DANCE INSTRUCTORS
ABOUT ANNALISE
Annalise Espinosa is the proud owner of AE Dance Productions. She has been a dance educator for 29 years and a studio owner for the 22 years. Annalise has a background in ballet, jazz, lyrical contemporary, tap, musical theater, hip-hop, preschool dance and competitive dance. She has experience judging for UDA, judging for Rainbow Dance Competition, consultant on the KAR studio owner advisory group, former member of the ADCC advisory board, danced on Broadway New York and The Stouffer Orlando Resort. She has also choreographed and assisted in the production of several Seattle based music videos. Annalise has a daughter currently working in LA as a professional dancer and model. She has a teenage son dancing at AE Dance Productions as a competitive dancer. She loves inspiring children to be their best and looks forward to the seasons ahead!
ABOUT TIFFANY
Tiffany Carlson has taught at AE Dance Productions since its opening in 2011 and for director Annalise Espinosa since 2006. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington with a BA degree in Dance in 2004 and has been teaching and choreographing locally ever since. Tiffany lives in Enumclaw with her husband and three busy children. She enjoyed coaching for the Voltage competition team for four years, watching the growth of the dancers and helping highlight their strengths and accomplishments. Currently she organizes costumes for the studio, does scheduling and emails, subs for classes whenever she can, and holds private lessons to assist dancers in meeting their technical goals. Her real passion is musical theatre, and Tiffany loves helping with character choreography for the recitals. She is blessed to be a part of AE Dance Productions!
ABOUT CATE
We are thrilled to have the talented Cate Bules as a dance instructor at AE Dance Productions! She was born in the south and raised in Washington state, but one thing that never changed was her love for dance. She has been dancing for 20 years, and we have loved having her teach here for the last four seasons. Cate is versatile in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre. Before transitioning from being a student at AE Dance Productions to an instructor, she earned her BA in Psychology with a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology. She was honored as Summa Cum Laude from Eastern Washington University. In the studio, she seeks to use her wisdom from school to help her students reach their fullest potential as dancers and humans. Beyond her talent in dance, Cate loves serving in her church, going on mission trips, weight lifting, hiking, and spending time with her nephews. In church and abroad, she has said it's been such a blessing to serve and uplift others through dance. She looks forward to helping our dancers reach their fullest potential!
ABOUT OLIVIA
Olivia Gustafson, 25 years old, from Bonney Lake, Washington, began dancing at the age of 3. While dancing throughout her childhood, she was recognized numerous times by competitions and conventions for various awards. After graduating High School, Olivia continued her dance career by working as a Pro Reveler at Revel Dance Convention and then joining the 2018 Seattle Sea Gals squad. While with the Seahawks for two years, Olivia traveled out into the community throughout Western Washington to meet fans and perform at events. Olivia has taught for Annalise Espinosa since age 15 and has worked with competitive groups for six years. Olivia’s goal is to help students find their love for dance while watching them achieve goals they didn’t know were possible.
ABOUT ASHLEY
Ashley Naset has over 20 years of experience teaching, coaching, and mentoring in the dance community in the Pacific Northwest. Currently, Ashley's home base is with the dancers at AE Dance Productions where she has taught for the last 4 year with 3 of those as a Voltage coach. She has taught at many studios, dance teams, and intensives across Washington and Oregon. She has extensive teaching experience in Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Musical Theater, Pom, and Kickline. As a dancer, Ashley has performed in special performances with multiple dance companies and teams that have taken her from stages across the Seattle area to Kingston, Jamaica, and even to Main Street at Disneyland. Her choreography has been seen with NBA teams, college dance teams, dance national competitions, the Miss Washington Outstanding Teen pageant, and shows for dance companies. She was a High School dance team coach for ten years, where she won 17 State Titles and continues to choreograph for local high school teams. She was awarded Coach of the Year by the Coaches Association in Washington State. After retiring as a High School dance coach, she was a dance judge and Education Director for the WIAA Dance Judges Association for many years following. Along with teaching at the studio, she is the Talent Director for Elite Performance Dance Camps, which includes running the internship program for dancers transitioning out of high school and into professional dance careers. She currently teaches Contemporary, Jazz and Hip Hop classes at AE Dance Productions, along with private lessons with students preparing for pageants and college dance teams. Teaching dance is a passion for Ashley. She loves to teach various ages and styles in her classes and believes dance should be fun, even through all the sweat.l performances with multiple dance companies and teams that have taken her from stages across the Seattle area to Kingston, Jamaica, and even to Main Street at Disneyland. Her choreography has been seen with NBA teams, college dance teams, dance national competitions, the Miss Washington Outstanding Teen pageant, and shows for dance companies. She was a High School dance team coach for ten years, where she won 17 State Titles and continues to choreograph for local high school teams. She was awarded Coach of the Year by the Coaches Association in Washington State. She was a dance judge and Education Director for the WIAA Dance Judges Association for many years. Along with teaching at the studio, she is the Talent Director for Elite Performance Dance Camps, which includes running the internship program for dancers transitioning out of high school and into professional dance careers. Teaching dance is a passion for Ashley. She loves to teach various ages and styles in her classes and believes dance should be fun, even through all the sweat.
ABOUT STACI
Staci Mattson, a seasoned dance teacher and accomplished choreographer, boasts over two decades of dedicated experience in the field. A proud Seattle native, she holds a bachelor's degree from Central Washington University and has extensive teacher training and certifications. Staci's career includes serving as a dancer and captain for the Sonics Dance Team and coaching at Kentridge High School, where she led the team to 18 state championships. She earned Washington Dance Coach of the Year in both 2010 and 2018. Presently, Staci is an instructor and coordinator at Elite Dance Camp. At Surge, she is passionate about infusing positivity and fun into her teaching to ignite the dancers' passion for their craft. Staci and her husband, Greg, are the proud parents of five young kids.
ABOUT DUSTIN
ABOUT JENNA
Jenna started dancing at age 3 while exploring other sports and activities. At the age of 9, she found her passion for dance. Jenna danced and competed both regionally and nationally in a variety of areas. She started teaching dance at the age of 14 under Miss Annalise. After attending Western Washington University for education, Jenna returned to continue teaching the youngest dancers at AE Productions. She has a master's degree in education and teaches Special Education in Des Moines, Wa.
ABOUT MEAGAN
Meagan Hood has been dancing since she was three years old, and has trained and competed in ballet, lyrical, jazz, musical theatre and tap. When she was 12 years old she began training with Annalise, and competed at The Surge Dance Center until she graduated from high school. After high school she traveled to and lived in New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo for modeling. This is Meagan’s third year as a Voltage coach and fourth year as a teacher at Surge! She also just recently got hired at Bonney Lake High School teaching Biology and Physical Science. We are honored to have Miss Meagan on staff at AE Dance!