2026-2027 Dance Gallery Instructors
Jackie Pederson-Kriens (School Director, School Dance Instructor, DGYB Board Artistic Director)
A Diploma Fellow of the Cecchetti Council of America, Jackie currently serves as an Examiner for the CCA. She received a B.A. in both Elementary Education and Special Education from Augustana University (formerly Augustana College). In 2015, Jackie was awarded the Sylvia Hamer Scholarship to the U.K. to study the Cecchetti Method with the Cecchetti Society of England. She also received the Augustana College Alumni Achievement award in the area of Liberal Arts in 2013, and was nominated for the SHE Magazine Sioux Falls Woman of the Year.
Jackie is the owner and director of Dance Gallery. Jackie’s students have a strong history of winning scholarships to reputable dance training school. In 2024, three of Jackie’s Cecchetti students were selected to represent CCA in the International Cecchetti Competition (CICB). Former students are dancing with reputable dance companies and universities including Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet West, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, University of Utah, SUNY Purchase, SAB, ABT Summer School, Kansas City Ballet, Kate Simmons Dance (UK) Interlochen School for the Arts, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.
Ms. Nicole (Instructor, Competition Coordinator, DGYB Teacher & Board Member)
Nicole began dancing in Michigan at the age of three. She trained extensively throughout her school years and moved away from home to finish high school at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. Upon graduation, she danced as a trainee with Charlotte Ballet (North Carolina Dance Theatre) for two seasons and as a company member with Missouri Contemporary Ballet for five seasons. She has performed in several ballets, including Carmina Burana, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Cinderella. Nicole also has extensive teaching and choreographic experience, and has choreographed several pieces which have placed at Youth America Grand Prix and various other local competitions.
Nicole has been teaching at Dance Gallery since 2020 and greatly enjoys every moment and opportunity she has at the studio. She teaches classes for the Dance Gallery Youth Ballet, choreographs for DGYB productions and the Dance Gallery Youth Competition team, and she is also Treasurer for the DGYB Board of Directors. She also teaches Cecchetti and has passed her Cecchetti teacher’s exams for grades I - III. Her corporate job is as a financial analyst at Lloyd Companies, which is a multifaceted development firm. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and being outdoors.
Ms. Cristin (School Dance Instructor, DGYB Instructor)
Cristin began her dance training when she was 6 years old at South Dakota School of Dance. Upon the school’s closing, she studied under the private instruction of Christine Kirk (eventually K Dance), along with attending many summer intensives including Ballet West. After college, she moved away for her work but continued attending classes in Detroit, MI and Chicago, IL.
This is Cristin’s 9th year teaching at Dance Gallery. She teaches classes for Dance Gallery Youth Ballet, Intermediate and Advanced Non-Syllabus Ballet, and both Pre-Pointe and Advanced Pointe.
When not teaching ballet, Cristin works as the manager of the Employee Service Center and Knowledge department for Sanford Health Human Resources. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and the six children they share together.
Ms. Linda (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Linda started taking dance classes when she was 7 years old at Johnny Cavelle Dance Studio in Aberdeen and dance has been a part of her life ever since. She trained in the Cecchetti method of Ballet, as well as Jazz and Tap. After graduating from Cavelle's Studio, she continued dancing at Northern State University as a part of the NSU Men's Basketball Dance Team. She also coached Aberdeen Central High School's color guard and while on staff, she had the opportunity to travel with them to area competitions and even to Orlando, FL.
While attending college, she also started teaching dance classes at the Aberdeen Recreation & Cultural Center. After moving to Sioux Falls, she joined the staff at Dance Gallery. She brings over 20 years of experience to her classroom and has even been a part of training some of the other teachers at Dance Gallery, guiding them during their student helper years. She has loved the art of dance since she was a young girl and is now so thankful for the opportunity to continue to share this love of dance with her students.
Ms. Amanda P (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Amanda discovered her passion for studying dance in high school, when she had the opportunity to take tap and jazz classes for the first time. She enrolled in ballet and tap in Dance Gallery’s adult program in the Fall of 2021, and knew instantly that she wanted to get more involved. Ms. Amanda is now an instructor in the Leap & Learn and Introduction to Tap programs at Dance Gallery. She loves helping the studio’s smallest students discover their own passion for dance, along with the unique perspective that parallel teaching and learning can provide.
