Dancer, choreographer and teacher. Originally from Tokyo Japan where she majored in Dance and Theater. Mari studied ballet under Naoi Makie, Elaine Bauer and Dorothy Lister. She also studied Martha Graham and Lester Horton modern dance techniques along with traveling to Germany to study Modern Dance. She has danced professionally with Kayoko Nakura Jazz dance company and Kazuco Takemoto Dance Venus, performing professionally on several television programs, variety shows and as a guest artist with various other dance companies. Mari is a founding member of Dance SWERVE in Pensacola Florida, where she toured and performed throughout Florida and Alabama. Since coming to Seattle, Mari has been teaching, mentoring dancers, choreographing, and performing in various productions and festivals. Mari was previously on faculty through 2018 and returns to teach September 2020.

Emmy teaches compassion, creativity, and communication through the art of dance. She previously taught ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, salsa, partnering, and hip hop for the past fifteen years across the USA and Kenya, focusing on dance as a tool to break down barriers and build communities. Emmy has experienced first-hand the life changing effects of dance, and her gratitude shines brightly in her teaching style. Emmy joined The Dance School staff Summer of 2018.

Marika trained locally in ballet, jazz, musical theater, tap, lyrical, modern, and hip-hop. She participated in regional and national competitions with Trilogy Dance Company, where they placed 1st at nationals and who were featured on ESPN. Marika danced with Potion and Kontagious Performing Company, with performances at local shows, the Seahawks Pre-Game Show, as well as some area festivals including Whirligig and Winterfest at the Seattle Center. She came to understand that she not only had a passion for dance, but teaching it as well.  Marika loves to teach dance and takes the opportunity to do so whenever possible. She previously taught regionally and in Thailand before joining The Dance School faculty in 2017. With a desire to impact students’ individual expression through dance, she brings high energy, passion, and joy to each of her classes.

Natasha began dancing in her church with Praise Dance at the age of five. At age 12, she enrolled at Ballet Bellevue School where she studied for two years under the direction of Ronn Tice and four years under Victoria Titova. She also attended summer programs at ABT Texas, ABT New York, and Ballet Hawaii. Natasha graduated from the Professional Division of Ballet Bellevue School and became a professional company dancer with Ballet Bellevue under the direction of Jennifer Porter. She has performed locally and internationally since 2001, in roles such as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Spanish and Chinese character dances in The Nutcracker, title role in The Mermaid, and some angel character in Messiah, on stages as close as Seattle and as far as Russia and France. Natasha was also a company member with Sixth Day Dance for two seasons. Since 2013 Natasha has been a guest dancer with Northwest Ballet Theater, dancing the roles as Step Sister in Cinderella, Evil Queen in Snow White, and two seasons in the role of Bathory in Dracula. Natasha is also a licensed massage practitioner since 2009. Natasha has been teaching Ballet to young students all over the Pacific Northwest for 17 years. Natasha joined The Dance School Faculty in 2021.

Amanda has been dancing for the past 22 years. Training in various styles from ballet, tap, contemporary, lyrical, jazz and hip hop. She dedicated the last 10 years to diving deep into her training in hip hop. Amanda led her high school hip hop team to district and state championships, as well as performed and directed a community show for this team. She has participated in several local teams including Kreativ Mndz and KM elite, where she’s participated in industry level training. She enjoys traveling and going to dance conventions such as Monsters of Hip Hop. Amanda has performed all over the west coast in shows such as Unrated, World of Dance, and Disneyland, Universal, and more. She loves to teach and watch her students learn and grow as a group and as individuals. Amanda joined The Dance School Faculty in 2022.

Abby has been dancing as a part of the TDS family since 2014. Here, her passion and love for dance flourished, prompting her to join more classes each year including Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Partnering, Storytelling, and more! Through TDS, she has had the opportunity to preform and learn from many dance instructors in the Seattle area, and it is also where she discovered her love of teaching by becoming a trusted Teacher’s Assistant from 2014 to 2023. Due to her successful experience as a TA, she began substituting for TDS in the Winter of 2022 and found that her passion for teaching only grew. Abby additionally substitutes at other dance schools in the area and adores finding different methods of educating students. She loves discovering how students best learn and grow by creating a safe, fun, and progressive environment! Abby also plans to continue her education in both dance and teaching! Abby joined The Dance School Faculty in 2023.

Emily has enjoyed dancing since she was six years old. Loving all kinds of dance, she has trained in tap, jazz, modern, hip hop and ballet and is always happy to try something new. Growing up, she went to dance classes four nights a week before studying and performing with Western Washington University’s Dance Department, earning 35 credits (equivalent to a minor today) while earning a B.A. degree in English Literature in 2007 and a Masters in Teaching in 2011. Emily has been teaching dance for 19 years at various local studios and has owned a studio for 12 years. In addition to teaching dance, Emily has been teaching in public school since 2010. She has worked with high school productions and musicals as well. Emily is also the founder of Charity Dance Project.  A local dance/arts group whose main ambition is to organize arts events for charity purposes. The group has hosted an annual fundraising event, organized community dance classes, and helped youth find the spotlight since 2014. Charity Dance Project has raised $8091 to date for community-based non-profits. In her continuing education Emily is certified as a Rhythm Works instructor, a 200 HR RYT and is currently working on her 500 hour RYT. Ever the student, with a growth mindset, ready to inspire your dancers in their growth as well! Emily joined The Dance School Faculty in 2022.

Terri was born and raised in Everett, Washington with over 90% of her dance training being held at The Dance School. You may recognize her as the previous Snow Queen and Sugar Plum from Nutcracker years 2017-2019, or just a familiar face from the studio. She has continued her love for dance at Cornish College of the Arts Summer programs and multiple local intensives. Terri started helping TA young ballet classes in her early teens, and with her passion for dance and wanting to give young dancers a strong base for their futures, has worked her way up to being a dance teacher. Her strive is to teach students how to move freely with an understanding of body safety, strength and creativity. Terri joined The Dance School faculty in 2021.

Shari is a former instructor with Dance Masters of America with more than 20 years of teaching and professional dance experience, Shari has trained throughout the US, Canada and Spain with some of the greatest tap artists of all time, including Savion Glover, Brenda Bufalino, Dianne Walker, Terry Brock, Chester Whitmore and Ray Bussey. In addition to her extensive professional work in dance and theater, she has taught tap, jazz and musical theater for studios throughout the Northwest. Shari was previously on faculty through June 2011 and returned to teach September 2018 – 2023.