Meet the Team!
Sarah Steichen Stiles has been teaching at Prairie School of Dance for 14 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 seventh 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.
Kristen is starting her fifth year working at PSOD. She has worked in a variety of capacities at PSOD from Receptionist to Lead Receptionist to Registration.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lauren began dancing at age of two at a local Minnesota studio, where she competed in Tap, Jazz, and Contemporary dance. Growing up tap was always her favorite.
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 sixth year as a staff member at PSOD. Megan grew up in Eden Prairie, MN and started dancing at the age of three.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Hayley started ballet at the age of three. In 2021, she earned a “Developing Teachers” certificate from International Dance Teaching Standards and is currently working on a Diploma in Bible and Doctrine through Global University’s Berean School of the Bible.
Originally from Winona, Minnesota, Jaydan grew up dancing in dance studios, training in various styles of dance at Gotta Dance and SG Danceworkz. Jaydan was selected to be Director’s Assistant at Sg Danceworkz her senior year of high school. After high school, Jaydan went on to further her education 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.
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.
Meet our Student Assistants!
Anneliese Batdorf, Katie Bennett, Evie Elmquist, Charlotte Hall, Julia Forsyth, Sami Gee, Madeline Herrig, Harper Hoffman, Ashling Kelly, Harper Lindsay, Emily Rannow, Amelia Ray, Laney Renodin, Phoebe Sohn, Ella VanLangendon, Julianna Wall & Eliana Westerberg.
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!