Jackie Pederson-Kriens (School Director, School Dance Instructor, DGYB Board Artistic Director)
A Diploma Fellow of the Cecchetti Council of America, Jackie currently serves as an Examiner for the CCA. She received a B.A. in both Elementary Education and Special Education from Augustana University (formerly Augustana College). In 2015, Jackie was awarded the Sylvia Hamer Scholarship to the U.K. to study the Cecchetti Method with the Cecchetti Society of England. She also received the Augustana College Alumni Achievement award in the area of Liberal Arts in 2013, and was nominated for the SHE Magazine Sioux Falls Woman of the Year. Jackie is the owner and director of Dance Gallery. Jackie’s students have a strong history of winning scholarships to reputable dance training school. In 2024, three of Jackie’s Cecchetti students were selected to represent CCA in the International Cecchetti Competition (CICB). Former students are dancing with reputable dance companies and universities including Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet West, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, University of Utah, SUNY Purchase, SAB, ABT Summer School, Kansas City Ballet, Kate Simmons Dance (UK) Interlochen School for the Arts, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.
Ms. Nicole (Instructor, Competition Coordinator, DGYB Teacher & Board Member)
Nicole began dancing in Michigan at the age of three. She trained extensively throughout her school years and moved away from home to finish high school at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. Upon graduation, she danced as a trainee with Charlotte Ballet (North Carolina Dance Theatre) for two seasons and as a company member with Missouri Contemporary Ballet for five seasons. She has performed in several ballets, including Carmina Burana, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Cinderella. Nicole also has extensive teaching and choreographic experience, and has choreographed several pieces which have placed at Youth America Grand Prix and various other local competitions.
Nicole has been teaching at Dance Gallery since 2020 and greatly enjoys every moment and opportunity she has at the studio. She teaches classes for the Dance Gallery Youth Ballet, choreographs for DGYB productions and the Dance Gallery Youth Competition team, and she is also Treasurer for the DGYB Board of Directors. She also teaches Cecchetti and has passed her Cecchetti teacher’s exams for grades I - III. Her corporate job is as a financial analyst at Lloyd Companies, which is a multifaceted development firm. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and being outdoors.
Ms. Cristin (School Dance Instructor, DGYB Instructor)
Cristin began her dance training when she was 6 years old at South Dakota School of Dance. Upon the school’s closing, she studied under the private instruction of Christine Kirk (eventually K Dance), along with attending many summer intensives including Ballet West. After college, she moved away for her work but continued attending classes in Detroit, MI and Chicago, IL.
This is Cristin’s 9th year teaching at Dance Gallery. She teaches classes for Dance Gallery Youth Ballet, Intermediate and Advanced Non-Syllabus Ballet, and both Pre-Pointe and Advanced Pointe.
When not teaching ballet, Cristin works as the manager of the Employee Service Center and Knowledge department for Sanford Health Human Resources. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and the six children they share together.
Ms. Grace (School Dance Instructor, Costume Mistress)
Ms. Grace started dancing in her teens. She graduated and finished her training from Dance Gallery. Ms. Grace studied Dance at Northern Illinois University for a year prior to Covid. While at NIU she received her education in sewing and costuming. During Covid, Grace moved back to Sioux Falls to continue her studies in various movement arts. During her high school years, Grace was introduced to Aerial Arts. She studied Aerial Hoop, Silks, and Hammock both in the Chicago and in Sioux Falls. She has competed and placed in both Aerial Silks and Hammock, but her favorite apparatus remains Aerial Hammock.
Ms. Grace has been teaching at Dance Gallery for two years. During that time she continued her dance training, and has taken her student Cecchetti exams through Grade IV. She also completed her teacher’s training for the Cecchetti Grade I examination, which she passed. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Ms. Grace is also hired as the costume mistress for Dance Gallery. Ms. Grace’s favorite part of being at Dance Gallery is all the wonderful people!
Ms. Linda (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Linda started taking dance classes when she was 7 years old at Johnny Cavelle Dance Studio in Aberdeen and dance has been a part of her life ever since. She trained in the Cecchetti method of Ballet, as well as Jazz and Tap. After graduating from Cavelle's Studio, she continued dancing at Northern State University as a part of the NSU Men's Basketball Dance Team. She also coached Aberdeen Central High School's color guard and while on staff, she had the opportunity to travel with them to area competitions and even to Orlando, FL.
