Colorado Dance Education Organization
BOARD of DIRECTORS
Leslie K. Williams
President
leslie.codeo@gmail.com
Leslie K. Williams is the Director of Dance at Liberty High School in Colorado Springs. Leslie's involvement in dance education includes: public school instructor; private studio teacher; musical theater, show choir and color guard choreographer; stage manager and technical director. In 2010 she was awarded the Distinguished Service within the Profession award from the Alliance for Colorado Theatre for her work in public education musical theatre; in 2017 she was part of the Thomas S. Crawford Team of the Year for Academy District 20. Leslie is a five-time presenter at the NDEO National Conference, and has twice been a member of the Standards Review Committee for Dance in Colorado. She was recognized in 2023 as the Outstanding Pk-12 Educator (established) by NDEO. She has a BA in Theater and Dance Performance from Lindenwood University and an MA in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado.
Ann Hunt
Vice President
ann.codeo@gmail.com
Ann Hunt has been teaching and choreographing dance for over 20 years. She holds a Masters of Arts in Dance Education and Colorado teaching certificate from the University of Northern Colorado, a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah, and is currently the Dance Director at Centennial Academy of Fine Arts Education in the Littleton Public School District. While in college Ms. Hunt was the recipient of the prestigious Elizabeth R. Hayes dance scholarship. She taught creative movement for the Salt Lake City, Utah School District, as well as ballet and jazz at Elite Dance Studio. She was a guest performer for Rirey and Woodbury Dance Company's 2002 Olympic performance and also performed with the University of Utah's Performing Dance Company. While enjoying her performing years Ms. Hunt's focus has always been dance education. After finishing her BFA she became the Artistic Director of the Juan Diego Catholic High School Dance Department in Draper, Utah, where she taught contemporary, jazz, ballet, ballroom, and choreography. She was a member of the Utah Dance Education Organization and the National Dance Education Organization. After moving to Colorado Ms. Hunt was on faculty at Leap Dance Studio, was a guest artist at Denver School of the Arts, Denver’s South High School, produced her own show ‘Pairings’, and has been a guest choreographer and teacher for the Colorado Dance Education Organization Conference. Ms. Hunt is a member of the National Dance Education Organization, is Vice President of the Colorado Dance Education Organization (CoDeo), serves on The Dance Archive board at Denver University, and holds a Silver Swan Certification from the Royal Academy of Ballet which specializes in teaching safe dance practices to the 55+ community. Ms. Hunt is passionate about dance education and believes everyone should have access to this art form.
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Emily Hoch-Windus holds her Masters in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado, and has experience in teaching all age groups. Emily currently teaches dance and drama full time at a K-8 charter school in Jeffco Public Schools called Doral Academy. She also serves as the schools arts integration specialist helping teachers develop lesson plans and providing professional development. Emily teaches as a resident choreographer and instructor at the Arvada Center and Park Hill Dance Academy. She loves training and helping foster lifelong learners in dance and performing arts. She recently took on a head coaching position for the Centaurus High School Dance Team in Lafayette. Emily has been one of the founding members of Presenting Denver serving as an Ambassador. She worked as the Stage Manager for Presenting Denver's Wine and Works events, as well as the first Presenting Denver Dance Festival held in 2018. Emily was recently on the CDE State Standards Revision Committee writing the standards for Dance in grades PreK to High School. Emily serves as the Board Treasurer for CoDEO, and loves working to advocate for dance and arts in our schools.
Sandra was Dance Coordinator/Professor at the University of Northern Colorado, 1972-1998 and Co-Coordinator of the Dance Education MA Program, 2014-2022. She recently retired from teaching at UNC and is currently Professor Emeritus. Her Human Kinetics books include Choreography: A Basic
Approach Using Improvisation, 4th edition (2018) and Preventing Dance Injuries, (2005), co-edited with Ruth and John Solomon. Using Movement to Teach Academics: The Mind & Body As One Entity was published by Rowman & Littlefield Education in 2008 and Thinking with the Dancing Brain: Embodying Neuroscience, co-authored with Rima Faber, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2016. Rechoreographing Learning: Dance As a Way to Bridge the Mind-Body Divide in Education will be published by Routledge in 2023. Minton's dance education research has been published in juried dance journals. “Assessment of High School Students’ Creative Thinking Skills: A Comparison of Dance and Non-Dance Classes,” was a quantitative study including 286 subjects, published in Research in Dance Education, volume 4, number 1, 2003. Minton was a National Dance Association Artist/Scholar in 1999, a Fulbright Scholar to Finland in 2001, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Dance Education Organization in 2020. Minton's M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are in dance from UCLA and Texas Woman's University respectively. She has studied with many dance and dance education professionals.
