Teachers

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!

Sara Parker is an experienced dance educator with an MFA in Modern Dance Choreography and Performance from the University of Utah and a B.S. in Dance from the University of Oregon. Sara has been teaching movement for over two decades across higher education, professional studios...

Andrea Parson is a multidisciplinary theater artist born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. Andrea studied at the Joffrey Ballet School, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and Loyola Marymount University, where she earned a BA in Dance in 2009. Following graduation, she joined NW Dance Project in Portland, Oregon, where she was awarded the Princess Grace Dance Fellowship award in 2010.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Olivia Paris Sarvello graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in 2023. From 2023 to 2025, she apprenticed with Eisenhower Dance Detroit, as well as teaching and choreographing.

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.

Audrey Wells is originally from Portland and earned a BFA in dance from Marymount Manhattan College. Audrey began her professional career with SALT Contemporary Dance before performing with Yin Yue Dance Company, TL Collective, LED Boise, and Open Space Dance.