Our Instructors + Staff
Valerie Dawn
Valerie Dawn's (she/her) passion for movement and music arts was ignited by an eccentric mover (Debi Dirks) at a young age. Her life has been filled with training, performing, competing, education in many dance styles, acting, musical theatre, acrobatics, modeling and child/adolescent development.
Her passion for the performing arts, love for the youth and strong desire to influence, express, and create, symbiotically united and she began teaching, directing, and choreographing for schools, studios, recreation centers, churches, private events, and more.
Valerie's ability to direct and cast vision has allowed her to launch four comprehensive dance and theatre programs at local centers for both preschool and adolescents. She has choreographed, performed and competed across the United Stated, produced more than 500 shows and directed/written 70+ musicals, while influencing and educating more than 200,000 youth in the last 37 years.
In 2000, Valerie launched two companies, Rhythm of my Heart Dance Academy & K.I.D.D.S. Musical Theatre Company. In 2011, circumstances arose that allowed Valerie's dream of owning her own performing arts brick and mortar to become a reality. She folded up her two companies and opened ENCORE Performing Arts Center.
She has been and continues to be the owner and operator of ENCORE since 2011.
Valerie is a Mom of three, cancer survivor and a continuous student of performing arts, self development, natural living and life. Her students are known to make their mark in the dance & musical theatre industry and/or develop into well-rounded humans that influence the world with confidence, acceptance of self and others, team skills, empathy, hard work and compassion.
"Begets. 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." ~ Valerie Dawn
Liz Aguila
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Liz Aguila is a Filipina-American performing artist, choreographer, and movement mentor who comes from a background of exploration, connection, and communication. Her work aims to reflect these core motives, through multifaceted talents, to encapsulate what makes her, her!
Credits include: Kanye West Coachella, Toni Braxton Live, Selena Gomez MV, Ruby Ibarra Live, and more! Acting credits: Co-starring in Code Black on CBS, guest starring in Family Reunion on Netflix, and being cast as a dancer in the movie Dance Camp on YouTube Red!
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.
Eva Burton
Eva Burton was born in Los Angeles, where she received training from Patrick Frantz, followed by San Francisco Ballet School. In 2010, she joined OBT as a dancer in the corps de ballet; in 2016, she was promoted to soloist.
She cites OBT’s Giants program as especially significant: She performed in George Balanchine’s Serenade and William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and was promoted after the first show. By extension, favorite roles include the Waltz Girl from Balanchine’s Serenade, as well as Nutcracker’s Sugarplum Fairy.
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Nicholas Christopher
An educator of over 10 years, Nicholas Octavius Christopher (He/Them) is a movement artist who’s training has been primarily in many Street Styles, specializing in Hip Hop, Popping, Street Style based choreography, and freestyle approach. He's additionally trained in Breaking, House, and a variety of other styles. As director of the Street Styles program, Nicholas focuses on cultivating space for styles, artists, and educators to foster a curriculum of diverse approaches. He seeks to give gratitude and recognition to the Black, Latinx, and LGBTQIA+ communities these styles were created and informed by, as well as the myriad of other cultures we partake in.
Starting with local heros like Donna aka DonnaMation, Conrad “Icon Sleepy Tut”, Todd aka Pop'N Tod, and various other freestyle and choreography artists, Nick soon began traveling to Seattle, Colorado, LA, and Vancouver, BC to further his training. (Shout out to Massive Monkees Studio: The Beacon, Block 1750, Movement Lifestyle, Center Space and the PDX dance and battle community for holding it down for the culture and community.) He has further enriched himself by continually participating in various workshops held by both local and traveling artists. He's had the opportunity to learn from many street style and industry experts likes Mr.Wiggles, Pop'N Pete, Link Brian, Buddha Stretch, Bboy Storm, Franky J, Kapela, Jesse Sykes, Kosi, amongst other local and industry freestylists and choreographers. He was also a member of season one all Mens Blazer Dancers (2019), addtionally appearing on a Fox Sports commercial (2019). He and his students have both won and been finalists in various local battles and competitions. He considers his eclectic interests and constant studentship key to his approach. He's continues to train, travel, battle, compete, and create all while endeavoring to nurturing his students' and communities' growth.
