Studio Director/CEO

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Lisa Tuska and her family have made it their mission to build up the performing arts community in Parker since 1997, when she began the first Town of Parker's Dance Program on Lincoln Avenue. A decade later she brought the very first Nutcracker of Parker to the PACE Stage, where it continues today.   

 

As a former collegiate dancer from Ohio, with more than 30+ years teaching & studio management experience (she sold her first studio in Ohio with 407 students, at age 26), Tuska has won many regional and national awards. But her real love is teaching. Her students have went on to dance professionally for the NFL/NBA, Broadway, LA and internationally. Tuska received her Dance Teaching Certification from Ohio University, and a B.A. from Wright State University.  She is best known to the students as "Ms. Lisa," and believes every dancer deserves to feel seen, supported and given the best training possible to reach their goals. She has 3 children, her husband of 28 years and loves everything about the Parker Community!

Assistant Studio Director

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Amy Colwell is an accomplished choreographer and coach of the Razzle Dazzle Teams. She has been teaching our younger students ballet, tap musical theatre and jazz for the past 22+ years. Cowell received her dance training at Hill-Top Dance studio in Kansas City, KS and participated annually in their Nutcracker production. She has a Business Management and Psychology degree from Baker University. 

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As a Full-Time Assistant Studio Director, you will find Amy working to lead the staff trainings, help parents, staff and students with scheduling, managing our SOPs, building the calendar and managing productions and venue contracts. She is also the Costume Manager for all team costuming, which includes more than 500 speciality costumes per year.​

 

Amy has 4 children (2 of which grew up dancing at the studio).  She lives in Parker with her husband Greg and their 2 dogs.

General Manager

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Courtney Stremel is a graduate of Oklahoma City University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance Management.

 

She was a part of the American Spirit Dance Company and performed in Home for the Holidays and Broadway Revue during her time in the company. 

 

Courtney grew up dancing at a local studio in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from North East School of the Arts, a performing arts high school. She has performed in several shows at Fiesta Texas and worked in the Entertainment department for Gaylord Hotels.

 

Courtney is thrilled to also share her passion for dance with her students as a dance teacher. 

Team Program Director

 

Angela Matson began with the company in 2017.

She is a former dancer with Odyssey Dance Theatre in Utah. She grew up dancing at The Studio in Utah, and then taught for Jazz N Place Studio prior to moving to Colorado.

Angela also is the Advanced Contemporary teacher here at CSD.

She is both a well-sought after teacher and an award winning choreographer.

Plus, she is mom to 2 rockstar kids and lives in Parker with husband Josh, and dog Bowie.

Ballet Department Artistic Director

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Elizabeth is a native New Yorker who began dancing and teaching in her family owned studio. She then went on to study at The Ohman School of Ballet/New York Theatre Dance Workshop; The Richmond Ballet School; and The Joffrey Ballet School. Elizabeth graduated from the Long Island Highschool for the Arts with a major in Dance. She then went on to earn her BFA in Dance Performance at The University of Hartford/The Hartt school in Hartford, CT; and her MFA in dance from the University of California, Irvine, with an emphasis on Dance Kinesiology. Elizabeth has also trained at the Martha Graham School of Dance; San Diego Dance Theatre; and the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries. She has presented her research at the annual conference for the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Elizabeth has danced, taught, and presented research all over the country and abroad.

Instructor/Ballet Director

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Oleg began with the CSD in 2006 and serves as a master teacher and company director. He is best known in his role of Herr Dressmeyer on stage at the Nutcracker of Parker and he has directed, choreographed, and staged several full-length ballets, including: Nutcracker of Parker, Cinderella, Aladdin, Swan Lake, Alice in Wonderland, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen. He is a former soloist with the Colorado Ballet, and after an injury, he came to teach at Colorado School of Dance. He is a graduate of the Leningrad Vaganova Ballet Academy. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education. Oleg was a principal dancer with the Leningrad Modern Ballet Theatre under Boris Eifman, the Boshoi Theatre Grigorovich Ballet, the Moscow Renaissance Ballet, The National Ballet Theatre in Yugoslavia, the City Ballet in San Diego, and he was a soloist with the Colorado Ballet. 