Ms. Amanda is enrolled in the Cecchetti Ballet program at Dance Gallery and has completed the Grade II student exam, along with obtaining certification to teach the Leap & Learn curriculum. She also had the opportunity to participate in Dance Gallery’s 2023 production of The Nutcracker as a member of the party scene and the 2025 Nutcracker as Mrs. Stahlbaum and a member of the Spanish dance. Outside of the time spent teaching and taking classes with her Dance Gallery family, Ms. Amanda works as a full time project manager in the healthcare industry.
Ms. Jordan (Substitute Instructor)
Ms. Jordan started dancing at age 4 for Johnny Cavelle studio and transferred to the ARCC in 2002, where she continued through high school. After college, Jordan went back to teach at the ARCC where she taught: Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Broadway, and the “littles.” She is passionate about dance and inspiring students to channel their creativity in this art form.
Ms. Brooklyn (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Brooklyn has been dancing since she has been 2 years old. She has taken Non-syllabus, Cecchetti, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Musical Theater, Pointe, AcroDance, and Aerial Silks. Being a member of the Dance Gallery Youth Ballet Company has instilled a passion for performing on stage and teaching. Dance Gallery has not only made her a better dancer, but also a better person. Ms. Brooklyn loves working with younger dancers, and sharing her love for dance. Her favorite thing about teaching is watching them fall in love with it and making their moves unique. Ms. Brooklyn is so excited to get to know her students and help them become better dancers.
Ms. Leila (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Leila began dancing at the age of five with Mary Croughwell in Barnstable, MA. By the age of 10 she was studying ballet, tap and jazz from Marion Miller and Clara Koenig at the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music and Dance. At age 15 she participated in a summer ballet intensive taught by Edward Villella of the NYC ballet. Leila also participated in dance competitions and regional performances in the New England area throughout high school and was a student teacher for Ms Miller.
After high school she took a long hiatus from dance to earn her BSN in nursing from the University of Vermont. At UVM, she met her wonderful husband Steve with whom she shares a deep faith in God and four fantastic children ( three of whom have been Dance Gallery Students.) Stephen’s past career in the U.S Air Force had them living in San Antonio Texas, Fairbanks, Alaska and Okinawa Japan.
Ms. Leila and her family settled in South Dakota in 2011 and she is thrilled to have rekindled her love of dance and most especially ballet here at Dance Gallery. She has passed her Cecchetti 1 student exam and recently, her Cecchetti 1 teacher’s exam. Leila previously taught Creative Movement for 3 and 4 year olds. She finds so very much joy in dancing with her friends in the adult dance program and looks forward to teaching with the wonderful faculty here this year.
Ms. Becca (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Becca was born and raised in Pierre, South Dakota. She started dancing at the age of 8, training at Hosanna Dance. A couple of her favorite roles while dancing at Hosanna Dance were performing Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Sugarplum. Throughout her early years of training Ms. Becca passed Cecchetti student grades I-VII and completed her 1st CCA teacher’s grade. She is currently training for her Cecchetti Diploma Exam under the instruction of Ms. Jackie.
During high school Ms. Becca trained at summer intensives such as South Dakota Ballet, Ballet Magnificat, Ballet Austin, and Ballet 5:8. She competed at YAGP in San Francisco and was a Cecchetti International Classical Ballet Competition finalist in 2024.
After graduating high school she studied at Kate Simmons Dance in the United Kingdom for two years and graduated June 2026 with a diploma in dance performance presented by the Trinity College in London and a diploma in dance education presented by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. During her time in England she played roles such as a Lead Fairy in Midsummer Night’s Dream and also Giselle and Queen of the Willis in Giselle. She performed at places such as the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst for events; she also competed as a Grad Pro Finalist in Birmingham.
She has received awards such as Cyril Beaumont runner up, Most Promising Dancer, Most Promising Dancer in Classical Ballet, Choreography competition winner, and Spanish Dance commendation. Ms. Becca enjoys helping push students to their highest potential in a supportive environment, and she is thrilled to be teaching at Dance Gallery this year!
