Staff
SARAH LINNER QUIE
Executive Director
Prairie School of Dance was started in 1997 by founder and director Sarah Linner Quie. Mrs. Quie graduated from St. Olaf College with a Bachelors degree in Dance and Religion and has taught the joy of dancing for over 25 years. Sarah taught at Macalester College in MN and Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, IN. She was the dance director for the Early Childhood Development Center at the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College in South Bend. Mrs. Quie has founded and directed three dance schools; St. Anthony School of Dance in St. Paul (currently St. Paul City Ballet), the Conservatory of Dance in South Bend and is currently the director at Prairie School of Dance. She also directs the St. Anthony Sacred Dance Company based in the Twin Cities. Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons and teaching dance as an expression of her Christian faith.
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
Sarah Steichen – School Coordinator
Marit Green - Accounts Manager
Jennifer has a B.F.A. from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While studying at the University, she augmented her training in New York at the Graham School and Alvin Ailey School of Dance. After college, she worked with choreographers in Philadelphia and eventually moved to San Diego where she danced with the John Malashock Dance Company. She later moved to Minneapolis Minnesota to dance with the Minnesota Dance Theatre and to begin her teaching career. Jennifer has been teaching ballet at Saint Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota since 1998 and at Carleton College, also in Northfield, since 2001. From 1992 to 2007 she also taught ballet and contemporary dance at the Minnesota Dance Theatre School and served as Assistant to the Artistic Director for ten of those years. Jennifer performed with Minnesota Dance Theatre in such diverse ballets as Loyce Houlton’s “Nutcracker Fantasy” and “Ancient Aire.” She also taught and performed with the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis dancing the role of the fairy godmother in “Cinderella” and played Alizon in the Christopher Fry’s “The Lady’s Not for Burning.” In August 2002 and 2004, Jennifer traveled to Yaroslavl Russia to participate in Link Vostok’s “International Festival of Movement and Dance on the Volga,” where she assisted the Executive Director and taught ballet and modern dance. In 2009, she joined the Prairie School of Dance faculty and continues to teach and choreograph for independent dance schools in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas.
Katie Balfanz graduated with honors from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN where she received a Bachelors of Arts degree in English and Dance. She has worked for Universal Dance Association for nine years as a Head Instructor, manages nine states as a UDA State Director, and creates and implements summer curriculum as a Program Committee member. Katie has choreographed for all star, high school, and college dance teams, as well as for UDA Special Events and summer camps. She has instructed coaches and dancers nationally and abroad in China, Korea, and Malaysia. In 2011, Katie appeared on ESPN as a dance analyst for the College Cheerleading and Dance Team Championship. She is now in her third year as assistant coach to the National Champion Eden Prairie High School Pom Squad.
Michelle began dancing when she was 2 years old and became a teaching assistant in middle-school and high school. Also, while in high school Michelle participated in cheerleading and dance team. Her high school dance team had the rare opportunity to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade and perform at Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and Sea World with the marching band. After high school she continued her dance training with Zenon Dance Company and later became a Minnesota Viking Cheerleader, as well as a member of a local dance troupe that performed at industrial shows, conventions, and resorts. Her teaching career began at The Summit Dance Shoppe before opening her own dance studio in Eden Prairie. After running her own studio for 12 years she sold it in 2000 and went back to teach at The Summit Dance Shoppe, Tonka Dance Works, and Prairie School of Dance. Michelle is also the Office Manager at Prairie Lutheran Church.
MALLORY DYKEMA
Mallory Dykema began teaching jazz, ballet, and sacred at Prairie School of Dance in 2007. Since then, she has had the joy of sharing with her students the training she received from the Performing Arts Center in Waconia, MN and the University of MN. During her years at the University, Mallory danced choreography by local artists such as Mathew Janczeweski, Karla Grotting, Cyndi Gutierrez-Garner, Jolene Konkel, and Maggie Bergeron. She also had the pleasure of being cast in reconstructions of Anna Sokolow’s Rooms, Trisha Brown’s Planes, and as a soloist in Jose Limon’s Missa Brevis. Her choreography was also chosen to perform in Student Dance Coalition’s 2009 spring concert. Following her graduation, Mallory has choreographed movement for the musicals The Fantastics and Into the Woods at North Central University. She is also a proud member of the local jazz company, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, and is a member of the company’s board. Aside from her dance career, Mallory is a freelance makeup artist and a new mom to a beautiful baby girl- Harlow Emery!
