All information is up to date for our 2010 season. Please join us!
    2010 Faculty
Click on the faculty name or scroll down to see the entire list.
LAUREN BEALE (Boulder, Colorado)

NANCY CRANBOURNE (Boulder, Colorado & Seattle, Washington)

HELEN ESTRELLA (Santa Rosa,California)

MARK HAINES (Seattle, Washington)
CHRIS HARRIS (Denver, Colorado)

JESSICA HENDRICKS (Dallas, Texas)

KARI HERMAN-TAFOYA (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

AMANDA LEISE (Dallas, Texas)

TIFFANY LEISE (Longmont, Colorado)

WADE MADSEN (Seattle, Washington)

BRITTANY MAXWELL HOPKINS (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)

CHRISTY MCNEIL (Seattle, Washington)

ERIKA RANDALL (Boulder, Colorado)

JENNY SCHIFF (Boulder, Colorado)

KAT WOLANSKE (Studio City, California)
Lauren Beale (Boulder, Colorado)

Following the footsteps of her soul, Lauren began her movement journey in Colorado 27 years ago. Since then, she has received a BFA in Dance from the University of Colorado in Boulder and performed and traveled the world with Colorado companies Helander Dance Theater, David/Capps Dances, Interweave Dance Theater; and artists Jerri Davis, Len Barron and many others. On some sort of calling, she then moved to New York City where she performed nationally and internationally with Curt Haworth, Ellis Wood, Jane Comfort; and produced her own work and co-created Two Peas & A Pod, a new dance company with her fellow native Coloradoan and partner in crime Jessica Hendricks. In the mean time, she received her Vinyasa Yoga teaching certification from NYC's Om Yoga Center. Delightfully back in Colorado, Lauren teaches dance and yoga throughout the area including the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop and C.U., Boulder where she was on faculty in the Dance Department in fall 2005. Lauren is looking forward to performing with Kim Olson/Sweet Edge and 3rd Law Dance, collaborating with her boyfriend Jimmy on interdisciplinary performance art and saving the world with her newly discovered super powers.
Nancy Cranbourne (Boulder, CO & Seattle, WA)
Nancy Cranbourne began her dance career in Seattle, Washington, where she performed extensively with Wade Madsen in their collaboratiove show Duo, among many other film, theater, and dance projects. She has served on the dance faculties of Colorado State University, Cornish College of the Arts, the National Theater Conservatory, and currently teaches at the University of Colorado/Boulder. Nancy has been a guest artist for numerous dance festivals including the New Orleans Dance Project, Spectrum Dance Theater, and the Bates Dance Festival. She has earned several awards for performance in theater: 2 Denver Drama Critics Circle Awards (for Betrayal, an Actors Ensemble production, and 2 Women Avoiding Involuntary Hospitalization with Patti Dobrowolski for BMoCA), and was named "Best Actress 2002" by Westword Magazine. Nancy's current passion is her dance company, 40 Women Over 40 (featured on the Hallmark Channel and Dance Teacher Magazine). 40 Women Over 40 presented "Sweet Release" at the Dairy Center for the Arts in November 2007 to standing-room-only audiences. They will perform again at the Dairy in the spring of 2009, with more than 100 women on stage!!
Helen Estrella  (Santa Rosa,California)

Helen was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Much of her youth was spent in the rigors of competitive artistic and rhythmic gymnastics through which she found her love of dance. Helen eventually moved to Los Angeles to dance with some of the industry’s top choreographers. In 2002 she found her way back to Sonoma County where she directed local competitive companies until the birth of her own, Estrella Dance Company. Helen is known for her cutting edge, contemporary style and is currently a faculty member of “Winterfest & Summerfest The Convention”. She is a nationally recognized instructor and choreographer who travels extensively teaching master classes and setting choreography on various dance companies. She can also be seen on tour with “Talent on Parade” as an adjudicator and Dance Directive faculty member. She currently directs her own company out of her studio, The Dance Room in Northern California.

