Our Instructors + Staff
Valerie Dawn
Valerie Dawn's journey in the performing arts began at an early age, inspired by the eccentric teachings of Debi Dirks. Her life has been dedicated to the exploration and mastery of dance, acting, musical theatre, acrobatics, and the holistic development of individuals across all ages.
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With a deep passion for movement, music and youth, Valerie has seamlessly blended her love for the arts with her commitment to education. Her vision and leadership have driven the creation of multiple comprehensive dance and theatre programs, serving diverse communities from preschoolers to adolescents. With over 36 years of experience, Valerie has choreographed, performed, and competed across the United States, producing numerous shows and directing a wide range of original musicals, all while profoundly impacting the lives of countless individuals.
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In 2000, Valerie founded Rhythm of my Heart Dance Program and K.I.D.D.S. Musical Theatre Company. A pivotal moment in 2011 allowed her to realize her dream of owning a performing arts center, leading to the establishment of ENCORE Performing Arts Center, where she has served as owner and operator ever since.
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Valerie’s purpose extends beyond her own creative work; she is passionate about mentoring and guiding others in their artistic journeys. Whether coaching aspiring choreographers, teachers, students or performers, Valerie is dedicated to helping individuals uncover their true potential. She believes that through the performing arts, one can embark on a profound journey of self-discovery, and Valerie is dedicated to facilitating that transformation.
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A mother of three and a cancer survivor, Valerie continues to be a lifelong student of the performing arts, and personal development. Her students often go on to make significant contributions in the dance and musical theatre industries or grow into well-rounded individuals who impact the world with confidence, empathy, and compassion.
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Valerie says, "War begets war. Love begets love. I seek to understand the human, love them where they are at, while opening their mind to their potential."​
Liz Aguila
Meet Liz Aguila, a dedicated Filipina-American dance instructor from Portland, Oregon. Liz’s deep love for dance shines through in every class, where she combines her pure passion with a genuine desire to inspire young dancers. Her classes are all about having fun while building skills and confidence.
With a rich background in commercial dance, Liz Has worked with stars like Rob Lowe, John Cena, Chilli from TLC, and even Kanye West and Selena Gomez. She’s also danced in national commercials for brand names like Samsung, Beats by Dre, McDonald's, and Reese’s Pieces, and has featured in major Netflix and YouTube productions.
When your child steps into Liz’s class, they’ll be learning from someone who’s not only got the experience but also a true passion for dance. Liz truly cares about each student’s growth, creating a supportive and joyful environment for them to thrive, wherever they are in their dance journey.
Grace Armstrong
Grace Armstrong is from Shoreline, Washington where she began training with Olympic Ballet School. As a student there, she competed in the Youth America Grand Prix and was awarded Top 12 in the semi-finals. After high school, Grace was accepted into Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department where she worked closely with world renowned professional dancers including Carla Korbes, Kyra Nichols, Michael Vernon, and Sarah Wroth. While at IU she performed notable roles in Jerome Robbins’ Antique Epigraphs, George Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht and Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies. Grace was a recipient of the Premier Young Artist Award through the Jacobs School of Music. In Spring 2020, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Arts Management.
After graduation, she joined Oregon Ballet Theatre 2 where she performed alongside the company in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Ben Stevenson's Dracula, and Christopher Stowell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Grace started her teaching career in 2017 as an instructor for Indiana University’s Pre-College Ballet Program. Grace currently teaches at Oregon Ballet School, Oregon International Ballet Academy, Allegro Dance Studio and is thrilled to be part of the ENCORE Performing Arts staff!
Todd “PopNTod” Breithaupt
Todd “PopNTod” Breithaupt, repping the legendary Soulbotics and Wave Gang crews, has been regarded as one of Southern California’s innovators in the dance form, popping, specializing in styles such as waving, robot, and animation. It was through spending innumerable hours street performing on Hollywood Blvd., subways under New York City, or in Portland, Oregon, that PopNTod was able to create his foundation with the robotic styles.
