Choreographers for EDC and WHS Texan Stars
Gianna Soliz
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Gianna Soliz is a Sophomore attending Texas State University. She is a second year on the Texas State Strutters dance team; in which she also holds the position of Lieutenant Officer for the team. She has been dancing since she was three years old in almost every style of dance. In high school she was on a pre-professional dance company, called the METtoos, in Houston for two years. She then transferred to the HC2s at the institute of contemporary dance Houston for her senior year. She has received scholarships from AMDA, THUNDERSTRUCK, THE BEAT, LADM, STARBOUND, STARQUEST and many more. For her senior year of high-school, she toured with the LADM senior company to many cities. Gianna has choreographed several award winning dances for middle schools, high schools, individual soloists, and competitive teams. She is so excited to be on staff for WDE and cannot wait to meet everyone!
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Holly Bowling
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Holly Bowling is a sophomore from the DFW area that has been dancing for seventeen years. Bowling is trained in many styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, and musical theater. In high school, she joined the Hebron Silver Wings Drill Team. There, Holly served as Sophomore Lieutenant, Junior Lieutenant, and Captain her senior year. After high school, she was accepted into Texas State University, where she is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Performance and Choreography. While at Texas State, she decided to join The World-Famous Texas State Strutters her freshman year. Holly is currently a member of Merge Dance Company, a pre-professional dance company at Texas State.
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Previous Guest Artists
Erin Carle
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Erin Carle began dancing at the age of 3 at Sugarland Dance Center in her hometown of Houston, Texas. She studied ballet, modern and jazz dance and, at the age of 14, became an assistant teacher. At 15, Erin began studying the aerial arts at The Vault in Houston. While there she became versed in silks, trapeze, triple cloud swing, contortion and flying trapeze. She danced with both her middle school and high school dance teams competing in team and solo competitions and in 2016 Erin won 3rd place in the state at the high school level for her solo. The summer of 2017 Erin moved on to dance with the Balletforte ballet company starting as an apprentice dancer. By 2018 Erin worked her way up to dance as a corps dancer with the ballet. Under direction of Michael Banigan, Erin danced in many ballets including Don Quixote and Sleeping Beauty. Erin then moved on to dance with the UT Tyler dance team for one year where she was awarded all American status by National Dance America. Erin is now a student at Texas State University studying painting. She currently teaches dance and choreographs all over the Austin area.
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Jeremiah Porter
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Jeremiah Porter was born and raised in Brooklyn, Ny, and is a proud member of the afro-latino community. He is currently living in San Marcos, Texas to finish his senior year at Texas State’s Musical Theater program. Jeremiah’s choreography often crosses between the commercial dance and musical theater genre. In class, there is a focus on musicality, retention of choreography, and story telling through movement. Regional credits: Singin’ in the rain at the Muny, The Producers at Casa Mañana, and La Cage Aux Folles at The Red House Center.
“Don’t let negativity and hesitation define your goals and dreams. We are limitless.” |
Ashley Redding
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Ashley Redding is an alumni of Texas State University where she was a member of the World Famous, Texas State University Strutters. Following the accumulation of her Dance Education and Mathematics degrees, Ashley moved to San Antonio, Texas where she is currently a Drill Team Director and Dance Teacher. She has been working for Marching Auxiliaries Dance Company for seven years and has choreographed all over the country for the past six years. Ashley has been working with WDE for the past 3 years, and she always loves coming back to see some of her favorite dancers!
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Megan Moss
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Megan Moss currently holds a bachelors in exercise science from BYU and a BFA in Dance from TxState. Her dance training originally began in SLC, Utah and has continued to take her all over the world. A few highlights include extensive ballet training with Mountain West Ballet Company performing multiple principle roles in company productions including the “Nutcracker” and “La Fille Mal Gardee”, performing professionally as “Eliza” with Hale Center Theater production of “The King and I”, performing and competing as a member of BYU Cougarettes precision jazz dance team, and studying modern at IALS studios in Rome, Italy. In addition to performing professionally, she has taught and choreographed for over 25 years developing dance programs in Utah, Oregon, California, and Texas. Megan currently resides in New Braunfels, TX with her 3 children and continues teaching and choreographing for surrounding areas of San Antonio and Austin.
