WENDY JAMES - STUDIO DIRECTOR is an EMMY Award winning Broadway performer with over 40 years of teaching experience in dance, music and theatre. She wone the International dance Championship in Prague, Czech republic for her Jazz Choreography and has performed all over the world in China, Russia, Japan and Londons West End. In 2008 she moved to Mt Shasta and started the Mt Shasta Childrens Theatre in 2011. She was the founder and creator of Broadway Camp which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. She has directed and choreographed numerous productions at College of the Siskiyous and is the founder and director of Jefferson Center for the Arts in Mt Shasta. She is honored to hold space for the arts in our community and is incredibly proud of her many students throughout the years.
SHERRI DEGRAFFENREID danced through Nelda and Lennie’s Dance Studio and multiple Performing arts Companies in Nevada County through High School and early college years. after moving to the Pacific Northwest was a guest dancer for the Pacific West Performing Arts Guild and taught for Gig Harbor Dance Academy and Children’s Theater. Although ballet is her love she has performed in multiple stage shows in both dance and acting rolls such as Grease, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, Follies and original theater productions. Her longstanding roll as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker is her favorite and most memorable performance. She then began choreographing for shows such as My Fair Lady, Grease, Annie, returning home to her childhood studio and becoming co-owner. She continued the traditions of the dance studio for years until she left the dance and theater world to move to Mt. Shasta helping as a back stage mom with her oldest daughter’s theater dreams and coaching cheerleading. She came back to the ballet world to teach at Shasta Studios 5 years ago to support her youngest daughter’s love of ballet.
KRISTIN SMITH began her tap dance journey at age 4 when she discovered she could make music with her feet! Drawn to fascinating rhythm and speedy footwork, she has cultivated a deep respect for the historical roots of tap dance. Kristin is honored to teach the steps of legendary tap dancers and use them to create combinations of movement and sound.
Sharing her favorite form of art, Kristin finds inspiration in her students' smiles as they grasp new tap steps and discover the natural rhythm of their feet. One of the highlights of teaching, she says, is hearing students talk about practicing tap steps on the playground, in grocery store aisles, and even on tree stumps in nature!
CHELSY MARRIOTT is a former dancer with 18 years of experience in ballet and tap. Her journey began with classical Cecchetti ballet technique, achieving advanced levels through rigorous training and examinations. Similarly, she excelled in tap, completing the ISTD syllabus and examinations up to advanced levels. Her
dedication led her to compete internationally as a member of Canada's national tap team at the IDO World Tap Dance Championships in Germany.
While pursuing higher education at Brigham Young University, she joined a top-tier modern dance company,
where her skills merged seamlessly with contemporary styles. Her passion for dance has been noted in
countless stage performances, and competition success. Chelsy is excited to share the transformative power of dance and the art of movement with others in the community.
AMY REDELSPERGER Amy’s love for classical ballet began when, as a young child, her father took her to see her first full length ballet, Cópellia. She instantly knew this art needed to be a part of her life. She trained with Sarah Arnold and was a part of the company at the Capital City Youth Ballet in Boise, Idaho. She went on to study at Ballet Idaho and Boise State University in her junior and senior years of high school. A life altering diagnosis of degenerative arthritis in her hip put an end to her professional development and career goals, but in 2016 she began teaching at Shasta Studios and fell in love with passing along her love of classical ballet to a new generation. She believes every moment in class builds so much more than just good technique. This art builds character, poise, and fortitude and she delights in making sure her students learn it all.
EMMA GRACE DEGRAFFENREID has been dancing since she was 2.5 years old. She has danced for Tana, Rena and currently Shasta Studios. Emma has been a ballet student her entire dance career but has taken all different types of dance including tap, jazz and musical theatre. She became a student teacher helper 5 years ago helping with our youngest dancers in our Daisies and Butterflies classes. In the last 3 years Emma has taken on a larger roll helping in Ballet 1 with choreography, vocabulary and technique. She is excited to work with the young ballerinas this season.
Emma continues to broaden her dance experience taking classes in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz and Lyrical.
