Meet Our Team

Lisa is a highly accomplished dance educator, studio owner, choreographer, and director with decades of experience in both performance and production. She co-owned and taught at the award-winning Dance Attack studio for 30 years alongside her mother and family. By the time she sold the studio in 2006 to focus on family, it had grown to more than 600 students and earned numerous prestigious awards. During those years, Lisa and her dancers performed in a wide range of high-profile venues and events, including cruise ships, Disneyland and Disney World, TNT's Nashville Now, Hee Haw, Miss America Pageant festivities, Super Bowl 1995, and the New York Celebration Parade. Lisa also brings an extensive choreography background. She served on the choreography team for the 2002 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies in the clogging section, working with renowned choreographers Kenny Ortega and Paul Winkleman. She has choreographed large-scale productions for Merrill Osmond for television shows and concerts, and has been a director for the Merrill Osmond Youth Pioneer Production for several years. She is a member of the America On Stage Hall of Fame and has represented the United States internationally as part of the Clog America Team, performing as a cultural ambassador in multiple European tours (2016–2019) and most recently at the 2021 World Dance Festival in Russia. Her training and teaching span jazz, power tap, clogging, ballet, lyrical, and hip hop. In 2007, she founded Dance Force, which grew so quickly it outgrew her in-home studio and moved to the facility now known as the home of Project Dance Dancers. Lisa is passionate about both the business side of running a studio and helping young dancers build strong skills and a lifelong love of dance.

Melissa is grateful for the experience she has been able to gain in her 24 years of teaching and directing at other studios such as Synergy (1 year), Utah Dance Artist (10 years), Luv 2 Dance in Kaysville, UT (10 years), The Academy of Fine Arts in Columbia, Missouri (2 years) and The Mountain View Stars (1 year). She was given the opportunity to write syllabus for some of their programs, was a senior teacher in which she would evaluate teachers quarterly and give them feedback of how to be a more effective teacher, ran and taught teacher trainings, developed and ran dance camps, taught master classes, directed competition teams, worked one on one with the owners to develop new programs and curriculum and taught choreography. She also coached a High School Drill team for five years. She built Skyline High School's Drill Team from the ground floor several years ago and took them to the state competition level. She also ran drill team and private studio competitions, has taught choreography all over the western United States and Midwest, and taught for United Spirit Association. Her choreography has won and received recognition at a local level as well as a national level. Having the opportunity to be a major part of other highly respected programs in both the Salt Lake area as well as other parts of the country has given her quality training and experience. She also has extensively trained personally from a very young age. She was part of the nationally acclaimed Dance Team at the University of Missouri and trained through an exchange program at the prestigious Stephens College. She has a minor in dance and received dance scholarships all four years of college. With this experience and her passion for dance and love for people, she is looking forward to this new adventure!

Sierra has been a dancer since the age of 3. Over the years, she's trained in various styles of dance including jazz, ballet, hip hop, jazz funk, lyrical, contemporary, military, modern, musical theater, pom, acro and ballroom. She has won multiple solo awards, championships, and scholarships while growing up. She was a member of Taylorsville High School's Drill Team for 3 years and served as captain during her senior year. Her senior year she won both "Miss Dance/Drill Team USA" and "Miss Dance/Drill Team International" in 2012. Sierra became a member of the University of Utah Dance Team. Along with her time spent dancing for the University of Utah, she was also a "So You Think You Can Dance, Vegas Week" finalist for the TV show's 10th season. She continued training with the Odyssey Dance Theater and at the Pointe Academy. With the company, she had the pleasure of being a part of Odyssey's "Thriller" and "Shut Up and Dance" fall show. She was also in the O2 year-end showcase. She's been an assistant coach on the high school level for drill team and dance companies at Taylorsville, Hunter, and Riverton and has taught at many amazing studios through the years. Her choreography has been recognized and awarded regionally and nationally year after year. Project Dance has become her dance home base for the last 10 years! She was the assistant competition director for many of those years, and teaches and choreographs heavily at the studio all year. She holds certifications in Acrobatic Arts and MUVMETHOD. She has developed strong teaching methods in many styles and techniques. People know her for being detailed and nerdy about the body and its ability to adapt. She is passionate about building strong foundations for dancers and pushing them beyond what they think they are capable of.

