Megan Adams
Megan Adams has been performing nationally for over 28 years. Some of her credits include director, choreographer, and KIDSTAGE teacher at Village Theatre. She’s performed in Hip Hop Groups “In-Effect”, “Cruz Control”, and “Breed” and currently teaches at multiple studios in Seattle and the Eastside. Now a mom, Megan spends her time acting in commercials and TV shows (“Shared Branching” Banking, MoneyTree, Carter Cars, and the “Tightwad Traveler”), watching really bad daytime TV, and changing diapers.
Greg Baja
Born in the Philippines, Greg didn’t explore the realm of dance until settled in Washington state. He started with break dancing, house, and popping at the age of 15. In high school, he joined his school step/dance team Crimson Haze and eventually began to choreograph and teach. Studying under Joey Cooper, he danced with the group The Heat, where he honed his abilities further. He was introduced to the Seattle dance community by auditioning and making the group Team Boogiezone BREED, two teams based out of Orange County Los Angeles and Seattle.
Performing numerous times in the area over a period of a few years, Boogiezone BREED eventually put on the show “EVE – Dawn of a New Horizon” at UCLA, in which Greg performed with the group. With various choreographers contributing to the team, he has trained under such names as Daniel Cruz, Ivan Koumaev, Bryan Tanaka, Elmer Pizarro, Nick and Anna Golla, as well as many industry names such as Marty Kudelka, Tony Testa, Jillian Meyers, Tabitha and Napolean D’Umo, and others. Along with BREED, he has also trained and danced with other Seattle groups such as Potion (Director: Cameron Lee), Cruz Control (Director: Daniel Cruz), Twisted Elegance (Director: Jaret Hughes), Kontagious Movement (Director: Yoshi Wright), and now directs his own group called CHANGE. Greg has attended many dance conventions and won scholarships at some including Monsters of Hip Hop. Having choreographed and taught at numerous dance studios in the Pacific Northwest, he aims to further his teaching abilities and strives for a constant evolution in his style of hip hop, blending B-boying, popping, and other formal styles of dance.
Kirsten Barron
Kirsten graduated cum laude from the University of California, Irvine where she earned a bachelor of fine arts in choreography and dance performance While attending UCI, she was a member of Donald McKayle’s modern company Etude Ensemble, working on projects such as the “Rainbow Etude” with the Dance Legacy Institute and Brown University. Kirsten received her certification in authentic Pilates from the Pilates Studio of Seattle were she now teaches.
Kirsten’s dance background includes ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. She currently teaches at Gotta Dance, and Westlake Dance Center.
Kirsten Cooper
Kirsten Cooper trained in Washington State then moved to Los Angeles when she was nineteen years old. She trained at Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood for five years. She also assisted Rhonda Miller, Jeff Amsden and Liz Imperio. While in Los Angeles she worked in film, video and stage. Kirsten danced on Costa Cruise Lines, toured with LADF, demonstrated on LADF and Jeff Amsden instructional videos, Sony Disc Industrial Film and numerous ABBA hair shows.
Kirsten now teaches full time in the Seattle area as well as traveling the U.S. to do choreography and master classes. She has run a pre-professional jazz company out of Westlake Dance since 1997. Her goal with the company is to train the dancers for dance careers and instill in them that hard work is just as important as talent. They have performed at “Sign Of the Times”, “Dance This” @ The Moore Theatre and the PONCHO gala benefit. They were honored to dance in the Tanzsommer Dance Festival 2006 in Austria. Many of her students have gone on to do the one-year study program at Edge and the summer program Dance With The Force. They have toured with Paul McCarthy, Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne and Celine Dion. They have done videos with Fiona Apple and Black Eyed Peas, as well as the movie“Dreamgirls” and the upcoming remake of “Fame” out this fall. She currently has students dancing in the Hysterica Dance Company (LA) and Odyssey (Salt Lake City)
Kirsten continues to share the passion of dance with all whether in the classroom or with her choreography on the stage. She feels blessed to be able to do this as her job. She also is very proud of her newest production, her daughter Tristan Isabella.