He has appeared in a number of commercials and other media including Chris Brown’s music video, “I Can Transform Ya”, which he co-choreographed. Todd has also performed for Carnival Cruise Lines, claimed victor to numerous dance competitions across the continent, & shared the stage with E-40, Ludacris, Common, etc, to name a few of his accolades. He has performed as a resident dancer with the company, iLuminate (3rd place finalists in America’s Got Talent season 6) throughout the world in the technological dance and light show and off-Broadway success, Artist of Light.
His current passion is mentoring his students with his online dance program, iLL SkiLLz Dance.
Byraissia Jones
Byraissia Jones began her dance journey at the age of three in Phoenix, Arizona. She was trained in various styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, contemporary and tumbling. Byraissia was a competitive dancer for 12 years competing in solos, duos, trios and group dances. While
she was still a student, she fell in love with teaching after becoming an assistant for younger dance classes.
After graduating from high school, Byraissia attended Arizona State University where she received her degree in Graphic Design. While studying for her degree, she also joined and led the Devilettes Dance Team. Throughout the 4 years she was on the team, she choreographed
several hip hop and jazz dances to perform at basketball games, tailgates, Greek Life events and more. Byraissia also figured out ways to continue leading the team through the start of the pandemic by holding virtual auditions and hybrid practices.
In addition to the Devilettes Dance Team, she became a dance instructor for an after school enrichment program called Kid Zone. In this program she taught kids of diverse ages and backgrounds how to learn dance combinations and how to create movements of their own.
When Byraissia isn’t teaching, you can catch her longboarding, roller skating, taking photos
and making digital designs. She also loves spending time with her partner and friends as well as her dog, cat and bunny. Although Byraissia has many interests, dance will always be her first love. She is excited to share her passion for dance to her new ENCORE family.
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Nicholas Christopher
Nicholas Octavius Christopher (He/They) is a varied movement artist with education and participation in predominantly Street Styles with a focus on Hip Hop, Popping, Waving and various choreographic and freestyle approaches. A born and raised local to Beaverton/Portland, Oregon, he is very grateful to the PNW dance community for providing excellent educational opportunities, as well as the many dedicated local artists. As the son of a dance teacher (Valerie, Owner) he learned much. He has now been training seriously for nearly 15 years, and teaching for over 10.
Starting in the local freestyle battle scene, Nick (or “Octavius” as his artist's name), quickly began to travel to train and compete. Soon after, diving into the choreography and concert worlds. He is a season one member of Portland's Rip City Crew, and has won several awards for his choreographic work at events such as Monsters among others. As well as having his teams invited to perform at Vancouver Street Dance Festival. He and his students also participate in varied freestyle battles up and down the west coast with numerous awards. He himself recently traveled to compete in L.A., Montreal, and Amsterdam. As a lifelong student, Nick stays active and trains himself in these communities he teaches about. He also frequently runs, supports, or even Judges, many local events, battles, productions, or local dance sessions.
As director of the Street Styles program, he focuses on cultivating space for these styles, artists, and educators, in these often underserved disciplines with reverence to the black, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and other sacred legacies they come from. As well as fostering a high caliber Street Dance education and curriculum that gives the students a diverse experience to take into life or any path of the dance industry. As an Instructor, he centers on growth-mindset techniques and manageable growth zones of training. While focusing on nurturing the individual students' uniqueness and strengths.
Jeri Corbett
Jeri has a lifelong passion for performance arts. Having retired from a career in dance before having children, she was overjoyed to fill a role in the technical capacities of stagecraft with Village Home Education Center when her children were still young. Since then she has worked as a Production Manager and Stage Manager for community organizations in the Portland area, including The Portland Panto Players, Village Home Education Center and here at ENCORE Performing Arts Center.
She delights in the opportunities to connect with the dancers and parents of ENCORE through her administrative work at the studio, and cherishes every moment that she is able to LEAD WITH LOVE in this community.
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Decimus
Decimus Yarbrough has been a movement artist and musician since his early childhood. His movement repertoire currently ranges through numerous disciplines, such as; various Traditional West African Dance forms, Afro-Cuban, Salsa, Samba, Capoeira, Bboyin’, Hip Hop Freestyle and House Dance. Throughout the years, Decimus has traveled to various parts of the world to experience, share and learn from other cultures, with teaching credentials in places like Köln, Germany, Copenhagen, Denmark, Lyon, France, Almaty, Kazakhstan & more. For over 15 years now, Decimus has taught classes in residence with studios, along with workshops, camps and private lessons both locally & abroad. He has taught within collegiate programs such as Portland State University & Old Dominion University.
