Teachers

Originally from Houston, Texas, Kalli Loudan began her dance training at a young age, developing a love for all styles of dance. After high school, she attended the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and finished her BFA in dance at Sam Houston State University in 2021.

Kelly O’Connor was born and raised in sunny Pasadena, CA where she trained at Pasadena Civic Ballet Center. She earned her BFA in Dance with a minor in applied psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Kelly has had the opportunity to perform with the UCSB Dance Company and Motion Theater Dance Company. Kelly’s teaching method is rooted in creating a safe classroom space for students to authentically explore and grow their relationship to movement and music.

Davida Haas-Oglesbee began her ballet training in Milan, Italy at the age of 8. She danced professionally with the Boston Ballet II, Houston Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater, and The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. Davida inspires her students with a caring discipline and laughter.

Manda Oliver grew up in St. Helens Oregon, and danced at Oregon Performing Arts Studio for most of her adolescent years. Manda went on to graduate from Western Oregon University in June 2024 with a BA in Dance. Manda has primarily studied musical theatre based jazz, and contemporary ballet and she has taught several jazz classes to all ages in the Portland area, as well as some creative movement, ballet, and contemporary. Manda dances and choreographs with the Portland Dance Collective in her free time and is excited to start a new chapter at NW Dance Project!

From Hillsboro, Oregon, Andrea Parson began dancing to country music records in her living room and went on to become a leading dancer for NW Dance Project where she danced, choreographed, taught, and mentored for 11 years, earning a prestigious Princess Grace Award in the process. Andrea is currently on faculty at Pacific University, working on her own projects, and can be spotted in Sellwood walking her cat in its stroller.

Gabriel Gaffney Smith is a modern-day renaissance man with an artistic resumé spanning multiple mediums. Raised in beautiful upstate New York, Smith began dancing at the Saugerties Ballet Center at the age of 12 and went on to dance professionally for Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and...

Bryan Solante began dancing in 2012, continues to train at, and perform with, Element Dance Studio. He won the Spotlight Dance Cup Pacific Northwest Nationals with his duo partner, Sarah Headley, and participates in many breakdance and all-style battles. In addition to teaching and dancing, Bryan is studying to become an engineer.

A Portland, Oregon native, Vanessa Thiessen trained at the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, with James Canfield, and danced with OBT's company for eight seasons. Vanessa splits her time between Portland and San Francisco where she also teaches and works as a dancer with Post:Ballet.