Halle Larsen is a passionate, experienced dancer and leader with a strong background in both competitive and collegiate dance. She served as President and Captain of Farmington High School's two-time State Champion Drill Team, earning Academic All-State and All-State Drill Team honors. Halle recently completed four years with the nationally renowned BYU Cougarettes, serving as captain for two years. In that role, she contributed extensively to choreography, costuming, and overall team leadership. She is deeply passionate about teaching, choreographing, and mentoring young dancers, and loves helping them grow in confidence, technique, and artistry. She is also a co-director of the pre-professional dance company "Projection," where she is committed to creating a supportive, empowering environment that helps dancers thrive.

We are excited to welcome Ella as the Hip-Hop Director for our convention competing program. She is also the Co-Director of our Pre-Professional Adult Company, Projection. Ella's dance journey started when she was just 1 year old. Since then, she has trained with AED Dance Studio, UDO Mega Crew, Odyssey Dance Company, Urban Fairytales, and Underground. She is a proud graduate of UVU, where she danced on the UVU Dance Team for 4 years, serving as Head Captain her senior year and winning 5 national titles! Ella has choreographed halftimes, concert pieces, and contributed to national routines during her time there. Currently, she is a member of the nationally-acclaimed Weber State Dance Team and continues to share her passion for dance as a choreographer, teacher, and mentor. For the past 3 years, Ella has also served as a drill team assistant coach. She's entering her fourth season as an assistant coach at Corner Canyon High School. Her love for dance takes her all over the country, teaching and choreographing for studios, drill teams, and individual dancers. Whether she's training, performing, teaching, or creating choreography, one thing is clear: Ella truly loves dance and deeply cares about helping her students achieve their goals.

Meaghan is a teacher in our Reign program at Project Dance. She has been teaching for over 18 years. She loves choreographing and teaching all styles to the competition and convention kids. Meaghan started dancing when she was three years old. She danced throughout all of her school years. After finishing school she coached drill team for 7 years and is currently assisting for the Pleasant Grove drill team. She loves sharing her passion and love for dance with all of her students! She is excited to see the progress the students make this year and loves being part of the process. Project Dance has become a second home for the kids and teachers. She can't wait for another successful season.

Brittney has been dancing for nearly 25 years and has been trained extensively in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and modern dance. Her training began in Southern California where she grew up. Her many performance opportunities included dancing in the Nutcracker, competitions, recitals and other community events. Brittney continued her dance education at BYU-Idaho where she received her minor in dance and Bachelor's degree in communication in 2010. While in college, she had opportunities to study with renowned dancers and choreographers, danced on the contemporary dance team, was selected to dance in the Rexburg Temple Celebration, choreographed original pieces and performed in community events. Her studies included modern, ballet, and jazz technique classes, choreography and performance as well as dance history. Since, she has had the opportunity to dance with the Kinuko Modern dance company and other performing groups. Brittney has been teaching with Lisa for nearly 6 years now and been with Project Dance from the beginning and she absolutely loves teaching!

She began dancing at age four at her aunt's studio, Salt City Stars, and trained there until the studio closed when she was eleven. She continued dancing throughout high school on a competitive traveling team, gaining valuable performance experience while competing in multiple states and training alongside inspiring dancers and industry professionals. Through conventions and master classes, she had the opportunity to train with, and assist, renowned artists, including Derek Hough. At nineteen, she was selected to travel to New York as an assistant for Mia Michaels at the Liberate Artist training program, spending nine immersive days focused on growth, artistry, and learning from influential leaders in the dance world. She began teaching at Project immediately after graduating high school and considers it her home. Grateful for the chance to grow, create, and share her passion in such a supportive environment, she loves investing in her students and helping them develop both as dancers and as individuals.