Daniel Cruz
Daniel is experienced in many different types of roles in the dance industry. He has danced for artists such as Prince, Ashanti, Nsync, Michael Jackson, and the Jabbawockeez with choreographers such as Wade Robson, Fatima, Marguerite Derricks, Tabitha and Napoleon and the like on stage, television, commercials, video nationally and abroad. Daniel has performed in the MTV VMA’s, BET Music Awards, Much Music Awards, and on Prince’s music video, Musicology. Daniel was in the North American tour and cast album of Fame: The Musical and in Brian Friedman’s instructional dvd, Freestyle. He has appeared and served as Dance Captain and choreographer in numerous musicals at the 5th Avenue and Village Theaters. He has also choreographed for the Sonics Dance Team, Seahawks Half-Time Shows, Dance This, Nordstrom, EMP and Microsoft. This year, Daniel presented Battle of Seattle 7, with his hiphop group, Cruz Control, in October 2008 and again at the Moore Theater in February 2009.
Daniel’s training comes from Cornish College of the Arts, The Edge and Tremaine Dance Center In Los Angeles. He trained in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, and other movement techniques that has inspired his choreography to be unique and eclectic. Daniel incorporates focus, discipline, improvisation, style, musicality and technique in his classes. Most of Daniel’s students have gone on to dance wtih Beyonce, The Game, Mariah Carey, Sean Kingston, So You Think You Can Dance tour, Hannah Montana in movies, commercials, and videos.
Alaina Dunker
Originally from Fort Collins, CO, Alaina Dunker has been on the stage constantly since the age of 8. Alaina began choreographing at age 12 to Celine Dion’s timeless classic “My Heart Will Go On.” Since then her choreographic explorations have expanded to include lyrical, ballet, liturgical, and jazz. Alaina recently graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in business administration and minors in dance and music and hopes that dance will in fact ensure that her heart will go on.
Aaron Gordon
Aaron Gordon started dancing at age twelve when he was invited to join Street Level Dance, a Hip Hop company run out of Spectrum Dance Theatre. In 2002, Aaron joined the Dance This… Company, allowing him to perform the works of Sonia Dawkins, and Jamel Gaines at the Paramount Theatre. On-camera experience includes back-up dancer in Mion’s music video, “Do You Want Me?” and in Ron Smith’s demo reel, “Afer Dark.” Aaron also completed his own choreography reel, “What’s That?” under the direction of Morgan Elizabeth and Knotty Tree Productions. Recently, he has performed with Cruz Control in “Dance of the Dead,” at the Moore Theatre.
Natascha Greenwalt-Murphy
Natascha is from Walla Walla, WA where she began her training with Idalee Hutson-Fish. In 2005 she graduated magna cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts where she was a Kreielsheimer Scholarship recipient. Natascha has trained with the Joffery Ballet, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre is New York, as well as the Northwest Professional Dance Project in Portland, OR. There she had the pleasure of working with top choreographers from around the country. She has performed with Ballet Bellevue, DASSdance, and Spectrum Dance Theater, as well as other Seattle companies. She has been fortunate to perform the work of Donald Byrd, Thaddeus Davis, Jason Ohlberg, Sarah Slipper, Twyla Tharp, and others. In addition to her performance career, Natascha has choreographed for Ballet Bellevue, Whitman College and as a guest for the Cornish College of the Arts BFA performances. In 2008 Natascha co-founded Coriolis Dance Collective, for whom she performs, choreographs, teaches and is inspired by.
Rex Kinney
Rex Kinney grew up in Seattle and was introduced to hip hop at the age of 14. He is currently the Hip Hop Director and Choreographer for the Shorecrest High School Dance Team where he has lead them to 5 District Titles and 2 WIAA State Dance/Drill Championships in 2006 and 2009, with a third place ranking at Nationals in 2007. In addition, he is also an instructor through the UW Experimental College and Westlake Dance Center in Seattle.Rex has choreographed for several dance companies and groups all over the Northwest. He has had the pleasure of performing and choreographing for such venues as the Seattle Academy, Evoke Productions, Enertia Modern Dance, STG’s “Dance This” Workshops, Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Reach Program, Poncho’s Auction Gala, Village Theater’s King and I, Experience Music Project, Seahawks and Seattle Sonics Half-Time shows, Kube 93.3 FM’s Summer Jam Concert on the main stage, opening for Cypress Hill, choreographer for the music video “Do You Want Me” by Mion Lee Drew and its west coast tours, Children’s Hospital Benefit Showcase, UW Conference for former Governor Gary Locke, and a guest performer for the Sonics Dance Team. He has been a member of several dance company’s including Boogiezone Breed, Cruz Control, INeffect, KINetics, and Phyzikal Graffi-t. Rex has always loved performing but gains the most gratification in seeing his students grow, succeed and accomplish great things.
