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INSTRUCTORS
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROFESSIONAL TEAM
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Mr. Donovan
TAP
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Since the age of three, Donovan Helma has been dancing under the direction of his family operated dance studio in Aurora, CO. He currently continues his education through multiple dance conventions and tap festivals throughout the year. Donovan teaches and choreographs for multiple competitive studios in the Denver metro area and across the United States. He has performed on a Monday Night Football halftime show with the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and for Montreal’s Danse Encore International Festival in a production by Tap’d Out. Donovan has taken the stage with modern tap legends such as Jason Samuels Smith and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards in a Greorgy Hines tribute show, Thank You Gregory. He is honored to have toured the United States, Europe and South Africa for 7 years as a lead tap dancer in Tap Dogs. He looks forward to continuing his dancing career and inspiring audiences and students nationwide.
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Ms. Kynzie
Technique/Jazz Funk
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Mackynzie has danced for over 20 years. She started her training at Peak Academy of Dance in Conifer, CO. After several years, she then transitioned to being a competitive dancer with Shelly True Dance Academy. During this time, she also performed as a soloist with David Taylor Dance Theater for their annual Nutcracker performance for 3 years. She has since danced as a Wild Bunch Dancer for the Colorado Mammoth and is now on her second year as a Denver Nuggets Dancer. In addition, she mentors young students through the Junior Denver Nuggets Dancers program as well as being an active volunteer in the community as an ambassador for the Denver Nuggets franchise. Such events include supporting the Special Olympics Organization, Children’s Hospital, Food Bank of the Rockies, and many other charitable organizations. Academically, she is pursuing a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry with further aspirations of becoming a physician with a specialty in Anesthesiology.
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Ms. Kathi
BALLET
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Kathi Crum is delighted to bring her enthusiasm for teaching ballet to all students at X-treme Dance Force. Kathi’s goal is to guide each student to reach their personal potential and become a better ballet dancer than they already are. Kathi is known for fostering a positive atmosphere while guiding each student to develop a clean foundation of technique with strength, energy, and artistry. As a previous ballet teacher at Colorado Ballet Academy, Houston Ballet Academy, and several smaller reputable dance schools in Colorado and Texas, Kathi has had extensive experience teaching and coaching students from beginner through to high-intermediate levels, including pointe, in preparation for professional employment, collegiate level programs, premiere dance schools, and Youth America Grand Prix.
Kathi’s inspiration for quality teaching for all developed from her professional training at Joffrey Ballet School and Dance Theatre of Harlem, performing with Connecticut Ballet under Artistic Director Brett Raphael, and teacher training including Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Vail International Teachers Conference with Gilbert Mayer of the Ballet School of Paris Opera, Anne Green-Gilbert, trained pointe shoe fitter by Gamba, Ltd., and as an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Levels 6/7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Kathi continues to be active on the board of Colorado Dance Education Organization as former President from 2016-2019.
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Ms. Julia
​CONTEMPORARY
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Julia Stwalley began her dance training at the age of two and a half years old and over the course of 15 years, she dedicated herself to studying a diverse range of dance forms, including ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and tap. After deciding to further her dance education, Julia began pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance at Colorado State University. Throughout her time at CSU, Julia had the privilege of attending master classes taught by members of Urban Bush Women and Parsons Dance Company, as well as performing in works by guest artist Vincent Thomas. She has also gained experience while assisting in teaching modern and ballet classes, as well as working with Lisa Morgan for BRAINY, a program that provides arts education to Title 1 elementary schools. Julia choreographed and performed in many dance concerts and dance films in her time at CSU. Beyond her academic pursuits, Julia has been a company member with Davis Contemporary Dance Company since 2019. Under the direction of Artistic Director Terrell Davis, as well as choreographers such as Aubrey-Klinger Fearns, Rachael Harding, and Christopher-Page Sanders, Julia has honed her skills as a performer and collaborator for five years. She has also participated in various dance festivals in the Denver and Boulder area. Her passion for sharing her love for dance and choreography with young artists has led her to teaching at local dance studios, with a focus on ballet and contemporary styles.
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Ms. Shayna
POMS/ACRO/DANCE TRICKS
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Shayna was a competitive gymnast for many years, until she fell in love with dance eight years ago. During her senior year of high school, she taught dancers and did private lessons in tumbling. Currently, Shayna is attending Colorado School of the Mines Dance Team. She is very excited to be a part of XDF and teach!
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Mr. Ivan
HIP-HOP
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Ivan has been dancing for almost his entire life. He danced with Soulfully Driven Dance from when he was 9 till he was 15. He was also apart of their company for hip hop and competed for 6 years. Aside from dance he also does theatre being in shows such as Les Miserables playing Enjolras and Chicago as Harry. He currently is in school studying computer science.
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