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Nika

Nika is the founder and creative director of NK STUDIOS. A White Salmon native, Nika learned to dance and paint in the very community that houses NK STUDIOS. Influenced by her Persian heritage, she grew up dancing with her family. She danced at Columbia Gorge Dance Academy and later for the Trojan Dance Force at the University of Southern California. Drawing from her experience performing on the basketball court and instructing Zumba, she creates dance classes and choreography that energize and inspire, teaching at studios locally and abroad over the last decade. She has an undeniable charisma and approachable style that has attracted all ages and skill levels to her classes.

Nika transferred her in-person dance classes outdoors and online once COVID-19 hit and has created an ever-growing community of people who believe movement is medicine.

Nika is dedicated to community and also inclusivity. Noticing a disparity in the demographics of her dance classes, Nika founded the NK Choreo Dance Scholarship Fund in June with a goal of providing 10 full-ride dance scholarships for students from historically underserved groups. Thanks to a generous community driven by the ideals of equality and social justice, the goal was met in less than 2 weeks. She believes this is a testament to the power of our community coming together to support each other.

She is excited to collaborate & share her passion for the arts with you.

CARLYE

Carlye started dancing with the Haley Pendergast school of Irish Dance in Olympia, Washington and immediately found her home-away-from-home. She added ballet to her training as a way to further develop as an Irish dancer, and quickly fell in love with that too. She performed ballet and Irish dance throughout the Northwest growing up - with the Ballet Northwest youth company, and as part of an Irish Dance performance team. She started performing professionally with Kokoro Modern Dance Company in Vancouver, BC, and became convinced that performing, teaching and living dance was the right path for her. Carlye founded and directed the Seattle Irish Dance Company, a professional performance company focused on performance Irish dance. The group toured in Ireland and throughout the US, performing with musicians like The Chieftains, Gaelic Storm and Old Blind Dogs.

Throughout her professional career, Carlye has shared her love of movement with others - she teaches ballet, Irish dance, creative movement and yoga. She's passionate about making movement accessible to everyone - and committed to finding a path to success for every student. She's taught in school districts and university settings, taught and developed curriculum at private dance studios, and has training and experience teaching brain compatible dance education. In 2019, she deepened her movement practice by completing her 200 hour yoga teacher training.

SARA

Dance has forever been a huge part of Sara’s life. She took her first ballet class at the age of 7 at Columbia Gorge Dance Academy and trained to become a Company Dancer studying ballet, jazz, hip hop, and modern. She continued her dance education at Savannah College of Art & Design studying fashion and dance in Savannah, Georgia, and Hong Kong. In her time there she focused on modern and ballet and performed in countless productions. After university, she moved to New York City where she found a new style of dance that she fell in love with—dance fitness. The blend of learning non-stop fast choreography while simultaneously working out left her energized and empowered like never before. She channeled that same energy and spent time working for one of the top dance fitness companies in the city. With a continuing mission to empower and support others, Sara leads her classes with high energy, positivity, and encouragement.

She is so excited to be back teaching in her hometown that first catered to her love of dance—a true full-circle moment and she is so glad you are part of it.

NICOLE

Nicole has taught a variety of active sports throughout her life including swimming, kiteboarding, dance, and dance fitness.  With a professional career in construction management, she enjoys the social and physical aspects of teaching.  She became a Zumba certified instructor in 2018 and taught her own class in White Salmon.  In 2020 she became certified in 'Dance Party Hustle' dance fitness and taught that format in-person and online (look for Nicole's 30-minute DPH workout in the NK Virtual Library).  She has since developed her own style of dance fitness called 'Twerk Out', which began as the 'Turkey Twerk Out' first taught on Thanksgiving morning.  She strives to be an active member of the community and has developed other classes when she finds a need, such as 'Toddler - Introduction to Dance', which she teaches with her husband and son. Seeing the rising popularity of country line dancing, she began teaching that format in November of 2022.  In response to student requests for more opportunities to social dance, she organized and led ‘Country Night at the Bingen Theater’.  She aims to keep her classes lighthearted and fun by adding themes, props, and extra flair whenever possible. You can find her on Instagram at @dancing_with_nicole_.

Katie

Katie is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. She grew up in competitive cheerleading traveling all over the country to preform. After high school she went on to work for National Cheerleaders Association where she coached collegiate athletes in stunting and judged national competitions. All quite ironic considering she was voted “Most likely to become a professional cheerleader” by her 6th grade class! Through her twenties, Katie traveled the globe working as a whitewater raft guide. She’s guided trips across the nation as well as in Norway and Nepal. In 2015 Katie caught the fitness bug and became an instructor. She is trained in Classical Pilates, Barre, TRX, Concept2 and WaterRower machines. Her teaching style pulls from all of her life experiences, including being a mom of two! Her goal is to push each client to their full potential, and beyond, while keeping them grounded through mind body connection. Katie’s classes are challenging but you’ll leave feeling accomplished, proud and ready for more!

Lauren

Lauren offers a balanced practice that invites deep, intelligent focus and a sense of graceful flow. She brings 12 years of teaching experience to her classes and loves working with students of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Follow her on Instagram @laurenpisanoyoga, Facebook Lauren Pisano Yoga or her website laurenpisanoyoga.com

TAY

Tay Lynne is a Hood River native who began dancing at the age of two. When she moved to Austin, TX nine years ago she found herself in need of something different. So she turned to pole dancing. After several competitions and shows, she became a pole teacher in Utah where she taught regular scheduled classes but also choreography privates. Besides teaching and performing pole, she also is a professional circus photographer and filmmaker.

JILL CATHERINE

Jill Catherine loves to move. She has been teaching and performing dance across the US since 2009, is a certified barre and pilates instructor with a daily yoga practice for more than two decades. She co-founded/directed a dance and drum center and non-profit organization in Syracuse, NY for 10 years, and had her own studio on the North Shore of Oahu before moving to White Salmon, WA. 

A college athlete, Jill hails from Syracuse, New York. She immersed herself in cultural dance and drum arts in 2002 and studied with master teachers at the renowned Djoniba Dance & Drum Center in New York City. She has trained and performed in New York, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Seattle, as well as abroad in Cuba, India, Kenya, and the Ivory Coast. Since 2014, Jill has performed as a dance and drum soloist at national conferences, universities, and events. 

Jill centers her artistry on empowerment, peacemaking, and the understanding of our body as an instrument of purpose and service to the world. Her style of movement is a unique blend of the traditions she has studied coupled with her authentic expression. 

She is a certified life coach, the author of the book, “A New Body Consciousness” and a TEDx speaker: “Courage To Do What Calls You.” Learn more about her work at www.jillcatherine.net.

Colette

Always a fan of dance and movement, Colette has been a student of belly dance for over 25 years.  While studying fusion belly dance in San Francisco, she was introduced to the movements and music from North Africa and never looked back.  As a member of an internationally known performance troupe, Colette has taught and performed belly dance throughout the American West and Europe.  As the director of her own Pacific Northwest performance troupe, Colette nurtured students from new beginners to advanced dancers.  Seeking to deepen her knowledge of the dances that inspired fusion belly dance, Colette continues to study with dancers and musicians from source cultures and continues to explore a variety of dance styles.  Her goal is to continue to develop as a dancer and to inspire others to discover how dance and creativity can enrich their life.