Deanna Bren

Executive Director

Deanna has a strong background in both Public Relations and Education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Eastern Washington University. Prior to joining Festival Dance nearly two years ago, she was a founding member and the Director of Cornerstone Educational Cooperative, a large, one-day a week, dynamic, alternative learning environment based in Moscow, Idaho. Deanna has been involved in teaching art classes, participating in music and theater productions, and promoting the arts for several years. She has shared her love for the arts with her four children who have all pursued interests in music, theater, and dance. Prior to moving to this area, Deanna worked in promotions for The Spokesman-Review and as the Communications Director for The Salvation Army in Spokane, WA.

Colleen L. Bialas

Dance Director

Colleen is originally from Muskegon, Michigan and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy. She attended San Francisco State University (BS) for her undergraduate studies and holds an MFA in Dance from the University of California Irvine. Colleen has performed with Ballet Santa Barbara, State Street Ballet, and the Richmond Ballet. During her professional career, she performed in works by George Balanchine, Brian Carey Chung, Carrie Diamond, Benjamin Harkarvy, Melinda Horwitz,

and Robert Sund among others.

Colleen has considerable experience teaching, choreographing, and restaging works. She attended the University of California Irvine, from 2013-2015, on full scholarship with a MFA Fellowship. There she choreographed two works Three Movements in Blue and (432) Miles Apart for graduate showcases and was the graduate rehearsal assistant in the restaging of Eugene Loring’s Billy the Kid. Her MFA thesis work focused on creating a written history of ballet companies in Los Angeles.

During the 2016-2017 school year she taught at the University of Idaho and as Lead Instructor for Festival Dance and Performing Arts. She presented her work Awe + Wonder at the 2016 University of Idaho Faculty Show, Defining Balance. At Festival Dance and Performing Arts she was in charge of teaching dance courses at the academy and also served as the ballet mistress for Eugene Ballet’s touring production of The Nutcracker.

She has additionally taught at the Performing Arts Academy of Marin (Mill Valley, CA), Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Twin Lake, MI) and Calliope Dance Studio (San Francisco, CA). She is thrilled to be back in Moscow with her daughter!

Saskia Zijlstra

Administrative

Assistant

Saskia moved to Pullman in August 2018 where she resides with her husband and 2 boys. Saskia began working for Festival Dance in November 2019.

Before moving to Pullman she lived in Augusta GA and worked tin a similar job helping to run a tennis academy. Saskia has a great love for the arts and her family. Saskia enjoys spending time outdoors whether working in her beautiful flower beds or going on adventurous hikes with her boys. She is also a creative person and designs theater costumes and sews in her spare time. 

Jean Milheim

Outreach & Development Coordinator

The Outreach & Development Coordinator works with area schools, principals, and teachers to arrange outreach programming, develops Youthreach study guides with dance companies, and collects evaluation data. 

Taylor Luck

Tap

Bachelor of Science

in Dance candidate

University of Idaho

Taylor was born in Seattle, WA then moved to Spokane, WA and started dancing at a local studio shortly after. Taylor first started out with tap dance and has followed her passion for it in the past 15 years. Through middle school and high school, she danced competitively on her studio team as well as her high school dance team. Taylor is now a third-year student at the University of Idaho dance program planning on graduating with a dance major and business minor. She is so excited to be teaching at Festival this year and can't wait to share her love for tap with her students!

Sophia Raasch

Ballet I

Creative Movement

Ballet I/II, Troy

Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition & Pre-Physical Therapy Candidate,

Minor in Dance,

University of Idaho

Sophia has always had a love for the performing arts. Growing up in a musical household, she learned the art of singing, acting, and dancing. 

Mandy Scheffler

Jazz/Hip-hop & Motion Fever Performance Troupe

Mandy Scheffler has loved dance her entire life, and she has not known life without the sport after receiving her first leotard on her fifth birthday. She started teaching during High School at the Granite Falls School of Dance and found a love for sharing movement with others. During these years, 

Julia Jitkov

Ballet 1, 2 & 5

Bachelor of Science

Physics & Mathematics

Julia Jitkov grew up in Pullman WA, where she began dancing at a young age and discovered her passion and love for ballet. She trained with Sears Dance Academy and Graham Ballet Theater, and Ballet Arts Academy (BAA) in Spokane WA. Julia was a Senior Company dancer at BAA and has performed several leading roles. She fulfilled an internship and began teaching ballet at Ballet Arts Academy in 2019.

Stephanie Glover

Jazz/Hip-Hop

Bachelor of Science

in Dance candidate

University of Idaho

Stephanie has always been a performer from the moment she could speak and move. She loved to put on an impromptu dance or music performances for her family and knew from the start, without a doubt, that dance is for her. She grew up in Idaho 

Nolan Payne

Social Dance/Ballroom

Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies - Dance Pedagogy and Business Management, BYU-Idaho

Nolan was born in Oklahoma City to professional Ballroom dancers, but didn't find his love for dance until Fall 2016 when he signed up for a Social Dance class at BYU-Idaho. 

Ella Sikes

Contemporary,

Adult Ballet & Conditioning

Ella Sikes was born in Seattle, Wa and has trained since she was the age of 3 at Duvall Performing Arts and Westlake Dance Center. She is currently enrolled at University of Idaho pursuing a minor in dance and a bachelors in psychology. She was offered a spot into Joffrey Ballet School (NY) as a full-time trainee in 2019 and 2020. 

Rosalyn Gardner

Creative Dance

Rosalyn began dancing at Festival Dance summer workshop around the age of 4 and then started annual dance classes when she was 7. Rosalyn first started with ballet but over her eight years at the Academy, she has acquired a passion for many styles, including ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz hip-hop, and musical theatre. She has participated in the Nutcracker with Eugene ballet in partnership with Festival Dance,