Alex danced competitively with Dynamic Dance and Tumbling Academy starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Alex also studied dance at the University of Montana in Missoula. Alex has been involved with The Revolution Productions hair and fashion show going on five years now and loves anything to do with performing and stage life. When not working Alex enjoys time with her loving daughter and wonderful husband exploring Montana's rivers and forests. 
KOTIE DUNMIRE
INSTRUCTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE Kotie is very excited to be joining the Montana Dance Works family this season. Kotie has been involved with dance from a very young age with Michele Anderson’s school of dance. During college she was a member of the Daredevil Dance Team and the Montana Tech Cheerleaders. After college Kotie began teaching and choreographing for a local dance school before starting her career as a teacher. Over the last few years Kotie has watched her daughter Reese’s passion for dance grow at this studio! Kotie is excited to share her love of dance with the students! 
ERYNN METESH
INSTRUCTOR/CUSTOMER SERVICE ROCK STAR Erynn is a Butte girl who started taking dance lessons at 3 years old. She joined Montana Dance Works as a student at 12 years old during their opening year and finished as a senior in high school in 2018. At Montana Dance Works, Erynn was given the opportunity to grow as a dancer and improve her skills. She also met her dance family through the studio and formed lifelong friendships. She was reunited with her dance family after graduation when she was given the opportunity to return to the studio as a faculty member in 2019. Erynn is studying Business at Montana Tech and wants to pursue a career in Marketing after graduation. Outside of the studio and the classroom, Erynn enjoys traveling, learning about Butte history, and spending time at Echo Lake with her family and friends. She is excited to be back at Montana Dance Works for another fun year! 
EMILY VINCENT
CUSTOMER SERVICE ROCK STAR Hi! My name is Emily Vincent I am 19 years old and going into my junior year at Montana Technological University. I am majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology, in hopes of attending medical school once I graduate to become a pediatrician. One of my favorite classes I have taken at Montana Tech so far is Anatomy and Physiology. I have lived in Butte my whole life and danced from the age of 3 to 13, starting at Montana Dance Works their very first year, but pursuing sports after that. Some of my favorite activities include skiing, hiking, reading, and being around children. I cannot wait to meet all of you! |
NICOLLE STAGNOLI
INSTRUCTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE Nicolle studied competitive dance at the Dynamic Dance and Tumbling Academy from pre-school through high school. Since then she has spent time on the University of Montana Dance team and as a cheerleading coach here in Butte. Nicolle has been involved with Montana Dance Works since its inception; first teaching Booty Barre and then joining the teaching faculty in 2015. In addition to teaching at Montana Dance Works, Nicolle is a clinical pharmacist. She works at Anaconda Community Hospital and specializes in oncology. Nicolle lives in Butte with her husband Jake, daughter Lennox, and soon to be new baby girl. Nicolle enjoys spending her free time in Seeley Lake or on a plane to anywhere! Nicolle is forever grateful for the life lessons and friendships that dance gave her. She is so appreciative of Shauna and Ashley for allowing her to continue to be a part of the dance community. She can’t wait to get to teach old and new faces this fall! 
Alaina Little
INSTRUCTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE Alaina started her dancing career as an Irish dancer, at the age of 12, at Tiernan. She continued with Irish dance until she was 14. She then went on to dance with Montana Dance Works. At the age of 15 she started taking Hip-Hop, which quickly became one of her favorites. She then added Tap, Jazz and Tumbling. She danced at Montana Dance Works until she graduated and then started teaching there. Some highlight of her dance career have been going to conventions such as Nuvo and 24/Seven, where she has met and gotten to take classes from some incredible instructors such as tWitch, Randi and Hefa, and so many more. Another highlight of hers has been all the relationships she’s built along the way, from her instructors to her dance family. She really appreciates the opportunity to continue her passion in dance and creating art. She is a Certified personal trainer and BootyBarre instructor, and is very passionate about instructing strong dancers. 
MCKENZIE FAULKNER
INSTRUCTOR/CUSTOMER SERVICE ROCK STAR I am 19 years old. I have been involved in dance since I was three years old with DeeAnna Worley. This will be my second year working with Montana Dance Works. I am currently going to school at the University of Montana Western to double-major in Mathematics and Broad field General Science, Secondary Education as well as minoring in Special Education. My hobbies include hiking, paddle boarding, and reading. In my free time, I enjoy spending it with friends and family. I cannot wait to meet you all! 
RACHEL DEAN
INSTRUCTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE Rachel Dean is one of the current cheerleading and tumbling teachers. She is 29 years old and was born and raised in Butte, MT. She found an early passion for tumbling she started dancing at about 4 years old. Of all the areas of dance, tumbling quickly became her favorite, and she continued dancing until she graduated from Butte High School. After high school, she attended Carroll College to pursue her civil engineering degree. One of Rachel’s jobs in Helena included coaching tumbling at one of the local gymnastic gyms. Although no longer a student, she still enjoyed the sense of comradery that coaching gave her. After a couple of years in Helena, Rachel transferred to Montana State University. While in Bozeman, she, again, missed being part of a dance community and began cheerleading for the Bobcats until her last year in college. Upon graduating, Rachel moved to Seattle to begin her career as an engineer. Rachel worked for Turner Construction in Seattle for over three years working on various commercial construction projects. After a few years of being away from family and needing a slower pace, Rachel returned to Montana and now works full time at Pioneer Technical Services. She still loves the sense of community and fulfillment that dance has always brought her. 
Katie Joyce
Instructor Extraordinare Katie began her dance career at age 6 with a tap class and got hooked on dancing and performing right then (even taking classes from Shauna and Ashley back when). She added ballet and jazz to her slate of classes and spent most of her time dancing until she graduated high school in 2010. From there, she went to Montana State University, and took a break from formal dance training - but kept up practice on wedding dance floors with her sisters by her side. She moved from Bozeman out Seattle for a couple years, but was ready to be back in the Mining City. Now she works for UPTOP Clothing Co. and is excited to get back to training with the students at Montana Dance Works. |