Elizabeth Ellis – Dance Instructor/Founder
Miss Elizabeth started Leap Dance Studio in 2010 and has been teaching dance since 2002. She loves to watch the learning process of her students and is passionate about offering dance in a positive environment. After growing up dancing in Rapid City, South Dakota, she moved to New York City and graduated from the The Ailey School with a concentration in ballet and modern dance. Elizabeth later completed a BA in Dance from SUNY’s Empire State College, where she focused her studies on child development and dance education. During her ten years in New York City she performed in musicals, danced with the Amir Levi Dance Company, choreographed shows, and taught ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, creative movement, and modern. She can’t wait to start teaching your children!
Megan Clark – Dance Instructor
Miss Megan, originally from Kansas City, Missouri, knew from an early age that dance, and even teaching dance, were going to be a major part of her life. Megan graduated from Oklahoma City University’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management with a Bachelor of Science degree in American Dance Pedagogy and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance degree. While at Oklahoma City University, Megan was a member of the American Spirit Dance Company. After graduation, Megan accepted a position within the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management. Megan held numerous roles at OCU, including Assistant Director to the Community Dance Center, an on-campus learning-laboratory for the American Dance Teacher Majors, Assistant Professor of Dance, and Academic Advisor. Megan has extensive training in ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theater dance. She also has professional stage management, performance, and choreographic experience with productions such as South Pacific, Coppélia, The Wizard of Oz, and Beauty & the Beast. Specializing in teaching younger children, Megan is certified in the Leap ‘N Learn ® teaching program. Megan’s favorite part about teaching is to see the joy as dancers discover their love for dance and movement, and she looks forward to seeing that grow in your dancer!
Jessica Montoya - Dance Instructor
Miss Jessica started her dance journey in Orlando, Florida studying jazz, tap, and ballet. Upon moving to Philadelphia at age ten she discovered her real passion was for ballet and began concentrating primarily on that. She was able to round out her education with Limon and Martha Graham modern training as well. After apprenticing, she joined the regional company Dance Del Bello and performed soloist and principal roles in full length classical ballets. It was always her dream to move to NYC, so when she was accepted on scholarship to Marymount Manhattan College it was a dream come true! She became a company member in her first semester with the dance company at the college, performing and touring the tri-state area. During her time living in NY, she explored acting opportunities as well as visual arts, which led her to window display design, creating seasonal windows at boutiques and shops all over Brooklyn. Ultimately, her love and passion for ballet led her to American Ballet Theatre where she completed their National Training curriculum and became a certified teacher. Coupled with her love of working with children, she is so excited to teach at Leap!
Kelsey Bonar - Dance Instructor
Originally from South Dakota, Miss Kelsey began her dance training in Rapid City at the Academy of Dance, studying ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, and modern. She continued her studies through a scholarship to the University of Minnesota in the BFA program, where she focused on ballet and modern dance under the direction of Toni Pierce-Sands, Abdo Sayegh, Karla Grotting, and Erin Thompson. She found her true passion when she began teaching in 2010 and has been teaching ever since. Kelsey enjoys being able to teach not only proper technique, but also creativity, innovation, teamwork, and positive self-esteem in the studio. She looks forward to sharing her knowledge and passion for dance with Leap Dance Studio!
Jami Menke - Dance Instructor
Miss Jami is a native of Chicago, who moved to Colorado to bring her two passions together, the mountains and dance. Jami has been dancing all her life; she danced on scholarship at the Joffrey Ballet School, trained at The Edge in California, won numerous state and national dance and pom competitions, attended California Institute of the Arts, and improved her craft at many prestigious dance schools in Chicago. Jami furthered her dance education at Columbia College Chicago where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a teaching concentration as a dance major. She performed, choreographed, and taught throughout the Chicago community. Jami’s most recent choreographing achievement was an award winning piece for The Academy of Dance Arts in IL. She is an accomplished teacher, who has been teaching dance for over 15 years. Her dance techniques include Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Pointe, Pom, and Tap. Jami currently teaches throughout the Denver area, and is thrilled to pass on her talent, and love for a wonderful art form which she hopes to inspire a new generation of dancers.
Julie Wolfrum - Dance Instructor
Miss Julie, a graduate of the 2003 University of Colorado Dance Program and recipient the University Dance Scholarship has been immersed in dancing since the young age of three and teaching movement to ages 1 to 99 for over 20 years. Through her years, she has been a guest artist at such festivals as Women on their Way (WOW), the Boulder Fringe Festival, Estes Park Dance Festival, GreenFest, Trolley Dance Tours, and many more. Also known as an artivist, Julie uses movement as a social medium as seen through performing and choreographing with such companies as Oakland's Dancers without Boarders, Art in Action, Venus Christ: The Rock Opera, and various performances at the Oberlin Dance Collective (ODC). She is one of the original members of SoShe’s Performance Collective, which still performs, choreographs, and teaches mainly in the Bay area. Julie is dedicated to movement for children and feels blessed that she gets the joy of teaching the next generation to move and groove it!
Svaja Mikulionis - Dance Instuctor
Miss Svaja began her love of dance at the age of three. She studied ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, and lyrical at Center Stage Dance Company in Northville, MI. As she began high school, she started teaching, choreographing and performing at annual recitals, winter and spring tours, as well as other venues around the Detroit area. After high school, Svaja was accepted into Grand Valley State University's dance company where she gained more training in ballet, modern, and pointe. Here she performed and choreographed with the dance troupe, in addition to appearing as a guest performer in The Moving Company's, "Sleeping Beauty”. She graduated from Grand Valley with an English/Language Arts, Elementary Education, and Dance degree. Svaja worked at Discovery Dance in Fennville where she choreographed story ballets and brought several students to competitions. When she moved to Illinois, she continued teaching ballet, jazz, and lyrical at Contempo Dance Academy in Lisle. She obtained a group exercise certification through AFAA as well as a Zumba certification, which she utilized by teaching throughout Illinois. Svaja loves being able to share her love of teaching through dance and is excited to continue to do this at Leap Dance Studio.
Danielle Reese – Dance Instructor
Miss Dani received her early dance training as a member of the Dance Depot Performing Company. In those 14 years she trained in jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and tap. She was also a student at the Idaho Falls School of Ballet for 14 years. After graduating, she joined Bonnie Story's pre-professional company Expansion, where she was able to study under various well-known professionals and choreographers. Dani was also a part of the Salt Lake Community College dance team. After college Dani went on to join the professional company, The Dance Collaborative, located in Idaho Falls and danced with them for four running years. Over the last five years she has taught at numerous studios and intensives throughout the Idaho and Colorado areas, along with choreographing several top scoring numbers for competitive studios. Dani is excited to be a part of the Leap Dance staff and continues to find every opportunity she can to share her knowledge and passion.
Hayley Montague - Office Staff
Miss Hayley began dance at the age of five and spent most of her dance journey at Artistic Dance Unlimited in Maryville, TN. She grew up doing ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and pointe and also competed on a competitive dance company for seven years. After graduating high school she moved to Nashville, TN to study film at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film. During her time there she continued performing as a dancer and character performer for music festivals and local events. Near the end of her time in college she fell in love with different forms of flow arts and prop dance, which has led her to where she is now as a fire performer and aerialist. She still performs at music festivals and events all over the country. Hayley has always been passionate about performance and has continued to work it into many aspects of her life since she started. She is very happy to be an office assistant at Leap, helping the dancers further their journey in dance.
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