Meet Our Staff

Ann Williams, Director

Ann Williams has a BA in Dance and Mass Communications from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and has been dancing and performing for over 30 years and has taught for over 20 years at different studios and schools in the Twin Cities area. She has studied with many prestigious companies, institutions and individuals.

She opened Ballare Teatro Performing Arts Center in 1998, and has grown the business from 75 students and 2 instructors to 300+ students, 14 instructors and two admins. Under Ann’s direction, Ballare Teatro has become known for high quality dance education in a professional, nurturing environment. The instructors at Ballare Teatro are professional dancers and dance educators. The studio serves families from all over the Twin Cities area.

She has formed a partnership with the University of Minnesota Dance Program. She is a guest speaker in their teaching dance class each year, and as part of that class BFA dance majors come to the studio for their dance pedagogy practicum.

Ann has served on the board of Keane Sense of Rhythm, a local tap dance company and school, the Longfellow Business Association (co-chair), The Longfellow Community Council (business representative); Art Works in Eagan; and currently is on the board of Off-Leash Area: Contemporary Performance Works. 

Ann is thankful to have Ballare Teatro, and thankful to all of you for helping her make her passion a reality.

Jake Nehrbass, Instructor

Tap III, Tap V, Adult Fast Intermediate Tap, Adult Advanced Tap

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. He has an interest in physical therapy and yoga and works as a performing artist, choreographer, and dance teacher in the Twin Cities area.

                                                                                        Currently, Jake is a company member of Black Label Movement and Rhythmically Speaking and has been (or continues to be) a guest artist for local projects with Contempo Physical Dance, Arena Dances, Mixtape, Concerto, Threads Dance Project, Flying Foot Forum, Katha Dance Theatre, Eau Claire Dance, STRONGmovement, and performed in Stephan Koplowitz’s Northfield Experience.

Jake also performed in Au, a Live at the Shed work created by Hatch Dance and Honey Works.

This is Jake's third year as an instructor at Ballare Teatro Performing Arts Center.

Heather Annis, Instructor

Level IV Jazz

Heather Annis has been dancing for over 30 years and is excited to be teaching at Ballare Teatro for her tenth season! She loves working with and learning from her students, and sharing her love of dance! Heather has had the pleasure of teaching Creative Movement through Level IV at Ballare, and is looking forward to teaching Jazz IV again this year!  She has also done workshops at studios and daycares throughout the Twin Cities, through Ballare and Eclectic Edge Ensemble. Other than teaching, Heather enjoys performing on stage when she can as well as in films with Flying Foot Forum and Kayla Schiltgen. She has had the privilege of working with talented choreographers such as Karla Grotting, Zoe Sealy, Danny Buraczeski and Karis Sloss. Heather graduated with a BFA in dance from the University of Minnesota, and took part in a teaching workshop for Jazz Dance in Dallas, Texas. More recently, Heather started a new creative business called Earth Angel Works, where she translates her art through in embroidery in hopes of connecting and healing with the community. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her two children Felicity and Finn, husband Joey and her three pets. She is thrilled to share the joy of dancing with you and your children!

Brenna Brelie, Instructor

Adult Intermediate Tap

Brenna Brelie has been a tap instructor at Ballare Teatro since 2008!  Brenna has been dancing since the age of 4. She has training in jazz, ballet, modern, and ballroom, but tap and percussive dance have been her passion for as long as she can remember.  Locally, she has danced with Kaleena Miller, Keane Sense of Rhythm, and Joe Chvala and Karla Grotting of the Flying Foot Forum. She has studied with Dianne Walker, Jumaane Taylor, Sam Weber, and Jason Samuels-Smith, among many others. Along with Kaleena Miller, Brenna is proud to have co-founded Twin Cities Tap in 2015.  Additionally, she is the Head of Operations at Pillsbury United Communities, a large multi-service nonprofit in Minneapolis.  Brenna is a proud mom, advocate, traveler, yoga practitioner, gardener, music-lover, nature-enthusiast, and life-long learner. 

