The Faculty and Administration Staff of The American Dance Institute
Elizabeth Chayer
Founder, Director, Instructor, Mentor
Elizabeth Chayer opened the American Dance Institute in Seattle in 1989 and has served as Artistic Director for 36 years. She received her teaching certificate from the School of the Hartford Ballet in Connecticut.
Elizabeth has taught for the University of Alaska, Alaska Pacific University, and Anchorage Community College. She also taught and served as assistant director to Alice Sullivan at Alaska Dance Theatre in Anchorage, Alaska, for five years.
In Alaska, she started the American Dance Institute, teaching dance to children in preschools and daycare centers. She moved to Seattle in 1989 and started the Seattle school, which has now grown to 6 studios in 4 locations in the greater Seattle area, where students can learn Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, Hip-Hop, Flamenco, Irish Step Dancing, Shuffle Dance, Musical Theatre, Creative Dance, PBT (Progressing Ballet Technique). She nurtures a non competitive environment and loves to build community at the school.
Elizabeth is married to Steve Chayer, who is co-owner of the American Dance Institute, and she is the mother of two boys, Andy and Dennis,
In response to the Covid 19 and it's lockdowns, Elizabeth, her husband Steve and son Andy, produced the Any Day Ballet video course so students could learn Ballet from home during the pandemic. It was so well received that we still market it today, even though the lockdowns are done.
Elizabeth recently started a Teacher Training Certificate Program which includes a complete syllabus for each class style being taught, teaching methods, classroom management, a music library and assisting in classes to get hands on experience. It is a very robust program for dancers who would like to teach.
While Elizabeth is passionate about teaching, she has mostly stepped down from teaching regular classes because her feet are very arthritic. But she enjoys filling in on occasion and she now focuses on mentoring her teacher trainees on their journey. Elizabeth says that is as rewarding as teaching classes because she can see her mentee grow.
Our Teachers and Administrative Team Members
Dakota Crist Garcia
Administrative Assistant
Assistant Director, MOMMY & ME, CREATIVE DANCE, PRE-BALLET, BALLET, JAZZ and MODERN DANCE
Dakota Crist joined ADI staff in March of 2018 and teaches Ballet/Pointe, Jazz, Modern Dance, Mommy & Me, Creative Dance and Pre-Ballet. Dakota is ADI's Assistant Director, as well as office manager for American Dance Institute Shoreline and Shoreline Music School.
As a young dancer, she attended Joffrey South, American Academy of Ballet, and Ballet West's summer intensives. Her love of dance drove her train pre-professionally with Ballet Montana and as a company trainee with Sacramento Ballet.
After graduating from Cornish, Dakota shifted her focus to dance education. She has been teaching dance since 2009 and has taught for ADI since 2018.
Ainsleigh Orwin
Administrative Assistant
Ballet, Modern, jazz, mommy & me & creative Dance
Ainsleigh Orwin began dancing at the age of 5 at Village Dance Arts in Claremont, CA where she was trained in Royal Academy of Dance curriculum ballet, as well as modern, jazz, hip-hop, and tap. In 2017, Ainsleigh moved to Seattle to continue her education at the University of Washington. She holds a B.A. in Dance and B.S. in Biology (Physiology) and is currently pursuing her Masters in Education at the UW.
Ainsleigh has been teaching dance since she was 17, starting at her home studio and branching out to teach summer camps and outreach classes in elementary schools. Her passion for teaching and dance led her to American Dance Institute after graduating from UW in 2021.
Michaelene De La Serna
Flamenco Dance
Michaelene De La Serna studied flamenco dance intensively for many years with Flamenco Chicago Artistic Director Ms. Rosetta Magdalen. She has also studied with flamenco greats Carmela Greco and Marija Temo. In addition to teaching adults, Michaelene was the Director of the Flamenco Kids Program at Flamenco Chicago.
Michaelene De La Serna studied flamenco dance intensively for many years with Flamenco Chicago Artistic Director Ms. Rosetta Magdalen. She has also studied with flamenco greats Carmela Greco and Marija Temo. In addition to teaching adults, Michaelene was the Director of the Flamenco Kids Program at Flamenco Chicago and worked as an Artist-in Residence/Flamenco Teacher for Ensemble Español Center for Spanish Dance and Music’s “Bailamos” Arts Education Residency Programs.
