Alisha Lee is from Salt Lake City Utah and has been dancing for 20+ years with extensive training in jazz, hip hop, ballet, contemporary and modern. She has been teaching dance since the age of 16 and her choreography has been recognized on a local and national level. Alisha danced professionally for 7 years Dancing and Choreographing for the NBA Utah Jazz Dancers, NBA Denver Nuggets Dancers, AFL Utah Blaze Dancers & Underground Crew. While living in Colorado she was hired as an Original Instructor at Millennium Dance Complex Denver where she taught Jazz Funk & Heels Classes and worked with the company teams. Alisha was a member of the UVU Dance for 2 years and during that team worked for Radio Disney as an Official Radio Disney Emcee. Alisha has worked with Epic Dance & Drill In since 2010 and has worked with teams in Utah, Nevada, and Idaho. She is currently teaching at Hip Dance Company in West Jordan, UT. Alisha coached Drill Team for 7 years and recently retired from the Head Coach position at Taylorsville High. She also works at Taylorsville High as an assistant in the Special Ed Department. When not working she loves to spend time with her Husband Brendan and daughter RubyLee. Alisha is a passionate performer, dancer, and teacher. She has loved the opportunity to work with the dancers through Epic Dance at Drill. and can’t wait for another amazing season. Choreography interests: Military, Dance, Show, Hip Hop, Pom, Lyrical, Solo, and Duos
Alyssa started dancing when she was 2 years old and trained in various styles from lyrical to pom with her favorite style being upbeat, high energy hip hop and jazz. She continued dancing in studio until she was 14. After studio, she cheered for her junior high, and then went back to dance where she performed and competed for 3 years as a member of her high school drill team. While on her drill team she received sterling scholar, all-region and all-state awards. Following high school, Alyssa received her Associate degree through Weber State University. While going to college, she continued her dance career by auditioning for the Utah Jazz Dancers. She was a Jazz dancer for 5 seasons which led to opportunities to travel and dance in India, Mexico and China, performing alongside many amazing people including The New Kids On The Block at their Salt Lake City show in 2019! While in Mumbai, India, she joined other Jazz teammates in performing on the television show “Extraaa Innings T20” during the 2016 cricket tournament. While simultaneously working as an orthodontic assistant she has started her own balloon decor business as well as a book club, and completed her 5th year as an assistant cheer coach at Bonneville High School. Her latest venture was starting Fierce Pro Prep dance intensives for future NBA and NFL pro cheerleader hopefuls. Alyssa is so excited to share her passion of dance through Epic this year! Choreography interests: Pom, Jazz, Hip Hop
Anna Filidore is from Draper, Utah where she grew up dancing at Danceology Studio, and was trained in all styles of dance while receiving many awards and titles. She attended Juan Diego High School where she moved on to both dance company and drill team. During her four years on drill, Anna served as an officer for three seasons and as Captain her senior year. She led her team to the Region Championship title, and has been apart of both State Drill Team competitions and National Championship titles. Her senior year Anna made the Epic Top Corp Team, was a member of the 4A All-State Drill Team, and was the 4A UDDA Scholarship Recipient. Anna is currently studying business at the University of Utah, while pursuing her passion in working and assisting with local dance studios and teams. She is also excited to be working with Epic Productions for her third season! Choreography Interests: Contemporary, Jazz, Pom, Solos, Duos, & Trios.
