Meet Our Staff
Nicole Mikkelson
Nicole is originally from Sandy Utah. She graduated from Southern Utah University majoring in Dance Education and minoring in Health Education. Nicole spent her college years dancing, choreographing, and directing the Southern Utah University Dance Team for five years. Nicole has been the head drill team coach at Canyon View High School for six years and they are the current 3A back to back to back State Drill Team Champions. Nicole worked as the dance teacher at Cedar High School for four years and is the current Co Director and choreographer of the Utah Summer Games Dancers.
Nicole began dancing and doing gymnastics at three years old. She trained at Janet Grays Dance Studio, Linda Fentons Dance Studio, and trained as a level 8 gymnast at Olympus Gymnastics. Nicole has been teaching dance/tumbling for twelve years and has been trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, hip hop, kick, military, tumbling, and improve. She had the opportunity to perform in the Ballet West Nutcracker for two years and was also a member of the Hillcrest High School Drill Team. She was a captain her Junior and Senior year and helped her team place in the top two in the State 5A Classification.
She has choreographed several award-winning solos, duets, and team dances with Dance Magic and with The Canyon View Talons. Nicole was nominated as drill team coach of the year in 2020. She enjoys sharing her love and passion of dance and hopes to instill the same love, passion, and confidence with other dancers.
Nicole has loved her new roll as Owner and Director of Dance Magic. She loves the dancers and staff that make the studio such and enjoyable and safe place to be!
Alexandria Staheli
Alex has been dancing for 20+ years. She is trained in tap, ballet, jazz, modern, and contemporary. She was a four-year member of her high school drill team and was also a member of the Orchesis Dance Company. She was awarded Academic All-State and was named to the All-State Drill team. Alex has had many leadership opportunities; she had the honor to serve as Drill Mistress and Dance Company President during her senior year of high school. She was named the Regional Sterling Scholar for 2009. She has had the opportunity to dance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Stadium of Fire.
Alex has been involved with Cinderella Scholarship Program since a very young age and has won many dance awards within the program. She recently place in the Top 5 at the International Cinderella Pageant. She won Talent of the Year at America’s Amateur Modeling and Talent Competition. Alex served as 2nd Attendant to Miss Richfield in 2010. She has won many first place and queen positions at various dance competitions, as well as solo high point awards on state and national levels. Alex has been choreographing groups, duets and solos for many years. She has worked with teachers from New York City Dance Alliance and Odyssey Dance Theatre.
Alex graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in Dance Education. She has performed in the SUU Student and Faculty Dance Concerts and had the opportunity to spend a summer in China working with a professional dance company. She was one of a few select students invited to work with Ririe Woodbury Dance Company in presenting the works of Alwin Nikolais and performed at Hunter College in New York City in April 2011. She has danced as the lead role in Cedar City Junior Ballet's production as both Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Alex also serves as a BDT instructor for dance and drill team camps.
Alex has been teaching dance for ten years, and has been a teacher at Dance Magic for 14 years. She also teaches dance classes at Southern Utah University and is an Assistant Drill Team Coach. She loves dancing and teaching. Alex hopes to share her knowledge and love for dance with your kids!
Ashley Jackson
Ashley has been in love with dancing and performing since the age of three. At that young age, she began lessons in ballet, gymnastics and clogging, which she continued throughout high school. She did six years of ballet training at Westside Studio in St. George, where she was awarded the Most Improved Dancer for advancing to pointe within her first year. While with Westside Studio, she traveled to Chicago to attend the National Association of Dance Masters in 2000 and 2001.
While attending high school in Kanab, Utah, she was a four-year member of The Larriettes drill team. While on the drill team, she helped with choreography for team dances, junior drill team performances and solo dances. She was elected to be the Drill Mistress and President of the drill team her senior year. She was named to the All-State Drill Team for 2002. She was the Dance Sterling Scholar for her high school that same year. She also competed in many individual competitions, receiving many awards.
After high school, Ashley went on to school at Southern Utah University where she was a member of the Waukeenyans, SUU’s premier drill team. She later attended school at Southern Virginia University where she was a cheerleader and assisted in choreography for sideline and half-time dances.
Ashley graduated from SUU in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. This is Ashley's tenth season at Dance Magic. She loves sharing her passion for dance and loves working as our Office Manager. She believes that dance is a wonderful way for young people to learn discipline, build self-esteem and self confidence.
Jessica Ruiz
Bio Coming Soon!
Quick Bio: Jessica moved here from California a few years ago where she taught for 16 years at Los Olivos Dance Gallery. Jessica has a passion for Hip Hop, Tap, and Musical Theatre. She brightens up a room with her fun energy and she has quickly become a Dance Magic favorite! If you ask a dancer which class is their favorite, they will almost always say, "Hip Hop with Miss Jessica!" Jessica is excited to be back for her fifth season at Dance Magic!
Colby Leavitt
Colby has loved dancing since she could walk! Dance has always been a great passion of hers. She began dancing at Dance Dynamics when she was 10 years old. She danced there for three years and then started dancing for Dance Magic.
Colby dances as a competitive dancer on Majestic 1 and Premier teams. In High School, Colby danced for the Cedar High School Mohey Tawa Drill Team. Colby danced on Mohey Tawa for two years. She also was a CHS Cheerleader.