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Mark Haines (Seattle, Washington)
Information coming soon!
Chris Harris (Denver, Colorado)
BJDW Faculty Chris Harris
Chris Harris was born in Denver and try as she might she just can't leave the mountains. She has a BFA in Dance from the University of Colorado and a second Bachelor's in Architecture. She is currently an Artist in residence at the Denver School of the Arts, and on the Faculty of Kim Robards Dance, Dance Kaleidoscope, Gwen Bowen Dance Studio, Mosaic Movement Arts, and A Living Arts Center. She is the Artistic Director/Choreographer for Louder Than Words Dancetheatre in Denver, has choreographed for Magic Moments and local Radio Disney shows, acted with Littleton Town Hall, been a guest lecturer at The Arts Institute of Colorado, and has designed 4 different websites. Chris is the Assistant Artistic Director for Interweave Dance Theatre as well as a co-director for the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop. Her current obsession is creating a system to record choreography using digital media and animation.
Jessica Hendricks (Dallas, Texas)
BJDW Faculty Jessica Hendricks
Jessica Hendricks graduated from the University of Colorado with a BFA in Dance. Her training consisted of summers at Perry Mansfield School of the Performing Arts, American Dance Festival, Harvard Dance Festival, EDGE Scholarship, Gus Giordano and Hubbard Dance Street. Her credits include commercials and industrials for Godiva, Loreal, Reebok, Toys R Us, Universal Studios, Volkswagon and Warner Brothers. Jessica has worked on the European tours of HAIR, Grease and Jesus Christ Superstar as Dance Captain, performed for the opening premiers of moulin rouge and The Great Gatsby and can be seen in such movies as Living Out Loud and Between The Sheets. She has danced in or been the assistant choreographer to the Elan Awards, Bob Fosse Awards, Ms. America Pageant, Carnival, Dance Break and Broadway Bares. Jessica has choreographed the New York musicals “The Shaggs”, “The Book Of The Dun Cow” and “Dead City” as well as the movie musical “Free Fall” and the music video “Just A Dress” for the Berlin Film Festival. She recently choreographed European artist Sofia Strati’s music video “Mia Agapi Fotia” in New York for eurovision. Jessica has taught at Universities and Festivals throughout Costa Rica, Cyprus, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway and the United States. She has danced with “The Wes Veldink Movement”, co-created her own company “Two Peas & A Pod” and has recently moved from New York City to co-direct a performing arts center in Dallas, Texas.
Kari Herman-Tafoya (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Kari is the owner and artistic director of Synergy Dance Academy. She started teaching at age fourteen and began dancing professionally at seventeen. Her performance experience includes commercials, music videos, and industrial shows throughout California, Houston, Las Vegas and Colorado. She returned to her home town of Colorado Springs after training and performing in Los Angeles with the industry’s top instructors and choreographers. Kari’s versatile dance background and passion for the arts enables her to instruct and choreograph in jazz, lyrical, ballet and hip hop. Her energetic teaching style motivates dancers to take their training to the next level. Her students have received top honors at competitions, and scholarships at The EDGE Performing Arts Studio, the University of Arizona and Walt Disney.
Amanda Leise (Studio City, California)

Amanda Leise, originally from Boulder, Colorado has been performing, teaching and choreographing in LA for the past 5 years. Her film and industrial credits include Dance 10, Disney Scooby Doo industrial, Heart Association Ball and Cherry Creek Arts. Her stage appearances include Kitty McNamee Benefit, Carnival performances at the Key Club, California Adventure, EDGE scholarship show, and Adam Parson’s Essentials show. Amanda currently teaches at the EDGE Performing Arts Center and is also on the Urban Jamm faculty. She is in high demand as a Master teacher and choreographer all around the world. This past summer she was a guest teacher in Nicosia, Cyprus for Dance Anonymous, as well as for the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop. She looks forward to sharing her passion of dance and teaching her students how to express themselves through the art of dance.
Tiffany Leise (Longmont, Colorado)

Tiffany Leise, just recently made her way back to Colorado after spending 15 years in LA as a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She was twice selected for The Colorado Tap Dance Residencies to study with tap greats Honi Coles and Jimmy Slyde. She performed for the premiere of the movie TAP starring Gregory Hines in New York. Her film and TV credits include Hoodlums, A Life In The Theatre, King of The Ants, Stanley’s Gig, and Opposite Sex. National tour, stage appearances, and industrials include Sugar Babies, The Flintstones, Tap Girls, McDonald’s, Intel, Compaq and Kraftmaid. Tiffany has taught at the EDGE Performing Arts Center and toured nationally with L.A. Danceforce (LADF), Urban Jamm and Tamjams. Tiffany is currently teaching in Longmont at her parents' dance studio Dance Dimensions and continues to teach and choreograph nationally. She is excited to be back teaching for BJDW and hopes to pass on her passion for dance to future generations.
Wade Madsen (Seattle, Washington)

