Turning Pointe Dance Centre

AMY CORYER

Originally from California, Amy moved to Washington at the age of 14.  Early on she found inspiration through her mother and decided to follow in her footsteps to pursue a life filled with dance.  She primarily studied tap, jazz and ballet, and soon after starting at Turning Pointe in 1995, expanded her training to include lyrical and hip hop.  Amy was one of the first members of Turning Pointe Dance Team, now Trilogy Dance Company.  She has also been a member of local dance companies including In Effect, Team Boogiezone's Breed, Twisted Elegance, The Next Movement - TNM and has performed in The New Millennium Tap Dance Review.  Her choreography can be found all over the state of Washington.  In addition to Trilogy, she has set pieces for Washington State University's Crimson Girls, Gig Harbor and Jackson High Schools, Eastern Washington Elite, and Footlites Dance Studio.  Amy has a strong love and appreciation of all styles of dance, and believes that dance promotes self-discipline, passion and creates life-long relationships.  One of the things that she cherishes the most about teaching at Turning Pointe is being part of a student's first experience in dance and opening up a whole new world of fun, imagination, creativity and skill.

AUNDREA FANT

After training at Turning Pointe Dance Centre for eight years and performing as a member of Trilogy Dance Company, Aundrea moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dance career.  She was accepted into the scholarship program at the EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, CA.  During her time on scholarship she trained extensively in not only dancing, but acting and singing as well. After completing the dance program at the EDGE, Aundrea began auditioning and working as a professional dancer.  Various jobs have included performing with Rihanna at the VMA's, working with choreographer Eddie Garcia on the feature film "Our Family Wedding", dancing in the new indie rock ballet "The Question" choreographed by JT Horenstein, and dancing in Nickelodeon's new hit TV show "Victorious".  She has also participated in instructional videos with Laura Fremont for L.A. Dance Force, in addition to other workout videos and commercials.  Aundrea most recently filmed the new Harold and Kumar movie, soon to be released in theaters!  Currently, she is attending college at the University of Washington, teaching dance classes, and pursuing multiple career paths.

JESSICA JENKINS

Jessica began dancing at the age of three and was hooked!  She started training at Turning Pointe a few years later and was a member of Trilogy Dance Company for ten years.  She has performed with "BREED Seattle" and "Potion", led by Cameron Lee.  Jessica has won many awards and scholarships over the years, including "Dance With The Force", which is only awarded annually to ten dancers nationwide and "Elite Pulse Protege", where she traveled around the country assisting many noted choreographers, including Brian Friedman, Dave Scott, Cris Judd, Wade Robson, Tyce Diorio, Laurie Ann Gibson and Shane Sparks.  She is excited to be back home at Turning Pointe!

NICOLE KROESE

Nicole started training at an early age, becoming a member of Trilogy Dance Company when she was 16.  She has assisted for Dee Caspary, Chris Jacobsen, Hollywood Connection and Adrenaline Dance Conventions.  Her performance work includes the Seattle Storm Dance Troupe, Radio Disney, the Capezio A.C.E. Awards and most recently she participated in a piece choreographed by Deborah Jowitt in the NYU Dance Faculty Showcase.  After attending Alvin Ailey's Professional Division Summer Program in 2009, she is now currently earning a BFA in Dance at New York University.

NICKI LOUD

Nicki trained with Turning Pointe Dance Centre and was a member of Turning Pointe Dance Team, now Trilogy Dance Company, from the time it opened in 1995.  At 16, she was presented with the national title of New York City Dance Alliance Senior Outstanding Dancer and shortly after began traveling the country with dance conventions such as NYCDA, Co. Dance and Tremaine.  Since then, Nicki has lived in both New York City and Los Angeles pursuing her career as a dancer and choreographer.  She worked on "So You Think You Can Dance:  Season 2" as assistant choreographer to Tyce Diorio and also assisted Mark Meismer with his choreography for "Dancing With The Stars" guest artist, Martina McBride.  In 2007, her choreography debuted at the Joyce Theater in New York in the Rock n' Roll show, "REVOLUTION", which toured North America through the Spring of 2009.  Nicki received an "Outstanding Choreographer" award at Youth American Grand Prix in San Francisco for her piece "The Hills", performed by Kirsten Wicklund, formerly with Washington Ballet II, who was also asked to perform the routine at the YAGP Gala held in New York.  In 2009, her piece "Corner of Your Heart", performed by Trilogy Dance Co. members, was selected as one of 18 finalists from a nationwide search to participate in the Capezio A.C.E. Choreography Awards in New York City.  Nicki is currently based in Seattle and continues to choreograph and teach across the United States.

