Meet our Directors & Staff
Taya is a KU Alumni. She attended Tucson High School, and then Pima Community College. What she enjoys most about teaching is sharing something that she loves with children because they just take everything and make it better and more magical. Her favorite style of dance is Jazz because she loves the music and the freeness of expression it allows. Taya’s favorite thing about being on stage is being whoever you want to be and making other people smile, laugh, or cry. She has been performing for 27 years! A fun fact about Taya is that she is really good at math.
Keagin is a Junior at Flowing Wells High School. She is one of KU’s Mentor Teachers, and has been performing for 13 years. What Keagin enjoys most about teaching is watching the kids have fun and make memories. Her favorite dance style is Jazz because it is what she grew up doing and she loves how unique the style is. Her favorite thing about being on stage is just having fun with her friends and making memories on stage.
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Jessica is a KU Alumni. She recently graduated from the University of Arizona. What she loves about teaching is watching her students improve their technical skills throughout the semester. Jessica’s favorite dance style is Jazz because it allows the dancers to begin to understand the foundations and techniques of dance that help lead to more “free” styles of dance such as lyrical. Jessica has been performing for 18 years! Her favorite thing about being on stage is the bonding, teamwork, and dedication that is required to make it to the stage. Jessica doesn’t only teach dance, she also teaches boxing classes at a local gym!
Jaela is an 8th grader at Leman Academy of Excellence. She is one of KU’s mentor teachers and has been performing for 8 years. What Jaela enjoys most about teaching is that she can be someone her students can trust. Her favorite dance style is Ballet because there is structure and it is basically the root of all other styles. Her favorite thing about being on stage is seeing the joy it brings people when she performs.
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Kaitlyn is originally from Sycamore, Ohio. She earned her BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design, and her MFA from the University of Arizona. What she enjoys most about teaching is the sense of accomplishment and pure joy when a student correctly completes a new movement for the first time. Kaitlyn’s favorite style of dance is Ballet because she loves the challenge of there being a right and a wrong way of doing things. It is the foundation of every other form of dance. Kaitlyn has been performing her whole life! Her favorite thing about being on stage is forgetting everything else and connecting with both herself and the audience. Kaitlyn is also a professional artist whose work has been exhibited internationally. You can see two of her projects at the Tucson Museum of Art through October.
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Shannon is originally from Austin, Texas. She trained at Ballet Austin Academy until graduating Austin High School. After that she pursued her career in ballet by becoming a trainee with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, where she danced alongside the Company for 4 years. She then moved to Tucson to dance with Ballet Tucson for 4 seasons. What she enjoys most about teaching is getting to know the kids and being able to push them to better themselves! Seeing their surprised smiles when they do an extra turn, or leap higher than they thought they could… that’s what it’s about! Shannon’s favorite dance style is Ballet. She has been dancing for 30 years. Shannon’s secret talent is she is a good cook and baker!
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Jade is a Sophomore at Catalina Foothills High School. She is one of KU’s mentor teachers and has been performing for almost 10 years. What she enjoys most about teaching is the impact you can leave as a teacher. Jade hopes to pass down to her students what she has learned at KU. Her favorite dance style is Lyrical because of how freeing her precise the movements are. Her favorite thing about being on stage is everything! She believes that getting to be on a stage is a privilege and she is grateful to have been given the opportunity for so many years.
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Melodie is a Freshman at Ironwood Ridge High School. She is one of KU’s mentor teachers and has been performing for almost 11 years. What Melodie enjoys most about teaching is being able to build her students’ confidence on and off the stage. Her favorite dance style is Jazz because she feels like she can express herself the most. A fun fact about Melodie is that she spends a lot of her time in the ocean.
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Bailey is a KU Alumni. She is originally from Texas. She moved to Tucson when she was really young, so she is basically from Tucson. What she enjoys most about teaching is getting to help her students experience the joy and discipline it takes to perform and hone their craft. Her favorite dance style is Tap because she loves rhythms in music and you get to make your own when you tap. Bailey has been performing for 24 years! Her favorite thing about being on stage or performing, in general, is that she gets to make someone feel something for a brief moment in time. A fun fact about Bailey is that she considers herself "a huge nerd when it comes to all things behind the scenes with movies".
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Jaya was born in Bisbee, and moved to Tucson when she was 2 years old. She is a Freshman at Ironwood Ridge High School. Jaya is one of KU's mentor teachers and has been performing for 9 years. What she enjoys most about teaching is seeing her students grow and improve. Her favorite dance style is Jazz because you can do so much with it and it is so diverse. Jazz was Jaya's first dance class and she has been in love with jazz dancing ever since. Jaya's favorite thing about being on stage is interacting with and entertaining the audience. She loves the buzz and adrenaline that comes from performing.
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Brittni graduated from Flowing Wells High School in 2016. She is a KU Alumni! Brittni started KU when she was 5 and began teaching when she was 14. What she enjoys most about teaching is getting to be a role model for students and getting to watch them share their passion for performing! Her favorite dance style is Ballet because it is very structured and really helped her have great technique that she could use in other dance classes. Brittni has been performing for 20 years! Her favorite thing about being on stage is being on stage is getting to perform and watch the joy it can bring the audience. A fun fact about Brittni is she was once invited and attended a professional dance camp and got to dance alongside NFL cheerleaders and NBA dancers!
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Maya is a Junior at Tucson High School. Maya is one of KU's mentor teachers. What she enjoys most about teaching is being able to execute her ideas onto wonderful people. Her favorite dance style is Contemporary because of the different dimensions of self-expression, and the ability to venture into deep genres. Maya has been performing for 12 years! Her favorite thing about being on stage is being able to make other people happy!
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Helen is a KU alumni and a current student at the University of Arizona. What she enjoys most about teaching is watching her students perform after seeing how hard they have worked all semester. Helen’s favorite style of dance has always been Jazz because it’s so versatile. She has been performing for 12 years! Helen’s best memory of being on stage is singing in harmony with her friends.
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Faith is originally from Kansas, and moved to Tucson when she was 6 years old. She is a KU Alumni! She began KU when she was 9, and became a mentor teacher when she was 15 and has continued teaching after graduating high school. She is currently a student at Pima Community College. What Faith enjoys most about teaching is watching the kids grow with their performing skills. Her favorite style of dance is Jazz because it can have structure but also freedom. Her favorite thing about being on stage is performing alongside friends. A fun fact about Faith is she has flown a plane!
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Grace is originally from Wichita, KS. She attended Ironwood Ridge High School. Grace is a KU Alumni and was a member of the performing group for 8 years. She has been singing all her life. What she enjoys most about teaching is connecting with the kids and getting to be a part of helping them grow in their skills. Her favorite style of dance is Tap because it is a challenge and she feels like there is always more to learn. What she enjoys most about being on stage is getting to do something she loves with close friends.
A fun fact about Grace is she is a certified phlebotomist!
A fun fact about Grace is she is a certified phlebotomist!
