About Us

Liz grew up in Arvada, Colorado and began dancing when she was three. As a teenager, she spent five years training with the Arvada Center Dance Company under Christina Noel-Adcock, Lisa Rebik, Ashi Smythe, Kate Wagner, Emily Hoch, and Therese Patton-Sanchez. With the ACDT company Lizzie had the opportunity to partake in outreach performances in various nursing homes and with children’s fundraisers. After graduating from Arvada West High School, she went on to study at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Liz graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance and Psychology in 2020. She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling, while working at Jefferson Center for Mental Health. She plans to work with adolescents while incorporating arts in the therapeutic process after graduating. Lizzie currently teaches at Park Hill Dance Academy and coaches Varsity Poms at Dakota Ridge High School. She also dances professionally with Life / Art Dance Ensemble and Dance Art Media Entertainment.

Elena currently performs as a dancer with Park Hill Dance Collective, a dancer/singer/choreographer with
both Amanda V’s Material Girl and Princess and the Evolution, and a dancer on the ladies’shines salsa
performance teams at Colorado New Style (CNS): Divinas, and Anita’s Ladies, of the renowned World
Champion Anita Santos Rubin, performing and competing around the Denver area, nationally, and in
international competition throughout the US. The Divinas took First Place and the title of “World
Champions” at the international World Salsa Summit in 2021 in both the ProAm and Amateur categories.
Her CNS team was also featured in a performance with the Colorado Symphony on the Latin Beats
concert, hosted and televised on Telemundo. Elena has also previously performed and choreographed for
other dance ensembles and notable performing artists such as Emmy award-winning Melissa Ivey’s Speed
of Life, international artist Nick Cave’s Heard*DAM, Flash Mob America as a dance lead, Front Range
Contemporary Ballet Company, DAM Entertainment, Legacy Dance Ensemble as a soloist, and Blue
Moon Dance Company, in addition to other choreographers and clients.

Elena started her dance training with Christina Noel at the Arvada Center. She later earned a BFA in
dance from the Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC. There she studied under and performed in
pieces by Jennifer Medina, DeeAnna Hiett, Rodni Williams, Sabrina Madison-Cannon, Paula Weber, and
Mary Pat Henry, among others. She attended programs at The Ailey School, Jennifer Medina’s Common
Thread Contemporary Dance Company, Cleo Parker Robinson, and Kim Robards, performing in
showcases and attending some of these on scholarship. Elena then went on to study Graham with the
esteemed Franca Telesio. Her dance technique styles include Horton and Graham based modern, ballet,
jazz, and contemporary. Elena is also excited to be exploring and training her newfound skills in aerial
dance (sling, silks, lyra), competitive salsa shines (on1 and on2), and backup vocals.

Elena believes in the value of the performing arts from both an artistic and educational standpoint. She earned an elementary teaching license from the State of Colorado through the University of Colorado Denver. As such, Elena believes dance education should be accessible, shared, and enjoyed by all. She hopes to use dance and choreography as a tool to build self-esteem and create a positive self-image for growing dancers of any background. Elena has taught in a variety of dance programs in the US, and abroad in Abu Dhabi (UAE). She currently directs the Modern department at Park Hill Dance Academy. Elena also teaches at Airborne Gymnastics and Dance, and her choreography in recent seasons has taken 1st and 3rd place in their category in competition. She additionally previously directed the Tour Ensemble. Elena teaches at the Dance Academy at The Arvada Center, and Community-Minded Dance (CMDance) as an instructor and member of the School and Sponsor Outreach Teams.