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 five years and they are the current 3A State Drill Team Champions. Nicole worked as the dance teacher at Cedar High School for four years where she taught Social Dance, Dance I, and Dance Conditioning.
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 eleven 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!
Elisha Church
Elisha’s dance education started at the age of three; in ballet, tap, and jazz. At age seven, she began taking gymnastics. At age 15 she began studying and performing in theater arts. With her involvement in drama and theater she gained experience in and a love for Broadway style choreography and dancing. Elisha placed 2nd in the state drama competition. Elisha was a member of the American Fork High School Color Guard, as part of the flag/dance corps. As a member of the color guard she was able to gain further training in ballet under the direction of Kellie Benson (former Ballerina with Ballet West) The AFHS color guard competed nationally. As a member of the AFHS Color Guard Elisha had the opportunity to perform at the Rose Bowl Parade, the 2002 winter Olympic bids, Disneyland, and Stadium of Fire. Elisha was flag captain her senior year. She was awarded the Spirit Award her senior year and placed 3rd in state solo/duet competition.
Elisha was offered a leadership scholarship at SUU, a theater scholarship at USU, and a dance scholarship at Snow College. She attended Snow College for her 1st year of college as a dance major. She was selected as the student choreographer for the spring dance concert. Elisha completed her education at SUU, earning a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition. She was awarded a scholarship in nutrition, as well as a scholarship from the Miss SUU organization as an attendant to Miss SUU. She completed all upper division ballet and modern dance classes under the direction of Gwen Grimes, Shauna Mendini, Kay Andersen, and Paul Ocampo. Elisha performed in the student and faculty dance concerts at SUU. After graduating from SUU, Elisha attended the University of Utah to complete upper division chemistry courses for graduate school. There she was able to study ballet with teachers from the University of Utah, Ballet Utah, and Ballet West.
Elisha began dancing with Cedar City Junior Ballet in 2003, and continues to perform with CCJB. She has performed the leading role of Swanhilda in Coppelia, lead role in Skaters, Bluebird and Fairy of Song in Sleeping Beauty, and Fairy of Summer & Autumn in Cinderella. She continues her dance education by taking ballet technique classes and attending dance seminars and conferences.
Elisha started teaching ballet in 2003 at Premier Dance Studio in Beaver Utah, under the direction of Amanda Riley. She taught all of the ballet technique classes there. Elisha has been teaching at The Ballet School since 2007. She loves working with the youth and being able to share her passion for ballet/dance/performing. Her goals as a teacher are to build self-confidence in her students, to instill the qualities of dedication, hard work, and commitment in her students, to develop an appreciation for the arts, to help her students recognize and reach their potential as dancers and performers.
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!
Victoria Heaton
Bio Coming Soon!
Quick Bio: Victoria (Tori) is a Dance Major at SUU. She loves dancing and choreographing! She has trained in jazz, ballet, modern, and hip hop. She recently married her Prince Charming! She is a creative teacher, always thinking of fun ways to connect with her students. She LOVES working with young children and is excited to share her passion for dance with your dancer! This is her third season teaching at Dance Magic!
Cashly Curtis
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!
Shambree Pace
Shambree started dancing when she was 3 years old and has been in love with it ever since! She has 15+ years of training in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop. She was a four-year member of her high school drill team where she was a captain her senior year and helped her team place in the top 4 at state in the 3A classification. She also had the opportunity to dance in her high school’s dance company where they did many different performances throughout the year, including Shakespeare festivals, school assemblies, and seasonal recitals. She was awarded Academic All-State her senior year of high school and was also a member of the All-State drill team.
Shambree has had many different learning opportunities throughout her years of dancing including dancing with the New York City Dance Alliance, Ririe Woodbury Dance Company, and So You Think You Can Dance. She has performed solos and group numbers at Disneyland two different times, danced at a Real soccer game, and was able to perform in New York City in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She has also competed in many competitions over the years where she performed solos, duets, trios, and group numbers that all scored highly and placed well.
Shambree started teaching dance in her junior year of high school at her local dance studio. There she would help choreograph dances, teach the material and demonstrate proper technique to younger children. She is an assistant coach for the Canyon View Talons, who are currently 3A State Drill Team Champions. Shambree has been teaching dance for almost five years now, and is starting her second year at Dance Magic. She loves helping others find the same love and passion for dance that she has!
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!
Gracie Urban
Gracie is from Las Vegas, NV which is where she spent a majority of her life training in dance as well as dancing competitively. Gracie has competed in various styles of dance including ballet, lyrical, hip hop, musical theatre, contemporary, heels, and modern dance. She loves to not only perform but also teach dance. Gracie is currently studying Dance Education at Southern Utah University. Her goal is to one day dance professionally.
Addy Pace
Addy has been dancing since she could walk. She grew up going to Dance Magic and loved it more than anything in the world. Addy danced at the studio until she made the Canyon View High Drill Team. She was on Talons for 4 years and was the head captain her Junior and Senior year. Addy helped lead her team to the 3A State Championship title. During her high school years Addy made the 4A All State Drill Team and the 3A All State drill team along with winning Top Corp at Epics Drill Team Camp. During her time as head captain she discovered how much she loves helping other dancers. She is always working to get better and loves watching others grow as well. Addy is attending SUU this year and is on the SUU Track team. She is "very stoked" to be teaching at Dance Magic!
Natalya Cornelius
Natalya is so excited to start teaching at dance magic! She has been dancing since elementary school and has done gymnastics since she was 8. Natalya was on her drill team in high school as a member of the South Sevier Sensations. Her team was able to take State three times and she was able to learn so much from her coaches and teammates. She cannot wait to start teaching and get to continue her love for dance.