An extensive performance & choreographic career has also been established, having choreographed for companies such as Urban Artistry, Inc. & Viver: Afro-Contemporary Dance Company in Washintgton D.C. & Rejoice!: Diaspora Dance Theater in Portland, OR. He has performed in shows for prestigious recording artists such as Missy Elliot, Wale, Wu-Tang Clan and more. Decimus has been an artist in residence at Glosolí International Residency in Milan, Italy & New Expressive Works in Portland, OR.
In his rise as a vernacular / freestyle dancer, Decimus has achieved victories & great notoriety in various battle settings, such as; 2x Toprock & Footwork Champion at Krafty Basterds jam in Washington D.C., 2x Abyss: A House Dance Experience Champion in Washington D.C., Winner
of Sole Open: House Dance Battle in Philadelphia, PA, Finalist at The Originals: House Dance International in Stuttgart, Germany & many more notable moments throughout his extensive career.
Decimus’ mission is to advocate and preserve the urban dances and cultures that raised him, with his crew - Assassins: Warriors of Light based out of Washington D.C. With the firm belief that every artist remains a student for their entire journey, Decimus strives to be the best
messenger and bearer of tradition he can be, in order to inspire as many people as possible to grow into their full potential within their passion.
Marketa Duffin
Marketa Duffin has been dancing since the age of three and has loved every minute of it. She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop and African over the years. At twelve years old, she joined Deus Vault Dance Company and Rose City Ballet which performed at local elementary and junior high schools and also in Disneyland, Disneyworld, Bahamas, and various venues around the west coast. At 14, Marketa joined Elan Dance Company and performed with them around the NW, New York, California, and in Australia for the 2000 Olympics. She was also on the Hillsboro High School dance team throughout high school.
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Marketa graduated from Western Oregon University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Dance and a Minor in Communications. During college, she had the opportunity to be a guest artist for Rainbow Dance Theater and perform throughout the Northwest with them. She also attended the American College Dance Festival representing WOU for three years.
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Marketa has taught at, and choreographed for, various studios, pre-professional companies, professional companies and competitions around Oregon for the past 15 years. She took a brief hiatus from teaching during COVID to have her 2 kids, Maddox and Meeka, but is beyond excited to rejoin her ENCORE family.
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When Marketa is not dancing, she loves to spend her time with her husband and two kids exploring everything around the NW.
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Jada Terry
Jada began her journey and love for dance 20 years ago at Central Washington Dance Academy. In high school she danced for Orchesis dance company at Central Washington University. Upon graduating, she danced professionally for State Street Ballet and Ballet Idaho.
She has performed in ballets such as Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and several original works. She has several years of experience teaching ballet, pointe, stretch and strengthening classes, contemporary, PBT, and variations.
Jada is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, as well as being certified in Progressing Ballet Technique. Jada has a drive to always be learning and improving as a teacher, and is passionate about what she does. She is thrilled to be a part of the ENCORE family.
Juju Nikz
JuJu Nikz, a native of Portland, Oregon, embarked on her dance journey in 2013. Her love for dance led her to explore various dance communities globally. She has traveled and competed internationally in Open Style battles and Waacking categories, earning numerous victories. Her accolades include triumphs at the Jungle Spaceship Ball, Strike With Force, Beautiful Streets, SLAY from Utah, and an invitation to compete in the prestigious Dance Your Style Red Bull in 2020. Her influence extends far beyond the Pacific Northwest. She has choreographed many crews and companies throughout her dance career, leading her to showcase overseas.
She is passionate about the dance and is primarily a Waacker who teaches Waacking. JuJu has trained and loves learning multiple styles, such as Waacking, Vogue, Contemporary, House, Hip Hop, and more. But most importantly, she strives to understand the history of each dance style. She aims to ensure she understands and respects each dance style and learns the proper history/culture behind it.
