Meet The Team

Better known as Jessie, is a graduate of Milwaukie High School where she received All State Honors in dance. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Dance from Western Oregon University in 2005. Since, she has danced with the modern dance company Kinetic Images in Lake Oswego and an all female dance team collective, Remix. Jessie has over 15 years experience in studio management and is the is the co-owner of Pacific Dance Academy. 

Raised in Portland and has taught dance in the Portland area since 1999. She is proud to now co-own the studio with Jessie Nelson. In addition to studying dance, Amber received a Master’s in Occupational Therapy from Pacific University in 2008 and works for Kaiser Permanente. Amber enjoyed the opportunity to train and perform in major cities throughout the west coast with groups such as Rumba Y Cache Latin dance company and Remix all female dance collective. Additionally, she danced in the Eric Zimmer Dance Workout video and has been a guest dancer with Pacific University Dance Ensemble. Amber works hard to integrate mind body awareness into her teaching style.

Cas grew up as a groove-inclined kiddo in Pittsburgh. Their roots as an instrumental musician made tap a long time favorite. She attended undergraduate school at Northwestern University for journalism and global health. While there, they found much unlearning and healing in their work with Billy Siegenfeld of Jump Rhythm, Jenai Cutcher, Tonik Tap, and Sterling Harris. In Portland, while pursuing grad school and a career in public health, education, and equity, they have continued choreographing, teaching, and dancing tap—most recently co-founding Congruency Dance Collective with their sibling, Tess. Cas continues dreaming and scheming towards a future of collaboration, education, and growth.

Annabelle is a graduate of Reed College with a major in dance. She has trained in ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, Balinese dance, and tap. She has had experience assistant teaching at her alma mater, Dance Theater West, located in Phoenix, Arizona. At Reed, she focused on exploring how dance creates and is created by the world around us, including phenomena like political protests, religion, music, and visual art. With this comes the ever present questions in a dancer’s life: Why dance? How can movement help us understand the world and ourselves? How can dance communicate expression and emotion, and even effect change? She believes dance can help us practice bodily awareness, confidence, creativity, and vulnerability, tools that are not only important in the dance studio, but in everyday life. 

Marina has been dancing since 2006, and working as a dance instructor and choreographer with Pacific Dance Academy for over a decade. She has explored dance styles including ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop, belly-dance, aerial dance, and flow arts. Currently, she choreographs and performs as an independent artist, and as an aerialist with Chrysalis Circus Collective. In addition to teaching, she is a graduate of the a naturopathic doctor program at NUNM. She believes that dance is a healing arts practice, through movement, mindfulness, emotional release and storytelling.

Brandee is a graduate of Reynolds High School where she was senior captain of the dance/drill team.  She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Dance from Western Oregon University in 2012. After graduating she studied at several Portland area dance studios in Modern, Contemporary, and Ballet before finding a passion for aerial arts. She trained in aerial silks and Lyra with Chrysalis Aerial Academy before becoming one of their instructors. She followed the owner of Chrysalis Aerial to a new studio and currently teaches silks and lyra classes at JaJa PDX.

Sarah started dancing at the age of four, and continued her classical ballet training in Salem Oregon. She has trained with Oregon Ballet Theater and the Mercyhurst University Dance Department. Sarah is currently an Instructor and Studio Manager at Steps PDX, and is excited to join the Pacific Dance Academy team as a ballet and jazz instructor.  