Wade Madsen has been teaching, performing and choreographing in Seattle for 32 years. A former dancer with Tandy Beale & Company, the Bill Evans Dance Company, and his own company for over 30 years. Wade is a professor of dance at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. He has guest taught at the University of Colorado, University of New Mexico, UC Santa Cruz, Western Washington University and the University of Washington. Wade has been commissioned to set his work on dance companies in El Paso, New Orleans, Durango, Bellingham and Seattle. Wade has been a Guest Artist for the New Orleans Jazz Dance Project and artist in residence at Mt. Holyoke College, Massachusetts. Wade has been commissioned to set his work on dance companies in El Paso, New Orleans, Durango, Bellingham and Seattle. His choreography has been featured several times at the American College Dance Festival, Seattle Opera and various theater companies in Seattle. Wade has created well over 180 choreographic works and has received two individual choreography grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and several arts organizations in Washington state. He has appeared in films and on Star Search with his dance company, Wade Madsen and Dancers. In 2002, he acted as Interim Director for Dance Spectrum, Seattle. Wade has been a regular faculty member for the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop since 1983. His modern class blends spinal work with, Pilates floor work, Limon, Cunningham and release techniques along with Wade's own unique movement vocabulary.
Brittany Maxwell Hopkins (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)

Brittany Maxwell Hopkins is originally from Greenville, Texas. She started dancing at the age of five. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Art History from Principia College, where she also taught and choreographed within the Theater and Dance Department. After graduation she moved to Chicago to perform professionally with various jazz and modern dance companies, including the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago Second Company and The Valerie Alpert Dance Company. She has worked with choreographers Jon Lehrer, Nan Giordano, Ron DeJesus, Eddy Ocampo, Frank Boehm, and Rick Robinson. Brittany taught at Evanston's Giordano Dance Center and at studios in Aurora and Vernon Hills, Illinois and has been a guest artist at both Principia College and Snow College. She was a 2008 semi-finalist on "So You Think you can Dance." Brittany loves living in Mount Pleasant, Utah where she has headed the dance program at Wasatch Academy for five years. Brittany is excited for another great summer teaching at the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop and dancing with Interweave Dance Theater!
Christy McNeil (Seattle, Washington)

Christy has enjoyed life as a dancer since age 3 where she began her training at a studio just outside of Seattle. At age 15 she traveled to Kazan, Russia to perform in the Rudolf Nureyev Ballet Festival with the Evergreen City Ballet. She was then honored with the Kreilsheimer Scholarship from Cornish College of the Arts from where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and the Outstanding Dance Major Award. Upon graduation, Christy joined the Cornish faculty as well as faculty at Shoreline Community College and continued teaching at studios around the Seattle area. Her choreography credits include Cornish Dance Theater, American College Dance Festival, Eastside Moving Company, and several Theater Department productions at Cornish. For two years she performed with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as Dance Captain and Company Manager. After tiring from dancing through hurricanes, Christy returned to Seattle and currently teaches for Cornish, The Northwest School, Westlake Dance Center, and many other schools also serving as director for a youth performing group.
Erika Randall (Boulder, Colorado)

Biography coming soon!
Jenny Schiff (Boulder,Colorado)

Jenny Schiff is a sought-after choreographer and teacher with roots in Los Angeles, Denver, and Boulder. Beginning her professional career at the age of eleven, she has worked with some of today's finest choreographers including; Joe Tremaine, Doug Caldwell, Mia Michaels, Marguerite Derricks, Rudy Perez, Karon Brown-Lehman, Donald McKayle, and Cleo Parker Robinson. Jenny uses her extensive knowledge of both the commercial and contemporary dance world to offer her students a unique class experience. She has been a guest artist at Colorado College, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, and Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan. Currently she directs The Schiff Dance Collective and teaches throughout Colorado.
Kat Wolanske (California)

Katherine Wolanske is a classically trained dancer with a BA in Dance from Hofstra University. Her career began in New York City and is now continuing in LA with credits including commercials and industrials for NuSkin, Rite Aid, Paul Mitchell and Lucille Roberts. Katherine has performed at the world renowned Madison Square Garden as a dancer for a season of the New York Titans Professional Indoor Lacrosse team. She can be seen dancing in the European artist Sofia Strati’s “Mia Agapi Fotia” music video. Katherine recently finished a year teaching and choreographing for a prestigious dance school in Long Island, NY and has also enjoyed a year of judging for Legacy Dance Championships. Her choreography has received several top awards at a variety of dance competitions on the East Coast. Katherine performs annually with, and choreographs for Interweave Dance Theater. She recently began training and performing as an aerialist with Revelations, a dance and aerial company based just outside of LA. She is always looking to grow as a dancer and teacher, broaden her horizons and further her career with new opportunities that wait around every corner.

We reserve the right to substitute teachers as necessary.
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Comments about the website welcome at chris@bjdw.net
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