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WDE's Previous Summer Master Class Series
Michelle Gomez
Michelle Gomez grew up in Mountain View, California, and then moved to Round Rock, TX, around the age of 11 where she began dancing for All-Stars Unlimited community outreach program at Westwood High School. Michelle became a member of the McNeil Majestic's during her high school years. She was Hip Hop Club Captain her senior year and held other leadership positions. After graduating high school, Michelle joined a professional dance company, the Austin City Showgirls, while attending community college and teaching hip hop at a local austin studio. After transferring to finish her degree, Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Texas Tech University with minors in Media Strategies and French. During her college career she studied abroad in Paris, France for two months while interning at a hip hop dance school named Juste Debout Dance School. Once she graduated, she moved to Los Angeles to continue her education in dance studios such as Movement Lifestyle, Millennium Dance Complex, and the Debbie Reynolds studio, and loves to attend conventions such as Monsters of Hip Hop and Misfits Camp. Michelle is a professional Actress, Dancer, and Choreographer. She has been in music videos, commercials, TV shows and back-up dancing for multiple artist such as KCAMP, Tori Lanez, Starley, Gloria Trevi, Elvis Crespo, Andres Cuervo, Aj Castillo, 8 Segundo’s and more. Michelle is a well-rounded dancer, empowering coaching, and energetic teacher. She believes in bringing out the most authentic movement from her dancers and her energetic personality allows dancers to challenge their bodies with a positive mentality.
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Kristin Messerli
Kristin Messerli and her family are new to Wimberley, Texas. They moved just over a year ago from north of Chicago. Kristin and her husband, Jesse, have 3 children; Jovi, Indiana, and Jacob. She is very excited to have the opportunity to share her love of dance, gymnastics, and fitness with WDE.
Kristin comes from a family of coaches, teachers and athletes. She has been a dancer/gymnast since she was 3, when she started ballet lessons. Over the next 20 years, she studied ballet, jazz, contemporary, and modern dance. Much of her dance experience came from her gymnastics gym. She began competitive gymnastics at the age of 8 and competed up to Level 7.. After struggling with knee injuries, Kristin changed her focus to cheerleading. She participated in cheerleading through High School and earned the title of All American Cheerleader 2 years in a row. During her school years, Kristin also fell in love with the theater. She performed and stared in several productions at her school, the local community theater, and then at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she attended college. Some of her favorite roles include Carmen (Fame), Sandy (Grease), and dancing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and A Chorus Line.
Upon graduation, Kristin moved to California to join AmeriCorp and give a year of service as a reading tutor for at-risk elementary school children. While there, she found a passion for teaching and also found her husband. Kristin then earned her Multiple Subjects Certification and Education Specialist Certification and taught elementary special education for 5 years.
Kristin rediscovered her love of fitness and athletics after having her third child. She stopped teaching to stay home with her kids and took that time to get certified as a group instructor and personal trainer. She is also a certified TRX instructor. Since then, Kristin has been coaching small group classes in her home or in various gyms and studios and coaching large groups with Orangetheory Fitness. She found that the knowledge, skills, and overall body awareness that she developed early as a dancer/gymnast has given her an eye for proper form and technique in the fitness world. She is extremely excited to get back into the world of dance and gymnastics and share her passion for health, fitness, and to do some cartwheels and flips!!!
Kristin comes from a family of coaches, teachers and athletes. She has been a dancer/gymnast since she was 3, when she started ballet lessons. Over the next 20 years, she studied ballet, jazz, contemporary, and modern dance. Much of her dance experience came from her gymnastics gym. She began competitive gymnastics at the age of 8 and competed up to Level 7.. After struggling with knee injuries, Kristin changed her focus to cheerleading. She participated in cheerleading through High School and earned the title of All American Cheerleader 2 years in a row. During her school years, Kristin also fell in love with the theater. She performed and stared in several productions at her school, the local community theater, and then at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she attended college. Some of her favorite roles include Carmen (Fame), Sandy (Grease), and dancing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and A Chorus Line.
Upon graduation, Kristin moved to California to join AmeriCorp and give a year of service as a reading tutor for at-risk elementary school children. While there, she found a passion for teaching and also found her husband. Kristin then earned her Multiple Subjects Certification and Education Specialist Certification and taught elementary special education for 5 years.
Kristin rediscovered her love of fitness and athletics after having her third child. She stopped teaching to stay home with her kids and took that time to get certified as a group instructor and personal trainer. She is also a certified TRX instructor. Since then, Kristin has been coaching small group classes in her home or in various gyms and studios and coaching large groups with Orangetheory Fitness. She found that the knowledge, skills, and overall body awareness that she developed early as a dancer/gymnast has given her an eye for proper form and technique in the fitness world. She is extremely excited to get back into the world of dance and gymnastics and share her passion for health, fitness, and to do some cartwheels and flips!!!