Jesse Schmitz-Boyd, Instructor

 Outreach Creative Dance

Jesse Schmitz-Boyd is a Dance Artist based in Saint Paul, MN. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, he received a Bachelor’s degree in Dance, and Anthropology. While at UWSP Jesse worked closely with Joan Karlen, Micheal Estanich and Jeannie Hill. 

Jesse is the founder and Artistic Director of Rogue and Rabble Dance, a dance theater company of bittersweet absurdity. The Star Tribune called Schmitz-Boyd’s work 35 Different Angles from which to Hate Yourself “pretty funny” and in 2022 his work TRAITOR received a Golden Lanyard Award at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. 

Jesse is a 10 season company member with Alternative Motion Project under the direction of Kristin Howe and Joanna Lees,  and a regular performer-collaborator with Off-Leash Area: Contemporary Performance Works under the direction of Jennifer Isles and Paul Herwig. Additionally he has worked with many different choreographers including Susan Marshall, Billy Siegenfeld, Lucy Riner, Erinn Liebhard, Brenna Mosser, Laura Selle Virtucio, Heather Klopchin, Brianna Johnson, Rachel Liberman, and Jennifer Glaws among others.

Jesse has been teaching many genres to dance students of all ages since 2004. He has taught at public and private schools, studios and pre-professional programs. Working with competitive and non-competition students to develop the artistry and technique of future peers. This is Jesse’s 10th year teaching at Ballare!

Karis Sloss, Instructor

Level V Jazz

Karis Sloss is thrilled to be starting her 21st season with Ballare teatro! She is excited to be back this year teaching Jazz V. It has been incredibly special to be a part of some of Ballare’s graduating seniors’ dance education since they were 3 years old. In 2019 Sloss completed the Arts in Education Masters program at the University of Minnesota; receiving her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and two MN teaching licenses; a K-12 in Dance and a K-12 in Theatre. The past 4 years Karis has taught dance and theatre classes in the Robbinsdale public school district 281. In 2021 Sloss won “Dance Education Teacher of the Year” through Minnesota Society of Health and Physical Educators. This year, Karis is ecstatic, to be teaching dance and working as an Outreach coordinator for PiM Arts High School in Eden Prairie.

Karis has been studying dance for over 30 years in the styles of jazz, ballet, pointe, tap, hip hop and modern. Zoe Sealy, Lewis Whitlock, Cathy Young and Danny Buraczeski are some of the very talented artists that Karis has been fortunate enough to work with over the years. She is the Artistic & Executive Director of the non-profit theatrical jazz dance company Eclectic Edge Ensemble who had 15 successful years of productions at The Lab Theater, The O’Shaughnessy, Southern Theater, JSB TEK BOX, The Ritz Theatre, Intermedia Arts, Illusion Theatre, Patrick’s Cabaret, and 5 MN Fringe Festivals. In 2015, Karla Grotting and Sloss were delighted to be awarded a SAGE Award for Outstanding Performance for “Lost Voices in Jazz.” Her choreography credits include work at Illusion Theatre, SteppingStone Theatre, Children’s Theatre, Loring Playhouse, University of MN and Saint Catherine/Saint Thomas and numerous public, private and charter schools. Sloss is very excited to be jumping back into the studio for her twenty-first year teaching at Ballare teatro!

Karla Grotting, Instructor

Level IV Tap

Karla Grotting is a dancer, choreographer, educator and producer working with a unique blend of jazz, tap, modern, theater, and percussive dance techniques. Karla has been a company member with Jazzdance: by Danny Buraczeski, MN Jazz Dance Co, Keane Sense of Rhythm, and has worked with dance/theater companies; Off-Leash Area, and Combustible Company. Karla is on faculty at St Olaf College Ballare Teatro Performing Arts Center. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the history of jazz music, jazz dance, social dance forms, and tap dance; exploring the connections of these histories and their relationship to concert dance forms.

