INSTRUCTORS
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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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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 Rocckies, 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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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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Katie started her dance career at the age of four in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She trained at Dance Unlimited for fourteen years, studying styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip hop, and musical theatre. She competed for ten of those years and attended conventions with instructors and choreographers from around the dance world.
Katie is currently a dance major at Pikes Peak Community College where she is working on many projects involving creative dance as well as film and photography. She has been a member of the student company, High Altitude Dance Ensemble, at PPCC for two years. While attending college she has choreographed her own group piece that was presented in a showcase with the theme of technology and produced a dance for camera piece, called “Tranquil”, that was shown during the spring 2016 dance showcase. Her time at PPCC has been very dance oriented and she continues to grow as she dives deeper into the world of dance.
Her teaching career began at Cutting Edge Dance and Acro, teaching styles from ballet to hip hop. She has worked with all ages, including adults, teaching many different techniques. Katie's goal for teaching is to show that anyone can dance; it’s just a matter of working together to maintain a common goal.
Ms. Valerie
Administrative Assistant