Instructor

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Amanda has been at CSD for the past 11 years teaching ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theater. She is a coach for our APT teams and directs the Youth Ballet Company. Amanda grew up in Colorado and received her formal dance training as an apprentice company member with David Taylor Dance Theatre. She also has trained with the Milwaukee-Pennsylvania Ballet and Boston Ballet. She received her BFA in Dance with a focus in Ballet as a scholarship student at the University of New Mexico with a minor in Criminology. Her training includes classical and contemporary ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, and flamenco. She has danced as a soloist with Ballet Theater of New Mexico, Dance Theater of the Southwest, Ballet International, and the University of New Mexico Dance Company.  She has also performed as a contract member for David Taylor Dance Theatre. 

Amanda has 2 children and lives in Parker with her husband, Robbie and their 2 cats.  

Instructor

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Mark Otloski, a native of Flint, Michigan, and is a former principal dancer of 22 years with
the Cleveland/San Jose ballet, under the direction of Dennis Nahat. During his tenure with
the company he established himself as one of the company’s leading danseurs performing
an extensive range of principal and soloist roles such as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake,
Oberon in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and The Baron in Leonid Massine’s Gaite Parisienne, as well as having danced nearly every role in the company’s repertory. Mr. Otloski was also a performing artist for 7 years with GroundWorks Dancetheater under the direction of David Shimotakahara and now serves as educational outreach coordinator for GroundWorks working to provide access and opportunities for students throughout the greater Cleveland and Akron school districts to participate in artistic engagements with the artists of GroundWorks. 

Instructor

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Calli Lamb graduated from Oklahoma City University with a BS in Dance Management. Calli performed professionally  aboard the Ryndam for Holland America Cruise Lines, and in Branson, Missouri for "Legends in Concert."

 

She also performed regionally in musicals like OZ, High School Musical 2, Sandy in Grease, Guys and Dolls, Urban Cowboy, and Oklahoma. Her judging, coaching, and choreography experience ranges from national dance competitions to state champion high school dance teams.

 

She has been teaching for 15 years in all styles including jazz, leaps and turns, musical theater, poms, ballet, and tap, and this year she is teaching our Wednesday morning Children's Program, and our Christian Lyrical Dance Program for Homeschoolers.

Dietician & Facilities Director

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Karen is proud to have been with the Colorado School of Dance since 2002. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and danced in a small ballet school in downtown Philly.  

 

She has her B.S. in Nutrition from the University of Southern Mississippi, and she runs the "Nutrition Nook" at Colorado School of Dance.

 

Karen is honored to be in the continual role of “Mother Ginger” in our annual Nutcracker of Parker. Her son Dalton, one of Ms. Lisa's first students at Parker Rec Center, started with the Colorado School of Dance when our doors opened in August of 2002. He was in both the APT Team and our Ballet Company until his graduation in 2016. 

 

Karen's love has always been a constant of the arts and she is a pillar of this community.

Instructor

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Jeremy hails from Florida and began his training under Jerome DeVito in Daytona Beach. After high school, Jeremy first started dancing professionally for Peter Grey Terhune Entertainment. He was casted on cruise ships for 2 years got to train with Cirque de Solei, and danced across 60 countries and 6 continents.

 

Jeremy then moved to NYC and studied with Finis Jhung from ABT and David Howard of NYCB daily whilst pursuing work in theater/dancing. He danced with the band “PHISH” at Madison Square Garden and also was involved in productions of Guys and Dolls, Hairspray, Seussical the Musical, Secret Garden, Meet Me in St. Louis, Jersey Boys, and Kiss Me Kate across multiple states theater houses.

 

Jeremy has also worked over a decade in the dance competition industry as Judge, Director, Assistant Director, and EMCEE. He’s eager to teach and mentor the future of great dancers.

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Instructor

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Linden moved from Southern California to Colorado in 2021, after selling her
Dance and Pilates studio of 20 years. She has a B.A. and a Master’s Degree in Dance, from University California, Irvine. She also is a certified Pilates teacher.

 

She has 40 years of teaching ballet and is an
ABT certified teacher and a CPYB curriculum teacher. She has danced professionally in many classical roles and has production experience in setting choreography and staging full length ballet productions.