Chantel, born and raised in Roosevelt, Utah, has been dancing for twenty four+ years training in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, pom, tap and hip hop. She grew up dancing in multiple studios, traveling/competing in states from California to New York, earning dance scholarships and being named an All-American Dancer. In high school, Chantel was a Cougarette for four years, obtaining a captain position for two. She was named two time BDT Top Corp, two time Miss Drill Utah 3A, two time All-State Dancer, All-Region recipient, Dance Sterling Scholar and Academic All-State recipient. After graduating from Union High School, Chantel went on to dance for the University of Utah for four years, being named the choreographer her third year and captain her fourth. While on the U’s Dance Team, she attended ProAction twice representing her collegiate dance team and earned the special awards of Outstanding Performer, Hardest Worker and MVP. Chantel continued to dance for the ZYIA Active Utah Jazz Dancers for the next four years, being named choreography captain her last year. She attended ProAction yet again, donated to the Utah community through many events and even travelled to China with the NBA. Currently, Chantel likes to focus on choreography and coaching - She has spent over a decade growing her choreography business. She has choreographed for teams in Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah, including soloists, cheer teams, drill teams, studio dance teams and the Utah Jazz Dancers. She choreographs in all dance/cheer styles, but her favorites are hip hop, pom and contemporary. Chantel is also the new head coach for the Union High School Cougarettes. She is excited to be on a new side of the drill team world and to grow within her program! Lastly, Chantel is currently earning her Personal Training Certificate and has a true passion for overall fitness - mental and physical. She looks forward to working with all athletes; helping them to connect with each other while excelling in their own craft. Choreography Interests: Hip Hop, Pom, Dance, Show, Contemporary; Cheer teams, Drill Teams, Studios, Soloists.
Elise Bagley is originally from Kaysville Utah and has been dancing since age 3. Elise has danced competitively on company at Luv 2 Dance Studio for many years where she trained in all styles of dance. She has grown up taking classes and learning from many well-known choreographers, and has also spent many years at conventions, where she has received multiple scholarships. Apart from a studio setting, Elise was captain and vice president of Farmington High School’s drill team her junior and senior year. After graduation, she auditioned for the BYU Cougarettes, which she has just finished her first year on the national title-winning team. Choreography Interests: Hip Hop, Military, Dance Show/Character, Solos, Duos, Trios
Ellie Rose Nilsson. Ellie began dancing when she was 2 years old training with Infinity Dance in various styles from ballet, contemporary, hip hop, jazz, lyrical, ballroom, and etc. Ellie went on to dance in high school on the Box Elder High School drill team for 4 years. She had the opportunity to be named captain for her sophomore, junior, and senior year and was able to be apart of the All- State drill team for those same years.She was also named Box Elders sterling scholar for her graduating class. From high school she went on to dance with the Weber State Spirit Squad on their dance team for 1 year. While at Weber they went on to win the first national championship title for the dance team in the NDA D1 Hip Hop Division. After graduating high school she went on to work with Epic productions, teaching drill teams all over Utah and surrounding states. She is currently on her 8th year with Epic. Her number one passion is dance and choreography. Ellie is currently a teacher and choreographer at Infinity Dance in Ogden, Utah. She has gone on to win numerous choereopgraghy awards from winning best choreography at local competitions to winning best choreography at nationals. She was recently nominated for an Industry Dance award held in Los Angeles California for her choreography in 2019. She has choreographed all over Utah and out of the state with numerous studios and drill teams. She is currently an assistant director for a contemporary based and summer season company, “Moments of Grace.” Here she has the opportunity to dance, choreograph, and create for the company’s upcoming show for the end of summer. This will be their 5th season. Ellie is so grateful to be doing what she loves. Choreography Interests : Dance Routine, Show Routine, Hip Hop Routine, and Solos.
Evi Hartvigsen is currently attending Utah Valley University. She is originally from Farmington UT and has danced since she was 3 years old. She trained at Luv2Dance growing up and was part of Farmington’s Drill Team for 4 years winning 2 state titles. She served as captain her sophmore and junior year and President her senior year. She has had the pleasure of working closely with Rudy Abreu on choreographing collegiate level routines and performing professionally. Evi has had the opportunity of training with professionals in New York City, L.A. and Miami. She’s been awarded many scholarships and awards through her dance career thus far. She has choreographed for many studios and High School Drill Teams. Choreography Interests: dance, contemporary, hip hop, jazz funk, solo/duos/trios.