EMILY MERCER

Emily completed her training in multiple styles of dance at Turning Pointe Dance Centre.  After many years as a member of Trilogy Dance Company, she was awarded a Loyola Scholarship to Fordham University at Lincoln Center and also trained with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.  She has performed in a "Dancing With The Stars" promotion, as well as with A.H. Dance Company in New York.  Emily continues to attend Fordham University.

JORDYNN OTTO

Jordynn began dancing at Turning Pointe Dance Centre at the age of three and became a member of Trilogy Dance Company at the age of nine.  Her training led her to participate in several invite-only summer dance intensives, including CAMP, led by numerous New York City choreographers and SummerLAB, led by Holly Johnston, Artistic Director of Ledges and Bones Dance Company.  Jordynn has consistently been recognized for her excellence in technique and has received scholarships from various dance conventions around the country, including "Top Ten" placement at JUMP's 2008 National V.I.P. Dancer Program.

Jordynn was a Radio Disney cast member and performed live in concert with the band, "The Side Project".  She has assisted choreographers such as Jason Parsons, Stacey Tookey and Nicki Loud.  Currently, Jordynn attends Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, majoring in dance and minoring in business.  At school, she has had the opportunity to be cast in pieces by Ryan Heffington, Denise Leitner and Paige Porter.  She has also been delving into the world of choreography to create her own works at school for others to perform.

MACKENZIE PARFITT

Mackenzie trained in multiple styles of dance at Turning Pointe Dance Centre from the age of three.  As a former member of Trilogy Dance Company, she has won scholarships and awards for her excellence in dance.  In 2009, Mackenzie performed as a finalist in "Corner of Your Heart" at the first annual Capezio A.C.E. Awards in New York City.  She enjoys sharing her passion for dance with her students.

NATALIE REID

Natalie was raised in Seattle, Washington, where she studied many different forms of dance at Turning Pointe Dance Centre and was a member of Trilogy Dance Company.  After high school she attended Chapman University in Orange, California and graduated with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising in 2008.  While in college, she continued her training under Mandy Moore and Dee Caspary at Edge Performing Arts Center and performed pieces of their work at a number of different venues, including the New York City Elan Awards and the Emmy Awards.  In 2005, Natalie was a member of Mark Meismer's "Evolution Dance Company", where she had the opportunity to work with highly acclaimed choreographers, including Jason Parsons, Dee Caspary, Justin Giles and Liz Imperio.  Natalie then worked with the Anaheim Ballet during their 2007-2008 season, where her favorite works included Balanchine's "Serenade" and "The Nutcracker".  For the past three summers, Natalie has been a member of "Soul Escape", a contemporary company directed by Justin Giles, performing his work in both Dallas and Los Angeles.  Recently, she has had the opportunity to assist both Mia Michaels and Mandy Moore on the hit show, "So You Think You Can Dance".  Natalie currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she is beginning her third year as a member of "Odyssey Dance Theatre" and is the Jazz instructor at Center Stage Performing Arts Studio.

KERRY TAYLOR

After training and performing with Turning Pointe Dance Centre and Trilogy Dance Company for many years, Kerry graduated from Mills College in Oakland, California with a BA in Fine Art and Psychology.  There she participated in many dance thesis and faculty performances and was a member of art crews for the Coachella, All Points West and Burning Man Music and Arts Festivals.  She now resides in Brooklyn, New York, working as a freelance production assistant for music videos, commercials and photo shoots.  She has worked with a wide range of artists, including Missy Elliott, Timbaland, K'Naan, Jazmine Sullivan and Chris Cornell.  Her production assistant credits in the photo shoot arena include Sarah Jessica Parker, Edie Falco, Garnier, Chevron and Wii Rock Band and she has also worked on the set of commercials such as the NFL Draft Promo, Hong Kong Tourism Board and JetBlue.  More recently Kerry works on the set of Law & Order as a locations assistant.  Still dancing, Kerry has performed as a guest artist with Naganuma Dance Company, with whom she is building a sculpture for their Battery Dance Festival performance.  She is training under the direction of Jennifer Archibald, Beth Goheen, Oliver Steele and Bill T. Jones' Artistic Director, Janet Wong.

PARIS TORRES

Paris trained, performed and competed in multiple forms of dance as a member of Trilogy Dance Company, winning many scholarships and awards throughout the years.  She was one of ten dancers selected to perform with Dance With The Force in Los Angeles, where she trained with renowned choreographers and teachers.  In 2008, she was included in the final thirty girls and in 2009, she was in the Top 20 for "So You Think You Can Dance".  In addition to dance, Paris spent many years participating in Pageants.  She has competed and earned the Crown and Title of American Coed Sweetheart Queen, National American Miss Jr. Teen Queen and National American Miss Teen Queen.  Rounding off her titles, she also won National Talent for National American Miss.  Paris currently teaches dance while attending college and continuing to pursue her career.

LAUREN VAN WINKLE