Christian Smith is a multi-disciplined dancer, choreographer, and educator based in Los Angeles. With a deep passion for dance, Christian strives to bridge the gaps between various dance cultures, techniques, and practices, creating a seamless fusion of movement. A proud graduate of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, where hybridity in dance is both nurtured and celebrated, Christian honed his craft, developing a profound love for the art form.

His dedication has opened the door to notable performance opportunities, including appearances at the 96th Annual Oscars, Jai Wolf’s “Want it All” music video, The Masked Singer, The Grammy Awards, and NBC’s Saved by the Bell. Additionally, Christian completed two world tours with the band Half Alive. His love for dance, coupled with his commitment to his craft, serves as a testament to the power of persistence and as a reminder that, no matter the journey, All People Are Dancers.

Shirlene Quigley is a professional dancer, choreographer, and creative director with over 22 years of experience in the industry. Her career began immediately after high school in 2003 as one of Beyoncé’s original “Uh-Ohh” girls. Since then, she has worked with a diverse range of artists, including Rihanna, Missy Elliott, Chris Brown, Destiny’s Child, Lizzo, The Isley Brothers, Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, and many others.

Recently, Shirlene has embraced an educator role and stepped into ministry, teaching at Christian schools such as Crean Lutheran High and Ambassador Christian High. She has also guest-taught at Oaks Christian High School, Village Christian Schools, and universities like USC and LMU. Additionally, Shirlene has served as a guest speaker at Pasadena City College.

In addition to her teaching, Shirlene founded a thriving faith-based non-profit, Dancing Disciples (501(c)(3)), which has collaborated with Christian hip hop and worship artists such as Anike, Queen Lee, Aisha Skye, Porsha Love, Skema Boy, Tommy Zuko, and more.

Workshop Faculty/Guest Choreographer

Anna Marchisello is an artist who believes in the connective and transformative power of creative movement. Originally from North Carolina, Anna's experiences have taken her to the dance community in Los Angeles, the interdisciplinary landscape in Berlin, and the visual art department at New York University, where she completed her BFA in 2017.

After taking time away from dance and returning to the industry with outside experiences, Anna's interests in dance, healing arts, and creative direction stem from her reverence for movement as a healing modality, a way of cultivating community, and medium through which to create meaningful work.

She has performed on stage in Dancer: A Musical in Ten Furlongs, a solo work Hypervigilant Mutation choreographed by Heather Lang, Julie Tolentino’s Slipping Into Darkness, and the Monsters of Hip Hop Show. Her work on film includes the short film “Simulation” created in collaboration with Heather Lang, Purdie Baumann, and Norma Kamali, which she developed, performed in, and edited. “Simulation” has been nominated for Best Art Direction & Best Music in the London Fashion Film Festival, selected to be included in the New York International Shorts Festival, and featured in Directors Notes and a Forbes article. Her assistant and associate choreographer credits include Ingrid Michaelson, Advil, Journey of the 50 at Expo 2020 in Dubai with Stacey Tookey under the direction of David Atkins, and a yet untitled original movie musical. She is currently on faculty with the Bridge Movement and developing two live shows based in NYC.

Eli Ruane grew up in Spokane Washington and currently resides in Seattle. After graduating he received training from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Millennium Dance Complex. He is now a teacher/choreographer at multiple studios around the Seattle area. With a large emphasis on technique and movement quality, his mission statement is to combine the two and create working dancers. 

Adjunct Faculty

My friends call me Ari, I grew up in Waitts Lake and Cheney Wa, As I started dancing for studios at a much older age of 9 l fell in love and knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life!

I have been traveling across the united states every weekend for 8 years and I currently work and train with celebrity dance as a Lead dancer and staff member, I am a featured assistant with Art of Movement and have been a pro-assistant with Revel, Activate your Artistry and this next dance season I will be assisting with Veloctiy as a MVA+ assistant, and I will also be working/training with princess cruise lines this fall.

I have been choreographing professionally at competition level since the age of 15 choreographing winning solos and duos for myself and others.

My favorite type of dance is Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary but I really love every style!

My training has been extensive in ballet, contemporary, musical theater, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip hop, and modern.

I have toured as a main backstage dancer with young hip artists -Kash and King, and have worked closely with amazing choreographers such as Marinda Davis, Fred Odgaard, Katelyn Gaffney, Kassidy Bright, Jose Soto, Sophia Lucia, Kirsten Cooper and many many more!

I have been recognized as a MVA top 10 national velocity winner, showstoppers magazine dancer across America for Washington state, radix core performer winner, Nuvo breakout artist winner, 24/7 Non Stop dancer winner, monsters agency award and most likely to go further in industry awards, Hollywood Vibe national finalist, YAGP top 12-Contemporary and many more scholarship wins for many different competitions and conventions!

I also have worked as an model, influencer, ambassador and actor for many different companies like Rac n Roll, Zulily, Addidas, Coldest Water Bottle, Faviana Fasion Designer, Rebel Athletic Cheer, Pas De Duex Photo, Rock your Hair, Selfie World LA, Girls Life Magazine, CosiG StudioWear, Sally Miller Fashion wear and many more!

I am excited to share my passion and love for the arts with the dancers at 509 Collective!