BRYNN WITHERELL Brynn grew up around the performing arts and started acting when she was 11years old performing with Mt Shasta Childrens Theatre, Colelge of the Siskiyous and many other community theatre productions. Shes been dancing and performing for years, studying Theatre Arts at College of the Siskiyous. She is dedicated to help kids find their passions and is looking forward to directing the childrens theatre shows this season.
RYNN COBB Born and raised in northern California and dancing since the age of four, Rynn has a passion for how movement can be interpreted in used to tell a story. She started as a dancer for Redding Dance Center then later, danced with Siskiyou Dance Company before joining Shasta Studios in 2018. She is trained in contemporary, lyrical and jazz with a love for improv. Focused on bringing up the next generation of dancers Rynn will be teaching Lyrical 1 and Beginning Jazz. She hopes to instill a love of movement and dance into her students and create choreography tailored to their talents and strengths.
Along with dance, Rynn enjoys mountain biking, painting, traveling, choreographing, surfing, hiking and being in the outdoors as much as she can.
TRILLIUM CARTER is a dedicated dance teacher specializing in young children. With eight years of ballet training and three years of experience in Jazz, Lyrical and Tap, Trillium brings a diverse skill set and a warm nurturing approach to her classes. Her focus is on creating a fun and supportive environment where young dancers can explore movement, develop confidence and cultivate a love for dance.
Trillium is very excited for her first year of teaching
MEGAN HAWK began dancing as a young girl shadowing her mother's Colombian dancing steps. One of her greatest joys is to let the rhythms of music from around the world move her. As a drama and dance graduate from Bard College in New York, she hasn't stopped exploring the world of dance... modern, hula, flamenco, ballet, west African, samba, salsa, theater, jazz and bellydancing are some of the many forms
she has enjoyed. These past 12 years, she studied ballet in Santa Cruz and is now back in Mt Shasta to see where her dancing feet will take her.
Megan led Daughters of the Moon Belly Dance in Mt Shasta from 2008-2011 where she shared dances from Veils of the Nile Belly dance whom she performed with in Washington state. Now she has decided to dust off some of the same dances and offer them once again to the community.
AUDREY PATANIA is inspired to teach because she wants people to be able to express themselves freely and she wants them to take away that it's OK for everyone to be themselves no matter what! Audrey has trained in tap, ballet and lyrical dance from a young age. Dance is a very important part of her life because it relieves her tension, she can express herself through her dance and is able to pass that onto others. She considers teaching one of the best gifts imaginable. Audrey wants her students to know that it's OK to make mistakes and it's all part of being human
"Dance like no one's watching" Gabby Barnett
AYDAN WILDEN started dancing at four years old. She has danced for Siskiyou Dance Company, Dance Depot, Cascade Conservatory and is currently dancing with Shasta Studios. Ballet, Modern and Lyrical have followed her for her whole life with hints of hip-hop and breakdance along the way. In recent years she has begun to swing dance with her family and fiancé as well . She continues to advance in ballet achieving the highest level at Shasta Studios and staying on point for three years and counting. She is excited and ready to share her love of dance with her students, helping them learn to love dance as well as push them to try new things. She hopes all of her students learn valuable techniques and rhythms from her teaching as she starts and continues their dance journey.
VERONICA BLISS is a dancer and yogi from the Bay Area. She started dancing from a young age and enjoyed both competing and performing. Her largest performance was for a Warriors basketball game at the Oakland Arena in 2013. She later learned yoga and aerial dance in college to help her focus on alignment and sustainability in her movement. She incorporates this yogic philosophy into her dances and warmups to make sure every dancer is safe while expanding upon their strength and flexibility. Her choreography is fun and creative, you’ll love learning technique and growing along side her.
JENNIFER HEMINGER Jennifer has been teaching yoga since 2012, but has been a yogi for over 20 years. With over 700 hours of training in yoga, she has advanced certifications in Vinyasa, AcroVinyasa, and Yoga Philosophy. She taught Tween Yoga for 6 years in Napa, where she owned a wellness studio for a decade. During that time, she found a particular passion for teaching to Tween Girls. This offering comes directly from her heart.
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LAURA ANDERSON has been dancing throughout her life. She has studied ballet, modern and samba dance. She feels most alive when dancing and loves to share her passion for the dance with her students.