Halle Larsen is currently attending Brigham Young University and is a member of the BYU Cougarettes. She is originally from Farmington, UT. Halle has been dancing since the age of three and trained competitively at Luv2Dance Studio. She is proficient in a variety of genres including jazz, contemporary, ballet, hip hop, tap, ballroom, and musical theater. Growing up she trained with many professionals on convention lines as well as took classes in New York City and L.A. She was the recipient of many awards and scholarships. Halle was a 3 year member of the 2 time State Champion Farmington High School drill team where she was captain and President her junior and senior years. She was named to All Region and All State Teams, as well as awarded Academic All Region and Academic All State. Halle has had the opportunity to dance with Bless4 - a Japanese pop band, and also in many YouTube productions. She has choreographed for many studios and dance teams. Choreography interests: military, dance, contemporary, jazz funk, solos/duos/trios
Heather began dancing when she was 3 years old and trained in all styles from ballet to belly dancing with her favorite being hip-hop. She danced throughout high school on the drill team and continued on to spend 5 years dancing in college for the Weber State Spirit Squad. Following graduation she coached the Weber State Dancers for two years. Throughout her career Heather has danced in various plays and music videos, as well as been recognized as a 2 time All-State Recipient, 2 time All-Region Dancer, Dance Sterling Scholar, 3 time All-American Dancer, and 2 time Collegiate MVP. She danced for the NBA as a Utah Jazz Dancer for 3 seasons and was captain for 2. Heather is currently living in Missouri where she is obtaining her Masters degree in Public Health and recently started Fierce Pro Prep dance intensives for future NBA and NFL cheerleader hopefuls! Choreography Interests: Hip-hop, Pom, Jazz, Military, Lyrical, Kick, Character... Any style really.
Jordan began her dance training early in life and has been dancing for nearly 3 decades, training extensively in Modern/Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet/Pointe, Drill Team, Ballroom, Hip-Hop, Tap and African. She was the head drill team director at Corner Canyon and Murray High School for 11 years. Jordan works as a judge, adjudicator. She is a choreographer and master teacher for Epic Productions, a choreographer for the Stadium of Fire and is currently in the co-owner/director of the World Class Dance Las Vegas Competition (Las Vegas, Nevada) and the Rocky Mountain Invitational (Draper, Ut). Jordan attended Snow College and the University of Utah as a major in the School of Dance where she received her BFA in Modern Dance and studied at Southern Utah University receiving a Masters in Fine Art Administration. Jordan is PBT (progressive ballet technique) certified and has since continued her education and dance training through professional development courses and educators training around the country. Throughout her career Jordan has performed with many professional organizations and companies including the Martha Graham Company (NYC) and Repertory Dance Theatre (SLC). As a freelance artist and entrepreneur, Jordan is currently creating new work as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and traveler, both on a national and international level. Most recently she culminated a “teaching toolkit” which has be presented to teachers, coaches, and mentors as a syllabus/training guide and pedagogical resource.
