BETSY HOFFMAN, OWNER/STUDIO DIRECTOR:  

Betsy is a lifelong dancer, beginning classes at age 2 and never stopping!  She grew up training  and competing at large dance studios in Minnesota and Michigan.  After moving to Colorado in high school Betsy dove into the competitive dance team world, serving as captain of the 1996 State Champion Evergreen High School Poms, followed by captain of the nationally-ranked University of Colorado Varsity Dance Team and earning the rank of All-Star at the high school and collegiate levels.  Post-college, Betsy had the opportunity to begin her teaching career at a small studio in Eagle, Colorado, while also choreographing and working with various high school dance teams throughout the state.  In 2007, Betsy found her passion and permanent studio home when she took over as Owner and Artistic Director of Kinetic Arts Dance Studio in Evergreen, Colorado.  She has completed the dance teacher training program from Dance Educators of America, and focuses primarily on tap, jazz, and early childhood dance, along with choreographing and directing the competitive teams at her studio.  She lives in Conifer, Colorado with her husband and two boys, Carter and Sam.    

 

 

ABBY STEWART, INSTRUCTOR:

Abby has been dancing since she was a young child.  She focused originally on classical ballet under the tutelage of the well-renowned Roman Jasinski and Moscelyne Larkin, founders of the Tulsa Ballet.  She was an original scholarship recipient of the Los Angeles-based EGDGE Performing Arts Center, which is owned and operated by the original creators of LA Dance Force.  She also received a scholarship from the Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago company, as well as Steps on Broadway in New York City.  Her professional dancing has taken her across the country from Los Angeles, to New York City and Atlantic City, NJ.  She has trained extensively in all forms of dance and specializes in jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre.  

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CASEY DALTON: 

Casey grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, training at the School of the Washington Ballet under Mary Day, and later at the Kirov Academy of Ballet. As a student, she attended summer intensives at American Ballet Theater, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, and Boston Ballet. In 2004 she joined Colorado Ballet, and spent 11 years dancing corps de ballet, demi-soloist and soloist roles in all of the classical and neoclassical repertoire, as well as originating roles in many contemporary works by choreographers such as Dwight Rhoden, Jodie Gates, Val Caniparoli, and more. For the past several years, she has been teaching and coaching students throughout the Denver area, working in a class setting as well as offering private instruction. In addition to teaching, she spends her time working as the owner and creator of her own brand, DECO dancewear. 

 

GIA FERRERO, INSTRUCTOR AND COMPANY DIRECTOR: 

I was born and raised in the state of Colorado! I started dancing at the age of 3 years old and have been dancing ever since! For 15 years I competed at all different competitions and conventions across the United States! Back in 2011, my dance team and I also received 2nd place on America’s Got Talent. Our team is called The Silhouettes and we have traveled and done professional work all over the world!. Including, shows all over the United States, 19 shows in Ireland, performances in Poland and Canada, and lots of other places around the world. After I graduated high school in 2015, I started teaching and choreographing at different studios in Colorado. In 2016, my dance team and I went back and did a Christmas Special and a guest appearance on Americas Got Talent. In the beginning of 2020 my dance team and I, The Silhouettes, were asked to come and compete on AGT the Champions with favorite acts from previous seasons and placed in the top 10. I have recently graduated from Regis University in May of 2019 with a degree in Elementary Education and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Special Ed Generalist. I will begin teaching first grade in the fall of 2020. Also, I continue my training and still dance with the professional company The Silhouettes. 

 

LA DYSART:

LA (Leslie Ann) Dysart has studied dance since the age of two and a half. She is a third generation dance instructor originally from Ithaca, NY, where her grandparents started their family dance academy in 1935. They were both professional Ballroom dancers, and her mother and aunt carried on the tradition as Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.LA has trained in Acrobatics, Ballet, Contemporary, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Musical Theater, Pointe, and Tap. She began training at her family studio, the Ithaca Academy of Dance in Ithaca, NY, then continued her training at Broadway Dance Center, NY, NY. LA has studied with such teachers as; Jazz Master Frank Hatchett, Sheila Barker, Pam Chancey, Rhapsody, Germaine Salsberg, Tracie Stanfield, Jason Samuels, Chloe Arnold, Malin Zaki, Brian Friedman, Jo Rowan, Patricia Dickinson, Greg Russel, Rob Mackey, Finis Jung,David Howard, Densil Adams, Ellie Potts, Patricia Oplotnik, Tap Masters Debbie Dee, Barbara Duffy, and the late Phil Black.Ms. LA has over 25 years experience as an assistant and associate teacher, which has allowed her the opportunity to travel across the country to attend such workshops as; Dance Olympus, Dance Caravan, The Pulse, American Dance Projekt, Dance Makers Inc., the Master Teacher Workshop at Oklahoma City University Department of Dance, and Master Jazz Workshop with the late Frank Hatchett, at Broadway Dance Center, NYC on National Dance Day 2011. Most recently she completed her module one Acrobatic Arts certification in Thornton, CO. LA has received numerous national and overall performance awards, and has had the opportunity to travel with Dance Olympus as a member of their VIP program for young dancers, assist with the Rockette Experience in NYC, and has also been a performance dancer for Pollyanna Dorough, a Latin Pop artist, at the Winter Olympic Games torch ceremony in Orlando, FL. She was also a member of Asher Dance Eclectic, an adaptive dance company based in Tampa, FL, where she co-directed, choreographed and performed in their show “White Hot Broadway”. Ms. LA has also done choreography for local schools and theater companies in such musicals as “Guys and Dolls”, “Grease”, “Anne of Green Gables”, “Oliver!”, “Fiddler on the Roof”,“Peter Pan”, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, “A Wrinkle in Time”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Annie”, "She Kills Monsters", and "Shrek".LA was also the owner, director, instructor, and choreographer of the Brooksville Dance Academy and Kicks & Co., a Teaching Artist for the VSA of FL, and the resident choreographer for the United Methodist Dance Team and Live Oak Theatre Company in Brooksville, FL. After moving to Colorado she began teaching dance at the Gilpin County Community Center. Soon after LA became the choreographer for the Gilpin County Middle/High School Theater Department, and then co-founded the Gilpin Elementary Theatre Department. The summer of 2019 she started a performance troupe called The Infamous Back Room Cabaret, where the group has had the pleasure of performing for the 45th and 47th annual Madam Lou Bunch Day festival. LA was also a member of Rocky Mountain Rhythm Tap Dance Company from 2019-2021, and in 2021 was on faculty for Tap-IN to Colorado Tap Dance Festival.Ms. LA lives in Central City with her husband Paul, and two children Aaron and Aliza. She currently teaches dance in Denver and surrounding areas. LA hopes to inspire students with her knowledge and love of dance, while teaching a wide range of technique and style. In her Classes she creates a positive atmosphere to help dancers develop self-esteem, confidence, and poise by focusing on the true value of character and teamwork.

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HANNAH PIERROU (COMING SOON)

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CALGARY GASBARRO

Calgary is an experienced performer, who has explored different styles of dance for over 30 years. Growing up in Colorado she shares roots with our mountain community. Having varied experiences from performing with Dance Anova and Eminence Dance Project, to sharing the stage with stars at sea on Royal Caribbean Ships, to competing on nationally ranked dance teams, she enjoys teaching the joy of dancing in the air, with Aerial silks. Calgary hopes to inspire and encourage her students to try new things and meet there fullest potential. Calgary has been on KAD Staff for two years and says "she loves every minute of it"

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