Hosanna Dance Staff
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TIESE MORGAN
Tiese completed most of her training at Heartland School of Dance in Grants Pass, Oregon. Upon graduating, she sought out classes from a variety of teachers. In 1991, she accepted Jesus as her savior and began to search out what it meant to dance for God. Taking over ownership of Hosanna Dance in 1995 fulfilled her heart’s desire to provide quality dance instruction with the purpose of worshipping God. As the owner of Hosanna Dance, she has set the vision of teaching the art of dance with a heart of worship. Under Tiese’s leadership, Hosanna began staging the annual holiday production Adventures in Narnia. She also founded the Hosanna Youth Performers dance company. Tiese is pleased to be a part of God’s plan for this community and looks forward to all He will accomplish through the studio. |
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NICOLE ELLIOTT
Nicole began dancing at the age of three pursuing ballet, tap, jazz and tumbling throughout her childhood. Along with dance, she participated in high school gymnastics and cheerleading. She continued her dance education by pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Dance at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. She has had the privilege of participating in several American Collegiate Dance Festivals as well as summer intensives including American Dance Festival and Bill Evans Summer Dance Institute. Nicole moved to Eugene, OR in 1991 to pursue her graduate studies in Dance Science at the University of Oregon where she taught as a graduate teaching fellow. Along with teaching technique classes to undergraduates, she directed the U of O Jazzline - a dance team that performed alongside the U of O Marching Band. Alongside her interest in dance, Nicole has pursued a professional fitness career as a group fitness instructor. She is AFAA certified and teaches a wide variety of fitness classes at several local gyms. Nicole's teaching career spans over 20 years and she has been on staff at Hosanna Dance since 1996 where she teaches a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, tap, tumbling and PiYo. |
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CAROLIN KOEPPLIN
Carolin began her training at the Idaho Falls School of Ballet under director Deborah Bean. Her dance education continued at the prestigious University of Utah Department of Ballet where she earned a B.F.A in Ballet (cum laude) with a dual emphasis in Performance and Teaching. At the University of Utah, Ms. Koepplin performed extensively with Utah Ballet and the Character Dance Ensemble. As a professional dancer, Carolin has danced with Central West Ballet as a company soloist, and Ballet Idaho as a guest for George Balanchine's Serenade. In 2016, Ms. Koepplin moved to Eugene to become a company dancer at Ballet Fantastique. Ms. Koepplin has taught children and adults from beginner to advanced in Idaho, Utah, California and now, Oregon. She is thrilled to join the staff at Hosanna this year. |
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AUBRIANNE ANDERSON
Aubrianne began her dance training at Hosanna at age 12. She has studied ballet, modern, jazz, and contact improv. Aubrianne has been teaching dance since 2005. Upon completion of high school, Aubrianne lived in Europe for a year, where she studied ballet, and modern. She has a BA in Linguistics with a Japanese minor at the University of Oregon. In 2012, Aubrianne founded the Hosanna Dance Company, now Dance Veritas. She and her husband have two children. Aubrianne began teaching at Hosanna in 2005. |
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SARAH McCARTHY
Sarah is a native of Eugene and happy to raise her two lovely daughters here. She has danced with the Eugene School of Ballet, the Eugene Youth Ballet, the Lane Community College dance department, and the Eugene Ballet Company. Sarah’s Christian faith has led to her passion for community awareness of different disabilities and abilities while maintaining a love for dance and movement. Sarah is continually working toward getting her Dance Therapy degree to work with children with disabilities. Sarah began teaching at Hosanna in 2007. She currently teaches Creative Dance, Hip Hop, and My Buddy & Me, . |
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TERRI ALTMILLER
Terri started dancing at age eight, and studied ballet in California, where she grew up. She and her husband, Bill, have enjoyed taking the ballroom dance class at Hosanna in past years. Terri delights in sharing her love of dance with preschool children. She has been teaching at Hosanna since 2007. |
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JESSIE NEWELL
Jessie is a Colorado native who moved to Eugene for school. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2005 with a B.S. in Dance and Human Physiology. Locally, she has performed with Traduza Dance Company, the University of Oregon Repertory Dance Company (UO-RDC) and Dance Africa. Jessie is a Stott certified Pilates instructor and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). She is also an active member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). Jessie loves being outdoors with her three children, Elizabeth, Alyssa & Ryan, taking walks, playing at the park, hiking, biking, and frolicking at the Oregon coast. Jessie began teaching at Hosanna in 2007. |
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JESSICA HIGGINS
Jessica began dancing Tap and Jazz when she was 8 under the direction of Marc Siegel and his Mother Elizabeth Siegel at the Eugene Ballet. At age 10 she began dancing at Hosanna where she has been ever since, studying Tap, Jazz, Lyrical Jazz, Modern, Ballet, Pointe, and Tumbling. She was also active in Adventures in Narnia for six years and has been helping back stage with make-up for the past five years. She has been involved in competitions both with Hosanna and independently since 2005 winning several awards. She is a certified Latin Jam instructor and has been teaching Aerobics, Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Nike Training and choreographing for Quinceaneras for the past three years. On the side Jessica also studies hip-hop, Salsa, Samba, African, Nia, Capoeira, and Tribal Belly dancing. Jessica is a current member of the Hosanna Dance Company, is continuing her certification in Latin Jam and working toward being both Zumba and AFFA certified. Jessica began teaching at Hosanna in 2013. |
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ANGIE RENICH