Cheryl Martinez holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education from Utah State University. She also studied dance & computer science. She has over 35 years teaching experience. She has been trained & has taught in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Clogging, Pointe, and Tumbling. She teaches the recreation students & competitive students. Cheryl began dancing at the age of three and has stayed very involved since. She danced on a competitive team and participated in many solos. She has also competed nationally. Cheryl performed and helped choreograph for the Utah State University "Forum" which is a dance company concert. Cheryl stays active in learning new methods of teaching & keeping up with the new technique always being produced in dance. She loves to attend workshops & conventions to stay up to date. She is the Director of Classic Dance Competitions and helps direct drill competitions as well. Dance has always been very important in her life, and she is excited to be able to teach. Dance can help children grow physically, emotionally, and mentally. They gain confidence and coordination that is not offered in other settings. She believes that dance teaches great life lessons such as dedication, integrity and persistence as they progress into better dancers.

Jori's dance journey began at the age of three at her local dance studio in Burley, Idaho. At eight years old, she traveled to Salt Lake City to see Ballet West perform for the first time, an experience that sparked a lifelong love of ballet. She continued training in ballet and jazz throughout her youth and later spent two years performing on her high school drill team. After graduating high school, Jori attended Ensign College (formerly LDS Business College), where she earned an Associate Degree in Accounting. During that time, she also met her husband. Together they have built a wonderful family with four amazing children and a couple of significant others who are dearly loved. Years later, after some of her children began dancing, a new ballet instructor at their studio offered an adult ballet class. After nearly a decade away from the studio, Jori decided to return to dance. The experience reignited her passion, and she quickly rediscovered the technique she had learned as a young dancer. Before long, she began teaching beginning ballet classes and eventually expanded into additional levels. Jori has now been teaching for more than 20 years. She believes that the classroom is a place where dancers should feel safe to make mistakes, learn, and grow. Watching her students develop into confident, versatile performers across many dance styles is one of the most rewarding parts of her work as a teacher.

Bridianne Matua (Ms. Bridi) began dancing at just 3 years old and immediately fell in love with it. She trained extensively in jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, tap, hip hop, and ballet at Local Motion Dance Studio, where she later began teaching while still in high school. She has now been teaching dance for 13 years and continues to have a deep passion for both dance and mentorship. During high school, Bridianne was a member of the West Jordan Dance Company for three years, where she served as both Costume Director and later President. She continues to choreograph for her former dance company each year and has experience judging high school dance auditions throughout Utah. Her choreography has received numerous awards over the years, reflecting both her creativity and dedication to the art of dance. After high school, Bridianne attended Salt Lake Community College studying Interior Design before moving to Orlando to pursue an internship with The Walt Disney Company. Her experiences both inside and outside the dance world have continued to shape her creativity and love for working with others. Bridianne has now been teaching at Project Dance for several years and is incredibly grateful that dance continues to be such an important part of her life. She is passionate about helping young dancers grow not only technically, but also in confidence, artistry, and love for dance. Her favorite part of teaching is watching her students discover their potential and develop the same passion for dance that has stayed with her throughout her life.

Brynnlee started dancing at age 4 at Utah Dance Artists, then continued training at Project Dance until the age of 18. She trained in jazz, ballet, hip hop, contemporary, tap, ballroom, and pointe in this time. While in high school, she also trained with Copper Hills High School Dance Company where she was trained in modern dance and learned about choreography. While on Dance Company, Brynnlee placed in the top ten for the dance Sterling Scholar award, received several choreography awards for her pieces, and served as Choreography President. Brynnlee is currently training at the University of Utah in the Modern program, as well as taking classes at Ballet West. She is certified in MUVMETHOD, PBT, and PCT.

