Owner, Director, Instructor: Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Acrobatics, Hip Hop, Alpine Vibes Company Director

Sara Skinner is a Pennsylvania native and began her dance career training and competing with Faberge Follies Dance and Tumble. She has been dancing since she could walk, and always found a way to find the dance community wherever she was located. Sara graduated from the University of Idaho where she received a BS in Recreation. While at the University, Sara performed with UI’s dance ensemble, and was a member of UI faculty teaching tap and many community events and workshops. She performed with Walt Disney Entertainment in Orlando, FL in 2009. Sara is well versed in tap, jazz, ballet, acrobatics, competition and Polynesian dance. Sara coached participants for Dancing with the Mountain Stars in 2016 and 2017, a Summit County community fundraiser. Sara has trained at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in New York City. She has been cast in works by choreographers such as Sherry Zunker, Kerry Parker, and Amy O’Neal. Sara performed in Dancers, Drummers, Dreamers to sold out audiences around the Pacific Northwest, and was chosen to perform for adjudication at the American College Dance Association. After working along side Kelly for 6 years with the Alpine Vibes Competitive Dance Company, Sara took over as team director in the 2019-2020 season. Sara is an Acrobatic Arts Certified Teacher and focuses on safety and progressions in her acro classes. After 9 years as a Recreation Coordinator with the Town of Frisco, she is excited to step into her new role as Studio Owner and Director. Sara hopes to instill a lifelong passion for dance in her students, and teach so much more than dance!

Instructor: Musical Theater Dance, Adult Tap and Jazz, Pre-K

Abbey Austin-Guadagnoli is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee. After obtaining a BFA in Musical Theatre from Shenandoah Conservatory, she relocated to New York City and then to Summit County in 2013. Before settling in the High Rockies, Abbey performed regionally on the East Coast and was dedicated to obtaining higher education (in addition to her BFA) within the art of dance and musical theatre. Abbey has trained at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, and the Ailey School. While working regionally, Abbey gained extensive experience as a dancer, performer, understudy, and dance captain. All of Abbey’s past professional experiences contribute to her classes today. Past favorite theatre credits include Legally Blonde (Elle), She Loves Me (Ilona), The Boyfriend (Maisie), and Curtains (Niki). She notably was the original "Sharpay Evans" in the Regional Premiere of High School Musical at the Cumberland County Playhouse, where she performed the role for two years. Past favorite choreography credits include The Who’s Tommy, The Lion King Jr., and Spamalot. Abbey has been the main Choreographer of the STEP program at the Breckenridge Backstage Theatre since it began in 2015 and can also be seen occasionally performing. She prides herself on creating and maintaining comprehensive and entertaining choreography. Her passion is teaching dance, acting, and voice and instilling a love for the performing arts in all of her students.

Instructor: Ballet, Modern, Combo

Alyssa took her first dance class when she was 10 years old at Corinne's School of Dance and knew it was what she loved to do. She then continued to study dance at the University of New Hampshire under Gay Nardone and Larry Robertson, and also studied aerial arts with Cirque du Soliel's Serenity and Elsie Smith and Circus Smirkus. After graduating with a BA in Dance, Alyssa danced, performed, and choreographed with Tandem Dance, a professional dance company in Boston. She taught full time at studios around Boston such as Lapierre School of Dance, Dance Place, Kathy McCrohon Dance Studio, Medford Community Center and the Newton Community Center. Her summers were busy with teaching and choreographing for Kaleidoscope, an arts based summer camp as the Dance Director. There she has choreographed musicals such as Your a Good man Charlie Brown, Peter Pan, the Lion King and High School Musical. Alyssa then moved to Colorado where she instructed at Alpine Dance Academy and taught Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Pointe, Ballet, Jazz, and Tap to all ages and all levels since 2009. Alyssa's passion is to be the classroom, sharing her love of dance with her students, and encouraging them to follow their dreams.

Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Acro, Combo, Alpine Vibes

Sindell grew up in Summit County and began dancing with Alpine Dance Academy in 6th grade. Previously, she danced at Summit School of Dance, and she later became part of the Alpine Vibes competition team. Sindell graduated from Summit High School, and went on to study at Colorado Mountain College for two years, then transferred to Colorado State University. She graduated from CSU with a degree in Graphic Design and a minor in Dance. Sindell is so excited to be coming back to ADA as an instructor and she's looking forward to putting her degrees to good use!

Lillian Wetzel is a native to the Midwest and has been teaching dance for over 13 years. Her early training was predominantly in Classical Ballet methods including RAD (Royal Academy of Dance), Ceccetti and Vaganova. During her undergraduate studies, she explored Neoclassical Ballet styles and fell in love with Modern Dance, Contemporary Ballet and the Gaga movement language.

Since 2013, she has held a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Belhaven University and has continued to dance professionally. In 2017, Lillian developed her own movement practice/collective called Naba Movement Collective. It is Lillian’s desire that in this process/practice movers will step into a place of deepened self-awareness, discovering further their body, brain and soul and learning how to express it. Additionally, she strives that movers will find genuine connection with others by igniting a lost practice of curiosity through movement.

Since 2018, Lillian has been a certified Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis® Trainer, keeping functional and attainable health and wellness at the forefront of her approach in teaching. In 2020, she started her own business and opened her own fitness and wellness studio in Missouri called Remedy in Motion LLC. In 2022, she relocated her services to Breckenridge, CO. Lillian specializes in Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Modern, Improvisational Dance and Dancer specific conditioning classes, working with all level of movers. She is attentive to her students technical and physical strengths and weaknesses and strives to nurture and press them towards their potential and passion.

Lillian resides in Summit County with her husband and is thankful to be moving and teaching with Alpine Dance Academy!

Ballet, Tap & Acro 1

Annika “Anni”  Kramer is a Senior at Summit High School. She will be a new teacher this year and has been a teaching assistant for the past three years. She has been dancing since she was 3 and loves every rehearsal. She joined Alpine Dance Academy 8 years ago and joined the Alpine Vibes competitive team 6 years ago. This will be her fourth year working with Level 1. Anni hopes to go to college to study exercise science and potently bring her knowledge to the dance world. Outside the studio, Anni enjoys the outdoors and snowboarding. 

Artist In Residence: Ballet, Modern, Yoga, Tai Chi

Jennifer, a Knoxville, TN native, and was an original member of the East Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble. Following high school, she majored in dance at The University of Tennessee, performing as a soloist for UT’s New Repertory Dance Company. She continued her dance training in New York City. Her modern dance training was with The Martha Graham Company, Alvin Ailey, and Limon School. Her ballet training was with the Joffrey Ballet. Jennifer’s extensive jazz training includes Bob Fosse, Louigi, Frank Hatchett, and Joe Tremaine.

Jennifer has studied Yoga and Pilates for over 38 years. She specializes in Hatha Yoga and Yoga for athletes and dancers. She currently holds 3 Yoga certifications and 2 Pilates certifications, including a 1500 hour certification obtained in New York City in 1998. She developed Karma Kids, an introductory Yoga program for kids that is taught in summer camps throughout the country. Jennifer is also proud to be the founder of Soul4Yoga a not for profit Yoga program that donates all proceeds to inner city youth programs. She holds an additional certification in Tai Chi. Jennifer has also run certification programs for Yoga and Pilates.

She is currently on staff for South Walton Dance Company, If I Had No Voice/Dance Panama City, Fl, Arts In Motion, Kingston, Tennessee, and a master teacher and guest choreographer for Texas Ballet in Denton, Texas. She has taught for both Joffrey Ballet and Alvin Ailey. Recently named outstanding educator 10 years in a row by Tennessee’s Governor’s School. She teaches yoga specific for golfers and tennis players, athletes and dancers. Jennifer developed a Gentle Yoga Class to address range of motion issues. This class was developed as an entry-level class, which focuses on gentle stretching and range of motion for anyone. This class is perfect for seniors, persons with injuries or in recovery, or persons wanting a slower Zen pace. She is very comfortable and loves working with teens and kids of all ages. (ages 3 to 93). She is an avid downhill skier and hiker. She considers every class that she teaches to be a privilege.