 

Linden will be leading CSD's very first "Premier Ballet Company," which is a ballet competitive group (different from our in-house Colorado Youth Ballet Companies). The group debuts in 2026 with 11 elite dancers in levels 3A/4B.

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Linden is also part of what makes the productions and our website sparkle, as she ioften helps Tuska behind the scenes, and even leaves her tiny reminders of what makes owning a dance studio so special!

Instructor

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Hannah Deges grew up dancing from the age of 5 in small town Nebraska, and is a graduate of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska with a degree in Arts Management.

 

While attending Midland University she competed on the Warrior Wildfire collegiate competition team winning GPAC, Regional Championships, NAIA and NDA National Championships.

 

She was also largely involved in Vocal and Musical Theatre at Midland University, playing the roles of Holly in The Wedding Singer, Bianca in Kiss Me Kate, and Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray. After graduating college, Hannah moved to San Jose, California and worked as a Studio Manager for several years at a large studio in the area. After relocating to Colorado she joined our family here at CSD as an Administrative Assistant. She and her husband Zech live in Denver with their son and two puppies.

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When Hannah is not teaching dance, she is Tuska's part-time administrative assistant. Her invaluable contributions are what makes CSD so organized and working with proven systems so our dancers can shine!

Instructor

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Kara’s dance journey began in Minnesota at the age of three, where she received classical jazz training. In her formative years she trained across the Midwest at The Dance Shoppe, Summit School of Dance, and Ballet Arts in the styles of ballet, lyrical, tap, jazz, pointe, hip-hop, partnering, and contemporary. She has earned top awards and scholarships from prestigious conventions like Jump and WCDE.

Kara graduated from Loyola Marymount University in California, with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business. After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles and signed with McDonald Selznick and Associates, where she worked and trained and landed appearances in productions for Netflix, Disney, Nickelodeon, Fox, ABC, and HBO. In addition to her work in the entertainment industry, Kara served as the head coach and advisor for the award-winning Saugus Dance Team in California, leading them to 12 national titles in just three years. She has also taught at several studios in California.
 

Kara strives to be a positive influence on everyone she meets. She looks forward to getting to know the studio community and sharing this exciting journey together. She and her husband are also expecting her first baby later this year!

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Instructor

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Originally from Lafayette, Indiana, Mel began dancing competitively at age 5 and trained extensively in ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary. She began attending SLIDE in New York City to receive pre-professional training from artists Mike Minery, Anthony Morigerato, Ayodele Casel, Jason Janas, and more. In 2016 Mel began dancing with Indianapolis’s Circle City Tap Company and received multiple scholarships to tap festivals like Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s Rhythm World, Detroit’s Motor City Tap Fest, and Dancerpalooza’s American Tap Festival, all while training under artists Nico Rubio and Anthony Morigerato. In 2017 Mel joined The American Tap Company to train professionally in Boston and compete in the IDO World Tap Championships in Riesa, Germany. In 2018, Mel began teaching tap dance classes and choreographing competitive routines for all ages and levels. Mel is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Business Administration.

Instructor & Communication Coordinator

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Gianna Lucarelli is a Colorado Native and received her formal training at Colorado School of Dance. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in Dance and Psychology as well as a minor in Spanish. Gianna has trained and taught in several different styles including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, hip-hop (specifically house and Afro-fusion), lyrical, pom, and more. In college, she competed nationally with the Colorado Club Dance Team in jazz and Hip-hop for 3 years while holding an officer position. Additionally, she is a two-time bronze medal champion at the Dance Worlds in the Open Hip-hop division. This is Gianna’s 6th year teaching. Gianna values building lasting relationships and sharing her passion for dance with each of her students. 

Instructor

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Charlie was born and raised here in Colorado, making her a fourth generation Coloradan. She has attended CSD ever since she was 4 years old starting out with Ms. Amy!

