PAST GUEST ARTISTS Workshops

Kelsie graduated Magna Cum Laude from East Carolina University with a BFA in Dance Performance. She has traveled all over the nation performing in both commercial and concert style dance works. She spent several seasons performing at Cedar Point in shows such as Luminosity, Sideshow: A Carnival of Magic, and was Dance Captain at Vertical Impact. Kelsie also had the opportunity to perform at California's Great America in Ed Alonzo's The Second Greatest Showman. Between contracts, she was dancing in Chicago for Chicago Dance Crash, Moonwater Dance Project, and Peckish Rhodes Performing Arts Society. During her time with Chicago Dance Crash, she performed the part of Nimee Aimee in the Bricklayers of Oz, which won Dance Magazine's 2017 Most Innovative New Work. Her teaching specialties include contemporary, hip hop, jazz, and musical theatre. Having been teaching for approximately nine years, Kelsie has taught and choreographed for all ages and levels. Her teaching credits include being a Teaching Artist for Joffrey Ballet School in Chicago, being an instructor for DanceWerks studio and convention, and a dance adjudicator for Triple S Dance Competition. In 2019, Kelsie was an instructor at Durham School of the Arts in Durham, NC. Kelsie now teaches at several dance studios in the triangle area, and is so excited to bring share her love of dance and the arts with The Dance Collective!

Training & Experience:UNC Dance Team: 1 yearCarolina Style Tap and Jazz Companies UNC: 3 yearCarolina Vibe Company UNC: 3 yearStar Heels Jazz 3, Modern, Tap Companies UNC: 3 yearAnn Freeman Dance Academy Hickory, NC: 13 yearsCenter of Performing Arts Burlington, NC: 1 yearNinth Street Dance Durham, NC: 1 yearColumbia City Jazz Columbia, SC: 2 yearsHarambee Festival Lenoir, NC: 4 yearsBallet: 14 years  Tap: 14 years  Jazz: 14 yearsModern/Lyrical: 8 years  Hip-hop: 6 years
Competitions & Awards:DMA Nationals Las Vegas, NV 2003DMA Nationals New York, NY 2004 and 2007DMA Nationals Nashville, TN: DMA Special Award 2005DMA Nationals Washington, DC 2008DMA Nationals San Antonio, TX: top 15 soloists 2010CDM Regionals Greensboro, NC:(Miss Teen Dance Finalist-2009)(Champions of Champions-2009)AFDA Performing Competition Team: 9 years
Summer Intensives:Student Honors Intensive Program Buffalo, NY: 4 yearsChapel Hill Rhythm Tap Festival Chapel Hill, NC: 5 yearsHoofin’ Ground Tap Festival Charlotte, NC 3 years

Erika Thompson was born and raised in Hamilton, NJ where she started dancing at the prestigious Princeton Ballet School. Her professional career includes opening the stage for Colbie Caillat, Andy Grammar, The Cab, and Hinder; performing at large corporate events with clients including G105, First Citizen’s Bank and Go Red Campaign; teaching at the famed Dance With Me Studios USA (Dancing With The Stars, Tony Dovolani and the Chmerkovskiy brother’s dance studio); being Most Valuable Dancer for the NASL Carolina Railhawks Dance Team; and being a company member of Blank Slate Modern Dance Company.
She has studied at Complexions Contemporary Ballet Intensive in NYC; as well as trained with choreographers including Joey Dowling, Jason Parsons, and Nick Bass on the convention scene.Erika is currently a faculty teacher at a studio in Raleigh and is so excited to work with you!

Brittany is a Durham, NC native with a background in dance, cheer, musical theatre, and fitness. She is a former principal dancer for Collage African Dance Company and has trained under esteemed leaders in the African dance community such as Baba Chuck Davis, Toni K. Hall, and Sadiyah Shakur-Saleem. She can't wait to share the gift of African dance with you all. Ase!
Join Brittany for a fun and upbeat African Dance class! We will start by learning a call and response song and going over the foundations of African dance as an art form that mimics nature. Afterwards, we'll move into learning movements from 2 foundational West African dances, Kou Kou and Sinte. Class will finish with a group performance featuring the famous "drum circle dance-off" common in all African dance performances! 