Brynn is so excited for a new season. She truly loves teaching and all of the amazing kids she gets to work with! After falling in love with dance at age 2, Brynn began competing at age 6 and continued dancing competitively in various styles until she graduated from high school. Shortly after graduating Brynn began teaching at Project Dance in 2017. Brynn adores kids, her family calls her "the baby whisperer" and "the kid magnet". She loves that she gets to spend her time doing something she loves, and how perfect it is to combine her love of kids and dance. Outside of dance Brynn has a goldendoodle named Carly. She loves to spend time with her 9 nieces and nephews, they are some of her favorite people. A few things that make Brynn happy are ice cream, sunsets, dogs, the color yellow, the beach and her family. She loves watching her students' confidence grow and loves how they get so excited when they achieve new skills. She is excited to see what is to come as she continues to share her love for dance with everyone she has the opportunity to teach.

Terralee was born and raised in Utah and has been dancing since the age of three. In high school, she was a member of both her Drill Team and Dance Company, and she has trained in classical ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, modern, and hip hop. With over 15 years of teaching experience, Terralee has choreographed numerous routines for teams and soloists. Her teaching focuses on proper body alignment and technique, along with strength and flexibility to support injury prevention. She began teaching through the Granite School District Continuing Education Program as a hip hop instructor, later teaching at a private studio for several years before joining the Project Dance family. Terralee loves working with kids of all ages both in the studio and in the community. She has served as PTA president at her children's elementary school and has worked with the Herriman Arts Council, choreographing youth theater productions. Committed to continual growth, she has also taken master classes and workshops from professional dancers and educators across the country. Terralee is married and is a mom of four. Outside of dance, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, cooking, and curling up with a good book. Dance is a true passion for her, and she loves watching dancers grow in both ability and confidence.

Kelsey's dance journey began when she was just four years old, right here at Project Dance, and she has truly grown up with us! Over the years, she has trained in a variety of styles (jazz, ballet, clogging, acro, and tumbling), developing into a versatile and passionate dancer. During high school, Kelsey was a member of the Mountain Ridge Dance Company for two years, where she pushed herself as both a performer and a teammate. She graduated in 2023, and we are beyond thrilled that she has returned "home" to Project Dance to share her talent and love of dance with the next generation of students. Kelsey brings not only her strong technical training but also her joyful energy, positive attitude, and creativity into every class she teaches. She is passionate about helping dancers grow in their confidence, artistry, and love for dance.

Katelyn has grown up dancing at Project Dance and has always considered it her second home. Over the years, she has trained in many different styles and has loved every part of learning, performing, and growing up at Project Dance. Now, she's living her dream as a member of our adult company Projection and the Salt Lake Community College Dance Company, all while sharing her love of dance as a teacher! Teaching is one of her favorite things because she loves watching students discover new skills, build confidence, and, most importantly, have fun! Dance has given Katelyn amazing memories, lifelong friendships, and incredible opportunities. Her biggest hope is to share that same joy and passion for dance with her students every day. Katelyn will be sharing her kind heart, positive energy and drive for success with our dancers in our Recreation Program.

Sage Beaumont began dancing at age six and trained competitively at Dance Force Academy, now known as Project Dance. She has trained in jazz, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, hip hop, ballroom, clogging, tumbling, and acro, and continues her training as a member of the adult company Projection. Sage is passionate about helping dancers build confidence, strong technique, and a genuine love for dance. She strives to create a classroom where every student feels encouraged, supported, and inspired to become the best dancer they can be. Outside the studio, Sage works as an administrative assistant in the telecommunications industry and enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, paddleboarding, and spending time outdoors.

Ellsie Tueller Fife has been dancing since the age of 3 and grew up training at American Expression of Dance, where she developed a deep love for movement and performance. She is trained in a wide range of styles including jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, ballet, and tap. In high school, Ellsie was a member of the Bingham Minerettes drill team, where she helped lead the team to 2 state championship titles. She was a dance captain her junior year and was head dance captain senior year. After graduating, she continued her dance journey as a member of the nationally renowned BYU Cougarettes. During her four years on the team, Ellsie earned 2 gold medals at the ICU World Championships and 6 national titles. She also served as a dance captain, demonstrating leadership and passion both on and off the stage. Ellsie loves teaching and sharing her experience and love for dance with the next generation.

