Susan Sorensen holds a BS in Education, specializing in Physical Education and Dance, from Texas Tech University. She studied at Southern Methodist University, Texas Tech University, Brookhaven College, Moonslice Dancer Theatre, Buster Cooper School of Dance, and Houston Ballet. Mrs. Sorensen taught P.E. and Dance for the Dallas Independent School District for 7 years. She also worked as an independent artist, performing with Contemporary Dance/Ft Worth, Brookhaven Dancer’s Theatre, Donna Marie-Moham Dancers, Diana Taylor Dancers, Lubbock Civic Ballet and e. donnette durham & dancers.

She teaches Jazz, Modern and Hip Hop at CGDA and also works as a freelance choreographer. Choreography credits include, Carousel, How to Succeed in Business, 100 Degrees in the Shade, On the Verge, Private Eyes, Zombie Prom, West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast and Grease.

My ballet training began at age 7 in Mtn. View, California under Richard Opaterny. I was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship at age 10, which allowed me to dance 5 days a week plus 2 summers of intensive study in New York at Harkness House and School of American Ballet. Teachers there included David Howard, Maria Veigh, Alexandra Danilova, and Antonina Tumkovsky. I also studied one summer at San Francisco Ballet School with Harold Christensen and Anatole Vilzak.

I graduated from University of Utah with a BFA, in Ballet, magna cum laude. There my teachers included Mattlyn Gavers, Bene Arnold, and my favorite; Toni Lander, Prima Ballerina with the Royal Danish Ballet. During my first year at the University, I was invited to apprentice with Ballet West, then under the direction of Willam Christensen. I then joined the company, and danced for four years under the direction of Bruce Marks in such ballets as Serenade, Carmina Burana, Nutcracker, and Coppelia.

After leaving Utah, I moved to Aspen, Colorado where I met my husband Mike, had our 2 children, Christina and Michael, and began my ballet teaching career by starting the Ballet Aspen Academy. We moved to the Gorge in 1989, and I have been teaching ballet here since. One of my most rewarding accomplishments is producing and directing the student production of Nutcracker Ballet held each year in December as a benefit for FISH and hospice of the Gorge.

My dance career began at age three with a tootsie roll and the promise of much fun to come under the extraordinary tutelage of vaudevillian soloist, Eleanor Borg; my mentor and, proudly, her protégé. Her spirited teaching and great foundations continue to be an inspiration to me today, as are my parents, Joan and Connie Smith, who encouraged and supported my lifelong dance career. Since the age of 14, I have been privileged to study and dance with the following great Masters of Tap: Charles Honi Coles, Cholly Atkins, Harold Nicholas, Savion Glover, Emery Clay, Richard Billings, Carneil Lyons, LaVaughn Robinson, Buster Brown, Eddie Brown, Steve Condos, Sam Weber, Fred Strickier, Lane Alexander, Derick Grant, Lee Green, Josh Hilberman, my favorite classy ladies: Lady Di (Diane Walker), Brenda Buffaiino, Heather Cornell, Lynn Daily, Teny Brock, Roxanne Butterfly, Jeannie Hill and my dear Ballet friend, Margaret Dallman.

My greatest accomplishments (PRIDE and JOY!)... My lifelong relationship with my husband and partner of 35 years, Richard, and my three incredible children; Jacob, Nicholas and Meredith (all of whom, by the way, including my husband, are great dancers too!) And of course, watching the “Halos of Happiness” from backstage and in class of those I teach!

I encourage everyone to find time in their lives to dance! Stay young at heart!

I began dancing at the age of three. Ballet was my first love, and I studied in Mesa, AZ and then with Shelly Svoboda in Corvallis, OR. In middle school I added Jazz and Tap.

I have studied with Anita duPratt, Tracey Durbin at Oregon Ballet Theatre, Rip Parker and Bill Evens at Centrum Center for the arts.

I look forward to a lifelong education in dance and it is a privilege to share my love of Jazz with the students of the Academy where I have taught since 2000.

Christa joy began her dance training at the age 4 at CGDA. She studied ballet, jazz, hip hop and tap and was on of the first CGDA Company Dancers. After graduating from CGDA, Christa joy went on to continue her dance training in Eugene, OR. She added African, modern, swing, salsa, and contemporary to her training and danced with the Bomb Squad under the direction of Allison Franco. Christa joy then moved to Portland, OR and began teaching hip hop and lyrical at Cami Curtis Performing Arts Center and joined Eclectic, an adult performing company where she had extensive swing and partnering training for a production of Guys and Dolls.

Christa joy now is a member of Push Jones, a hip hop and jazz performing company under the direction of Evie Graham and Allison Franco. She continues her training in hip hop, ballet, jazz, contemporary, and lyrical at Vega Dance+Lab, OBT, Conduit Contemporary Company, and Groove Nation. Christa joy is committed to her continued education in all forms of dance and attends workshops such as Monsters of Hip Hop and The Pulse Tour every year.

Theresa Mason started dancing at the age of eight. She began her ballet training with Leigh Salsibury in Concord, Ca, continued with the Showalter School of Dance in Walnut Creek Ca, and from there went into San Francisco and trained with Alan Howard and the Pacific Ballet Co. She attended Lassen College and obtained her A.A. degree as well as a Vocational Teaching Degree in Dance. While there she danced with Tanya Braunstein and the Lassen College Moving Co. She later taught ballet for three years at Lassen College in the P.E. Dept, during which time she also ran her own ballet school for children which continued for nine years. In 1989 she moved to Hood River and began teaching at the Bridgewater Dance Theatre for three years before joining the Workout Dance and Fitness Center, now the Columbia Gorge Dance Academy, where she has been teaching since 1994.

Portland native Heather Wright began dancing at the age of 14 with the Milwaukie High School Dance Team and was introduced to a variety of genres: ballet, jazz, modern and hip-hop. As a senior, Heather was named team captain and selected for the OSAA All-State Dance Team. Her love of dance grew from there and earned her a scholarship with the Boise State Mane Line Dancers where they competed and won three USA National Championship titles.

Since then Heather has taught dance all over the West Coast as an UDA instructor and also spent two seasons performing with the Idaho Stampede Dancers. Most recently, Heather lived in New York City and studied contemporary, lyrical, broadway, jazz-funk, street-jazz and hip-hop at Broadway Dance Center while also working in TV production. Heather currently teaches Jazz at Columbia Gorge Dance Academy and continues to take classes at Vega Dance Lab.

Melissa Vovou was born and raised in Hood River, began dancing at age 4 under the tutelage of Bev Cron/Bridgewater, Margaret Dallman, Theresa Mason and Charlotte Arnold, training in ballet, jazz, tap and gymnastics, and later added contemporary, hip hop, character, flamenco and adage to her repertoire.

In Portland, she trained with Robert Guilliam, Jacquie Kunzman and Nina Raimondo, and Pat Hon. A scholarship to Marin Ballet brought her to the Bay Area where she trained with Frank Bays, Cynthia Pepper, Summer Ratigan, Maria Vegh and Lorien Fenton, among others, and performed with various companies including Redwood Empire Ballet, Newstyle Motherlode and Marin Future Shock.

While dancing for Carnival Cruise Lines, she met her adage partner and future husband Vladimir Kuzkin, a classically trained dancer from Russia. They’ve both served as guest instructors at CGDA over the past few years, and now call Hood River “home again.”. A Pilates Instructor certified by Power Pilates of New York and a former massage therapist, Melissa brings her lifetime passion for movement and alignment to you in the studio.

Enjoy life: laugh, dance, sweat, laugh some more!