Meet the Live Love Dance Team!

Owner, Director, & Teacher

Combo Classes for Ages 2 to 7, Conditioning Classes, Acrobatic Arts

Years at LLD: 12

Miss Valerie has been dancing since the age of 4.  She began student teaching at the age of 16 and knew from that time that she wanted to make teaching her career.  She has trained with numerous master teachers at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles and at various dance conventions around the country.  Valerie holds a BA in Dance, with a minor in Psychology from California State University Fullerton an Elementary Teaching Credential from Cal State Teach and she is a Certified Preschool Teacher.

Miss Valerie has attended Dance/Movement Therapy workshops across the United States, The Dance Life Teacher Conferences, as well as Creative Dance Workshops in Washington State at the Creative Dance Center, under the direction of Anne Green Gilbert.  It is there that Miss Valerie learned The Brain Dance which is incorporated into all of her classes for dancers ages 6 months to 6 years.

Miss Valerie is a Level 4 Certified Teacher of The Paula Morgan Technique, a very prestigious training that is a combination of Yoga, Pilates and Ballet and structures the dancers to help avoid injury, while teaching a solid foundation and strong work ethic.  In 2018 she also became Acrobatic Arts Certified up to Level 6 and is an Alixa Flexibility Certified Teacher through Level 2.

Miss Valerie’s goal is to reduce injury in young dancers by training them properly, focusing on alignment, strength and flexibility without hyper mobility and also to make dance available to children who may not have the means to afford a dance education.

Valerie has 4 years of experience as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Volunteer and was awarded the CASA Philanthropist of the year award in 2011.  Under Valerie’s direction Live Love Dance began offering two dance scholarships to CASA youth in 2011.  Since that time the program has expanded through the Live Love Dance Performing Company’s annual fundraiser.  The Gift of Dance raises money for dance costumes, clothing and shoes for children in our community who are in foster care and on scholarship at Live Love Dance.

In 2020 Miss Valerie Started Bloom Preschool at Live Love Dance, an Arts Based Preschool for ages 3 to 5.

Owner & Studio Manager (and Valerie’s husband)

All Things Behind the Scenes

Years at LLD: 12

Chad has many years of operations management experience and has recently decided to use this experience in customer and employee relations and dedicate his career to dance education and fine arts. Mr. Chad has a musical background and has worked in the dance education industry for over 10 years. He enjoys creating a positive impact for the students and their families throughout the year and specifically at our annual dance performances.  Chad is always working the front desk as well as working behind the scenes at Live Love Dance, editing music, creating backdrops, and helping to plan each show.

When he is not at the studio, Chad is real estate agent with Engel & Volkers and also has several years of experience as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), a nationwide program dedicated to improving and monitoring the well-being of children involved in the foster care system. He also enjoys spending time with his family.  Chad is proud to be part of the team at Live Love Dance.

Teacher

Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary

Years at LLD: 6

Dana started dancing at the age of 3 at Belliston Academy of Ballet in Littleton, CO. She pursued rigorous ballet training programs, including the Cecchetti Method and the Royal Academy of Dance program, in addition to studying pointe and pointe conditioning. She also participated in the Denver Ballet Guild twice and her studio’s annual production of the Nutcracker with various roles over the years. While ballet is her primary style, she is also trained in tap, jazz, modern, and tumbling.

Dana enjoys studying languages and playing the violin out of the studio, and she received her BA in Linguistics from CU Boulder in 2016. She brings a structured schedule and detailed eye to the dance space and is excited to be a part of the Live Love Dance team!

Teacher

Hip Hop

Years at LLD: 1

Matthew Cole began dancing at the age of 3 in his family’s dance studio. Throughout the years, he has enjoyed dancing the roles as the prince and king in “The Nutcracker” the king in “Alice in Wonderland” . While on the competition team, he studied under professionals with Jen Hamilton, Leo Morimine, Matthew Peacock, Marguerite Derricks, Justin Jiles, Mike Minery, Donovan Helma, Tyne Stecklein, Cory Anderson, and Meisha Gabriel.

Teacher

Musical Theater, Turns & Jumps, Company Choreography