While attending college, she also started teaching dance classes at the Aberdeen Recreation & Cultural Center. After moving to Sioux Falls, she joined the staff at Dance Gallery. She brings over 20 years of experience to her classroom and has even been a part of training some of the other teachers at Dance Gallery, guiding them during their student helper years. She has loved the art of dance since she was a young girl and is now so thankful for the opportunity to continue to share this love of dance with her students.
Ms. Reagan (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Reagan began dancing at Dance Gallery at age three and continued until she graduated high school. During these years she completed the Cecchetti I-VII student examinations, performed roles such as Clara and Aurora in the Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty ballets, attended a Cecchetti intensive in Michigan, and was a recipient of the studio’s Reverence Award as a rising high school senior.
Reagan studies biology and Spanish at Augustana University, where she will be a senior this fall. She has loved staying in Sioux Falls for college because it has allowed her to continue teaching at the studio. Specifically, it has given her time to become a certified Cecchetti Grades I and II teacher’s exam, train for her Cecchetti Grade III teacher’s exam, and gain more experience teaching Leap ‘N Learn, contemporary, jazz, modern, and acrobatic arts. She was also a choreographer for Dance Gallery’s most recent Nutcracker ballet! Now entering her 6th year teaching, she is excited to meet her Cecchetti II and III and Acro III and IV students this year!
Ms. Amanda P (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Amanda discovered her passion for studying dance in high school, when she had the opportunity to take tap and jazz classes for the first time. She enrolled in ballet and tap in Dance Gallery’s adult program in the Fall of 2021, and knew instantly that she wanted to get more involved. Ms. Amanda is now an instructor in the Leap & Learn and Introduction to Tap programs at Dance Gallery. She loves helping the studio’s smallest students discover their own passion for dance, along with the unique perspective that parallel teaching and learning can provide.
Ms. Amanda is enrolled in the Cecchetti Ballet program at Dance Gallery and has completed the grade 1 student exam, along with obtaining certification to teach the Leap & Learn curriculum. She also had the opportunity to participate in Dance Gallery’s 2023 production of The Nutcracker as a member of the party scene. Outside of the time spent teaching and taking classes with her Dance Gallery family, Ms. Amanda works as a full time project manager in the healthcare industry.
Ms. Emma (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Emma has had a passion for dance her entire life and has been a student at Dance Gallery since she was three years old. She takes classes in Cecchetti, non-syllabus ballet, contemporary, modern, and jazz, is a member of Dance Gallery Youth Ballet and the Dance Gallery Youth Competition. Emma has performed in many ballet productions over the years. She was awarded the Reverence Award for this year for Dance Gallery 2024-25. She is very excited to spend her senior year at Dance Gallery as both a student and a teacher and can’t wait to pass on her love of dance to the students in her Leap ‘N Learn and Contemporary classes!
Ms. Brooklyn (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Brooklyn has been dancing since she has been 2 years old. She has taken Non-syllabus, Cecchetti, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Musical Theater, Pointe, AcroDance, and Aerial Silks. Being a member of the Dance Gallery Youth Ballet Company has instilled a passion for performing on stage and teaching. Dance Gallery has not only made her a better dancer, but also a better person. Ms. Brooklyn loves working with younger dancers, and sharing her love for dance. Her favorite thing about teaching is watching them fall in love with it and making their moves unique. Ms. Brooklyn is so excited to get to know her students and help them become better dancers.
Ms. Aida (School Dance Instructor, DGYB Instructor, Competition)
Ms. Aida has been with Dance Gallery since she was 3 years old. During her time as a student, she took classes in Cecchetti, Non-Syllabus Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, and Musical Theatre. She also was a member of the Dance Gallery Youth Competition Team, Pre-Professional Youth Ballet, and performed in many roles such as Dew Drop Fairy in the Nutcracker and a Pointe Soloist in Peter and The Wolf. She was also a recipient of Dance Gallery’s Reverence award in 2021.
After graduating in 2022, she is now attending Augustana University, double majoring in Exercise Science and French with intentions to attend Physical Therapy school. As a teacher at Dance Gallery, she continues her love of dance through instructing classes in Contemporary, Modern, Cecchetti, and Non-Syllabus Ballet, as well as teaching and choreographing for the DGYC and DGYB.
