choreographer bios

Stephanie Knudson- Artistic Director
Stephanie started her career in Kankakee, IL under the direction of Paula Aubry. She received her bachelor's degree in dance from the University of Idaho and a master's degree in Therapeutic Recreation, with an emphasis in Dance Therapy, from the University of Florida. She has worked professionally as an apprentice with the American Festival Ballet of Boise, The Dance Company of Gainsville Fl., Walt Disney World as a Kid of the Kingdom, and a Miami Heat Dancer. Besides being the Ballet Director at East County Performing Arts Center and the Artistic Director for Brentwood Children's Ballet Theater, she has taught at the University of Idaho, University of Florida, Academy of Dance, Miami Fl., Academy of Arts in Orlando Fl., Conservatory of Ballet in Phoenix, AZ and Diablo Valley Community College. Stephanie is the mother of 4 girls and wife to her enterprising, ultimate coupon clipping husband!

Kathryn Lopez
Kathryn is a Bay Area native with roots in California's traditional training of jazz and ballet as well as American clogging, having also participated on a jazz/lyrical competition team. Kathryn went on to study modern and ballet at U.C. Davis. She has also studied dance at Brigham Young University. Kathryn currently choreographs for and performs with a local modern dance company where she also serves on the Board. She has three children and a very supportive husband.

Nina Koch
Nina Koch has been sharing her love of dance with her students for over 20 years and  is the owner of East County Performing Arts Center in Brentwood and Antioch. Nina grew up dancing in San Jose and attended San Jose State University as a Dance Major. She has taught at many different studios across the Bay Area and before moving out to Brentwood in 2000 she served as Artistic/Studio Director of Lauri Gray’s School of Dance in San Jose . Nina has been acknowledged by Dance Teacher Magazine, Dance Magazine and Dance Studio Life Magazine as a successful teacher and studio owner. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her 2 children and husband. 

Kristi Ortiz 
Kristi received her dance training at local dance studios and national conventions with with an emphasis in jazz dance. She furthered her dance education at Cal State Long Beach studying modern, ballet and jazz while performing with the Cal State Long Beach Dance Company. She has taught dance for many years and continues to teach as part of the faculty at East County Performing Arts Center.  Kristie is married and a mother of 4.

Rebecca Kimbrell 
Rebecca has been a member of the dance world for over 18 years. She began her training in gymnastics at four and a half and by six was an accomplished competitor. Rebecca began dancing in 1993 with the Bre Dance Theater's training program. During her training she participated in master classes with such dance masters as Matthew Rushing of the Alvin Alley Dance company, Winifred Harris, Debbie Allen, Abron Glover and the cast of Fosse along with being accepted into summer programs at Alvin Alley, The Joffery Ballet and Jacobs Pillow. At 17 she began to dance with the Bre Dance Theater's first company and worked on many of their premier repertoire pieces. Throughout high school and college Rebecca worked to train many students in ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance throughout the Inland Empire. Rebecca graduated from the University of California Riverside in 2007 with a Bachelors in History. After college she began working with the San Gorgonio Ballet as a principle dancer in the original Ballet Charlie Chaplin and a performance showcasing some of her own original choreography most notably a piece called “Una Palabra.” Rebecca moved to the bay area in 2008 where she continued to build dance education in students of all ages. In 2010 she completed her master's degree in secondary education, which was shortly followed by the birth of her first son. Rebecca is now part of the East County Performing Arts teaching staff where she looks forward to working with students who are eager to learn from her experiences.   

Shelby Weis 
Originally from Omaha, Nebraska Shelby began her dance training at the age of three. Shelby studied at the school of Ballet Omaha and Omaha Theatre Dance under the direction of Robin Welch. While at Omaha Theatre dance she performed in Coppelia, The Nutcracker, The Firebird, Cinderella, and The Music Man. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in modern dance performance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. While at UARTS, Shelby assisted in the reconstruction of Martha Graham 1936 work "Steps In the Street". Shelby has taken classes from numerous dance masters including Mia Michaels, Finis Jung, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Donald Byrd, Robert Vickery, and Joyce Herring. Shelby has performed professionally with Brian Sander's JUNK, the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and the Omaha Modern Dance Collective. Before moving to the Bay Area in 2009, Shelby taught and choreographed for The Broadway Connection, the Omaha Theatre Company for Young People's Mindspaces outreach program, as well as the Papillion- LaVista High School Show Choir. Shelby began teaching for East County Performing Arts Center and Brentwood Children's Ballet Theatre in 2010