Hollie Edlund, Instructor

Creative, Fundamental A, Level IA, Level IB

Hollie Edlund is thrilled to be joining Ballare for her 6th year and entering her 10th year of teaching! She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a B.A. in Dance in 2013. In her senior year, Hollie received the Distinguished Dance Student Award (alongside fellow friend and colleague, Rachel Johnson Burnett!) and was honored to have her jazz piece, “Movement for Movementsake”,  selected to be performed in the Spring Dance Concert. She has performed in pieces by Stuart Pimsler Dance, Heather Klopchin, Jeffrey Peterson, and Eclectic Edge Ensemble. Hollie lives in the west metro with her husband Isaac and three daughters (Svea 6, Solvi 4, and Liv 1 year)! She enjoys cooking and baking.

Fun Fact: Miss Hollie has a Culinary Arts degree from Le Cordon Bleu.

Molly Stoltz, Instructor

Adult Beginning Tap, Adult Advanced Beginning Tap

Molly Kay Stoltz is a dance performer, choreographer, and teacher based in Minneapolis and South-Central Minnesota. She specializes in percussive dance forms like flamenco and tap and has a passion for performing with live music. She is a company member with Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theater and Flying Foot Forum, and enjoys organizing pop-up flamenco shows near her home in St. Peter, MN. A University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Dance BFA graduate, she has taught tap at her alma mater and currently teaches tap at Ballare Teatro Performing Arts Center, flamenco at Zorongo Flamenco, and introductory dance classes through St. Peter Community & Family Education. She was honored to be chosen as a 2020 Hinge Artist in Residence in Fergus Falls, MN, and won an honorable mention for her solo at the 2021 national Flamenco Certamen USA competition in NYC, NY. She is currently a member of The Consortium through Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana in NYC, which is a year-long mentorship program for flamenco artists who are looking to grow as professionals in the national flamenco community.

Rachel Johnson-Burnett, Instructor

Creative Dance, Fundamental A, Fundamental B, Level IB, Level IIA Tap, Level IIB Tap

Rachel Johnson-Burnett has been teaching at Ballare Teatro since 2015. Originally from Minneapolis, she started dancing at the age of 3 and never stopped! She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a B.A. in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies and Dance. In college, she studied extensively with Melissa Rolnick, Stephan Koplowitz, Jeffrey Peterson, and Sarah Hauss. She has performed in Italy and New Zealand as well as locally (local highlights include RENOVATE at the Ritz Theatre and co-directing, choreographing, & performing in the MN Fringe Festival). She continues her training through taking dance classes as much as possible, but has found that being a dance educator is her passion. Her goal as a teacher is to share her knowledge and love of dance with her students. When not at the studio, Rachel can be found reading, baking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family -- especially husband Dan, daughter Mara, and dog Stella.

Sarah Hauss, Instructor

Level IV Modern

Sarah Hauss has taught at Ballare for over 10 years and is a continuing faculty member at Gustavus Adolphus College. She has been a professional choreographer and dancer based in the Twin Cities for over 30 years. Hauss has a BA from University of Oregon and an MFA from University of Colorado-Boulder. She is a licensed K-12 Dance Teacher and Yoga instructor as well. Over the years, she has received funding for her artistic work from the McKnight Foundation, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the Jerome Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Her technique classes focus on weight, efficiency, release and momentum with attention to skeletal alignment, an integrated strong center, and energetic principles of opposition within the body.

Shannon Mulcahy, Instructor

Creative Dance, Fundamental B, Level IA, Level IB,  Jazz III, 

Adult Beginning/Intermediate Jazz

Born and raised in Chicagoland, Shannon Mulcahy graduated from the U of Minnesota- Twin Cities with a BFA of Dance in 2017. Having trained under Minneapolis-St. Paul greats such as Toni Pierce Sands, Erin Thompson, Joanie Smith, Ananya Chatterjea, Karla Grotting and Carl Flink while at the U- she gained a sound technical base in Modern, Jazz Dance and contemporary driven dramaturgy. During her undergrad, she performed in pieces by Martha Graham and Brian Brooks on the Carlson Family Stage at the Northop. Other undergrad credits include Shapiro and Smith Dance, Luke Olson-Elm, Rosy Simas and Brooks Moving Company. 