JENNA ELY
Jenna has danced since the age of 3, growing up at The Summit Dance Shoppe, where she participated on the top competitive line. She graduated in 2008 from the University of Iowa with a degree in Dance and Journalism, and a minor in Communications. She has performed at the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA), and at the University of Iowa Dance Gala 2004 – 2008, which featured her in several ballet solos and duets. Jenna currently teaches tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical and musical theatre at three dance studios around the Twin Cities area. She also serves as the Associate Director for the Waconia High School Show Choir, Power Company, and led them to a successful 2009-10 season. When not dancing or thinking about dance, rare indeed, Jenna enjoys reading, eating and spending time with her family and friends.
MARIT GREEN
Marit grew up in Eden Prairie and began dancing at the age of three at a local studio. She trained and competed in ballet, jazz, tap and lyrical and was a member of the National Champion Eden Prairie Pom Squad in high school. Graduating from St. Olaf College in 2006, Marit received a BA in dance and economics. While at St. Olaf, she was captain of the dance team, member of CompanyDance, and had the opportunity to work with various dance choreographers. Marit spent 8 summers traveling the Midwest teaching dance camps to high school dance teams and continues to travel the country as a judge at regional dance team competitions. She is the current coach of the dance team at Hopkins High School and the Accounts Manager at Prairie School of Dance. This summer she got married and became Mrs. Green!
EMILEE HOWE
Emilee is a junior at Augsburg College where she is studying public relations and advertising. She has been dancing for 19 years and received her primary dance training at Prairie School of Dance. Miss Emilee has been an assistant teacher at PSOD for 8 years and is greatly appreciated for her unending support of this program. Her contagious smile and friendliness captures the hearts of kids and dancers alike! She now takes classes at Zenon in Minneapolis to continue training in her love for dance!
SONJA HOFFLAND HINDERLIE
Sonja Hoffland Hinderlie began dancing with Annette Van Dyke at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois at age five. She continued taking ballet and modern into highschool and also joined the gymnastics team in Decatur. In 1971 she moved to California and studied with Paul Petroff in Fullerton, CA. and also worked out with the SKATS gymnastic team. She continued taking dance classes throughout college at Millikin University and the U. of Wisconsin, Madison. She has a degree from U.W. Whitewater in Elementary Teaching with a minor in music and dance. She started a dance and tumbling studio in Cambridge, WI in 1978. She did some summer ballet study in 1984 at the Chautauqua Institute. In 1984 she moved to Minneapolis with her husband, Johan and three sons. In 1986 she began teaching and managing the St. Anthony School of Dance in St. Paul, under Sarah Quie’s ownership. In 1993 she bought the studio from Sarah owning and operating it until 2001. Sonja co-directs the St. Anthony Sacred Dance Company with Sarah Quie. She loves to teach children and believes that the gift of dance is a wondrous gift from God.
ISLA KATZ
Isla Katz is currently a sophomore at the University of Minnesota studying Spanish as well as Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. She grew up dancing at a competition studio in a suburb of Minneapolis and became a member of Keane Sense of Rhythm Youth Tap Ensemble at a young age. Recently, the tap ensemble created a young professionals group that Isla is again a part of. She has performed in cities in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota and travelled to Beijing, China with 40 other tap dancers from around the United States to perform. Also, every summer she attends the Chicago Human Rhythm Project where she takes classes with master dancers to hone her skills. She currently works at a day care center in St. Paul, but in her free time, Isla enjoys spending time with family, friends, and listening to music.
MORGAN KIRVIDA
Morgan Kirvida is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she majored in dance and studied voice and acting. Well accomplished in ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, and hip hop, she is honored to be a member of Sole 2 Soul Dance Conversion for the past 2 years. With the company, she’s performed at the Guthrie Theater and many other Twin Cities venues. Morgan is passionate about corporate communications and is proud to be the the lead choreographer for Honeywell Corporation’s national sales kick-off convention once again this year! She has choreographed many well-received productions locally. Additionally she has performed in sacred arts dance for most of her dancing years and has been serving on Grace church’s choir and praise team for the past 3 years. What’s next? Ms. Kirvida is excited to be performing in “Sweet Charity” with Bloomington Civic Theater this fall. Morgan continues to pursue her passion for teaching and is a tenured cosmetologist at Life Spa Salon.
ALLISON DOUGHTY MARQUESEN
Allison’s diverse dancing background has blessed her with the opportunity to perform ballet, modern, jazz and tap concert works on stages across the US. After two years on scholarship at STEPS on Broadway in New York, and two years with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, she returned to Minneapolis to complete her BFA in Dance from the U of MN. Locally, Allison has been seen recently in Saint Paul City Ballet’s Enticed, Uri Sands Happy, as a soloist in Anna Sokolow’s Rooms, and featured in Joe Chvala’s Berserks. She has also been a soloist in the Minneapolis based jazz company Eclectic Edge Ensemble for the past four years. Allison enjoys teaching for several Twin Cities dance studios in addition to her work performing with the Saint Paul City Ballet.
MACKENZIE MARTIN
Mackenzie Martin has been dancing since the age of three. After training locally at Minnetonka Dance Theater and School, Saint Paul City Ballet, and Ballet Arts Minnesota, she was accepted into North Carolina School of the Arts as a scholarship student and studied under Melissa Hayden for her senior year. To supplement her training through high school Mackenzie attended some of the most prestigious summer intensives at Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Miami City Ballet and Ballet Adriatico in Italy. Following her graduation from NCSA Mackenzie received a full scholarship to the Miami City Ballet School where she danced principle roles in Balanchine’s Divertemento No. 15 and Who Cares, as well as the “Panther” in Carnival of the Animals. Mackenzie then accepted a contract with Oregon Ballet Theatre. While there, she performed in many works by director Christopher Stowell, George Balanchine, and Bruce Wells, to name a few. Since returning to the Twin Cities, Mackenzie continues to dance professionally as well as teach. Mackenzie is looking forward to joining the staff at Prairie School of Dance.
CARRIE MCCOLLUM
Originally from Chanhassen, Carrie has been dancing for twenty years. She graduated in 2010 from the University of Iowa with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Theatre Arts. She has performed and taught a variety of styles, including ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, contemporary, and musical theatre. Apart from the University of Iowa, Carrie has trained with Minnesota Dance Theatre/Dance Institute, Zenon Dance, Joffrey Ballet New York City, and the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, where she received a full scholarship. Upon graduating, Carrie has worked with the Chanhassen High School, Chaska Middle Schools, and Norwood Young America Middle School on their musical productions. Most recently she has been cast as ‘Dream Laurey’ in the musical Oklahoma at Bloomington Civic Theatre. Carrie loves working with artists of all ages, and finds it a blessing to be passing on her knowledge and love for dance. Besides dancing, Carrie loves spending time with her family, reading her books, playing with her dogs, and meeting new people.
SARAH STEICHEN
Sarah Steichen graduated with honors from St. Olaf College in 2008 with a degree in dance & management studies. Her training has ranged from being the captain of the National Champion Eden Prairie Pom Squad to studying classic jazz and hip hop at Broadway Dance Center in New York City to performing with Companydance, a modern dance company at St. Olaf College. Since graduating, she has continued to study and perform at the American Dance Festival in North Carolina and most recently at Bates Dance Festival in Maine. She has choreographed for numerous studios and high school dance teams across the country. Currently, she is in her third season performing professionally with ARENA Dances, a modern dance company in Minneapolis. She is proud to be a part of the Prairie School of Dance family and to share her love for dance with every student!