Sheri Lewis
Sheri Lewis is the founder and director of Westlake Dance Center. Sheri’s desire to travel and dance led her to perform in exotic places like Bermuda, Puerto Rico and cruise ships right out of high school. This chance to perform and continue to study dance all over the world opened her eyes to different dance styles that influence her teaching today. Sheri got her license in massage therapy in 2001 where kineseology and study of anatomy gave her awareness to dance injuries and rehab to help dancers in class and out.
Besides teaching at WDC, Sheri choreographs several musicals each year and local conventions working with entertainment companies. Sheri is thrilled to have been guest teaching and choregraphing for Ywam and Project Dance New York.
Mindy Lu
Mindy began dancing at Westlake Dance Center in 2003. Though she is primarily trained in hip-hop, she has dabbled in lyrical, jazz and modern over the years. She has performed with many of Seattle’s top hip-hop companies, including Phyzikal Graffi-T Elite, In-Effect, Potion and Butch Queens and directs her own group, SWERVE. Additionally, she has danced for the WNBA Seattle Storm and is involved with various projects around Seattle.
For the past few years, she found her passion in instructing aspiring dancers and coaching competition groups at various studios and schools in and around Seattle.
Christy McNeil
Christy has been teaching and choreograping around the Seattle area and beyond for 10 years. A graduate of Cornish College of the Arts, where she studied as a Krieilsheimer Scholar, she has taught and choreographed for Cornish, Shoreline, Bellevue, and Riverside Commmunity Colleges as well as several local studios. Other teaching credits include the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop, Northwest School, Sammamish High School, ARC, and many others. She has performed with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as Dance Captain and Company Manager and is a member of Interweave Dance Theatre.
Phillipine-born John Roque, or “John-John”, is an up and coming Hip Hop choreographer, who has trained and worked with some of Seattle’s top choreographers and instructors. He’s loved dancing since he was young but only recently developed a true passion for it during his attendance at Shorecrest High School where he was part of the Hip Hop Dance Team, under Rex Kinney and Kenny Harlow. Since graduation from high school he became part of the original Rated PG under Kolanie Marks and Andrew Faulkner. He then later on joined Cameron Lee’s Hip Hop group Potion and Kevin Nguyen’s Entyce. John Roque has also worked with renowned choreographer Daniel Cruz and became a cast member of Daniel’s yearly Hip Hop production, Battle of Seattle held at the Moore Theatre.
Throughout his dance career, he has performed for countless local venues and events. These events include Sign Of The Times in the winter, Unrated in the Fall, and various Seahawks halftime shows. Aside from performing locally, He has also traveled and performed in Canada, Oregon, and California.
A developing Hip Hop instructor, John still considers himself a student of his art and continues to train regularly to develop his skills. He one day wishes to start his own Hip Hop Group where he can share his style to the world. Currently, John is a member of Seattle’s top dance teams, Kontagious Movement with Yoshi Wright, and Phyzikal Graffi-t Elite under Kolanie Marks.
Markeith Wiley
Markeith Wiley is a senior at Cornish College of the Arts where he will be receiving his BFA in choreography and performance. A California native, he began his career in musical theater. Some of his credits include Guys & Dolls and Ragtime with the professional theater company Performance Riverside. He also danced with BK Soul in San Diego, CA. As a Seattle resident for the past 2 1/2 years, he’s been all over the map from dancing with Cruz Control and In Effect to performing with The Moving Company in Bellevue and choreographing for a couple Cornish BFA concerts. His dance background includes modern, jazz, hip hop and ballet.