choreographer bios

Stephanie Knudson
I started my career in a little dance studio in Kankakee IL. My mentor and life long friend, Paula Aubry, taught everything I needed to know to be a good dance teacher. Treat every child like a star and never let them see you sweat. Bad TV commercial but extremely good advice. I received my bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho in dance where I studied ballet and modern. Yes, they dance rather well in Idaho. I learned about the pure art of ballet there and fell in love with technique and the history behind it all. I received a master's degree from the University of Florida in Therapeutic Recreation with an emphasis in Dance Therapy. This was an effort to make money doing what I love to do. In between all of this I worked professionally with 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. I have taught Ballet, Tap, Lyrical, Jazz and Modern 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 now here in the East Bay. I was teaching at Diablo Valley Community College when I went on a search for a nurturing environment for my own girls to take dance and that is how I ended up at East County Performing Arts Center. It was not until Nina Koch hired me that I was given the opportunity to do what I truly wanted to do and that was to develop a strong ballet/contemporary program and form a dance company.

 

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 two beautiful daughters and a very supportive husband.

 

 

 

Marina Chinchilla
Marina Chinchilla lives happily ever after in Knightsen, Ca. with her husband Walter and daughter Sydney. Marina studied and danced with the Oakland Ballet Academy for ten years. She has been sharing her love of learning and teaching for six years at Knightsen Elementary School. She is a fourth grade teacher.

 

 

 

 

Nina Koch
Nina Koch is the owner of East County Performing Arts Center in Brentwood . 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 7 year old daughter, Gabrielle and her husband, David.

 

 

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 six years and continues to teach as part of the faculty at East County Performing Arts Center.

 

 

 

Shelby Weis- Bio coming soon