Ms. De La Serna is also extensively trained in Ballet, graduating from Boitsov Classical Ballet School in Chicago as both a professional dancer and teacher of the Vaganova Ballet syllabus. She has danced solo roles in Le Spectre de La Rose, Fountain of Bakhchiserai, Les Sylphides, as well as many variations from Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Raymonda and Sleeping Beauty.
Michaelene served as Associate Artistic Director of Boitsov Classical Ballet School & Company in Chicago for three years before relocating to Seattle. She joined American Dance Institute’s staff in 2017.
Victoria Gutierrez
Administrative Assistant
ballet, modern & creative Dance
Victoria received her professional training at Academia de la Danza Mexicana INBA, where she graduated with a BFA in Classical and Contemporary Dance.
In 2007 she moved to Seattle where she continued her training with the International Ballet Academy.
Victoria has performed for various dance companies such as International Ballet Theater, Evergreen City Ballet, ARC Dance, City Opera Ballet, Olympic Ballet Theater and Katy Hagelin Dance Project.As a choreographer she has collaborated with the Seattle International Dance Festival, Katy Hagelin Dance Project, Bohemia, Drybones Artist Collective and Le Faux.
Victoria truly enjoys teaching and has been doing it since 2009 for numerous schools in Seattle.
Susan Sinclair
Aministrative Assistant
Susan brings 10+ years of office support experience in business, academic, and dance organizations to the American Dance Institute.
And she wears a completely different hat when not at the American Dance Institute--or maybe it's a magic cloak...Susan is a professional intuitive reader, a Reiki Master, a sound healer and "urban shaman."
Actually, Suzan is an entrepreneur in her own right and has been building her own business for the past ten years, alongside her work at ADI.
Check out her business, Graceflow Healing Arts
Margaret Kenrick
ballet
Margaret has trained in the Vaganova and Cecchetti methodologies and completed her major exam at the Royal Academy of Dance.
She has been a health and biology professor and bench scientist for many years in the Northern California Bay Area while supporting the development of performing arts communities for youth.
Recently, she returned to Seattle, retired from her role as Artistic Director of Benicia Ballet Theatre, and Managing Partner/Director of Benicia Ballet School, LLC.
While in California, she also co-founded the School of Valley Dance Theater in Livermore, CA, and initiated the dance program for the Community Youth Center in Concord, CA.
Currently she is the Director of Commercial Education at NanoString Technologies in South Lake Union. She fell in love with Seattle when she had the honor to train and perform with Pacific Northwest Ballet. From Seattle, Margaret went on to perform with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, PA.
She returned to school to complete her degrees in Biology at UCLA and UC Riverside, and Doctorate in Education, Organizational Leadership, from Chapman University, Brandman Division.
She has two amazing young adult children and loves biking and hiking on her weekends.
Justine Huggins
Office Manager,ballet, creative, and mommy & me
Justine serves as office manager for our Greenwood office, and she is also a student at the University of Washington working towards a bachelor's in English.
Justine has been a student of dance since she was 5 years old, starting with pre-ballet at ADI! She studied ballet into adolescence before shifting to a focus on modern dance.
She has studied other dance styles; including hip-hop, jazz, and flamenco. Dance has always been her happy place, and she loves to bring that same joy and belonging to young dancers as a teacher.
Jay Tan
Hip Hop
Jay Tan’s love for dance and movement began at 15 years old, in Singapore, when he participated in a cultural festival that incorporated various art forms to promote peace.
From there, he dabbled in both modern contemporary and hip hop for two years, before fully immersing himself in hip hop and its culture.
Jay found his first dance family with Singapore’s Soka Youth Dance Crew and has competed and performed internationally.
He became Artistic Director of NTU MJ Hip Hop and eventually produced and directed a 2-hour dance musical production involving 120 dancers in the company.
Jay’s other accomplishments include providing artistic direction for the opening ceremony of the first inaugural Youth Olympic Games, Artistic Director of Hip Hop Connxion Indiana, and founder/director of the ‘Jaywalkerz’ an Indiana based kids hip hop dance company.