Kirsten Stout has danced and tumbled for 20 years and trained in jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, ballet, tumbling, and acro at Synergy Dance Academy. Kirsten is from West Jordan Utah and graduated from Copper Hills High School in 2016. While attending copper hills, she was a member of the drill team where she won 3 state championships. She was able to be a part of the All-State drill team her junior and senior year. Kirsten competed in Miss Drill Utah as well as Miss Drill USA where she won the title of Miss Drill International when competing against people around the world. She just finished her 4th year Utah Valley University where she was the captain of the UVU Dance Team, and won 6 National Championships and a world championship gold medal. Kirsten is now working as a CNA while attending nursing school at SLCC. Kirsten loves being apart of the epic staff and getting the chance to work with so many talented dancers. Choreography interests: Solos and duo/trios and dance routine
Lauralyn grew up dancing in New York and then continued her dance training in Utah. She attended Brigham Young University on a Dance Scholarship and as a member of the Cougarette Dance Team. Lauralyn graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in dance education and a minor in Health & Fitness. After graduating from BYU, Lauralyn became a full-time teacher at Timpview High School. It was there that she directed the Dance Company program and competitive Drill/Dance Team program for 11 years. Lauralyn then began to free-lance her dance talents as a professional choreographer and master class instructor. She has an extensive background in all styles of dance and has choreographed for many Theater/Musical productions, Dance/Drill Teams, Studio Companies, Television Commercials, Pageants, Fashion Shows, and Bowl Game Half Time Shows, etc etc. Lauralyn has been the “Stadium of Fire” choreographer for the past 20 yrs. and was a member of the 2002 SLC Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies Choreography Team. Lauralyn is the recipient of an Emmy award for her choreography and other production contributions to the Thrive 125: A Utah Celebration of Arts/Entertainment project 2020-2021. Lauralyn has been a certified adjudicator both nationally and internationally for 20+ yrs. Lauralyn is also a certified Acrobatic Arts instructor. Lauralyn is the co-director of the Miss Drill Utah Solo Championship, the Studio Solo Championship, the Rocky Mnt. Drill Invitational, and Best of Drill Competition. Lauralyn has been the Event Coordinator for Dance America’s Studio Competitions and Summer Slam Dance Camps for 15+yrs. Lauralyn has been on the EPIC Staff for 21yrs. specializing in drill team military master classes, dance technique, drill down training, and improving routines for competitions and performance. Lauralyn is also heavily involved with the fitness industry. She has been teaching group fitness classes at VASA Fitness for the past 21 yrs. She has a real passion for dance, fitness, and mentoring people of all ages. Her mantra is "Be Brave, Be Positive, Keep Trying, and Never Give Up!
Dancing for 23 years, Lexi is so excited to teach what she has learned. She has been a member on multiple teams and trained in many areas of dance including; jazz, hip hop, ballet, pointe, contemporary, pom, modern, tumbling, etc. Early training from Salt City Stars studio helped her to become a member of the Bingham High School Drill Team (Minerettes). After graduating high school, she became a 2 year member of the Utah Valley University Dance Team. During that time she was awarded many leadership and scholastic scholarships. Best of all, Lexi and her team were named “National Champions” in 2014 where they made history by winning over 33 teams in the open dance category. In 2017, Lexi graduated with her Bachelors in Social Work from UVU. After many years of her own dance training, Lexi decided that she wanted to share her knowledge and experience by teaching others. She is now a teacher at United Dance Center, and previous 6-year Riverton High School Head Drill Team Coach. She now coaches for the Westlake High School drill team. She is a Nation-wide choreographer and dance instructor for many award winning routines and teams. She is currently a member of the EPIC Drill team camp staff where she choreographs and teaches for dance teams all over Utah and Idaho. In 2020, Lexi was selected to be a member of the "Moments of Grace" company where she was able to participate in a 16 dance show with amazing choreographers. Over the last year, Lexi & started a professional adult dance company named "Collective" with Braidie Gummow. Lexi is married to the best man in the world, is a mom to 1 adorable girl and 1 cute boy, is a true Harry Potter fan, and loves her family!-Choreography Interests: Military, Hip Hop, Show
Mackenzie Erickson grew up dancing in Utah at Synergy Dance Academy. She was apart of the Copper Hills Azurettes where she won 2 State titles. Kenzie was also crowned Teen Miss Drill Utah 2018 and received the title of Miss Drill Utah in 2019. Kenzie is now dancing with the Utah Valley Dance Team where she won 2 National championships in Pom and Jazz at UDA College Nationals. Kenzie loves everything about dance and is so excited to be an instructor at Epic Dance Camps! She loves to choreograph and specializes in contemporary and jazz.