Desk Manager

Mary Grace is one of our desk managers this year, and is a junior at Summit High School. Mary Grace is bilingual in English and Spanish, and she is happy to help answer parent questions. She also assists young dancers get ready for class, and doing all of the “extra” tasks around the studio. Mary Grace has been dancing at ADA for 10 years, and has been a member of the Alpine Vibes competition team for 7 years.

Desk Manager

Bryn is a new desk manager, and is excited to learn and help with parent questions! Bryn is bilingual in English and Spanish. She is a freshman at Summit High School, and she has been dancing for 12 years. Her favorite style of dance is tap!

Level 2/3 Ballet, Tap and Jazz

Kendall is a sophomore at Summit High School. She has been at ADA since she was 3 years old. This is her fourth year as an Alpine Vibe, and is excited to assist another year with level 2/3.

Level 2/3 Ballet, Tap and Jazz

Pearl is a junior at Summit High School. She has been dancing at ADA since she was 3, and continues to love it each and every day! She has been a member of the Alpine Vibes for 8 years. This is Pearl’s third year assisting level 2/3!

Level 4/5 Ballet and Modern

Makena is a junior at Summit High School. She has been dancing since she was 5 years old, and loves to do it everyday. This is Makena's third year assisting, and her fourth year on the Alpine Vibes competition team. She is excited to spend this year with Ballet and Modern 4/5!

Brynn Martin is a junior at Summit High School. Brynn loves working with kids, and is very excited to assist PreK and Kindergarten classes this year! She has been an Alpine Vibe for 3 years, and this is her second year as an assistant.

McKenna Martin is a junior at Summit High School. She loves working with kids and she is super excited to work with PreK dancers this year! It is her third year on the Alpine Vibes Competition Team, and she loves her ADA Family! This is her second year assisting at ADA, and she loves it!

PreK Ballet and Tap

Grace is a sophomore at Summit High School. This is her fourth year at ADA and her second year on the Alpine Vibes Team. Grace loves dance more than anything and this is her first year assisting!

Level 4/5 Ballet and Modern

Cameron is a junior at Summit High School. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old, and taking classes at ADA for 14 years. This is her fourth year on the Alpine Vibes Team. Cameron is very excited to continue assisting level 4/5.

Morgan Militare started her dance training at 2 years old in Westminster, Colorado where she danced competitively and performed in many studio showcases and storybook ballets with Artistic Fusion Dance Academy.

While growing up Morgan had the opportunity to learn from many teachers and choreographers including Joey Dowling, Danny Lawn, Jen Jarnot, and Kirsten Russel. During her high school years, she completed American Ballet Theater testing, passing with both Honors and Merit. All of these experiences pushed her to take her dance career further by attending Colorado State University for her Bachelor's Degree in Dance.

During her time at CSU Morgan has performed in many works including those of: Chung-Fu Chang, Grace Gallagher, Judy Bejarno, and Madeline Harvey. Her choreography was adjudicated multiple times while attending CSU, allowing her to set choreography for the many spring dance concerts. Along with choreographing and performing, Morgan found her passions for health and exercise science and teaching dance through other classes taught at CSU, helping her clarify plans after graduation.  

Outside of CSU Morgan teaches jazz, contemporary, and tap at Canyon Concert Ballet where she is also the Youth Ensemble Director. At CCB she has had the opportunity to choreograph younger groups of kids and bring them to many competitions, and community engagement events throughout the year including The Spooky Kids Klub Halloween event at The Lyric and RMD Kiwanis Mid-Year Conference. 