As a testament to her leadership and commitment to the dance community, JuJu Nikz is the proud founder of the Egg Head Jam open-style battle event. This event provides a platform for dancers to showcase their skills and creativity; Fostering a sense of community and appreciation for the art of dance and imagination.
Cas Majewski
cas (they/she) grew up as a groove-inclined kiddo in Pittsburgh; with roots as an instrumental musician, tap was a longtime favorite artform. cas attended undergraduate school at northwestern university to study journalism and global health. while there, they found much unlearning and healing in their work with Billy Siegenfeld of Jump Rhythm, Jenai Cutcher, Tonik Tap, and Sterling Harris.
In portland, after pursuing grad school and a career in public health, education, and equity, they have continued choreographing, teaching, and dancing tap—most recently co-founding tapfusion group congruency dance collective with their sibling, tess majewski.
cas continues dreaming and scheming towards a future of collaboration, education, and growth.
Lisa Rose
Melissa Rumsey
Melissa Rumsey began dancing at a late age and fell in love from the first moment. She has worked professionally with The Schiff Dance Collective, Evolving Doors Dance, Danca Nova Dance Company, Rouge Co. Dance Company, BRIAH Danse, Industrial Dance Alliance and had the honor of performing in Florence, Italy through Alambrado. She has presented her own work both in Colorado and Oregon, through Industrial Dance Alliance and Floor’s In The Rough; her choreography has been used in a visual album by Bella Betts, and recently to create the dance on film Almagamation
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While teaching and working with competition studios all through the country she has been recognized by industry professionals for her “ground breaking” choreography and recently worked on faculty for Soul de Soul dance convention. Ms. Rumsey strives to instill a strong grasp of technique and a love for the artistry of dance in her students in a supportive environment.
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Ms. Rumsey is a certified personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist with training in Embodied Awareness injury prevention for dancers, Progressing Ballet Technique and many other dance medicine training tools. Using all these techniques to create a unique, sought after teaching style, Melissa trains dancers to learn how to use strength and flexibility to their advantage, keeping dancers strong and versatile for their whole careers.
Ramón Rodriguez
Ramón started his training in dance at age 17, immediately excelling in tumbling and contemporary dance. Ramón holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Western Oregon University where he worked with a host of guest artists such as Lauren Edson of Juilliard and Brian Eno of Chicago. At WOU he developed and strengthened his technical and ballet skills and began to develop and hone in on a keen eye and mind for choreography.
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In recent years, Ramón has performed with Disney’s Broadway caliber productions of Aladdin, Frozen and Believe. He has also toured Internationally with Rainbow Dance Theatre, lead by Directors/Choreographers Valerie Bergman and Darryl Thomas whose productions combine traditional dance movement and body integrated multi-media equipment.
Ramón has had the opportunity to Dance for and work with a number of notable Choreographers and Dance companies over the years, including Directors Dina Castelluccio & Karen Nerkowski of the New England Ballet Academy, and Danial Shapiro & Joanie Smith whose Company focuses on breathtaking physicality embedded in story-driven performances.
Lisa Rose, a native of Beaverton, is a dance instructor, performer, and choreographer with a passion for nurturing talent and inspiring creativity. From her earliest years, Lisa discovered her passion for storytelling, emotion, and the profound impact of dance on mental health, fostering her love for the art form. Her dedication and talent blossomed under the guidance of local instructors and through her involvement with many different dance and musical theatre companies in her adolescence.
It was during her formative years that Lisa discovered her love for teaching, initially assisting younger classes at the recreation centers. This passion for sharing her knowledge led her to pursue further training at the Arts and Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA) under the direction/instruction of Julane Stites, Felice Moskowitz, Jason and Michelle Davis, Kemba Shannon, Les Watanabe, and Terry Brock in the styles of ballet, tap, modern, and jazz, as well as being a part of the dance ensemble program.
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Lisa discovered her knack for breaking down concepts for beginners, which has become her specialty. She particularly enjoys sharing her passion for tap dancing and has taken great pleasure in developing and expanding the tap program at ENCORE, infusing it with creativity and fun while ensuring a strong foundation for her students.