Colby has been trained in Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Kick, Novelty, Character, Cheerleading, and Tumbling.
Colby attended Southern Utah University. Colby taught dance, cheerleading, and tumbling at Dance Magic until a move took her away. For the past several years, she has had the opportunity to teach dance and cheerleading in California. It was an experience she enjoyed very much!
Colby loves working with the girls at the studio and encouraging them to do and BE their best! To her, it's more than making a good dancer or a good routine; she believes dancing to be a confidence-builder that could change a child's life. Because of dancing, Colby has been able to achieve many wonderful things and be confident in everything she does.
Colby is the mom to two wonderful children. She is excited to be at Dance Magic (the place she calls home!), teaching such fantastic students!
Cashly Johnson
Cashly started dancing at Dance Magic when she was three years old and continued her training there for 15 years. She enjoyed making new friends at dance and learning how to be the best dancer and person that she could be. Through her years attending dance classes, Cashly was trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, hip-hop, tumbling, and pointe. She loved being on ballet and competition teams with her friends as well as learning several solos which she performed and competed to earn multiple Queen and High Gold awards.
Cashly had the opportunity to be an Assistant Teacher for young dancers at Dance Magic for two years as well as work as a substitute teacher for a variety of classes. Cashly enjoys getting to know her students and watching their knowledge, confidence, and abilities grow through their education in dance.
During high school, Cashly was a member of the Canyon View Talons Drill Team for four years and served as the team’s Head Captain for her Junior and Senior years. She loved being part of such a dedicated group of girls and enjoyed leading them in warm ups, choreographing their parade and co-ed dances, and perfecting their competition routines. Cashly was awarded All-Region twice and was placed as a member of the All-State team during her Senior year. While on the drill team, she continued her training in tumbling, jazz, lyrical, ballet, and pointe at Dance Magic.
Cashly is recently married and is a student at SUU. Alongside her technical dance abilities, Cashly gained qualities like confidence, preparedness, and respect from her dance training and she hopes to instill life lessons like these while teaching dance. Cashly is so happy to dance with such amazing teachers and students at Dance Magic and is looking forward to another spectacular season!
Kristena Hunsaker
Kristena was raised on a farm in Price Utah with three older brothers. She graduated with honors from Carbon High School where she performed with the Dino Dynamics. On drill team she choreographed and led as drill mistress.
Kristena danced at a young age and performed various rolls in the Nutcracker through CEU’s Repertory Ensemble including Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy. She danced for Cedar City’s civic ballet company, and later returned to Price and assisted in starting the Castle Valley Civic Ballet company that performs the nutcracker each year. She has taught dance and ballet for 13 years previously taught at Encore in Price, Dance Magic in Cedar City, and most recently Spot On in Roosevelt where she wrote and directed their production the Polar Express.
She graduated with her degree in nursing 11 years ago and works as an Emergency room nurse.
She has three beautiful daughters Mckinley, Brielle, and Melody. She is grateful for the opportunity to move back to Cedar City for her husband Regan’s job as Sports Information Athletic Director at SUU. She is excited to return to dance magic and introduce young dancers to ballet!
Emilee Adams
My name is Emilee Adams and I was born and raised in cedar city. I started dancing at 3 years old. I was on my high school drill team and served as President my Senior year. My 4th year on the team I made the all state team, received academic all region, and we won the state championship in the 3A division. I am currently attending Evans Hairstyling College to get my license in cosmetology! I have always loved dancing and I am so excited to be back at dance magic teaching!
Emilee is the new assistant coach for the Parowan Drill Team!
Kristen Briggs
Kristin Chamberlain Briggs has been singing and dancing most of her life. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Utah University in Music Education with a minor in dance and a Masters Degree in Voice Performance from Arizona State University. She has been teaching voice, choir, and a variety of music classes at the collegiate level for 10 years.Kristin and her husband, Andrew, were the founding and artistic directors of the Mesa Children Choir. They currently direct and produce, "Music Makers" a musical theater summer camp for children.Some of Kristins favorite roles include The Narrator in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" Anna in "The King and I" and Millie in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"
Kristin was a featured Soloist with orchestras in Utah, Arizona, Texas. She most recently
performed with the Lone Star Lyric in Houston Texas. Cabaret style shows including
"Summer Nights" & "Holiday Spectacle". Kristin was a featured soloist with the Kingwood Chorale and West Lake Houston Musical Society. Kristin has been a certified drill team judge and has adjudicated solo voice and ensemble competitions. She has taught ballet, jazz, tap, & Zumba classes.Currently she lives in Cedar City and teaches at Southern Utah University. She has a wonderfulhusband and 6 beautiful children who are active in school, sports, music, theater, and dance.
Sarrah Keyes
My name is Sarrah Keyes and I am excited to get started teaching cheer at Dance Magic!! I was raised right here in Cedar City! We moved to Wyoming and lived there for about 10 years and we moved back to Cedar 4 years ago. I am so happy to be back! I have coached cheer both recreational and High School. I have attended the most awesome clinics and camps that out wonderful state has to offer. My husband coaches baseball for CVHS and we have 5 adventurous kids that love all the sports. I am bringing a passion for cheerleading and a love for working with children to Dance Magic. I love to watch children grow, learn, and become more confident, while they also fall in love with the sport, like I have.
Sarrah is the new Canyon View Cheer Head Coach!
