Staff

 

Jennifer Tell - Owner/Director/Instructor

Competition and recreational dance instructor since 1999

Jennifer started her dance training at the age of 6, at 2 different local studios. She completed her BS in Management from the University of Minnesota in 1994. After college, she danced 2 years as a Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader, serving as captain in 1995. She then pursued her dream of owning a dance studio, and in 1999, opened The Dance Factory. With her dance and business training, she has made The Dance Factory a successful studio with a great reputation in the Forest Lake and Circle Pines area. Jennifer continues to train at master classes and business seminars. She has a true passion for teaching and instilling a love for dance in her students. In her personal life, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 children, Ella and Clara.

Zina has been dancing over 26 years, 10 competitively. She danced at Metro and Larkin locally. She has 8 years of teaching experience and 2 as an assistant. This is her 6th year at the Dance Factory. Zina teaches tap, ballet, and jazz classes for the recreation program and two competition groups, the Cupids and the Rainbows. She also works at Fairview Lakes Hospital as a Medical Secretary.

Jessica Szymanski

Competition and recreational dance instructor since 2002--Forest Lake

It was the sparkly tutus that first drew Jessica to dance class. She began at the age of 3 at Larkin, but found herself eventually at 4th Street Dance Studio. She took as many classes as her schedule allowed including tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and pointe. She started competition as a fourth grader. Her first competition was at Northrup Auditorium where she proudly walked on stage with a frizzy side ponytail and white jazz boots. In high school, she became a member of the Mounds View Viewettes. She has taught at the Dance Factory for eight years. She enjoys teaching the younger students along with the Twinklers and Twilights competition lines. In addition to teaching dance, she is a special education teacher at Red Rock Elementary school.

Clair Anderson - Director of Ballet and Technique

Competition and recreational dance instructor since 2003--Forest Lake

Clair earned her BA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She first began leaping and shuffling in 1989 at the J&L Dance Academy in Anoka. Before coming to the Dance Factory in 2003 Clair taught various workshops around the state in jazz, lyrical, modern and for her former Dance Team in Elk River, MN. She also worked for Dancercise Kids teaching pre-school creative movement. In 2002, Clair joined a Sesame Street Live production and danced the role of Baby Bear for 9 months. During the summer months you can find her participating in a dance show called Dances, Chances, Circumstances in Hudson, WI; she directed the show for the first time in 2007 and again in 2009.  Here at the studio, Clair is responsible for having fun and passing dance knowledge on to many recreational groups from preschoolers to adults, as well as with many of our competition groups. [Fusion, Galaxies, Prizms, and Crystals] On a personal note, Clair and her husband Derek stay busy keeping up with their two daughters, Violet age 2 and Ruby born August 6th, 2010.

Erika has been dancing for as many years as she can remember, but didn't
officially begin dancing at a studio until 1995 when she enrolled at
Dance Fever in Andover, MN. She was also a part of her high school dance
team at Coon Rapids High School & continues to take classes at Zenon in
Minneapolis & Dance Spectrum in St. Paul during the summer months. Her
love of dance continues to grow over the years. Erika has enjoyed
teaching jazz, lyrical, and tap to all ages ranging from preschool to
the Adult class! She also loves teaching our Competition and
Competition-Prep lines & the Father/Daughter class every year. Erika is
looking forward to another outstanding year here at The Dance Factory!

Angela has been a dance teacher here at the Dance Factory since 2003, having taught classes ranging from Kindergarten up to the Competitive High School levels.  She has been dancing for 25 plus years including: tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, ballet, and character genres.

 Most of her training was done at Stage Door of Performing Arts in Coon Rapids, MN, competing and training throughout the United States- including exciting events such as winning Top Overall Score from Showstopper National Competition and competing on live television in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.   She has won scholarships and awards in dance including Senior Scholarship from New York Dance Alliance to STEPS in New York, and Performer of Excellence from I Love Dance Inc.

During her college years she became a member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders for 4 years, and in her last year with the team was chosen to perform in the 25th Annual Pro Bowl in Hawaii. This was her most proud and memorable moment as a dancer and performer!

Kelli Porter

Recreational dance instructor since 2005, Competition dance instructor since 2008--Forest Lake and Circle Pines

 

Kelli enrolled in her first dance class at Five Star Dance Studio (St. Paul, MN) when she was 8 years old.  She joined the Tap Competition Line just one year later and continued to participate in dance competitions across the Twin Cities.  One of Kelli's favorite dance memories was tap dancing for the St. Paul Winter Carnival Parade in a record-breaking -28 degrees!  Kelli earned her BS in Mass Communications from St. Cloud State University, and is currently pursuing her MBA in Marketing through Capella University.  Kelli's first day teaching at the Dance Factory was in October 2005, and she thoroughly enjoys teaching tap, jazz, and hip hop.  Kelli is a studio favorite and is known for her fun, energetic teaching style!