Ballet Faculty

Olga Loktev is a dancer, choreographer, and a certified dance instructor. She began her dance training at the age of 3, starting with classical ballet and building on with acrobatic arts, contemporary and modern dance techniques. Understanding that dancers should be versatile and adaptable, she broadened her skills by adding different styles of movement (character, hip hop, flamenco, jazz) into her training, including kinesthesiology, history, and pedagogy of dance. She participated in various performances, art festivals, talent shows, and dance competitions, receiving the highest achievements. Olga continued her studies with renowned national and international dance institutions and companies including Bolshoi Ballet, Complexions Ballet, The Juilliard School, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, José Limón (growing into Limóns second company), not counting a handful amount of summer intensives, workshops, and master classes with influential people of the dance industry, to name a few Alonzo King, Mark Morris, Valentina Kozlova, Sascha Radetsky, Tracie Stanfield, Eric Campros, Desmond Richardson, Laura Careless, Corvino sisters and others. Being an advocate for dance as a therapy, she puts a big emphasis on observations of human development, relationships, and conflict resolutions, incorporating it into her choreographic creations and classroom setting. Her teaching approach is to help each dancer build confidence and reach their best potential while keeping the strong technique basis. When creating, she aims for her choreography to have a deep meaning and help people understand and improve their emotional intelligence. Olga is currently a freelance choreographer, dancer at Vytal Movement, a Spokane local contemporary company, employed dance instructor, and is working towards her double major in psychology and communications. 

Lead Tap Faculty

Joseph Lyons-Wolf is an interdisciplinary movement artist and educator specializing in tap, jazz, and musical theatre dance. His body of work includes directing and choreographing for professional theatre, lecturing and instructing university level dance courses, and Broadway teaching artistry. The core pillars of his teaching philosophy are fostering belonging, centering movement rooted in joy, and cultivating creative curiosity. He is committed to excellent technical training conducted through inclusive pedagogical practices that celebrate individuality.

Joseph attended Oklahoma City University, where he received his B.M. in Musical Theatre. Shortly after graduating OCU, he relocated to New York City where he received a certificate of excellence from Broadway Dance Center, specializing in tap, and graduated with an M.A. in Educational Theatre from New York University where he focused his studies on directing, pedagogy, and curriculum design. As a global scholarship recipient, he studied Theatre for Youth in London.

While in New York, he worked in Education and Engagement for Disney Theatrical Group. At DTG he taught professional performance workshops using the choreography of the Disney on Broadway shows: Aladdin, Frozen, and The Lion King. He facilitated post-show talkbacks for these same musicals and contributed to the curricular development of the educational materials for licensable Disney musicals.

Joseph currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Theatre and Dance Department at Gonzaga University where he teaches courses in tap, jazz, musical theatre, and pedagogy. He recently graduated from the low-residency M.F.A. in Choreography program at Jacksonville University. His thesis work involved challenging the choreographic aesthetics and pedagogical structures for concert tap dance with somatic embodiment methods developed from 4E Cognition. www.josephlyonswolf.com

Traveling Faculty/Competition Consultant

Jenni started dancing at the age of 3 and teaching at the age of 14. In high school, Jenni joined her high school drill team and became a leader and choreographer her first year. Following high school she joined the Crimson Line Dance Team at the University of Utah, where she was both Vice President and President of the program. Her experiences, opportunities and talents grew as she performed on the biggest stages of the world for Barack Obama, Carnegie Hall, the All State Sugar Bowl, March Madness, Disney etc. Since college Jenni has coached, choreographed and judged for a variety of high school drill teams and studios, as well as college programs. Finally, she performed professionally for Nightline Dance Company for many years. Jenni’s focus is now on her family and she greatly enjoys teaching and seeing her students succeed.

Jazz/Contemporary Co-Lead

Hello, my name is Jefferson. I’ve been dancing since I was 3 and gymnastic since I was 8. Dance is not just movement to me; it's a language that speaks from my soul. With every step, I express emotions, tell stories, and connect with others on a profound level. The rhythm becomes my heartbeat, guiding me through a world where creativity knows no bounds. Each dance is a journey, a fusion of technique and emotion, a canvas where I paint my dreams in motion. I’ve done all different type of styles of dance but my passion is contemporary. I’m currently enrolled at GU for my masters in Clinical mental health. Go bulldogs! I have a golden doodle puppy who is the love of my life named Benson.

Company Team Lead

Milan’s dance journey began in Portland, Oregon, where she fell in love with various dance styles, from Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, and Contemporary to Hip-Hop and Freestyle. She has worked with multiple dance conventions as a professional assistant, traveling across the United States for nine years, and engaging with countless kids and studios. Her passion for dance led her to professional opportunities where she has worked with renowned choreographers and dancers. As well as performances in live and televised events for Nike and Adidas, that highlight her versatility and commitment to the craft.

Beyond assisting and performing, Milan has taught and choreographed professionally since 2015, sharing their expertise in cities like Portland, Orange County, Spokane, Dallas, Nashville, and Coeur d'Alene. She has a knack for creative storytelling through dance, choreographing pieces in various styles for both competitive and recreational settings.

Her extensive training includes years at Dance Vision Dance Studio, Chu This Dance, Modas Dance, The Edge Performing Arts, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Movement Lifestyle, Offstage Dance Studio, and Millennium Dance Complex, specializing in various dance styles. Recognized as a Senior Radix Core Performer, Maximum Velocity Artist, member of the Celebrity Crew, and a 541 Homie, Milan is passionate about nurturing dancers, fostering a love for dance and technique, and guiding them to discover the valuable lessons dance offers. She is excited to continue sharing her passion and expertise with the 509 Collective!