About Us
MEET OUR
Instructors
Welcome to Park Hill Dance Academy! We are a premier dance academy located in the Park Hill neighborhood of Denver, CO. Our program is geared towards developing well-rounded and versatile dancers ready to take on the world. We offer classes in Pre-Primary, Primary, Intermediate, Advanced, Pre-Professional, Adult, and Electives. We also offer a Free Trial Class prior to enrolling so sign up today to reserve your class!
Karlyn Griswold
Owner | Artist Director
ABOUT KARLYN
Karlyn Griswold is the owner and artistic director of Park Hill Dance Academy. She started dancing at the age of 21/2 and has not stopped. She began her pre-professional dance training at The Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities under the instruction of Christina Noel Adcock until leaving Colorado at the age of 15 to attend Interlochen Arts Academy as a dance major. She continued her training at The University of Arizona and she went on to dance professionally at the San Diego City Ballet in San Diego, CA and the Charleston Ballet Theatre in Charleston, SC. Currently, Karlyn is a company member of In the Wings Dance Company and Park Hill Dance Collective. Both companies combine dance and aerial arts and perform multiple times a year.
Karlyn began her teaching career while at the San Diego City Ballet in 2000. She started teaching in Colorado at The Dancer’s Advantage 2011, She has also taught at various studios in Denver including Cleo Parker Robinson and The Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities. She felt connected to her students at TDA and purchased the business in July 2014. In addition to running the academy, Karlyn is also the director of the PHDA Youth Dance Company and has produced many full length ballets including Giselle, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
When Karlyn is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and believe it or not dancing.
Madison Oleson
Assistant Director
ABOUT MADISON
Madison started dancing right here at Mattie Springfield’s in 1999 and continued with Brian Bender’ s The Dancer’s Advantage in 2005 through the end of high school in 2011. She started teaching pre-ballet in 2008 and ballet levels 1-4 in 2009. After high school, Madison moved to Nashville to join The Dance Theatre of Tennessee as a company artist. She moved back to Denver after 3 seasons with the company. She started teaching at Park Hill Dance Academy in 2015. Madison currently dances professionally with Park Hill Dance Collective, Ballet 5280, and Ballet Ariel.
Christopher Page-Sanders
Modern Dance Director
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER
Originally from St. Louis, Mr. Page-Sanders received his formal dance training from the Center Of Creative Arts (COCA) and the University of Missouri- Kansas City: Conservatory of Music and Dance. He is the CO-FoundingArtistic Director of NU-World Contemporary Danse Theatre, which he founded with his husband, Bashir Page. As a performing artist, Christopher is grateful to have danced as a member of many notable companies such as the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Hannah Kahn Dance Company, OwenCox Dance Group, Wylliams-Henry Contemporary Dance Company and the Leah Glenn Dance Theatre just to name a few. As a choreographer and teacher, he has created concert dance work for companies such as Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Davis Contemporary Dance Company, Deeply Rooted’s ECS, COCADance, as well as teaching and choreographing at the Denver School for the Arts, Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center, William & Mary College and the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School. He is currently the Modern Dance Director for Park Hill Dance Academy. Along with concert dance work, Christopher has choreographed for such theatre companies as: Fly North Theatricals, The Rep’s Imaginary Theatre Company, Town Hall Arts Center and Vintage Theatre Productions, to name a few. He has been blessed to serve a thirteen year tenure at East Central College as their choreographer in residence for the theatre department, as well as a fifteen year tenure as the choreographer for the COCA Summer Musicals. His choreography has been presented on a national level twice at the International Association of Blacks In Dance Conference. In 2013, he was recognized and given the Leni Wylliams Award for choreography and innovation from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. In 2020, he was nominated as Best Choreographer for the Colorado Henry Awards for his choreography for the Regional Premiere of a the musical “The Scottsboro Boys”, produced by Vintage Theatre Productions. To his ancestors and mentors on your shoulders I dance! Peace and Blessings; Love, Light and Art!
Sarah Furness
Instructor
ABOUT SARAH
Sarah’s love for dancing and teaching started in Loveland where she danced competitively and taught young dancers for Broadway Bound Dance Academy. In addition, Sarah danced for her high school’s dance team and then danced in college at the University of Northern Colorado. She has experience in all styles of dance and enjoys ballet and jazz. Sarah’s teaching background also includes being an elementary and preschool teacher prior to having her two boys. Teaching the little ballerinas is her passion and she has taught pre-ballet.
Laura Whitby
Instructor
ABOUT LAURA
Laura Whitby, a New Jersey native, received the bulk of her dance training with Susan Jaffe and Risa Kaplowitz at Princeton Dance and Theater Studio. She continued her training at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy before joining Houston Ballet II in 2008. She also spent seasons with Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company and Charlotte Ballet II. While with these second companies, she performed acclaimed contemporary works as well as full length classics like Swan Lake. In 2014, she graduated from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with a Bachelors of Science in Ballet, with an Outside Field in Applied Health Science and a Minor in Spanish. At IU, she studied under Violette Verdy and performed principal roles in various ballets, including many by George Balanchine. Upon graduating, Whitby then danced with the Sacramento Ballet for three seasons, performing Swan Lake, Balanchine ballets, as well as Arabian and Rose in Ron Cunningham’s The Nutcracker. Alongside her professional ballet career, she has taught ballet at various dance academies around the country, working with dancers of all ages and abilities. She is also a Certified Pilates Instructor and enjoys yoga, cooking, and the outdoors.