After college, Shannon joined Contempo Physical Dance as an apprentice and guest artist, danced in countless MN Fringe Shows as well as productions by Rhythmically Speaking and Rebecca Tanner Dance. As of today, she is a core company member of Concerto Dance by Jolene Konkel focusing on traditional jazz and modern works as well as a freelance dance artist throughout the Twin Cities. 

This is Shannon's 6th year of teaching dance, starting at Prairie School of Dance in 2018 and joining Ballare Teatro in 2019. Her teaching experience ranges from Creative dance to jazz technique and groove to contemporary and modern styles all the way to adult jazz and tap. This is Shannon's 5th year at Ballare Teatro, and it's going to be the best one yet!

Siri Hammond, Instructor

Creative Dance, Fundamental A, Fundamental B, Level IA, Level IB, Adult Beginning and Intermediate Ballet, Outreach

Siri Hammond grew up studying ballet and other genres at Festival Dance Academy in Pullman, WA, through which she had the opportunity to perform in ballet productions such as The Nutcracker with the Eugene Ballet, A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty. She also gained a passion for musical theatre, performing in local theatre productions from the age of eight. Siri studied theatre and dance at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN where she was a member of Companydance, the college’s modern dance company. Since graduating, Siri moved to the Twin Cities where she has performed with local and regional theatre companies including Artistry, Old Log, Lyric Arts, Zephyr Theatre, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Nimbus Theatre, and Walking Shadow Company. In addition to dance and theatre, Siri loves singing and making music, figure skating, and spending time in the great outdoors. She is so happy to be on staff at Ballare! 

Timothy Herian, Instructor and Rep Director

Level IIA/IIB Ballet, Jazz

Level III Ballet, Modern

All levels of PBT

Timothy Herian is a native of Port Washington, WI. Timothy's passion for classical music and musical theatre started in elementary school. Timothy enjoyed competitions in classical vocal performance, as well as performing in every musical put on by his school district. This passion eventually led to joining a local dance school at the age of 15. 

Timothy went on to the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities where he earned a BFA in dance. While at the University, Timothy worked with Donald Byrd, Ananya Chatterjea, Nora Chipaumire, Carl Flink, Penny Freeh, Marciano Silva Dos Santos, among others. Timothy's performative highlight while at the University was dancing in Arnie Zane's "The Gift/No God Logic". 

Soon after graduation, Timothy enjoyed a brief time living in NYC where he danced with Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, Project 44, and Roschman Dance. The highlight of his time in NYC was performing at the Apollo Theatre in the "Kwanzaa: A Regeneration Celebration" performance. After returning to Minneapolis, Timothy worked with many local dance companies including Ananya Dance Theatre, Arena Dances, Black Label Movement, Contempo Physical Dance, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Moves & Co. and Threads Dance Project. 

Timothy has performed, choreographed, and assistant-directed site-specific private-event entertainment in Edina for the artist Bill Mack since 2010. Timothy became a certified Progressing Ballet Technique instructor in 2021 and has fallen in love with Ballet all over again. Timothy has taught at various locations in the Twin Cities, including SPCPA. Timothy has been a staff member at Ballare Teatro since 2015 and is loving every minute of it.

Cierra Dailey, Admin

Cierra Dailey is currently in her fourth year at the University of Minnesota pursuing a BFA in dance. Growing up, Cierra danced at White Bear Dance Center and Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. She has performed works by many Twin Cities artists including: Arena Dances, Ananya Chatterjea, Black Label Movement, Elayna Waxse and Shapiro and Smith Dance. Most recently, Cierra performed ‘Swan Song’ by Elayna Waxse at the American College Dance Association’s national festival in Long Beach California. Cierra also enjoys production management and recently co-produced ‘A Fool’s Errand’, a student capstone performance, at the Red Eye Experimental Theater.