Kelsie graduated Magna Cum Laude from East Carolina University with a BFA in Dance Performance. She has traveled all over the nation performing in both commercial and concert style dance works. She spent several seasons performing at Cedar Point in shows such as Luminosity, Sideshow: A Carnival of Magic, and was Dance Captain at Vertical Impact. Kelsie also had the opportunity to perform at California's Great America in Ed Alonzo's The Second Greatest Showman. Between contracts, she was dancing in Chicago for Chicago Dance Crash, Moonwater Dance Project, and Peckish Rhodes Performing Arts Society. During her time with Chicago Dance Crash, she performed the part of Nimee Aimee in the Bricklayers of Oz, which won Dance Magazine's 2017 Most Innovative New Work. Her teaching specialties include contemporary, hip hop, jazz, and musical theatre. Having been teaching for approximately nine years, Kelsie has taught and choreographed for all ages and levels. Her teaching credits include being a Teaching Artist for Joffrey Ballet School in Chicago, being an instructor for DanceWerks studio and convention, and a dance adjudicator for Triple S Dance Competition. In 2019, Kelsie was an instructor at Durham School of the Arts in Durham, NC. Kelsie now teaches at several dance studios in the triangle area, and is so excited to bring share her love of dance and the arts with The Dance Collective!

Isaac Uhlenberg began his dance career at eighteen years old in the North Carolina freestyle scene, specializing in Hip Hop and Salsa. While completing his degree in Psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill, Isaac became heavily involved with the growth and expansion of Hip Hop choreography throughout North Carolina. He traveled along the East Coast teaching at numerous universities for young adults and collegiate students. In 2014, Isaac began his professional performance career in Los Angeles, where he is signed with Go 2 Talent Agency. He has taught Hip Hop to all ages and levels in Southern California and throughout the Triangle area. Isaac has appeared on stage at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and the Grammy's. Isaac and his choreography can also be found in commercials and music videos for various music artists. In 2019, he travelled the world performing on cruises as both a dancer and an aerialist. Now back in North Carolina, Isaac seeks to continue educating the next generation of young dancers as they pursue to nurture their artistry.

Katie has a B.A. in Psychology and Dance Education from Meredith College and an M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at Meredith College, Katie was President of Meredith Dance Theatre, a modern dance performance company, and was a member of the Meredith Tap Ensemble. She completed a student teaching internship through the Wake County Public School System and earned a K-12 license in Dance. Katie taught multiple styles of dance throughout her 13 years as an instructor at Dance Dynamics, with an emphasis on teaching tap classes for company-level students. In partnership with Dance Dynamics, Katie founded a nonprofit organization called Miracles in Motion in 2010 with the mission of providing accessible dance classes for children and adolescents with disabilities. Katie has continued to serve as President and Instructor for Miracles in Motion for 11 years and enjoys sharing the joy of dance with individuals of all ages and abilities. Katie’s passion for teaching and service is interdisciplinary, and when she is not dancing, she enjoys teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill as an Adjunct Professor and working as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor.

Join The Dance Collective for another Weekend Workshop with guest artist Jessica Hughes! Jessica Hughes grew up dancing at Dance Dynamics in Wake Forest, which is where she also taught recreational and competitive dancers for 12 years. In college, Jessica performed with the NC State Modern Dance Company and Dior Dance Company. She was also the NCSU Ms. Wuf mascot, and competed for Capital One mascot of the year and at NCA cheerleading and mascot competitions. Jessica is so excited to teach a contemporary class at TDC and share her love of movement! This workshop will be an hour and a half contemporary class. Students will warm up, learn a contemporary combination, and finish with guided movement improvisation. This workshop is open to current TDC students as well as dancers from other studios!

Karson is professional dancer originally from the Raleigh area. In 2014, she began traveling and performing around the world with the Walt Disney Company. She completed three full tours in North America and performed overseas in countries like Egypt and Japan. Karson is so excited to be back in North Carolina and sharing her love of dance with our TDC students! This workshop will include an hour long jazz class, in which the students will warm up and learn a musical theatre jazz combo. After dancing, our students will have the opportunity to ask Karson questions about her time performing with Disney! This workshop is open to current TDC students as well as dancers from other studios!

Libby Brooks  (they/them) was raised in Raleigh, NC, where they trained in numerous disciplines and was honored to be an artist recognized as a mentee in the Velocity Dance Convention before starting their professional career. They graduated Summa Cum Laude from Point Park University with a BFA in dance as a modern concentration. Their performance opportunities have allowed them to work with professionals such as:  Martha Nichols, Robyn Mineko Williams, Teena Maria Custer, Whitney Bezzant, Andrew Winghart, Jason McDole, Kirsten Russell, and Ashley Gonzales. Libby recently debuted their choreographic work, "no longer confined" at Point Park's Conservatory of Performing Arts Student Choreography Showcase and hopes to continue sharing authenticity, honesty, and inclusivity within their artistic journey.