Ms. Lauren (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Lauren has been dancing at Dance Gallery for 14 years, and is thrilled to begin her first year of teaching! She was previously a student teacher for 2 years, before becoming a substitute teacher, and now a full teacher. Over the years, Ms. Lauren has tried many styles of dance, such as ballet, pointe, musical theater, and jazz, but tap has always been her absolute favorite. She is so excited to pass on her passion for tap to her students this year, and have fun in class!
Outside of dance, Ms. Lauren is a senior at Lincoln High School, where she is involved in Oral Interp, choir, and several clubs and organizations. She also works at a cookie store in town. In her free time, she loves to paint, walk her dog, and play piano. Ms. Lauren is so thankful for the opportunity to teach this year, and teach her students what joy dance can bring!
Ms. Norah (School Dance Instructor)
BIO COMING SOON
Ms. Aida (School Dance Instructor, DGYB Instructor, Competition)
Ms. Aida has been with Dance Gallery since she was 3 years old. During her time as a student, she took classes in Cecchetti, Non-Syllabus Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, and Musical Theatre. She also was a member of the Dance Gallery Youth Competition Team, Pre-Professional Youth Ballet, and performed in many roles such as Dew Drop Fairy in the Nutcracker and a Pointe Soloist in Peter and The Wolf. She was also a recipient of Dance Gallery’s Reverence award in 2021.
After graduating in 2022, she is now attending Augustana University, double majoring in Exercise Science and French with intentions to attend Physical Therapy school. As a teacher at Dance Gallery, she continues her love of dance through instructing classes in Contemporary, Modern, Cecchetti, and Non-Syllabus Ballet, as well as teaching and choreographing for the DGYC and DGYB.
Ms. Mary (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Mary is a dance performer, teacher, choreographer, and Licensed Massage Therapist. Mary’s movement style and choreography bridge her formal training and experimental interest. She has studied at Amsterdam University of the Arts and SUNY Purchase, where she graduated with a BFA in Modern Dance.
Mary has performed works by Anna Maria Lucaciu, Rosalind Newman, Ohad Naharin, Doug Varone, MICHIYAYA, Amos Ben Tal, Nicole Beutler, Petra Zanki, Elena Bajo, Michelle Thompson Ulerich, Elio Gervasi, and Leslie Parker. Mary has shown her own work at Green Space, Smush Gallery, Emerging Artists Theater, Momenta NYC, Pageant, and various pop-up outdoor locations. In 2023-2024, Mary danced with Spark Movement Collective for the company's final season. Mary has most recently performed a work by Leslie Parker at Judson Memorial Church in May of 2025. Additionally, Mary has performed and choreographed in Headlights Theater performances in South Dakota since their first season in 2021.
Ms. Brooke (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Brooke has been coming to Dance Gallery since she was 5 years old - dancing for 13 years, including jazz, contemporary, tap, ballet, pointe, hip hop and show productions. She student-taught since the moment she could, and now she is on her third year teaching! Before her senior year of high school Ms. Brooke was accepted into Joffrey Ballet’s tap summer intensive, and she got to immerse herself in 8 hours of tap daily for over a week. She learned so much and built up skills and strength to continue for her last year as a student.
Ms. Brooke mainly focus on teaching tap, as she did competition for tap, as well as contemporary. She loves teaching all ages and recently got to enjoy the start of teaching adults. Ms. Brooke says all she needs is an hour a week with dancers and it makes he day, so she will keep striving to teach and create new goals for students, instilling passion and excitement to get better, as tap and all movement is such a blessing to be able to do with our bodies. Ms. Brooke has had such fantastic mentors and instructors over the years, and she wants to continue what greatness they showed her.