Madeline Chambers began her dance training at age 3. Madeline received her instruction at American Expression of Dance (AED) in Draper, Utah and continued her dance education at the studio until age 18. She is currently a member of the Utah Valley University Dance Team, and recently received two national titles in D1A game day and D1 hip hop at NDA nationals. Prior to joining UVU, she was a member of the Corner Canyon Dance Team all 4 years of high school and served as the President her senior year. She was a member of the 2021-2022 Utah 6A All-State Drill Team. Madeline is excited about joining the EPIC staff this season! Choreography interests: Hip hop, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, solos, duos, and trios!
Madison Bay is originally from Pleasant Grove, Utah and has been dancing for 19 years. She grew up training at a competitive studio called The Dance Club and has earned many titles and awards throughout the years with her team. She also was able to earn many convention scholarships and titles as a soloist. Madison spent her summers training between Los Angeles and New York City and has had many performance opportunities. In 2019, Madison joined the drill team at American Fork High School. She loved competing and performing as a team and won the title of Miss Drill Utah in 2020. Since then, Madison has joined the national title winning BYU Cougarette dance team. She is now going into her fourth year on the team and will be working on the team as a dance captain. Choreography interests: Dance routine, Hip-hop routine, Show/Character, Solos, Duo/Trios.
Morgan has been a part of Utah’s dance community performing and teaching for 23 years. She is trained in Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet, Pointe, Modern, and Hip-Hop, and was a scholarship recipient from Jump and Joe Tremaine during her training. In High School, Morgan was a member of her Dance Company and Drill Team where she served 1 year as head drill mistress and 1 year as head captain. Morgan was the first student in her school to letter in both programs during each of her 3 years. She was a member of the All-State team her junior and senior years and a representative at nationals with Miss Dance/Drill Team Utah. She began teaching and coaching soon after graduating and has been able to work with various teams in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada with choreography and competition prep. Morgan was a part of the National Basketball Associations Utah Jazz as an America First Jazz Dancer and has been able to continue performing with local charity organizations. She is currently working as a choreographer, teacher, and adjudicator while pursuing her degree as a professional counselor. Choreography interests: Dance Routine, Character, Military, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Solos, Duos, and Trios.
Peyton Bengtson grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada training at Bunker Dance Center in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, Hip Hop, and Ballroom on their top company team where she competed at the highest level of competition both regionally and nationally with great success as a soloist and apart of her team. She also has had the opportunity to perform alongside professional dance companies like SALT Contemporary Dance Company for non profit showcases. Peyton is currently starting her fourth year on Utah Valley University Dance Team. Within this program, she has been able to be Hip Hop Captain for the 22-23 season and win several National Titles. She has competed at NDA College Nationals winning a D1 Hip Hop National Title in 2023 and a D1 Jazz National Title in 2022. Before that, she competed at UDA College Nationals and won 2 National Championship Titles in both Pom and Jazz of 2021. This past year she was also awarded NDA All American Collegiate Dancer. Peyton is so excited to be apart of EPIC and for all the new dance adventures ahead of her! Choreography Interests: Jazz, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Pom, Solos, Duo, Trios
Tatyana Mills has been apart of staff since 2020. She started dancing at the age of 10, and competed until she was 15. She was apart of her high schools drill team and dance company and served as captain. She went on to dance for Underground Dance Company, and just recently finished her first year as a Utah Jazz Dancer. She enjoys teaching and choreographing hip hop, jazz, military, and solos.
Willow Maniquez raised in Saratoga Springs, Utah. At the age of 7 she began her dance journey, starting with studio, conventions, middle school/high school dance companies, and made her way to the drill team at Westlake High school. While serving her four years on the Westlake Drill team, Willow has received many awards and achievements. Willow loves backpacking, slacklining, rock climbing, and really doing anything outdoors! She is also a big fan of music and loves to wind down playing her Ukulele. Willow is now a second year member dancing professionally as a NBA Dancer for the Utah Jazz! She works as a Choreographer/Instructor at Epic Productions and local dance studios. Choreography interests: Character/show, Hip-hop, Military, Solos, duos, & trios.