Ms. Chloe (School Dance Instructor, Day Program Teacher)
Ms. Chloe began dancing at Dance Gallery when she was 8 years old, and she fell in love with dance in that very first class. She continued at Dance Gallery until she graduated high school, and during that time performed in many productions, completed the Cecchetti exams through Grade IV, and was the recipient of the Reverence Award in her senior year of high-school. She is now attending Southeast Tech in their nursing program, and has been continuing her dance education and training by participating in adult classes as well as continuing her education in the Cecchetti program. Some of her favorite styles of dance are Ballet and Liturgical, though throughout her years dancing she has fallen in love with the many different styles of dance.
Ms. Chloe began the Student-Teacher program at Dance Gallery, and continued in that program for 4 years until she was hired as a full teacher. She has continued teaching ever since that time, and is now in her third year teaching! Ms. Chloe loves every minute of being in the classroom, and loves getting to see students fall in love with the art the same way she did! She hopes that every student who comes through Dance Gallery's doors will grow, not only their dancing but, also in their confidence, determination, and leadership.
Ms. Jessica (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Jessica is a passionate dance instructor with a lifelong love of movement. Beginning her dance journey at age 3, she developed a strong foundation in ballet and tap, later expanding her training to include jazz and pointe. Her dedication to dance led her to numerous regional dance conferences and a fulfilling experience as a dance studio assistant and teacher.
With a diverse background in dance, cheerleading, show choir, and musical theater, Jessica brings a unique perspective to her teaching. She spent two years in the dance program at the University of Minnesota, where she further honed her skills in ballet, jazz, and modern dance.
After a brief hiatus, Jessica returned to her dance passion by joining the Dance Gallery community as both a student and teacher. She discovered Dance Gallery when her daughter joined the studio at age 7 and is now in her tenth year at the studio. Jessica currently shares her enthusiasm for dance by teaching Leap n Learn and tap classes.
Jessica lives in Sioux Falls with her husband Dave and children Gabi, Gavin and Oliver.
Ms. Izzy (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Izzy started dance at the age of 3 at the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center. She gradually added more classes as her love of dance grew, partaking in Ballet, Pointe, Company, Acro, Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop and Broadway.
Ms. Izzy continued her training after high school while teaching at the ARCC. She trained with artÉmotion and Ballet West over the summers of 2020 and 2021.
Ms. Izzy brings five years of teaching experience and is so excited to join the faculty at Dance Gallery and share her love of dance with her students.
Ms. Elena (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Elena has always had a love for dance. She started taking classes at Dance Gallery at the young age of 2. She has progressively added more and more classes because of her huge love for the art. Ms. Elena currently takes classes in Cecchetti, Non-Syllabus, Contemporary, Modern, Musical Theatre, Jazz, Acro, and Hip-Hop, and is also a member of Dance Gallery Youth Ballet and the Dance Gallery Competition Team. She has been in numerous of the Dance Gallery performances and loves every second of performing. In the past she danced roles such as Clara in the Nutcracker and the Winter Fairy in Cinderella. Ms. Elena was recently awarded the 2024-2025 Reverence Award. She started student teaching when she was in 6th grade. She loves working with kids and finds so much joy in teaching young dancers. She wants the young dancers to learn to love dance just as she does. Ms. Elena is so excited to teach her own classes and continue taking classes during her last year at Dance Gallery!
Mr. Andrew (School Dance Instructor)
The 2024/25 season will be Andrew's fourth year with Dance Gallery and his first year teaching. His love for dance started with his family when he was little, and though Dance Gallery teaches a different style, the skills taught here strengthen and amplify abilites in all movement arts. He will be teaching part of the Acrobatic Arts program as well as the Boys Club. Andrew graduated from USF with a double major in Biology and Theatre Studies and a minor in Media Studies. This year, he will be at Augustana University obtaining a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. The dancers at Dance Gallery are disciplined, passionate, and most of all kindhearted, and there is no one he'd rather work with as he starts his career.