Once Morgan graduates from CSU she hopes to continue her teaching career while also finding performance opportunities. Eventually, she wishes to attend graduate school to become a Physical Therapist for dancers.

Kris Walsh started her dance career 24 years ago in Manhattan, dancing three seasons as a Knicks City Dancer at Madison Square Garden. She started teaching competitive dance shortly after, and continued dancing professionally and teaching dance for the next 12 years in and outside NYC. 

After taking her studio dancers to winning many national awards, she started her own professional dance company, performing in the top NYC comedy and cabaret clubs, and finished out her professional career with a year contract singing and dancing with the Almost Angels in Atlantic City.

In Spring of 2014, Kris made the move out to Summit County Colorado to become the Program Director for Celebrate the Beat in Eagle County! Celebrate the Beat is an in-school and after school dance and music program, bringing high quality arts education into the schools during the regular school day. She directed the 2015 US Cheerleaders for the FIS World Ski Championships in Vail Beaver Creek, and has choreographed over a dozen productions including; Annie Jr, Footloose, Grease, Legally Blonde, Little Shop of Horrors, AIDA, Shrek, Rapunzel, and most recently Pippin. 

Most recently, August 1st, 2024 Kris stepped into the role of Artistic Executive Director for the state-wide nonprofit,Celebrate the Beat. She is thrilled to have seeded the program in Summit County, and as a mom to a 3yr old, excited to be able to bring her daughter to learn and grow at Alpine Dance Academy. 

Cassy Clark is a dancer/choreographer located in the Denver area who specializes in contemporary and house. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from University of Colorado Boulder in 2023. She has performed her work in performances curated by Mariposa Collective and VisKosity Dance Collective.

Emily Wallace began her dance training at Summit School of Dance and Alpine Dance Academy in her hometown of Breckenridge, Colorado. In attendance at Colorado State University she studied modern, ballet, jazz, improvisation, choreography, and pedagogy as a dance major. She performed student, faculty, and guest artist works in over ten dance concerts, and additionally participated in the CSU theater production of Cabaret. Emily recently graduated from CSU with a BFA in Dance and performed professionally as a guest artist with Life/Art Dance Ensemble and Hannah Kahn Dance Company. Emily has choreographed student pieces presented on the CSU stage, collaborative video projects, and the ACT program's production of Disney's 101 Dalmatians. She enjoys sharing her deep love of dance, and taught the past three summers at ADA. Emily is currently pursuing a professional career in Los Angeles, CA. She is excited to be back at ADA for another Choreography Camp!

Bio Coming Soon!

Hannah Mikulecky is from Sunbright, TN and is a Senior BFA dance major at Shenandoah University. She has studied with Tiffanie Carson, Daniel Padierna, Shylo Martinez, Maurice Fraga, Matthew Pardo, Erica Helm, Ting-Yu Chen, and Charlie Maybee. Mikulecky comes from a studio called Arts In Motion, where she trained with Jennifer Austin, Ashley Parsons, and Kiersten Mays. Mikulecky has also worked as a guest choreographer for South Walton Dance Company in Santa Rosa Beach, FL and Alpine Dance Academy in Summit County, CO. While studying at Shenandoah University, Mikulecky has performed pieces by Yoshito Sakuraba, Danielle Sten-Guillermo, Natasha Davis, Katherine Zukeri and Ting-Yu Chen in dance residencies. She has strengthened her choreographic abilities and motivation to create. Throughout her time at Shenandoah University, Mikulecky developed a passion for choreography, performing, and making connections.

Sarah Catherine Venable is from Knoxville, Tennessee and spent her early years training in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop and musical theatre dance. She also trained in Nashville, TN at the Governor’s School for the Arts, and at Broadway Dance Canter in New York City. She then spent three years on the University of Kentucky Dance team where she specialized in hip-hop, jazz, and pom. She is excited to return to teach at Alpine for a second year and can’t wait to share her training with everyone at the pre-professional camp!