Ms. Elena (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Elena has always had a love for dance. She started taking classes at Dance Gallery at the young age of 2. As a student, Ms. Elena took classes in Non-Syllabus, Contemporary, Modern, Musical Theatre, Jazz, Acro, and Hip-Hop, and even passed Cecchetti levels I through VII. She was also a member of Dance Gallery Youth Ballet and the Dance Gallery Competition Team. Ms. Elena was in many of the Dance Gallery performances and loved every second of performing. She danced roles such as Clara in the Nutcracker and Swanhilda in Coppelia. Ms. Elena was awarded the 2024-2025 Reverence Award. She started student teaching when she was in 6th grade. She loves working with dancers and finds so much joy in teaching them. Ms. Elena is so excited to go into her third year of teaching her own classes at Dance Gallery!
Outside of dance, Ms. Elena is currently a sophomore at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. She is majoring in Kinesiology and Sports Management with a focus in Exercise Science. After graduating from undergraduate school, she plans to attend graduate school to get her Doctorate in physical therapy. She can’t wait to meet all of her dance students!
Ms. Paloma (School Dance Instructor)
Growing up, Ms Paloma always dreamed of joining ballet, but there were no classes offered in her community. She has many sweet memories of dancing with her sisters in their parents’ kitchen! Then in 2022, Ms Paloma joined the Dance Gallery’s Beginners Adult Class. From the first class, she loved it, and was very excited to be following her dream of being a dancer! In 2023 Ms Paloma enrolled in the Cecchetti Ballet program at the Dance Gallery and has completed grades 1 and 2. She looks forward to continuing her dance journey.
Ms Paloma has worked teaching Special Education for the past five years and is excited to bring her love of teaching to the Dance Gallery. Ms Paloma began as a teaching helper for a Leap N Learn class and has now completed the certification to become a Leap N Learn instructor. She feels so blessed to have this opportunity to teach kids about dance!
Ms. Isabella (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Isabella has been dancing since she was 3 years old! She found her forever dance home at Dance Gallery her Freshman year of high school. As a student, she took classes in Non-Syllabus, Pointe, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, and danced in DGYB’s production of Coppelia. Her favorite class to take was either modern or contemporary. This is Ms. Isabella’s first year teaching at Dance Gallery and she couldn’t be more excited!
Outside of dance Ms. Isabella is a full time student at the University of South Dakota. She has a major in secondary history education and a double minor in political science and English language learners education. She is also heavily involved in many organizations at USD, with lots of her time dedicated to being the chair of student life and wellbeing for USD’s student government. Ms. Isabella is so excited to teach and can’t wait to get to meet all of her students!
Ms. Regan (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Regan has been dancing with Dance Gallery for 14 years and part of the Dance Gallery Youth Ballet for seven years. She has been a student teacher and helper for three years and is very excited to teach this year!! She has taken many classes such as jazz, tap, contemporary, hip hop, pointe, musical theater and last but not least ballet, which is her favorite. She is very thrilled to have the opportunity to teach others the joy of dance and to get to know her dancers.
Ms. Regan is a senior at Lincoln High School who is involved in some school activities. She is in National Honors Society and Spanish Immersion. In her free time she enjoys reading, painting, and playing piano. She is very thrilled to meet her students and plans to bring a lot of fun, joy and creativity in her classes!
Ms. Katelyn (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Katelyn started taking ballet at the age of 3 at The Dance Studio in Sheldon, IA. She quickly fell in love with movement and music, and she took ballet, tap, jazz, and tumbling for the next four years at The Dance Academy in Worthington, MN. She returned to The Dance Studio in Sheldon, and continued studying ballet, tap, jazz, and tumbling. Later she began studying pointe, lyrical, contemporary, and modern. In high school, Katelyn was a member of the dance team, was involved in band, color guard, choir, show choir, and cheerleading. Her sophomore year of high school, Katelyn was invited to be a part of Sheldon’s first performance company and later taught pre ballet, ballet, and tap classes there from 2016-2018.
After graduating high school, Katelyn worked at Inspiration Hills Camp and Retreat Center as a camp counselor for two summers, where she met her husband, Derek. Katelyn is taking online classes, studying for a degree in ministry. She is passionate about sharing her faith through dance and is also excited to be teaching some Leap-N-Learn classes! She hopes to inspire and encourage young dancers in their own dreams and passions, as well as reach non dancers through the pieces she writes.