Ms. Stephanie (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Stephanie has been dancing since she was four years old. She trained in Tap, Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, and Ballet during her early years all the way through high school. After the birth of her daughter, Stephanie fell back in love with dance after she started again as an Adult dancer at Dance Gallery. She began teaching at Dance Gallery, is now in her 11th year of teaching. After returning to dance,
Stephanie worked through her Grades I, II, and III student level exams, and continued her training by taking the Grade I and II teacher’s examinations. Stephanie absolutely LOVES working with children and adults and watching them grow in their dance journey.
Ms. Katelyn (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Katelyn has been dancing for the past 22 years. She began at The Dance Studio in Sheldon, IA in 2002. She danced at The Dance Academy in Worthington, MN from 2003-2007. She returned to The Dance Studio, now known as Illuminate Dance Project, in the fall of 2007, and danced there until 2018. She was a member of Sheldon’s performance company for 3 years during high school, competing at dance competitions in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Katelyn began teaching in Sheldon when she was 17. Two years later she married the love of her life and lifelong swing dance partner, Derek, and moved to the Sioux Falls area in the fall of 2018. In the fall of 2019 she began teaching at Dance Gallery in Sioux Falls, teaching a variety of Leap N’ Learn levels, Tap, Jazz, and Liturgical classes.
In 2021 Katelyn danced in Sioux Falls South Dakota’s first professional Dance Theatre Company, LiRa. She danced in their 6th season show, “Life in Motion”, in 2021, choreographed and directed by Lisa Conlin and Raena Rasmussen. She also danced in Lisa Conlin’s show “Blue Heaven” later that fall, and LiRa’s 8th season show “White Wine Cabaret” in August of 2023, and 9th season show “Us” in August of 2024. In the spring of 2021 she graduated with her Associates of Biblical Studies from Christian Leadership University. Katelyn is passionate about combining the artistry and expression of dance with ministry, as she believes it can be used as a tool to speak to anyone in all walks of life.
Katelyn now lives in Canton, SD with her husband Derek, and 2 year old son. They are excited for their 2nd baby to join their family in August 2024! She works from home in the health and wellness field, and is passionate about sharing natural health and healing from a wholistic perspective. In her free time, she enjoys time outdoors, spending time with family and friends, camping, church activities, and of course dancing and performing whenever she has the opportunity!
Ms. Madi (School Dance Instructor, Competition Rehearsal Teacher)
Bio Coming Soon…
Ms. Ashleigh (School Dance Instructor)
Hi, I'm Ms. Ashleigh! My love for dance started at the age of three at Dianne's Dance in Moville Iowa. There I studied tap, jazz, clog, and technique classes until graduation in 2010. I was part of the competition team and competed in solos, duets, small groups, large groups, and productions, as well as earned roles in city holiday programs and state technique workshops. For many years I was selected to participate in Marching Auxiliaries of America, and for three years taught select classes alongside their instructors. I was also a member of my high school drill team for four years. After graduation, I attended one year at Augustana University (formerly Augustana College), where I was a member of their dance and cheer teams. Since moving to South Dakota with my family in 2021, I've continued to study tap and technique recreationally through adult classes and self practice.
I believe there's such a joy in the freedom and power of our taps creating music. It's an honor to continue my dance career with the Dance Gallery family, and my hope is to instill a strong passion for tap in my students, like past instructors and mentors have for me.
Ms. Ava G (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Ava has been dancing at Dance Gallery since she was 3 years old and has loved every second of it. She has taken a variety of classes including Cecchetti, Non-Syllabus ballet, Modern, Contemporary, and Jazz. Her favorite part of dance was always performing onstage and has been in many of Dance Gallery’s productions. Ms. Ava started student teaching at 12 years old. She has always loved working with kids especially little dancers. Her favorite thing about teaching is watching them grow and fall in love with dance the same way she did at their age. Ms. Ava can’t wait to teach her own class and help more kids discover their love for dance!
Ms. Ava M (School Dance Instructor)
Ms. Ava was a student at Dance Gallery for 15 years, taking classes such as Cecchetti (to Advanced VII), Non-Syllabus Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Jazz, and Musical Theater. She was also a part of the Dance Gallery Youth Ballet company until she graduated this past spring. This year is Ms. Ava's first year as a full time teacher! Her passion for dance is what drives her to teach and encourage others to dance. Outside of the studio, Ms. Ava is going to school for nursing at Southeast Technical College and enjoys learning new things.