 

She has trained in all styles, but her favorites are ballet, contemporary, and theater jazz! She is currently a part of the Sr Prodigy APT team, as well as Sr Ballet Company. She attends Cherokee Trail High School, and will be headed into her Senior year. She plans on continuing her dance journey in New York City after graduation in hopes to one day make it on Broadway! She is so grateful and appreciative for the amazing opportunities CSD has given her, and she is so excited to head into her senior year not only as a dancer, but as a teacher.

Instructor

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Adrianna, "Ms. Adri", is an accomplished performer and started competing at age 5. She is trained in hip-hop, ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, acrobatics, and poms.  In high school, Adrianna's Varsity Poms team were state champions in hip hop. She also spent four years on the audition-only "Eaglecrest Dance Company" which is still known for its award-winning hip hop team.

 

Fun Fact: Adrianna once faced off against the renowned Abby Lee Dance Company, and her solo was featured in an episode of "Dance Moms"!

 

Adrianna has preformed for the Royal Caribbean Cruiseline, Disney Land parade, and the Disney Land Mainstage performances as well as studying dance at Metropolitan State University. She has been a dance instructor for children of all ages since 2020. She absolutely adores children and has a passion for inspiring dancers of all ages. She is a Colorado native and lives in Parker with her husband and two children.

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Instructor

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Shannon Fornes grew up doing gymnastics in San Diego, California before falling in love with modern and contemporary dance in middle school. They competed and attended conventions throughout Southern California before graduating high school in 2020. Shannon then attended Mount Holyoke College where they continued their technical training, performed in faculty and student pieces, choreographed and staged several works, and developed a student-led choreography workshop for high school-aged dancers. Shannon is so excited to join the CSD team!

We are now hiring!

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Email:

info@coloradoschoolofdance.com

Instructor

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Lilly has been dancing for Colorado School of Dance since she was three years old. She is currently in Senior Company for ballet and a senior in high school at Douglas County High School. In her junior year, she had the privilege to teach Kindy Ballet and Tap and has been a TA for various teachers at CSD over the years. She plans to continue her dance career in college as well as pursue her dream of becoming a ballet teacher. She is very excited to be a part of the CSD staff team for this upcoming season.

Front Desk Manager

 

Jena has been part of Colorado School of Dance since 2020 when her daughter joined as a Junior Razzle and has been working for Colorado School of Dance in the shop since 2022. She loves working at the front desk and getting to help all of the wonderful families and dancers at CSD. Jena has a Bachelor's Degree in Developmental Psychology and a Minor in Criminal Justice from Metropolitan State College of Denver and grew up in Littleton, CO. Jena has worked with children since 1998 and also owns Night Nannies for Newborns, a postpartum and newborn overnight care agency since 2004. Jena lives in Parker with her husband Luis and two amazing children. 

Front Desk Associate

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Jen is Mom to three incredible dancers, and studio mom to hundreds. She has been working at the front desk helping our families for two years now, and always offers a smile and helping hand to everyone she meets.

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Photo is of her middle child, now on the APT Team here at Colorado School of Dance.

Social Media Coordinator

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Selena has a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design, and when she saw the job opening for a Part Time Social Media Coordinator, she knew this was the place for her!

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She is also Mom to a Gingersnap & Blue Angel Poms Dancer here at Colorado School of Dance!

Nutcracker Costume Manager

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Courtney Townley has been the Nutcracker of Parker Costume Manager for a multitude of years. She brings both support to the students and expertise as a seamstress to the production. 

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Courtney and her team love to work with our students to ensure they feel their best while on stage, while also continuing to bring the high production element to our shows each year.

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Thank you Courtney!

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Guest Instructor

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Courtney Graeber has been apart of the children’s program here at CSD for 8 years.

She is a Colorado native and attended dance studios similar to CSD from the age of 4 through 17, ending at Ballet Arts where she trained in Ballet and Jazz. She was also a competitive gymnast during that time for a private gym and for her high school team. After graduating high school, she attended Colorado State University where she earned a bachelors degree in Exercise and Sports Science.

She lives in Aurora with her two daughters, husband, and their two goldens. 