He also had the opportunity under Boogiezone, to learn and perform alongside Napoleon and Tabitha (Nappytabs), Emmy Award-winning choreographers who are best known for their choreography on the television show So You Think You Can Dance.
Jay has mentored close to 150 dancers, using movement to instill positive values and life lessons. His classes focus on foundational techniques as well as choreography that fuses elements from different dance forms.
Jay believes that dance is more than just movement. It is an expression of the soul that needs to be seen and heard and a powerful tool that can instill positive change in our society.
When Jay is not dancing, he is either reading to expand his perspectives or exploring the beautiful outdoors in Washington and getting inspiration from his surroundings for his next creative endeavors."
Maia Nowack
Maia Nowack
ballet, tap, musical theater, & Kazz
Maia grew up dancing in Seattle before attending Northwestern University in Evanston, where she earned a Bachelor of Theatre degree with a minor in Dance.
While there, she danced in works by Chicago-based choreographers such as Jeff Hancock, Joel Valentin Martinez, and Maray Gutierrez. She has also taken part in the Strictly Seattle and Dance This! intensives in Seattle. She has taught drama and dance to Evanston School District students and interned at Seattle Children's Theatre, where she is currently a teaching apprentice.
Kelley Dyer
Administrative Assistant, KPOP, & hip hop
Kelley Dyer teaches hip hop and K-pop dance classes for American Dance Institute, and she also serves as our administrative assistant at our Greenwood location.
Kelley, attended Willamette University and graduated with a degree in Communication and Media Studies.
She has a passion for dance and has been dancing for 18 years in the styles ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip-hop.
She has taught drama and dance to Evanston School District students and interned at Seattle Children's Theatre, where she is currently a teaching apprentice.
In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the city, reading, discovering new music, and crafting.
Emily Lindal
Office Manager, Shoreline, WA
Emily Lindal is our office manager in Shoreline. Emily was a dance student and teaching assistant at All That Dance, for twelve years. She also worked as a fitness attendant at Western Washington University Gym.
She hopes to bring her customer service skills and love of dance to foster a place where all students feel like they belong.
Algie Au
Ballet
Algie Au teaches, advocates environmentalism, and dances, and she is always learning, thus, she obtained her Ph.D. in Sustainability Education and her Master's degree in Biology.
She danced with Los Angeles Ballet, Wenta Ballet, Brockus Project Dance Company (BPDC), Los Angeles Mexican Dance Theatre (LAMDT).
At five years old, she began her instruction with the Royal Academy of Dance. Algie has always given performing arts her all-time dedication.
She presently sits on the BPDC Board after serving on the Academic Senate as President at San Bernardino Valley College, the Sustainability and District Councils of San Bernardino Community College District, and the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges board. Her teaching repertoire as an educator, comprises environmental sciences, dance, and human biology. At Inland Pacific Ballet, Olympic Ballet, LAMDT, Orange County High School of the Arts, and The Ballet Studio Algie collaborated with dancers of all ages.
Algie keeps working in public health sciences, environmental justice, education change, and the andragogical approach to dance teaching.
Donny Gersonde
Tap & jazz
Donny attended Coronado School of the Arts: Musical Theatre,
high school in San Diego, and he holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the
Hartt School of Music in Connecticut
After college, he returned to San Diego and became the lead dance teacher for the Coronado School of the Arts-Musical Theatre High School, his alma mater.
Donny says his love for teaching is equal to his passion for dancing. All levels and all bodies, it brings him joy to get people moving!
Pearla White
Shuffle Dance
"My childhood was in a small Maine town known as Athens. I studied at SUU in Utah for two years, then completed my bachelor's degree in Maine at UMO. I loved psychology and studied it, but soon after school found my new love—dancing—I chose to follow that.
Although I started dancing in my late twenties and found it difficult to pursue a profession in dancing when late in the game, I knew I wanted to teach dance in some capacity.
Having worked there for more than four years, I also offer fine dining food at Daniel's Broiler. Although I only work three to four days a week, which means more free time to dance, this job lets me be financially steady.