Megan Clark, a Kansas City, Missouri native, graduated from Oklahoma City University’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment with a Bachelor of Science Degree in American Dance Pedagogy and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance. Megan went on to serve as an Assistant Professor of Dance, Assistant Director to the Community Dance Center, and Assistant to Jo Rowan, Dance Department Chair, at OCU. In 2015, Megan and her husband decided to relocate to Denver where she is currently a dance instructor for Leap Dance Studio. She has taught at Denver School of the Arts as a Guest Artist and Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids/The Actor’s Academy for the Performing Arts. In addition to the Colorado Dance Education Organization board, Megan serves on Presenting Denver’s Dance Events Committee. Megan has had the privilege of teaching, choreographing, directing, performing, and working behind-the-scenes throughout her career. She is passionate about sharing dance with her community and bringing dance educators and enthusiasts together.
Lindsey Kellen is a dance instructor and choreographer throughout Colorado Springs and has been a member of the Co-DEO board since 2019. She is currently the Director of Dance at Martinez Elementary School, located in Colorado Springs School District 11. Both schools are accredited as arts integration schools through A+ Schools of North Carolina. In addition to teaching for District 11, Lindsey has been a company director at The PEAK School of Dance in Colorado Springs since 2021. Lindsey graduated in 2017 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in dance from Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, MO. Lindsey’s past choreography and teaching credits include Liberty High School, Colorado Springs Conservatory, Doherty High School, and The Dance Center of Colorado Springs. Lindsey’s objective is to help all students discover the love of dance and help them grow as artists and positive members of society.
Melissa Kubik has been teaching dance for over 30 years throughout the Chicago, IL and Denver, CO metropolitan areas. Her training and performing credits include: Christine DuBoulay, Richard Ellis, Al Gilbert, Birute Barodicate, Claire Bataille (Hubbard Street Dance/Lou Conte Studio); Maria Tallchief, Homer Bryant, Paul Mejia (Chicago City Ballet), Robert Joffrey, Charthel Arthur, Robert Estner, Jim Snyder (Joffrey Concert Dancers), Sally Seven, Patricia McBride, Conrad Ludlow, Cherie Noble (Grand Rapids Civic Ballet), Gayla Zukevich, Loyce Houlton (Ballet Michigan), Bruce Marks, Melissa Hayden, Helgi Tomasson (Boston Ballet). She served on the board of TJ & Dance Company in Illinois. Her choreography has been showcased by Florida State University, Heritage Grove Players, Naperville Players, Circle Theatre, and many dance troupes for competitions. Her teaching philosophy is to train the WHOLE dancer. Technique is important as well as physical and mental health.
Julie Wolfrum, a seasoned Dance Instructor and Choreographer, has taught Hip Hop and movement to all ages for over twenty years and performed professionally for over twenty-five. Throughout her years, she has been a guest artist at the Black Arts Festival, Sloan's Lake Festival, Women on their Way (WOW), the Boulder Fringe Festival, GreenFest, Trolley Dance Tours, and various performances at the Oberlin Dance Collective (ODC) and Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMOCA). An activist at heart, Julie uses movement as a connection to social issues, seen through performances and choreography with Oakland's Dancers without Borders, and Art in Action, as well as being a choreographer and a writer for Venus Christ: The Rock Opera. Julie is an original creator of SoShe's Dance Collective which created artistic movement classes and forums for performers and students throughout the west coast. Currently, Julie Wolfrum teaches Hip Hop at the University of Northern Colorado and is the movement teacher from TK-5 at Stanley British Primary School. She also volunteers with African Caribbean Heritage Camp in her spare time.
Kathi Crum is Past President of CoDEO from 2016-2019 which included statewide dance conferences at Denver School of the Arts and Metropolitan State University in Denver. Kathi began her professional teaching career at Houston Ballet Academy in 1995 and revitalized and grew ballet programs at prominent smaller schools as West University Dance Center and Houston Met and also directed a youth performing troupe, Bayou City Dance Company, for three years before moving to Colorado. Similarly she refreshed and expanded the ballet program at Peak Academy of Dance in Conifer, CO, before moving on to Colorado Ballet Academy to become the Lower Division Coordinator responsible for curriculum, teaching, choreography, staffing, and three separate programs spanning the academic and summer months.
Among other accomplishments, Kathi produced, conducted, and taught a summer intensive at the collaborative invitation from Nikoloz Makhateli. Kathi is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Levels 6/7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
A Covid career change into the financial industry, Kathi continues to teach ballet part time while serving on the boards of CoDEO and The Dance Archive. Kathi intends to combine the knowledge of both industries to bring benefit the performing arts. Kathi is President-Elect for The Dance Archive.