The WHS Texan Stars welcome
San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancer Alexis Bonilla
Hello my name is Alexis Bonilla! I have been dancing for nearly 15 years, teaching and choreographing for 8 years and loving every minute of it. I am an alumni of Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio where I was on Varsity Dance Team for 3 years and served as Lt. Colonel my Senior year. After graduation I attended the University of Texas at San Antonio and was a member of the UTSA Pom Squad for 2 1/2 years. I then transferred to Texas State University. I was a proud member of the World Famous Texas State Strutters for 2 years and was a Pom Squad Leader for my Senior year. I had the pleasure of performing in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade and The 58th Presidential Inaugural Parade. I graduated in December 2017 with a BFA in Dance Education with a Secondary Degree in Speech. I am currently in my Rookie year of being a Spurs Silver Dancer for the San Antonio Spurs!
The WHS Texan Stars welcome
TXState Strutter Kristen Schoultz
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Kristen began her dance training at the age of 3 at Image Dance Company in San Antonio, TX. She has trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, folklorico and flamenco dancing. Kristen was a member of "La Imagen de San Antonio" and performed at the Arneson River Theater on the Riverwalk every summer. When she got to high school, Kristen became a member of the Lariettes dance team where she served as an officer for two years and Colonel her Senior year. After high school she decided to attend Texas State University, where she is currently pursuing a dual degree in Dance and Digital Media. Kristen is also a third year member of the Texas State Strutters where she is currently serving as Assistant Line Captain. |
Alex Burkhart
Alex is a Brownsville TX native who started dancing at the age of two, training in ballet and baby tumbling at Christian Dance Arts. Within the next five to seven years she began training in tap, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, pointe and very little Folklorico. At the age of 12 she moved to Dance Expressions and began also training in the Latin dance styles of Salsa, Bachata, Merengue and Cumbia. At the age of 17 she joined Klave FX Latin Dance Company and began competing all over the United States. By the age of 18 she was competing professionally with the director of Klave FX Latin Dance Company. At 17 Alex also began competing at dance conventions across Texas that include Nuvo and Bravo Dance Conventions. Alex also choreographed for her Company where she was awarded multiple choreography awards. The competitions included, DEA, iHollywood, Nuvo, Tremaine, and Bravo. She began assisting at the age of 12 and then teaching at 14. She taught Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical and Tumbling. Alex currently resides in San Marcos TX, where she attends Texas State University as a Dance Performance and Choreography Major. At the start of her sophomore year she became Secretary of Ritmo Latino Dance Company. Her Junior and Senior year she was Modern Coordinator (hip-hop crew) for the Filipino Student Association. Alex was also part of Orchesis Dance Company her junior year and Associate Artistic Director her senior year. Alex graduated from Texas State University with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, and she plans to move to Los Angeles California to continue her training.
Mark Gonzalez
Mark began his dance training at the age of 16 with Static Dance Co. at Robert Vela High school in Edinburg, Texas. His training at Static included Contemporary, Modern and Musical Theater Jazz. Mark also participated in a variety of Musical theater and dance productions at his local High School. Upon graduation, he decided to attend Texas State University as a full-time student in the Division of Dance. As a Sophomore, Mark has performed in multiple shows and is an active member in Merge Dance Company, a pre-professional company for students seeking a career in the performance and choreography realm. Recently Mark went back to Robert Vela as a distinguished alumnus to choreograph this year’s fall production of Heathers the Musical. Mark has choreographed multiple Musical Theatre productions for Edinburg CISD including In the Heights and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Mark is a firm believer in the power of passion and hard work. As a dancer and choreographer, Mark hopes to inspire and move others in order to make the world a better place.
Alaina Flores
Alaina Flores is from Austin, Texas where she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, and hip hop from Body Talk Dance Company. Alaina was also a member of her high school dance team, the Westwood Sundancers, and served as an officer for two years. Throughout her years at Texas State University, she was a member of Merge Dance Company for two years as well the director of Texas Roustabouts dance team for 4 years, and was the choreographer and Asst. Director for a junior studio team, Velocity Dance Company, in New Braunfels. During her last 6 months of college, Alaina was invited to train and perform with Tanz Compagnie Giessen Dance Company in Germany. In 2012, Alaina graduated from Texas State University where she received a BFA in dance. Alaina’s film credits include “Bernie” with Jack Black. For the past five years, Alaina has been dancing professionally in Los Angeles, California where she is signed and represented by GTA dance agency. Just a few of her credits include dancing for Disney artist Jada Grace, Rayven Justice, Tinashe, Silento, Designer,Mariah Lynn, Keke Palmer and going on a international tour with Dawin.