I almost always practice dance—either hip hop, shuffling, or sensual dance/heels—should I not be working. If I'm not dancing, I'm walking, riding my scooter, or hanging around with pals.
I enjoy exploring different places and traveling as well. Switzerland has lately become my most preferred destination!
Having worked there for more than four years, I also offer fine dining food at Daniel's Broiler. Although I only work three to four days a week, which means more free time to dance, this job lets me be financially steady.
I almost always practice dance—either hip hop, shuffling, or sensual dance/heels—should I not be working. If I'm not dancing, I'm walking, riding my scooter, or hanging around with pals.
I enjoy exploring different places and traveling as well. Switzerland has lately become my most preferred destination!
Vivi Gehan
ballet
Growing up in Toronto, Canada, Vivi started ballet classes at the age of three. During her high school years, she relocated to the Bay Area, where she continued her studies in ballet and participated in the school dance team.
Vivi continued to take ballet courses throughout her time in college and into adulthood while majoring in psychology at UC Berkeley. She relocated to Seattle in 2015, when she enrolled in adult ballet classes at American Dance Institute. Vivi is thrilled to be joining the ADI teaching team because she loves dancing and teaching (she spent 15 years teaching piano).
Nalisha Rangel
Ballet & Contemporary
Nalisha Rangel started dancing when she was 6 years old, studying Ballet,
Tap, Jazz, Contemporary and Modern Dance at Tucson School of Ballet,
under Linda Walker and Leslie Walker.
After graduating high school,
Nalisha moved to Flagstaff, AZ where she continued her training at
Coconino Community College.
After moving to Seattle, she trained under
Marlo Martin, and notable ADI staff Rebecca Greenfield Barney, Victoria Gutierrez Olson, Amy Beck and Margaret Behm.
In addition to dancing, Nalisha is a self-taught, meditative ink
illustrator and muralist, and is the founder and Creative Director of Nalisha
Estrellas. Check out her dance related (and more) art work at
https://www.artbynalisha.com/ Her work is awesome!
Nalisha Rangel holds a Teaching Certificate from the American Dance Institute and joined the American Dance Institute staff to teach ballet and contemporary dance in May of 2023.
Kalena Tadio
Hip Hop
Kalena originally started dancing when she was five years old. Her first dance class was hula, which she immediately enjoyed because she is part Hawaiian and has family in both Hilo and Kona.
Kalena has previously trained in hip hop, tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and modern dance. Outside of dance, Kalena works as a Dental Assistant (for the past five years) and aspires to become a hygienist.
Here at ADI She attempts to share her passion for dancing by teaching others that it can mean so many different things. For her, it's more than just a routine or a passion.
She particularly appreciates modern, hiphop, and hula. Miss Kalena is excited to begin another successful year at American Dance Institute and meet all of the amazing dancers.
Heather McRobbie
Mommy & Me, Creative Dance, Pre-Ballet, & Hip Hop
Heather’s dance journey began with a strong foundation in ballet and jazz, performing with prestigious companies like California Ballet Theater and Oakland Ballet.
As her career evolved, she expanded her repertoire to
include musical theater, swing, and hip-hop, performing through various arts organizations across California, Washington, and New York. Along the way, she also earned minors in music and drama from the University of Washington.
Outside the dance world, Heather works as a strategy analyst in the tech industry, volunteers with several Seattle community organizations, and is the proud mother of two young dancers at American Dance Institute.
Grace Smith
Administrative Assistant, Mommy & Me, Creative Dance, & Ballet
Grace Smith is a recent graduate from the University of Hartford (Hartt School) with a BFA in Dance Performance and a minor in Business Administration. She is from Bainbridge Island, WA and began training with Bainbridge Dance Center.
She looks forward to sharing her love of dance with students at ADI.
Grace continued her classical ballet training with Olympic Ballet School and Peninsula Dance Theater. She performed with Peninsula Dance Theater as a principal from 2018-2020. She has attended summer training programs at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Joffrey Ballet Academy Chicago, University of Utah, Bossov Ballet Theater, and Alonzo King Lines Ballet. Grace most recently trained in Amsterdam with the Henny Jurriéns Studio where she performed at the Café Belcampo in De Hallen Amsterdam. Over the past four years at The Hartt School, she has had the privilege of learning and performing works by Martha Graham, José Limón, Stephen Pier, Debra Collins Ryder, and Hope Boykin as well as developing her pedagogical skills.