Started her dance training in childhood with Polynesian dance: Hula, Tahitian, and Maori. Her hula genealogy starts first through her mother, who trained with, and had her uniki, from Uncle George Holoka’i and Uncle Joseph Kamohai Kahaulelio, whom Susanne trained with. She performed professionally in her mother’s Polynesian Dance company for 13+ years in addition to ballet, tap, and jazz. Susanne began acting and received her B.A. in Theater with honors from Notre Dame de Namur University in San Francisco, apprenticed at Williamstown Theater Festival, and trained at the Eugene O’Neill National Theater Institute. After college, she attended the American Conservatory Theater’s Summer Congress and Advanced Training Program. Her professional acting took her throughout the USA, Cayman Islands, and eventually to the UK, where she toured in England and Ireland with the New Vic Theatre Company of London. Susanne also had the opportunity to be the choreographer for Lord Richard Attenborough’s film "Chaplin" starring Robert Downey Jr. Upon moving to L.A., she worked in Business and Legal Affairs at 20th Century Fox Television and Revolutions Studios. In 2011, Susanne moved to Portland, OR and reconnected with her childhood joy and bliss: Polynesian dance. In 2015, she founded The School of Polynesian Dance. The school’s performance group has won competitions at the 4 Days of Aloha Festival in the Hapa Haole Hula Competition. She has been a Dance Artist at Grace Arts Summer Camp and will be returning. Susanne is thrilled to be teaching Hula for all ages at Pacific Dance Academy. 

Jessica was trained in jazz, tap, ballet, and high school dance team in Beloit, KS. She went on to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Fort Hays State University where she was also on the collegiate dance team for 3 years. During university, she worked to combine dance and art mediums to explore the expression and collaboration they could have; for example, filming her dance while covered in charcoal on pieces of paper: multi-level mediums of art! She was also exposed at that time to partner dancing such as country two-step and lindy hop swing. After moving to Portland, she dove into the salsa, bachata, swing, kizomba, tango and blues communities. She now regularly swing dances and sings with The Rhythm Wrecker Dance Band.

Arly has danced with Pacific Dance Academy since they was four years old. They have participated in jazz, tap, ballet, ballroom, modern, and hip hop classes in addition to training at the Independent Dance Project. Currently, Arly is a student at Western Washington's Honors College studying human services, with a minor in dance! Arly is dedicated to dance because they find it as a way to truly express themself. Arly is very excited to be teaching kids and to be sharing what they have learned over the years, along with adding their own style and passion to the process.  

Amy grew up dancing at and eventually teaching at Pacific Dance Academy under former owners. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance and Minor in Business at the University of Oregon. Amy was on the competitive dance team at the University of Oregon for three years, captain of the team for two of those years and competed at the Dance Team Collegiate Nationals in Daytona Beach Florida. Amy has been a company member of Pure Dance Company and has taught dance and preschool. Amy is currently a Stay at Home Mom of three great kids, Mya, Mila, and Dominic and and residential real estate broker. Amy is excited to be back teaching at Pacific Dance Academy.

Phoebe has been dancing since she was three years old. She has trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary and jazz funk. To her, dance is a mindful practice that has the power to expand self love and self expression, and she holds these values at the core of her teaching. She is grateful to teach at Pacific Dance Academy and to be a part of cultivating positive and inclusive experiences for dancers.

Kelly is originally from Walpole, Massachusetts where they trained for 15 years at Medfield Dance Academy Studios as a company member and competitive dancer. Kelly then graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2021 from Meredith College in Raleigh NC with a B.A. in Dance with a Concentration in Private Studio Teaching. Kelly was also the sole recipient of the Academic Excellence in Dance Award for 2021. During their senior year, Kelly was the president of Meredith Dance Association, formerly the National Honors Society for Dance Arts. They were a member of Meredith’s modern dance company: Meredith Dance Theater, and the Meredith Jazz and Tap Company for the tap portion of the company. While attending Meredith, Kelly taught at Academy for the Performing Arts (APA) in Apex NC, and continued there for four years. They also interned and worked as a social media coordinator at APA. 

Kelly then moved to Oregon summer of 2022 to work at Elevate Dance Academy as both an instructor and social media / recreational dance enrollment coordinator. They are also currently a member of Congruency Dance Collective a tap-fusion company. Kelly is eager to share their passion for dance and wishes to positively impact dancers' lives through engaging and fun dance education. Kelly focuses on inclusivity and fostering a positive and welcoming environment for all students.

Tenley has been dancing since she was three years old and has done various styles such as jazz, jazz funk, contemporary, ballet and tap. She goes to St. Ignatius School and is thrilled to be a student mentor. She loves dance because it is a mix of the arts as well as it is a sport. She is grateful she gets to help teach young kids as she learns a lot from them as well!

Bio coming soon!