I love boy bands! I have been a boy band lover since elementary school and still enjoy them to this day. It started with a love of New Kids on the Block and moved onto the Backstreet Boys in my middle school years. But there is no band that can replace my all time favorite group, Hanson. From their first hit to their most recent christmas album, it isn’t uncommon for me to be listening to them on repeat or refuse to get out of my car until their song is done playing on the radio. 

When I’m not too busy jamming to Hanson’s greatest hits, I enjoy spending time with my family. After meeting my husband in 5th grade, growing up in a small town together, moving off to college, getting married and starting a new life in Iowa we decided we should try the parenting thing. Any and all advice, tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated. Now a family of 4 with our beautiful daughter and silly son, we find that simple things like going on walks, or eating popcorn and watching a movie at home are some of our favorite things. 

Get 2 Know Alfred! 



One of my favorite songs is by Tori Amos, a live mashup of her song “God” and Kate Bush’s “Running up that Hill.” One of the reasons I love that song is because while Bush is often cited as an artist who influenced Amos, the mashup seamlessly makes two disparate songs work together. The concept of the mashup also relates to my life, which is a bit of a mashup as well.

I grew up in Detroit, but have lived in New York, Salt Lake City, Tempe, AZ, Chicago, Austin, New York (again), Denver and now Iowa City. Moving to Iowa City has also allowed me to mashup my professional backgrounds: Teaching at Nolte feeds my artistic passions by allowing me to train young artists in the art of ballet. My day job is working at the University of Iowa as a researcher and Assistant Professor of Media Studies in the Department of Communication Studies, where I teach and research about race, gender and sexuality as related to media production and audiences, feeds me - literally. But lest these two areas seem entirely at odds with one another, one research project, which will soon be published in the International Journal of Cultural Studies studies the ways black audiences engage with the ballerina Misty Copeland.

At the same time, the mashup also describes the work I choreograph for Nolte: while my “home base” is in ballet, my choreography relies on modern and jazz dance forms as well. My ballet for Dance Works this year, tentatively titled “Baroque and Blues,” will demonstrate the ways the mashup guides my choreographic output.      ​

I toured the country to fight bullying with theatre! I was a cast member in the first national tour of Jennifer Fawcett's award-winning play Out of Bounds, produced by Working Group Theatre and directed by Sean Christopher Lewis. Out of Bounds is a play about how cyber-bullying affects middle school students and their parents who try to help them. Though the story is a work of fiction, the ideas were based on interviews with teachers, counselors, police officers, social workers, parents and kids. We got to go everywhere from Las Vegas to Parker, CO to Newark, NJ with the show, and after performing we would lead talkbacks and workshops to engage our audiences in conversations about bullying and teach them how to use forum theatre activities to "rehearse for real life." This experience changed my life. It's easy for people to think that theatre is all about playing pretend or escaping reality, but it can also be used as a tool for social change!

I have run up a mountain in a hail storm! My best friend Laura and her husband live in Littleton, CO, and a few years ago I thought it would be fun to start a new tradition of flying out there with my son Jack once a year to hike and camp and make memories. Though I like to think the highlight was on our third annual trip when we hiked Royal Arch Trail, I know Jack's favorite memory was from our second trip. We were camping at Golden Gate Canyon State Park, and Laura and I had taken Jack to the restrooms at the bottom of the hill. Suddenly, the weather got bad. And I mean BAD! It was raining really hard. We knew we had to make it back to the tent, so I put Jack (then seven years old) on my back and took off running. Let me tell you, when you are used to living in Iowa, running uphill at that elevation with a small child on your back is no small feat! Of course, as luck would have it, as soon as I started running, the rain turned to hail. HAIL. Jack and I both started cracking up. We made it safely back to the tent, changed into dry clothes and cuddled up to read a Harry Potter book. It was certainly memorable, and when Jack told me that me running up a mountain in a hail storm will always be his favorite Colorado memory, I knew he had a flair for the dramatic, just like his mama.

We are excited to present Dance Works this June at Space Place Theatre. Our production will feature excerpts from Paquita, restaged by Sarah Barragan, original contemporary ballet pieces by Mauro Villanueva and Alfred Martin, and original contemporary and modern works by Leslie Nolte and Kenny Borchard. 

Due to the snowy conditions, we have decided to close early tonight, Monday, February 11. Classes that begin before 5:15 pm will take place. Classes that start at 5:15 pm or later are canceled. 


The classes that will take place are: Kinder Combo (3:30), Jazz 2 (3:30), Musical Theatre 1&2 (3:30), Ballet 1 (3:45), Ballet 3 (4:00) Tap 2 (4:00), Acting 1&2 (4:00), Tap 1 (4:30), Children's Dance 2 (4:30), Ballet 2 (4:30), Musical Theatre 3&4 (4:30), Jazz 1 (5:00). If your class is not listed above, it is canceled.


As always, if you miss a class, you are welcome to attend a similar age/level class at your convenience. Please refer to our weekly schedule to find a make up time that works for you.
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Thanks for your understanding,