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Since embarking on her teaching career in 2015, Lisa has shared her love of dance with students of all ages, nurturing talent and fostering a love for the art form. In 2017, she expanded her horizons into the realm of competitive dance, where her choreography and mentorship have propelled dancers to new heights of excellence.
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As a teacher, Lisa's focus is on providing a structured environment while incorporating fun and skill-based exercises to keep the students engaged. Currently, Lisa continues to enrich the lives of aspiring dancers as an integral part of the faculty at ENCORE Performing Arts Center, a role she has embraced for the past 9 years. Through her dedication, expertise, and boundless enthusiasm, Lisa remains committed to empowering the next generation of dancers, fostering their enjoyment of movement, and nurturing their dedication to artistry and creativity.
Sara White
Sara White was raised in Portland and began taking ballet lessons at the age of 7. Sara trained in ballet throughout her school years at Renoux Dance Studio in downtown Portland, under the direction of Christina Hintz. As a young dancer, Sara performed in Ballet West’s production of The Nutcracker as well as Pacific Northwest Ballet’s productions of both The Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sara attended summer dance intensives voth at Whitman College in Washington and the University of Oregon. In high school, Sara was a member of the Sunflares dance team at Sunset High School and her senior year the team was invited to perfrom at halftime of a Portland Trailblazers NBA playoff game.
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Sara continued to study dance, including jazz and tap, at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Due to a knee dislocation and subsequent surgeris, Sara did not dance for several years until she was about to graduate from college. At that time, Sara began training in tap with Sally Mack and also took classes from Terry Brock, both in the Portland area. In 2001, Sara and her huband relocated to Bend, Oregon where Sara began dancing with Gotta Dance! Studio and Company. Sara began teaching tap, ballet and jazz for Gotta Dance! In 2006 and also had the opportunity to compete in several competitions in the Pro-Am category including several years at the Hollywood Vibe Dance Convention and Competition. Aara co-choreographed three platinum and first place award winning tap routines and also competed with the Gotta Dance! Hip Hop crew. In 2010, Sara had the opportunity of her lifetime when she got to dance back up for her hero, Weird Al Yankovic, at his concert in Redmond, Oregon.
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Sara, her husband, and son moved back to the Portland area in 2011 and Sara began teaching tap, ballet and jazz at local studios around the Beaverton area. Sara contines to train when possible and greatly enjoys teaching her students and encouraging their growth as both dancers and individuals.
Oscar Guerrero
Bio Coming Soon!
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Piper Ryan
Piper Ryan (They/Them) began acting in community theatre at the age of fifteen, but had been performing long before that. Given any opportunity, they would get up and sing or tell a joke to anyone with ears (not much has changed)! After acting in nearly a dozen community theatre shows over the next three years, Valerie Dawn recruited Piper as a volunteer stage hand and assistant student director. Upon graduating college Valerie Dawn offered Piper a job at ENCORE and the rest, as they say, is history.
Piper studied at Southern Oregon University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a minor in Musical Theatre. They were involved with set design for several productions on the SOU Main Stage including Lucky Stiff and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as performing in Musical Theatre Showcase as part of the SOU Fringe festival.
Acting credits include community performances with K.I.D.D.S.; High School Musical 3, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Grease, Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter the Musical, as well as the film adaptation of Stefanie Meyer’s classic novel, Twilight. When they're not teaching at ENCORE, Piper can be found at their full time job as a school registrar, baking delicious treats, or working on one of their many D&D campaigns.
Moira Corbett
"Originally from the California Bay Area, Moira began dancing at age 11 in Drogheda, Ireland. Upon moving back to the States Moira split her time dancing at The Portland Ballet and Encore Performing Arts Center where she also began assisting with the younger classes under Valerie Dawn and Lisa Rose.
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From her first time assisting Moira grew an immense love for sharing her passion of dance with young dancers, and after spending a season dancing for BodyVox's junior company she began teaching full time.
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Currently in school to become a Sports Medicine Physical Therapist, Moira loves nothing more than spending her time teaching and cultivating young artists' passion and drive for the arts."