Guest Teacher

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Deshawn Royale's mission is to elevate the Colorado Hip-hop dance scene by pushing the importance of foundational training, encouraging others to create authentically, and by uniting the Colorado dance scene as a whole. From Parker to Breckenridge, Deshawn loves to connect with dancers who share the same passion for dance that he carries. Deshawn currently works at a few different studios in the Denver Metro area where he teaches and coaches/choreographs for competitive companies. He has been teaching for around 5 years and has been the director of the hip-hop program at Colorado School of Dance for the past two years. Deshawn has been dancing for the past 10 years with a mix of self-training, conventions, international dance mentorship programs, and the continued support of local dance instructors and studios. 

Guest Teacher

 

Mallauri Esquibel-Hansen, a native of Colorado, moved to Los Angeles at 17, Mallauri quickly began making a name for herself. Film/TV credits include: LALA land, Valley Girls, Behind the Candelabra, The Greatest Showman, FAME, Princess and the Frog, High School Musical 3, Frozen, Amazon, Google, Dancing with the stars, Gilmore Girls, Good morning America, The Academy Awards, Blunt Talk, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Bunheads, House, Bones, Vegas,The Mindy Project, CSI, the Grammys, 2008 BeijingOlympics, Billboard Music Awards, Much Music Awards, and VH1 Divas Live. Broadway and stage credits include: Travis Walls “shaping sound." 

Currently she travels with NRG dance project, as well to studios all over the world to teach and choreograph. She has a true passion for teaching the next generation of dancers.

Guest Teacher

 

Jacki Ford grew up at The Dance Club in Utah. After graduating, Jacki attended the University of Utah on the William F. Christensen scholarship and graduated with an emphasis is performance and teaching. She has worked with such companies as Ballet West, Utah Ballet and as a principal dancer for Rocky Mountain Ballet. Jacki has appeared onstage in “Funny Girl”, “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular” as a Rockette, “Mack and Mabel” with Jerry Herman and “Sinatra, His Voice, His World, His Way” with John Pizzarelli. Jacki has taught as a guest teacher in Tokyo at the Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway in New York City, and as faculty at PACE University in the commercial dance program. Jacki opened her own studio, District Dance NYC for New York’s youth. Her versatility as a teacher in Choreography has kept her in high demand across the country and we are grateful to have her here at CSD.

Guest Teacher

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Lyssy Salvador is a dance graduate of Chapman University, in California. She is a current industry dancer in LA, focusing on contemporary fusion and hip-hop.  She is trained in contemporary, jazz, ballet, hiphop, tap and ballroom.  She is a former NRG prodigy dancer as well as the founding member of Hollywood Connection's Teen Company.  She is currently working as an intern with World of Dance.  She has a strong passion for teaching and choreography, and loves spending time with the students of Colorado School of Dance on her request visits to Colorado!

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Guest Teacher

 

Becca Tuska grew up at the dance studio watching her mom behind the scenes, and held roles including Clara in Nutcracker, and was on the Senior APT at graduation. Today she is a graduate student at University of Michigan studying kinesiology. She teaches Exercise Physiology to undergraduates.

 

She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Sports Medicine & Art Degree from Pepperdine University During her time at Pepperdine, Becca directed and choreographed for the University’s resident dance company "Dance In Flight." Becca has danced with District Tap and Tap51, both in DC, where she taught for DCDC in Rockville, MD. She has over 10+ years of dance teaching experience and has received many Regional and National awards for her choreography.

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Pictured with Dad, "Mr. Stephen" and "Mr. Fix It" around the studio from time to time.

Part-Time Guest Collaborators

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Jonah Tuska has a Business Degree from Baylor University, and works full time for an International Marketing Software Company. He assists the studio with marketing and systems. He grew up at the front desk and on stage crew, and danced in the Nutcracker (Gingersnap/Party Child/Party Parent) as well as dipped his talents in competition team.

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Tyler Tuska is in his senior year of college finishing a Finance Degree. He works full time for an accounting/property management firm in Long Beach, CA.  He received a dance scholarship and went to Chapman U in 2020-21, only to realize he didn't want to pursue dance as a career, but loves helping his mom from time to time on finance, reporting and all things business. He grew up at the dance studio and one of our studio's most successful dancers. He was the 2019 Nutcracker Cavelier, a Senior APT Member w/Angela. He knows first hand what it means when we say "Dance is not a sprint, but a marathon."