Maggie has been dancing since the age of seven, and started teaching in 1998.  In 2006, she graduated from Webster University in St. Louis, MO, with a BFA in Dance and BA in Business Administration.  She founded Webster University's Danceline in 2003; coached and participated on the team for three years.  After college, Maggie returned to Minnesota where she performed as a hip hop dancer/impersonator in a show called: "Mythology" at MythNight Club.  She also started working for Hey Sugar Productions and Soul2Soul Dance Conversion, where she was a backup dancer for major artists, and performed in national/international fashion and hair shows.  During the summer of 2007, she was fortunate enough to dance in Macy’s: Glamorama Fashion Show, performing with Big n’ Rich at the Orpheum and Chicago State Theatre.  In the summer of 2008, she was a back-up dancer in the Stacey B. music video,“With You.”  In the summer of 2010 she started touring the U.S. as a Back-up dancer with the Pop cover band SKITZOfrenic.  Maggie has been involved with various master classes and workshops across the U.S. and trained at several different dance studios: Pat Peare School of Dance, Terps, Butterfield, Larkin, and with Eagan High School's Danceline for four years.  She competed for 12 years and won awards such as: Symposium's Terpsichorian, The Minnesota State Fair Amateur Talent Contest Winner, Statewide's Performer of Excellence, Jr. Miss Showbiz and Miss Starpower.  Maggie has taught: jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, ballet, musical theatre, gymnastics, and baton.  Here at The Dance Factory Maggie works with the competition lines, dance team classes, and hip hop recreational groups. 

Colleen Tague

Competition ballet instructor since 2007--Forest Lake

Colleen has been dancing professionally in the Twin Cities for over 20 years. She has performed with Zenon Dance Company, Minnesota Jazz Dance Company, the Children's Theatre Company, Ballet Arts Minnesota, Ballet of the Dolls, JAZZDANCE by Danny Buraczeski, The Metropolitan Ballet, and has performed in independent projects by SallyRousse of James Sewell Ballet, and Vicky Virgin from New York. Colleen has been teaching for over 10 years. She has been the jazz dance teacher for the summer program at Ballet Arts Minnesota, and has taught ballet all over the metro area, from Elk River to Burnsville.

Heidi Petschl

Heidi started dancing at a young age.  She has taken classes in jazz, tap, lyrical, and ballet.  In 2006, she graduated from Forest Lake High School.

 
Kristen Faber

Dance Instructor since 2008--Circle Pines recreational and competition instructor

Kristen has been dancing since the age of 3, and began competing locally and nationally in the 3rd grade. At age 15, she took a break from dance to pursue cheerleading throughout high school and college, but returned to dance after college and hasn't stopped since! Kristen continued her dance training as an adult at several local studio, and became a member of the St Paul Slam, and Planet Spirit Performance Teams. Kristen's teaching background began when she became an assistant coach for Minnetonka High School's danceteam in 1998. She then taught ballet, tap, jazz and cheerleading as one of The Dance Factory's very first instructors. Kristen went on to teach a tap dance mini-course at the University of Minnesota, and opened her own branch of The Dance Factory in Minneapolis, which she ran for 3 years unitl moving to Costa Rica for a short time. Upon returning to the US, Kristen returned to teaching at The Dance Factory's Circle Pines and Forest Lake locations. Professionally, Kristen has a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Criminology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and has worked in the non-profit field for about 10 years. In her personal life, she enjoys spending time with her husband Mike, and her daughter Isis Elinora, who was born on September 5, 2008.

Recreational Instructor since 2009 -- Circle Pines Instructor

Sara has been dancing since a very young age. She went into the competitive level at age 6, competing regionally and nationally until graduating from high school. She was an assistant teacher at age 12 and became an instructor after high school in 1996. She was a member of the Centennial High School dance line during High School.  Sara has taught both recreational and competitive levels to all ages. She is trained in tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, musical theatre, and lyrical. Sara currently lives in White Bear Lake with her husband Corey, her son and daughter, and 2 stepdaughters.