He attributes his teaching ability in large part to his mother, Valerie (the owner), who taught for 20+ years before opening ENCORE. He continues to demonstrate and develop a unique expression and exploration in movement arts in many forms with a visceral emphasis on diversity and foundation. On hiatus during the COVID-19 Pandemic, he was at and is intending to return to community college. An avid reader, academic and further education remains a priority.
“My philosophy as a coach and instructor, especially of youth, is many fold but centers on empathy, honesty, strength and growth-mindset based technique. A core drive of mine is helping nurture the ability to be joyous and still seriously train in the same instance. This can be difficult, many sacrifice play for skill or diligence for recreation, when the two in fact go hand in hand.”
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.
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.
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.
When Marketa is not dancing, she loves to spend her time with her husband and two kids exploring everything around the NW.
Oscar Guerrero
Bio Coming Soon!
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Mary Llyod
Mary Lloyd was born and raised in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Anderson University in May 2019 with her bachelor’s degree in Dance Business.
Her dance training consists of ballet, modern, jazz, musical theatre, and improv. In April 2019, she performed in her first professional show with the world premiere of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre’s production of Exodus, a modern adaptation of the Moses story. She previously performed in Cuchi Cuchi and Trail of Tears, two pieces featured at Anderson University that were also set by guest choreographer Gregory Hancock. She’s also performed in pieces choreographed by Christine Thacker, Cole Companion, Erich Yetter, and Shauna Steele.
Mary has also worked as a dance instructor/choreographer for the Creative and Performing Arts Academy of NEPA’s Playhouse Division at the Ritz Theater, and most recently as the ballet/jazz instructor for Ecclesia School of the Arts.
In addition to teaching ballet, jazz, and tap at Encore Performing Arts Center for three years, she's had some of her own choreography showcased at the Migrating Crows Festival and Fusion PDX.
When she's not taking class herself, teaching, choreographing in her living room and making sure her black cat Midnight stays out of trouble, she also enjoys drawing, writing, and going on walks in the cemetery.
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.
Ireland McNeill
Ireland loves teaching and is passionate about “the arts and education.” She holds a Master's of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland. She's worked hard to fuse her academic self with her artistic self. She is a classically trained soprano with a music minor, and she recently joined the Light Opera of Portland as a company member.
When she isn't performing, teaching, or dancing for fun, you might find her reading or laughing at her own jokes. She is currently Education Program Manager at Village Home Education and Resource Center.
Juju Nikz
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I have been dancing and traveling since 2013. Once I fell in love with dance the next step for me was to travel and see other dance communities.
My first experience with Waacking is when I took a workshop from Kumari Suraj back in 2013 and from there she helped me to become a Waacker and most importantly taught me the history and the back ground of Waacking. Lorena V also helped me with my techniques and training to become a better Waacker as well.
I do the following dance styles, Waacking, Vogue, House, Fem Hip Hop and Lyrical Hip Hop... In 2015 I won a Waacking category at the Jungle Space Ship Ball. Also, in 2018 I won a 7-to-smoke All Styles In Portland called Beautiful Street. I won the Vogue Category in Salt Lake City called SLAY, won a Waacking category in LA called Strike With Force which the winner flys to Canada to compete in the top 8, and I was the only one to represent the USA.
I’ve been teaching different dance styles all over the Pacific North West. I’ve done workshops and choreographed for many companies in the Pacific North West and outside of the Pacific North West as well. Such as 11:Dance.Co, Groove Nation, Steps PDX, Vega Dance Lab, VMAC, Element Dance Studio, MVP Dance Elite, Lyfe, and many more.
I’ve been a part of many companies as well such as 11:Dance.Co, House of Ada, Groove Nation and their WOD company back in 2015, MVP Dance Elite, Lyfe Dance Company... I also have my own company called Mystical Creatures.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.