Noah Thomforde
Administrative Assistant
Noah is currently attending Seattle Central for a degree in Culinary Arts. As more of an outdoorsy person, he enjoys hiking/bouldering with his future plans/aspirations to travel abroad and immersive the many cultures the world has to offer.
Janae Walla
Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Musical Theater, & Creative Dance
Janae holds a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and an Associate's Degree in Acting from Johnson County Community College in Kansas City.
Janae, originally from Kansas City, Missouri, has recently returned to Seattle after spending several years traveling across the US and living in Southern California. As a teacher, she is committed to providing her students with both functional technique and artistic quality, aiming to inspire and develop their full potential. Beyond teaching dance classes, Janae can be found training aerial arts, practicing yoga, at a farmers market, or camping with her dog.
Janae was a founding member of Wingbeat Movement Arts, a San Diego-based aerial and contemporary dance company. Her training spans contemporary modern styles, musical theatre, ballet, and jazz. With a decade of experience teaching and choreographing musical theatre, Janae also enjoys teaching contemporary, modern, and improv classes. Her dedication extends beyond performance to her personal improv and somatic dance practices.
Susanna ballenski
Hip Hop
Gymnastics was Susanna Ballenski's first exposure to the performing arts at the age of eight, and she soon developed a passion for dancing before moving on to singing.
She grew up with a natural musicality thanks to her seven years of piano lessons—a family tradition—and her access to her siblings' string instruments.
When Susanna was eighteen, she came to Los Angeles to pursue dance at The Edge Performing Arts Center, thanks to a scholarship.
She made her professional musical theater debut with a regional production of Oklahoma! following a year of training in California.
She moved to New York City in 2016 to enroll in AMDA's Integrated Musical Theatre program, drawn by the experience.
Since then, Susanna has choreographed two shows and participated in over 25 professional musical theater performances as a performer.
Her prominent performances include those of Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde, Liesl in The Sound of Music, Bambi in Curtains!, Gingy in Shrek the Musical, and Guenevere in Camelot.
Julie Lockheart
Ballroom, Irish Dance
Julia Lockhart is a dynamic and experienced ballroom dance instructor who has captivated the Seattle dance scene since 2012!
Julia's journey began with a passion for
social dancing that blossomed into a full-time career. With over six years of teaching experience at Arthur Murray, she has helped countless students achieve their dance dreams.
Julia's expertise spans a wide range of styles, including American Smooth and Rhythm, in which she has competed professionally. She combines artistry, energy, and technique in every lesson, ensuring you receive top-notch guidance and plenty of encouragement.
Her teaching philosophy is simple: anyone can dance with the proper support! Whether you're brand new to ballroom dance or looking to refine your skills, Julia is excited to help you discover the joy and confidence that dancing brings.
Mary McKee
Creative Dance in Spanish, Creative Dance, Mommy & Me
Mary has been dancing and moving to music since her first pre-ballet class in preschool and has moved through various styles, including Irish step dancing, swing, salsa, merengue, and bachata, before finding her favorite dance of all so far: Argentine Tango. When not dancing,
Mary likes to read for hours at a time, play all the board games, go hiking with her husband and two young kids. Mary has been speaking Spanish since age 11 and has worked as a professional translator since 2014.
Teachers & Friends Emeritus
Rubina Carmona taught flamenco at the American Dance Institute for 20 years.
Dance teacher, Ines Andrade, taught children's ballet at the American Dance Institute for 15 years.
Alyssa Brillinger at the American Dance Institute for 10 years.
Coming Soon
Margaret Behm
Coming Soon
Moira Bugler
Wayne was our photographer for ten years and he was our friend.
Wayne was a self taught prolific photographer, starting with headshots for those hoping to succeed in the modeling or acting industry to travel, landscape and then into some very creative abstract photos. Some of Wayne’s earlier photography included weddings and family pictures. Wayne brought out the best in children and created some darling photos, however his passion was perfecting various photography techniques creating unique images.