Angie’s love of musical theater sparked an early interest in singing, acting, and dancing. She earned an Associate of Arts degree from Lane Community College and a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the University of Oregon, and she has performed with Actor’s Cabaret of Eugene and the Eugene Opera chorus. Angie composes for church worship, ballet, musical theater, and podcasts and has won several local awards for her music. She started teaching drama at Hosanna Dance in 2014 and is passionate about encouraging the next generation of Christ-following artists to pursue performing arts. |
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KENDRA LITALIEN
Kendra started her dance training at Hosanna at age three, studying classical ballet, jazz, and modern technique. While at Hosanna Dance, Kendra participated in Adventures in Narnia for 9 years, dancing many solo roles, and was a guest dancer in New Hope College’s debut of the Disney musical, Tarzan. She has also competed in many dance competitions in the state of Oregon, receiving an award for choreography and dance in her solo piece "Gravity." Kendra started working as a teacher assistant at Hosanna in 2011, and now coaches at various dance schools in the Eugene area. In addition, Kendra is currently pursuing a degree in English at the University of Oregon. Kendra has been teaching at Hosanna Dance since 2015. |
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MORIAH McFARLAND
South Dakota native Moriah McFarland has always felt the need to move. At the age of nine, her parents put her into a ballet class and from then on, she channeled her impulse to move, her artistic personality, and freedom of worship through the medium of dance. After high school, Moriah attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN where she received her Bachelor of Arts in dance, studying dance history, Body-Mind Centering, and world dance and was heavily involved in the modern dance company on campus as well as various performances each year. For her senior project, Moriah co-created a solo with choreographer Sarah Steichen from Zenon Dance in Minneapolis and had the opportunity to perform her solo in Milwaukee for the Northwest American College Dance Festival. She then taught at her home studio, The Academy of Dance Arts in South Dakota, for a year before moving to Oregon in 2015. Moriah began teaching modern at Hosanna in 2015, and she has felt truly blessed to have the opportunity to create and share her love of movement with the Hosanna community. |
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KYNDRA WIEBE
Born into dance, Kyndra began her first "Mommy and Me" dance class at the age of two, with her mother, and owner of Hosanna Dance Studio, Tiese Morgan. Privileged by the opportunity to pursue many genres of dance, Kyndra has trained in Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, dance acrobatics, Tap, Hip Hop, and choreography. In her years as a student, Kyndra was a member of Hosanna Youth Performers, and performed in Hosanna Performing Arts Foundation's annual winter ballet based on C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. After graduating, she was invited to choreograph and perform a piece with Dréos to their song Day Dawn in 2016, joined the contemporary/modern dance company Dance Veritas, and was one of three featured dancers in award winning pianist Neil Patton's music video for his song Surface Tension. Kyndra began teaching at Hosanna in 2016. |
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ADAM KELLY
Adam Kelly is an aspiring artist/choreographer from Portland Oregon with a love for dance and a passion for performing. His dancing career began at ACT 1 School of Dance, a family owned studio which led him to performing for several years in OBT's The Nutcracker and being cast as the lead in Oregon Symphony's production of The Snow Man. Finally acknowledging his longing sensation to tap dance, Adam pursued teaching classes of his own and educating himself through the masters including Terry Brock, Sam Weber, Dianne Walker, and Brenda Bufalino. After moving to Eugene in 2011 he has focused his efforts in teaching and choreographing around town, aiming for excellence and discipline while encouraging a fun learning environment for all to share their enthusiasm for the arts. Adam is the founder of Flex Studio's tap company, Tappers.Of.Eugene and has had the privilege to choreograph for Rose Children's Theater, South Eugene High School and Spencer Butte Middle School's musical productions including The Lion King, Seussical, Dogfight and Spring Awakening. He snagged his first leading role in the Shedd Institutes production of Robert and was an honored tap choreographer in Singing in the Rain. He enjoys thinking outside the box by mixing dance styles while adding a little bit of humor to everything. Aside from making people laugh, he hopes to inspire other to learn and pass on the heritage of the arts in a positive and profound manner. Adam began teaching at Hosanna in 2018. |
ISABEL RENICH ~ Isabel started dancing at Hosanna when she was five, starting with ballet and expanding to jazz and modern. She specializes in ballet, dancing the featured roles of the Mad Hatter, Captain Hook, and the Autumn Fairy in Hosanna’s spring recitals, and various solo roles in Adventures in Narnia, most notably Susan Pevensie and Spring Splendor. She was a member of the Hosanna Youth Performers for five years, during which she performed at Disneyland, was a senior member, and ultimately choreographed a piece for the group. She is involved with other aspects of the arts as well, participating in choir and opera workshops, and enjoys musicals. She will be joining Dance Veritas for the 2019-2020 season. She discovered teaching as a further extension of her love for dance, and is thrilled to start teaching at Hosanna in 2019.
NAKIA KEIM ~ Nakia was born and raised in Eugene Oregon. She started dancing at Hosanna when she was three years old in 2003 and has been dancing ever since. She has studied Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Tumbling, Drama, and Acting. She received an Associate of Arts in Dance from Lane Community College. She has participated in Hosanna Performing Arts Foundation's, Adventures in Narnia, for several years. She started assistant teaching under Sarah Mccarthy in 2017. She is the director of "Worship Arts Ministry" a Performing Arts ministry group, founded in December 2018 through her church, where they share the gospel through the Performing Arts. Nakia started teaching at Hosanna Dance Studio in 2019.
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MELISSA WINCHELL
Melissa joined the Hosanna Staff in 2012 as the studio Office Manager. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Business Management in 1995 from Southern Oregon University. Melissa was a member of the Hosanna Performing Arts Foundation board for five years and President for four of those years. She has loved being a part of the Hosanna family since 2006 when her daughter began dancing here. |
Hosanna Dance Studio • 1361 River Road, Eugene OR 97404 • 541-607-5798 • info@hosannadance.com