Hailey has been dancing since she was 2 years old. She has trained in many styles such as jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, ballet, and ballroom. She joined Project Dance in 6th grade and stayed there until senior year. During her high school years she was on the dance company at Mountain Ridge High School from junior year to senior year. After that she trained at CLI Conservatory and learned from so many amazing choreographers and teachers. And now she is so excited to come back to Project Dance to share what she has learned.

Jordan began dancing as a way to connect with others and discover a sense of community through movement. Her training includes a pre-professional training program at Stivers School for the Arts and attending intensives through Pontecorvo Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company and The International Association of Blacks in Dance. Here she developed a deep appreciation for both the technical and expressive sides of dance. Today, Jordan loves sharing that same connection with her students. She believes ballet is not only about technique and discipline, but also about mindfulness, creativity, artistry, and learning to express yourself through movement. Her goal as a teacher is to create an encouraging environment where dancers can build confidence, stay present, and discover their own unique artistic voice. Jordan values ensuring her students are well rounded and are able to not only execute the proper technique but also are able to understand the history, traditions and terminology behind the movements they are learning.

Cali Fichialos is excited to join the Project Dance teaching staff this season! Cali began dancing at the age of three, with her early training focused exclusively on ballet. At nine years old, she entered the competitive dance world and expanded her training to include a variety of styles. Throughout her competitive years, Cali earned numerous titles and overall awards while also having the opportunity to train with professional dancers, choreographers, and companies. During her senior year, she was a member of her high school drill team, further developing her versatility and performance experience. Cali has continued to pursue her love of dance into adulthood. Most recently, she was a member of Projection, a pre-professional adult dance company, during its inaugural season. Through Projection, she continued her training, performed in the company's concert, and had the opportunity to choreograph and set a piece for the company. Cali is thrilled to continue another season with Projection while joining the Project Dance faculty. She looks forward to sharing her passion for dance with her students and continuing to grow as both a dancer and teacher.

I am 19 and grew up dancing at Project Dance until high school, where I joined Riverton Dance Company and became dance captain. I then joined the Projection dance company as an adult to continue my love for dance, and I LOVE my time getting to teach and choreograph for the studio that I adore!

Hi, my name is Jaylee Peck! I'm 18 years old and a teacher here at Project Dance! I've been dancing since I was 2 and have grown up learning many various styles of dance! I trained at Local Motion along with Project Dance as well. I moved on to high school where I was on the Bingham Minerettes for all 3 of my years, serving as President my senior year. I am now on the Weber State Dance Team as a freshman and can't wait for my years to come! I'm so passionate about dance and am so grateful to be able to share all I know while also getting to dance every day.

McKenna Campbell is from Eagle Mountain, Utah, and has been dancing since the age of two. She trained in multiple styles at several studios for 15 years and developed a strong foundation in both technique and performance. Throughout high school, McKenna was a member of the Cedar Valley Drill Team, serving as President for two years, after previously spending two years on the Westlake Drill Team. Her drill accomplishments include being the 2020 Utah 4A Drill Down State Champion, earning 4A All-State Drill Team honors in both 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, and being named Cedar Valley High School's Dance Sterling Scholar. McKenna has also gained broad performance and teaching experience as part of the Fullout Productions Staff and Stadium of Fire Staff, working with dancers and instructors from across the country. She attended Utah Valley University, earned her associate degree in dance, and danced three years on the Utah Valley Dance Team, winning four national titles with her team. She has coached high school drill for the past four years and is currently in her fifth year coaching at Cedar Valley High School with the Aviettes. McKenna has taught at Project Dance for the past couple of years and is excited to continue working with its talented, self-motivated dancers. She is passionate about helping dancers grow as both athletes and artists, and she strives to spread positivity and passion throughout the dance community.