Nicole Kutella: Co-Director

Nicole began dancing at the age of 3 and has been teaching for over 19 years. She has trained in Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Afro-Cuban, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary and various other forms. She grew up training across the Chicagoland area, as well as being involved with her high school’s pre-collegiate dance program. Nicole earned merit based and technical based dance scholarships to attend summer intensives at both Columbia University in Chicago and The Lou Conté School of Dance. She received her BA in Dance, as well as a secondary degree in Performing Arts Entrepreneurship graduating with Honors from the University of Iowa. While in college she performed and toured with a small professional modern company around the Midwest, as well as performing as professionally in Colorado after moving to the Front Range in 2011. She has been involved in many aspects of the dance world including both concert dance and competitive dance. She has taught dance in Chicago, Iowa, and Colorado. She has been teaching along the Front Range for over 12 years. She has directed dance troupes and teams for over 12 years. Her choreography was adjudicated and selected for numerous performances throughout high school and college, and has been presented through out the Front Range at various dance competitions and events. Dance is Nicole’s passion, she believes dance can bring joy to everyone & every ability. She strives to make her classes energetic & fun, while teaching dancers to be safe, smart, strong, confident, & empowered in themselves in and out of the studio. Nicole’s goal is that her dancers leave her classes, feeling confident and ready to go where ever their paths may lead them, whether it be in a dance world or not. She believes dance is for everyone and works hard to help dancer’s reach their individual goals. Dance has also led Nicole to find passion and healing in Yoga. Nicole has earned her 200 Hour Yoga certification and recently finished her yoga certification for ages 2-17.

Miranda Lung: Co-Director

Miranda started dancing in New York at the age of 4 and performed at various benefits, shows, and citywide events while in New York. Miranda taught at studios in New York for 10 years alongside other professional choreographers, performers, and educators before moving to Colorado in 2016. She is trained in the Vaganova/Cecchetti methods of Ballet/Pointe, Rhythmic and Broadway styles of Tap dance from Broadway performers, choreographers and educators, and improvisational and technical Modern techniques from a variety of Modern dance companies including but not limited to Isadora Duncan, Alvin Ailey, and Martha Graham. She has studied contemporary and Broadway Jazz styles, with a preference for anything that has an old Hollywood vibe. She is also proficient in Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theater, and just a little Irish Step. She has directed a multitude of performance groups in both New York and in Northern Colorado. She taught at, choreographed, and substituted for a variety of dance classes within Colorado. Miranda eventually founded her own in person and (pandemically forced) virtual dance studio in Longmont, Colorado with its own community-based dance troupe focused on giving back in 2019. This group would eventually move to NoCo in order to co-create, The Dance Department. Dancers who attend her programs will learn proper vocabulary, the origin of the style being studied, and the names of those who have left historical/cultural contributions to the art of dance. She has grown dancers in a variety of styles who have gone on to pursue dance and become educators themselves in both New York and Colorado. Miranda ensures each student receives quality, professional dance education and leaves feeling ready to start their own path within the dance world if they so choose. Miranda provides a customized, technically focused, individualized dance curriculum customized for each student. She develops strong, smart, technical, versatile dancers who will have fun, grow in their self-worth, and who leave learning something new in each of Miranda’s classes.

Emily Lehman: Admin Assistant/Instructor

Emily was born and raised right here in Colorado and began dancing at the age of 3! Throughout her dancing career, she has studied Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Modern, and Jazz. She has been teaching and assisting dance classes for 5+ years and has choreographed several pieces for both herself and other dancers. Dance is one of her biggest passions in life. Emily works to teach dancers skills they can use both in and out of class. Emily is currently attending the University of Northern Colorado, pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree with a Major in Business Administration and a Minor in Dance.

Kathleen Becker: Instructor

Kathleen’s love for dance began at the age of 5 at a local dance studio in upstate New York. As a competitive dancer, she studied modern, ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and acro. Kathleen has trained with many renowned choreographers through conventions and at other studios, such as Broadway Dance Center. She started teaching in 2018 and since then has curated a number of competitive pieces awarded overall titles and choreography awards. As an instructor, she works to make her classes fun but challenging, while encouraging dancers to use class as a tool for exploration and creating a sense of self through their art. Kathleen is currently working towards a degree in Biological Anthropology at Colorado State University.