Colleen Day is the owner and Artistic Director of Dance’n’Fitness. We are proud to announce the celebration of our 12th year in business. She holds a B.S. Degree in Dance Education from the University of Minnesota and has instructed “Dance’n’Fitness” classes to all ages and levels for over 25 years! At Dance’n’Fitness all of our teachers are either professional, degreed or dance majors and all have years of studio experience. We believe in providing quality dance education that is structured, yet enjoyable! Meet our instructors…

Ana Cristina Foulkes is a native Brazilian. She has been dancing Brazilian rhythms (Samba, Axe, Forro and Lambada) for over 20 years and she has also danced Middle Eastern rhythms (Belly Dancing) for nearly a decade. Cristina dances for a Brazilian band in Minneapolis called BRASAMBA. She performs in restaurants in downtown Minneapolis (Babalu, Noche, Martine Blue, etc.). Come join us on Wednesday and Thursday for one of Cristina’s exciting classes. This is Cristina’s 4th year at Dance ‘n’ Fitness. Welcome back Cristina!

Natasha Kovar has a Bachelor of Arts in dance with an emphasis in choreography/performance and will receive her elementary education license in 2008. She has trained in various competing and non-competing studios throughout the Twin Cities for over 15 years, taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, and hip-hop. She also studied dance in college where she had the opportunity to perform in modern works by Heather Klopchin, Sherry Saterstrom, Anthony Roberts, Jennifer Bader, Anne Von Bibra, and Janice Roberts. She was a member of Companydance and the St. Olaf dance team while she attended college. She had the opportunity to perform at the American College Dance Festival in 2006 in a student-choreographed work. She will be student teaching in a 3rd grade classroom in Farmington in the fall of 2007 and completing classes for her licensure in the spring.

Caitlin Cashman is a Championship Irish Dancer and Performer who previously attended master classes and taught at Scoil na d’Tri Irish Dance Acadamy in the Twin Cities and has been Irish Dancing for 11 years. She has competed in Feisannas all over the United States and Canada, achieving the highest level of solo competition. She competed at the Mid-American Regional Oireachtas by the age of 13, has qualified for the North Amerian National Championship for 5 years, and competed in Ennis, Ireland at the All Ireland Irish Dance Championship at the age of 14. Caitlin regularily performs at Festival of Nations, the Irish Heritage Fair, the Landmark Center on St. Patrick’s Day and has performed nationally with musicians such as The Chieftains with dancers Cara Butler and Donny Golden, Flogging Molly, Gaelic Storm, and Katie McMahon. Over the summer she has continued to choreograph, taken classes in Irish Dance with Cormac O’Shea from Riverdance, and explored many other kinds of dance in various classes at Alesso’s Dance
Spectrum in St. Paul. Caitlin will be attending St. Paul College, and is also pursuing her TCRG certification from the An Coimisiúm in Dublin, Ireland, which will allow her students to compete in Feisiannas worldwide. This is Caitlin’s 2nd year teaching at Dance ‘n’ Fitness.

Lindsay Dahl danced as a child and adolescent for eleven years. She recently rediscovered her passion for dance at Northfield’s Dance and Fitness where she takes bellydance and samba classes. Lindsay practices several types of yoga including: hatha, ashtanga and vinyasa flow. She recently participated in a yoga competition and plans to go to the Bikram Yoga teacher training in the spring of 2008. Lindsay loves the benefits of her yoga practice including: long, lean and toned muscles, increased flexibility, core strength, discipline, improved balance, peace of mind and most of all FUN! Welcome, Lindsay!

Karen Aydinian studied ballet and classical jazz at Gilbert Rome Studio of Dance in Houston, Texas, for 17 years. Over the years, Karen danced several times in the City Ballet of Houston’s performance of the Nutcracker, and took master classes from troupes such as Weave, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Mark Morris Dance Group, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Donald Byrd/The Group, MOMIX, Weave Dance Theater, Inbal Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballet Folklorico, and Moorena Amoora, in addition to studying with Gilbert Rome, Victoria Vittum, Julio de Bettencourt, and Joe Istre. Karen began ballroom and swing dancing at Carleton in 2004, and has been teaching Carleton’s social dance class for two years. Karen also began bellydancing two years ago and Scottish Highland dancing one year ago. She continues to take classes in classical ballet and participate in numerous workshops and master classes. Karen is a senior geology major at Carleton.