Casey Pottle
Instructor
ABOUT CASEY
Casey is a lover of movement with a passion for sharing it with others. She has over a decade of dance training and experience in ballet, Irish step, and contemporary dance. After graduating from college in 2012 having studied dance abroad in London, Casey discovered her love for teaching dance, and has taught ballet to a variety of ages including kids, teens, and adults. Upon moving to Denver in 2017, Casey taught ballet for adults for several years at Broche Ballet, where she discovered her passion for sharing her love for ballet with the adult dance community. Casey also teaches aerial dance, and loves to combine her love of ballet with aerial arts. She has performed in multiple aerial and dance shows around Denver. Casey currently dances professionally with Park Hill Dance Collective and In The Wings.
Emily Hoch
Instructor
ABOUT EMILY
EMILY HOCH-WINDUS, M.A., a Colorado native, began her dance training at age three and now holds her Masters in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado. She has diverse dance training working with artists from professional and collegiate levels in jazz, modern, tap, ballet, hip-hop, musical theater, West African dance, as well as Capoeira. Emily is dance artist, educator, advocate, and adjudicator for dance schools throughout Colorado. Emily is a full time dance educator who designs arts integrated lessons, and curriculum for grades K–10 at Doral Academy. She serves as an Ambassador and Stage Manager for Presenting Denver, and helps fulfill their mission to support the art of dance through increased public exposure and appreciation of movement as an innovative art form. Emily is also on the board for CoDEO (Colorado Dance Educators Organization) which helps to support and promote dance arts and arts performances through education, communication and advocacy. She has been teaching jazz and modern classes for dancers at the Arvada Center for 10 years, and is a resident choreographer for the Arvada Center Dance Theater Company. Emily is eager to be back at Park Hill Dance teaching jazz and working again with the Park Hill Dance Collective dancing alongside some of her favorite dancers!
Morganne Markowski
Instructor
ABOUT MORGANNE
Morganne Markowski has been dancing for 17 years. She started with The Dance Center at the age of 4 until she graduated with dance honors from CIVA Charter High School for the Performing Arts. Morganne has danced in many genres with an emphasis on jazz, hip hop, and lyrical. She attends Pikes Peak Community College majoring in dance where she performed with the High Altitude Dance Ensemble for three semesters, and will attain her Associate of Arts degree in Dance in December, 2020. Upon graduation from PPCC, Morganne plans to attend the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) dance program at UCCS starting in the Fall of 2021. She is also currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Colorado Technical University. Morganne currently teaches jazz and hip hop classes for Park Hill Dance Academy in Denver and The Peak School of Dance in Colorado Springs. She hopes to further her career as a dance teacher as well as a dancer in musical theater where she enjoys telling her story through movement and expression.
Julia Doering
Instructor
ABOUT JULIA
Julia Doering is originally from Jupiter, Florida and received her dance training from Ballet Palm Beach, Bak Middle School of the Arts, A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Paris Ballet and Dance, Boston Ballet, and graduated from The Harid Conservatory in 2015 after completing the three-year curriculum. She then danced with The Tallahassee Ballet as a Soloist and taught at various schools in Florida. Julia has danced in various ballets, including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream had the pleasure of performing Dulcinea in Don Quixote, George Balanchine’s Serenade, Flower Festival in Genzano, Satanella, Esmeralda, Paquita Pas de Trois, among others. Julia holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and is currently working on getting her Pilates teacher certification.
Elizabeth Alcorn
Instructor
ABOUT ELIZABETH
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.
Bridget Polei
Instructor
ABOUT BRIDGET
Bridget Polei was raised in Dallas, TX and trained at The Ballet Conservatory, an award winning pre-professional ballet school since the age of 3. Bridget joined their performing company at age 12 until graduating at 18. She had spent summers supplementing her training on scholarship at Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Houston Ballet. Upon graduating high school she was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Oklahoma’s ballet program and double majored in Health and Exercise Science. There Bridget found a passion for choreography and her work was presented in the Young Choreographer’s Showcase. Her work “Migration” was the cover for the program in 2017. After graduating with honors Bridget joined Ballet Quad Cities in Rock Island, IL where she was presented with many leading roles such as the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland and the Ugly Duckling. She then transferred to Ballet Ariel in Denver and returned to her classical ballet roots and fell in love with Colorado. Bridget is now semi-retired only performing freelance, is on the board of the Colorado Springs Dance Counsel, and is a real estate agent with Thrive Real Estate. Her transition and success in real estate was recently celebrated in Dance Magazine.
Bashir Page-Sanders
Instructor
ABOUT BASHIR
Bashir Page-Sanders a native of Baltimore, MD began his classical dance training at the Community College of Baltimore County-Essex Campus and went on to pursue his degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. He has also studied at Morton Street Dance Center, The Ailey School, and PHILADANCO. Bashir has danced professionally with PHILADANCO 2nd Company, Genesis Dance Company, Keen Dance Theatre, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. He now is a full time dance teacher and choreographer and has his own company called NU-World Contemporary Danse Theatre.