Erin Liebhard
Erinn is a Twin Cities-based dance artist with a focus in jazz and rhythm-driven dance forms. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a A BFA in Dance in 2007. She is the co-founder and Co-Artistic Director of Rhythmically Speaking, a jazz and rhythm-driven dance supporting and presenting organization, and her choreographic work has been seen with the Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Alberta Dance Explosions in Calgary, Canada, Patrick’s Cabaret, the Bryant Lake Bowl, the Ritz Theater, various K-12 educational institutions, and in independently produced shows at the Red Eye and Lowry Lab Theaters. She is a company member of the Eclectic Edge Ensemble and the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, and frequently performs in pick-up projects with the likes of St. Paul City Ballet, Karla Grotting, Judith James Ries, Lisa Conlin/ Ballet of the Dolls, Off-Leash Area Contemporary Performance Works, Kaleena Miller, Zoe Sealy, Jeffrey Peterson and Jennifer Glaws’ Jagged Moves. She has also performed the work of the Pat Graney Company of Seattle, and Decidely Jazz Danceworks of Calgary, Canada, where she lived for a year, training and performing. Erinn loves teaching as an opportunity to contribute to youth development and to pass along dance ideas that have inspired her, and enjoys teaching both at the Dance Factory and as a regular substitute for the University of Minnesota and Gustavus Adolphus College Dance Programs.

Heather Annis
Heather has been dancing for 19 years and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in dance. She is currently performing with and serves on the board for Eclectic Edge Ensemble, a local jazz company. Heather has worked with many choreographers and teachers, and recently performed "Escargot" choreographed by Louis Falco and restaged by Alan Sener in the University's fall show "Dance Revolutions". She has also performed pieces by Paula Mann, Karla Grotting, and Linda Talcott-Lee. Apart from performing, she has choreographed her own work that shown at the midnight cabaret BALLS hosted at the Southern Theater. This will be Heather's first year teaching at The Dance Factory. When Heather is not dancing she enjoys spending time with her husband Joey and Family.

Jennifer Mack
Jennifer Mack began her training at Rochester Ballet School and Janet Lang Dance Studio of Rochester, MN. She also spent summers at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Steps & Broadway Dance Center of NYC. She then graduated Magma Cum Laude with a B.A. in Dance and a B.S. in Arts Management from UW-Stevens Point.

Currently, she is a member of St. Paul City Ballet where last season she danced the 'Descent' solo from Air, Lilac Fairy from Sleeping Beauty and the Act 1 variation from Raymonda. Previously, she spent six seasons with Continental Ballet performing principle & soloist roles in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker and corps in Rodeo, Paquita, and other new works.  She's also spent time performing in Montreal, Hungary, Ireland, Denver & Minneapolis as a guest artist with: Debra Jinza-Thayer's Movement Architecture, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Kari Jensen's Moving Arts Ensemble, Kim Robbards Dance Company, Offleash Area's The Jury, Rainy Day Cabaret, Ray Terrill & Dancers, Rosy Simas Dance Project, Spandrel, Vox Medusa Dance Company and for choreographers: Joseph Bingham, Kelly Rademacher, Anna Resele, Dawn Strom, Sharon Varosh, Vanessa Voskuil, and Cathy Wright.

Her own choreography has appeared on various stages in MN & WI including: Bryant Lake Bowl, Bloomington Art Center, Mayo Civic Center, Patrick's Cabaret, Phipps Center for the Arts, and the Southern Theater. She's also done work with dance performances in collaboration with local musicians, 'Ada Jane' and Ben Siems.

This year she will be teaching not only at Dance Factory, but also at Janet Lang Dance Studio in Rochester, MN and South Metro School of Dance in Lakeville. Previously she worked as the Assistant to the Director for Rochester Dance Company, taught at Allegro School of Dance, TonkaDance Works, Short Dance and interned for the Shubert Theater now known as the Cowles Center for Dance.

Kayla Moore

Kayla Moore was a student at The Dance Factory for ten years.  She joined competitive dance when she was twelve years old.  Kayla was also on the dance team in high school.  She has three younger sisters who are in competitive dance at the studio.  She graduated last year from Forest Lake High School and is now attending college.  Kayla has six years experience of being a dance assistant.  This is her first year as a co-teacher.  She is a nanny in the summer for a part time job.  Kayla enjoys spending time with her family, the outdoors, and shopping.

Alexandra Owings - Bellydance Instructor

Heidi Leeson - Vocal teacher

Heidi Leeson has been a voice teacher at the Music Connection in Forest Lake for several years.  She has sung locally with Forest Lake’s Masquers Theatre Company in such roles as Maria in The Sound of Music and The Wardrobe in Beauty and the Beast, and was the children’s vocal director for Masquers’ Oliver! and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Heidi holds several degrees in vocal performance: a Bachelor of Music from The University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana, Illinois), a Master’s of Music from Ohio University (Athens, Ohio) and a Doctor of Musical Arts from The University of Texas at Austin.  She is also a licensed K-12 music teacher and substitute teacher in the Forest Lake and Centennial districts.  In addition to extensive college and community theater performance experience, Heidi has sung professionally with The Ohio Light Opera, North Star Opera and toured as a featured singer with Tony Sandler. 

2010-11 Teaching Staff

Our 2010-11 assistant teachers: