Meet the Team!
Sarah Steichen Stiles has been teaching at Prairie School of Dance for 17 years. Over the years, she has held many roles including the School Program Director, Sacred Dance Director, and now the Executive Director and Artistic Director for the Performing Arts Christmas Show.
Hannah is starting her eighth year with Prairie School of Dance and we are so appreciative for all she has brought to the school. Hannah graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a BFA in Dance and a Business Management degree.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Robyn has had a passion for the performing arts and visual arts all her life. She grew up performing on-stage in theater and choir productions, and could often be found in the art room or photography lab. Her career has included various Human Resources roles including Organizational Development, Training & Recruiting.
Kessia first brought her then 3 year old daughter to PSOD in 2011 and loved the community so much that she joined our Receptionist staff in 2016.
Rachel started dancing at two years old and hasn’t stopped since. She grew up dancing at a studio in Rosemount, MN, and danced there for over ten years. Rachel started assisting her dance teachers at ten years old and she fell in love with teaching.
Holly is starting her 3rd year working at PSOD, working as one of our receptionists before taking on the role of Community Coordinator. She has worked in a variety of professional settings including retail, healthcare, and customer service. She enjoys making sourdough and spending time with her family, pets and chickens on her mini hobby farm.
Michelle graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of St. Thomas with B.A’s in K-12 education and Spanish, as well as a dance minor from Macalester College.
Prairie School of Dance was started in 1997 by founder and advisor 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 almost four decades.
Sydnie grew up dancing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She discovered her greater passion and pursued instruction from a variety of teachers.
Kelly has always admired dance and grew up dancing in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Kelly graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology.
Julia trained for thirteen years at Neta Barker School of Ballet in her hometown of Wayland, Massachusetts, and continued with Modern and Improvisation at St. Olaf College where she received her Bachelors degree in Dance and Psychology, two fields that she feels see people as whole beings.
Ellen began her dance career at the age of 3 in Redfield, SD. It was there, at Johnny Cavelle Dance Studio, that she realized dance would always be one of her largest and ever growing passions.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Jake has been studying and performing dance since the age of three and teaching since age 12. He received his BFA in Dance and Kinesiology with expertise in tap, modern, jazz, hip hop, international and ballroom styles.
This is Megan’s seventh year as a staff member at PSOD. Megan grew up in Eden Prairie, MN and started dancing at the age of three.
Bailey Miller is a Minneapolis based performer, teacher, and choreographer. Originally from the small town of Gowrie, Iowa, she grew up dancing at Vicky's Dance Academy. She holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University under the direction of Jo Rowan and Tiffany van der Merwe.
Alena grew up dancing at a local studio in Waconia, MN starting at the age of eight. She began assisting dance classes at the age of 14 and continued her teaching career from there. Previously, Alena has danced with a local dance company, 8:20 Dance Company, her final years of high school. She is currently a junior at the University of Minnesota working towards her BFA in Dance.
Rachel Bonkoungou, a native Minnesotan holds a B.A. in Dance from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She has performed with multiple dance companies including Bakersfield City Ballet, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Rhythmically Speaking, Concerto Dance by Jolene Konkel as well as having produced four of her own evening length works.
Lily Conforti is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer from the Twin Cities. She graduated in May 2021 from the University of Minnesota with degrees in Dance and Physiology.
Olivia is from Tulsa, Oklahoma where she trained at Tulsa Ballet and Theatre Arts under the direction of Pia Russo, Stephanie Murrish, Daniil Gaifullin, and Andres Figueroa. She has also attended summer intensives at Ellison Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet NYC, Oklahoma City Ballet, and DeCruz Ballet.
Julie Marie Muskat has moved 16 times, but is originally from San Antonio, TX. She is a summa cum laude graduate of the inaugural class of Alonzo King's LINES Ballet BFA Program in San Francisco, CA, and of Interlochen Arts Academy in MI. She has taught dance across the US, Israel, and Italy, and her choreography has been set and performed nationally and internationally.
Allison is a proud Twin Cities native. A diverse performer, Allison’s stage experience ranges from principal ballet roles to dancing alongside comic Louie Anderson in musical theater review. After several years training and performing in New York City and Chicago, she returned to Minneapolis to continue her performing career, and earn her BFA in Dance at the University of MN.
PSOD Receptionists
Tracey Herrig, Rana Leonhardi, Stacey Sohn, Holly Renodin, Kessia Dahlke & Anna Anderson
PSOD Student Assistants
Anneliese Batdorf, Katie Bennett, Morgan Butterfield, Evie Elmquist, Sami Gee, Delaney Hansen, Madeline Herrig, Eleanor Hogan,Tatum Itman, Ashling Kelly, Madeleine Lahouze, Harper Lindsay, Emma Maronde, Ainsley McIvor, Emily Rannow, Mia Ray, Lily Ray, Laney Renodin, Tayler Schwartz, Phoebe Sohn, Lila Stebner, Ella VanLangendon & Mikayla Wong
Interested in joining our team?
Whether you are actively looking for work in dance education and dance administration, or simply interested to learn more about our team, we would love to meet you!