Owner, Director, Instructor: Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Acrobatics, Alpine Vibes 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!

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.

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

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, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Acrobatics, Alpine Vibes

Laila began her dance training with Spirit of Dance in Alma, CO. She later joined Alpine Dance Academy, and the Alpine Vibes team. She recently graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Dance. An ADA-Alumni, Laila joined our teaching staff in 2020 and is bringing her Early Childhood expertise to our young dancers!

Instructor: Ballet, Modern, Tap

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.

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!

Desk Manager

Mary Grace is one of our desk managers this year, and is a sophomore at Summit High School. She is willing to help answer parent questions, help to get your dancer ready for class, and doing all of the “extra” tasks around the studio. Mary Grace has been a member of the Alpine Vibes Competition team for 6 years.

Desk Manager

Carson is a sophomore at Summit High School, and is a new desk manager this year! She has been dancing since she was 2 years old and has been at ADA since she was 6. This is her 7th year on the Alpine Vibes Team, and she is ready to help you with anything you might need!

Kendall is a freshman at Summit High School. She has been at ADA since she was 3 years old. This is her third year as an Alpine Vibe and her first year as an assistant.

Pearl is a sophomore 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 7 years. This is Pearl’s second year assisting!

Kristina Fedynska is a senior at Summit High School. She has been dancing since she was seven, and it has become her favorite thing to do. This will be her fourth year assisting classes and her sixth year on the Alpine Vibes competition team. She also has an internship at the Summit County Preschool this year, and can’t wait to spend her last year with the Kindergarten class!

Makena is a sophomore at Summit High School. She has been dancing since she was 5 years old. She is truly so excited to help and meet new and upcoming dancers!

Annika “Anni” Kramer is a junior at Summit High School. She has been dancing since she was 3 and loves every rehearsal. She joined Alpine Dance Academy 7 years ago, and joined the Alpine Vibes competitive team 5 years ago. Anni is in her third year of assisting, and can’t wait to share her joy of dance with others. She loves wakesurfing and snowboarding when she’s not in the studio.

Rae Liebendorfer is a junior at Summit High School. She has been dancing since she was seven and loves to do it every day. This will be her third year assisting classes and her fourth year on the Alpine Vibes competition team. She also has a love for skiing and goes when she has an opportunity.

Brynn Martin is a sophomore in high school. This is her second year on the Alpine Vibes Competition Team. She is so excited for her first year assisting!

McKenna Martin is a sophomore at Summit High School. She loves working with kids and she is super excited to work with Acro 4-5 this year! It is her second year on the Alpine Vibes Competition Team, and she loves dancing at ADA!

Cameron is a sophomore at Summit High School. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old, and taking classes at ADA for 13 years. This is her 3rd year on the Alpine Vibes Team. Cameron is very excited for her first year as an assistant!

Indira “Indy” Tancheff is a sophomore at Summit High School. She is entering her 7th year as a member of the Alpine Vibes. She has been dancing since she was 2 years old and now it’s all she does! This is her second year assisting, and has been taking classes at ADA for 10 years. She is excited to continue dancing with new people and help out at the studio.

Morgan Militare started her dance training at 2 years-old in Westminster, Colorado where she performed in many studio showcases, and storybook ballets until graduating in 2019. While growing up Morgan danced competitively and had the opportunity to learn from many teachers and choreographers including: Danny Lawn, Jen Jarnot and Kirsten Russel. During her high school years, she completed American Ballet Theater testing and passed with both Honors and Merit. This pushed her to take her dance career further by pursuing her dance degree at Colorado State University.

During her time at CSU, Morgan performed in many works including those of: Chung-Fu Chang, Grace Gallagher, Judy Bejarno, and Madeline Harvey. Her choreography was chosen multiple times while attending CSU, which allowed her to set choreography for the dance concerts. Not only did Morgan perform and choreograph while in school, but she also took Teaching Creative Movement and Modern Pedagogy which helped her find her passion for teaching and bringing dance to all ages.

Outside of CSU Morgan teaches jazz, contemporary, and tap at Canyon Concert Ballet where she is also the director of Youth Ensemble. At CCB, she has had the opportunity to choreograph on a younger group of kids, and bring them to many outreach events such as: The Spooky Kids Klub Halloween event at The Lyric and RMD Kiwanis Mid-Year Conference. Morgan has also performed in Denver as opening acts for Kidz Bop and The Rockettes on tour.

Once Morgan graduates from CSU she hopes to continue her teaching career as well as finding performance opportunities. Eventually, she wishes to go to graduate school to become a Physical Therapist for dancers. Morgan wants to thank her family for helping her and supporting her throughout her dance career. A special thank you to the stage crew and all the professors that have helped her shape her into what she is today. Morgan is excited to see where her career takes her!

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!

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!

Jacob is originally from Houston, Texas where he grew up dancing from a young age. After participating in the competition and convention circuit, he performed on cruise ships before moving to New York City. In New York, Jacob performed in multiple productions and tours in and around the Tri-state area before relocating to Summit County in 2014. Jacob is so excited to work with the ADA dancers this season!