Ms. Ava M (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Ava was a student at Dance Gallery for 15 years, taking classes such as Cecchetti (to Advanced VII), Non-Syllabus Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Jazz, and Musical Theater. She was also a part of the Dance Gallery Youth Ballet company until she graduated this past spring. This year is Ms. Ava's first year as a full time teacher! Her passion for dance is what drives her to teach and encourage others to dance. Outside of the studio, Ms. Ava is going to school for nursing at Southeast Technical College and enjoys learning new things.
Ms. Sierra (School Dance Instructor, Day Program Teacher)
Ms. Sierra is in her senior year and has been taking classes at Dance Gallery since she was 3 years old. She loves sharing her joy for dance with everyone there and is excited to be teaching this year. She has experienced every style Dance Gallery offers along with acro and silks.
Along with the classes Sierra is taking this year, she is also part of Dance Gallery's Youth Ballet pre-professional ballet company and Dance Gallery's Competition Team. In her free time she enjoys working with dogs at SDK, going on hikes, reading, and playing other sports.
Ms. Maiah (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Maiah began dancing when she was four years old at Core Kinetics Dance Studio (eventually Pivotal Joy Dance) in Milbank, South Dakota. During her time at Core Kinetics, she was trained in Ballet (Cecchetti), Tap, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Pointe, Non-Syllabus Ballet, and Contemporary. Maiah passed Cecchetti Grades I and II, which was as far as her small-town studio went, but she continued to study Cecchetti for the rest of high school and throughout college. Ms. Maiah graduated from South Dakota State University in May 2026 with her bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Dance and Music emphasis. With dance being her main area of study, she took extensive technique classes in all styles and added Modern Dance to her repertoire. She also completed courses in Techniques of Teaching Dance, Creative Movement for Children, Dance Fundamentals, Movement Theory, Dance for Musical Theatre, Composition and Choreography, and Multicultural Dance.
Studying at SDSU gave Maiah daily opportunities to combine her love of dance, music, and theatre. She grew as a person, student, and teacher while expanding her skill set and deepening her love of performing. Her collegiate performance credits include six State University Dance shows, three musicals, a summer with Prairie Repertory Theatre, two Madrigal dinners, and SDSU Philanthropy events. Maiah’s choreography credits include Freaky Friday: The Musical and Hello, Dolly! for Brookings High School, a high school show choir, four pieces for State University Dance shows, three years of SDSU Concert Choir events for the SDSU Foundation, movement workshops for high schoolers, and professional audition phrases for her peers.
Maiah is excited to keep creating and growing as she brings her high energy, musicality, and expressive movement to class. Dancing has always made Maiah feel alive and like the truest form of herself, and she wants nothing more than to share that feeling with her students.
Ms. Grace (School Dance Instructor)
BIO COMING SOON
Ms. Chloe(School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Chloe danced at Dance Gallery from when she was around 7 years old, until she graduated highschool. She performed in many ballet performances, countless recitals, and has completed her Checcetti education through Grade IV. She helped with classes in the Student Teacher program for 4 years, and this will be her 4th year teaching.
She took a year off to go to Southeast Technical College for their Licensed Practical Nursing program, and is excited to be back teaching again this year. She will be working as a nurse as well as continuing her nursing education through Southeast Tech throughout the upcoming school year. Ms. Chloe's favorite dance styles are ballet and liturgical, and her favorite part about teaching is seeing students grow in confidence throughout the dance year.
Ms. Josie (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Josie started dancing when she was three years old and has been student-teaching for five years. This is her first year teaching officially, and she cannot wait to start. Ms. Josie loves all kinds of dance, but some favorites are Liturgical, Ballet, Musical Theater, and Contemporary. She cannot wait to spread the joy of dancing and is excited to see what this year brings.
Ms. Josie is going to be a senior this year and has been homeschooled since 1st grade. She is an American Heritage Girl Patriot as well as a choir member at Dell Rapids High School. She loves all kinds of music and art, and loves to be outside. She also loves to read and journal in her free time. Ms. Josie is planning on taking a gap year when she graduates high school and plans to pursue Early Childhood Education. She can't wait to meet you all!