Studio SCHEDULE

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Nika

Nika is the founder and creative director of NK STUDIOS. A White Salmon native, Nika learned to dance & paint in the very community that houses NK STUDIOS. Influenced by her Persian heritage, she grew up dancing with her family. She danced at Columbia Gorge Dance Academy and later for the Trojan Dance Force at the University of Southern California. Drawing from her experience performing on the basketball court and instructing Zumba, she creates dance classes & choreography that energize and inspire, teaching at studios locally and abroad for more than a decade. She has an undeniable charisma and approachable style that has attracted all ages and skill levels to her classes.

Nika transferred her in-person dance classes outdoors and to ZOOM when the pandemic hit and has created an ever-growing community of people both in person and online who believe movement is medicine. She realized we would all need a space to dance in once the world emerged from the pandemic, and thus, created NK STUDIOS.

Nika is dedicated to community & inclusivity. Noticing a disparity in the demographics of her dance classes, Nika founded the NK Choreo Dance Scholarship Fund in 2019 with a goal of providing 10 full-ride dance scholarships to students from historically underserved groups. Thanks to a generous community driven by the ideals of equality and justice, the goal was met in less than 2 weeks. She believes this is a testament to the power of community coming together to support each other. This fund continues to grow and provide financial support for dancers who need it.

She is excited to collaborate & share her passion for the dance, movement, art, and community with you.

CARLYE

Carlye started dancing with the Haley Pendergast school of Irish Dance in Olympia, Washington and immediately found her home-away-from-home. She added ballet to her training as a way to further develop as an Irish dancer, and quickly fell in love with that too. She performed ballet and Irish dance throughout the Northwest growing up - with the Ballet Northwest youth company, and as part of an Irish Dance performance team. She started performing professionally with Kokoro Modern Dance Company in Vancouver, BC, and became convinced that performing, teaching and living dance was the right path for her. Carlye founded and directed the Seattle Irish Dance Company, a professional performance company focused on performance Irish dance. The group toured in Ireland and throughout the US, performing with musicians like The Chieftains, Gaelic Storm and Old Blind Dogs.

Throughout her professional career, Carlye has shared her love of movement with others - she teaches ballet, Irish dance, creative movement and yoga. She's passionate about making movement accessible to everyone - and committed to finding a path to success for every student. She's taught in school districts and university settings, taught and developed curriculum at private dance studios, and has training and experience teaching brain compatible dance education. In 2019, she deepened her movement practice by completing her 200 hour yoga teacher training.

SARA

Dance has forever been a huge part of Sara’s life. She took her first ballet class at the age of 7 at Columbia Gorge Dance Academy and trained to become a Company Dancer studying ballet, jazz, hip hop, and modern. She continued her dance education at Savannah College of Art & Design studying fashion and dance in Savannah, Georgia, and Hong Kong. In her time there she focused on modern and ballet and performed in countless productions. After university, she moved to New York City where she found a new style of dance that she fell in love with—dance fitness. The blend of learning non-stop fast choreography while simultaneously working out left her energized and empowered like never before. She channeled that same energy and spent time working for one of the top dance fitness companies in the city. With a continuing mission to empower and support others, Sara leads her classes with high energy, positivity, and encouragement.

She is so excited to be back teaching in her hometown that first catered to her love of dance—a true full-circle moment and she is so glad you are part of it.

NICOLE

Nicole has taught a variety of active sports throughout her life including swimming, kiteboarding, dance, and dance fitness.  With a professional career in construction management, she enjoys the social and physical aspects of teaching.  She became a Zumba certified instructor in 2018 and taught her own class in White Salmon.  In 2020 she became certified in 'Dance Party Hustle' dance fitness and taught that format in-person and online (look for Nicole's 30-minute DPH workout in the NK Virtual Library).  She has since developed her own style of dance fitness called 'Twerk Out', which began as the 'Turkey Twerk Out' first taught on Thanksgiving morning.  She strives to be an active member of the community and has developed other classes when she finds a need, such as 'Toddler - Introduction to Dance', which she teaches with her husband and son. Seeing the rising popularity of country line dancing, she began teaching that format in November of 2022.  In response to student requests for more opportunities to social dance, she organized and led ‘Country Night at the Bingen Theater’.  She aims to keep her classes lighthearted and fun by adding themes, props, and extra flair whenever possible. You can find her on Instagram at @dancing_with_nicole_.

TAY

Tay Lynne is a Hood River native who began dancing at the age of two. When she moved to Austin, TX nine years ago she found herself in need of something different. So she turned to pole dancing. After several competitions and shows, she became a pole teacher in Utah where she taught regular scheduled classes but also choreography privates. Besides teaching and performing pole, she also is a professional circus photographer and filmmaker.

JILL

Jill Catherine loves to move. She has been teaching and performing dance across the US since 2009, is a certified barre and pilates instructor with a daily yoga practice for more than two decades. She co-founded/directed a dance and drum center and non-profit organization in Syracuse, NY for 10 years, and had her own studio on the North Shore of Oahu before moving to White Salmon, WA. 

A college athlete, Jill hails from Syracuse, New York. She immersed herself in cultural dance and drum arts in 2002 and studied with master teachers at the renowned Djoniba Dance & Drum Center in New York City. She has trained and performed in New York, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Seattle, as well as abroad in Cuba, India, Kenya, and the Ivory Coast. Since 2014, Jill has performed as a dance and drum soloist at national conferences, universities, and events. 

Jill centers her artistry on empowerment, peacemaking, and the understanding of our body as an instrument of purpose and service to the world. Her style of movement is a unique blend of the traditions she has studied coupled with her authentic expression. 

She is a certified life coach, the author of the book, “A New Body Consciousness” and a TEDx speaker: “Courage To Do What Calls You.” Learn more about her work at www.jillcatherine.net.

Colette

Always a fan of dance and movement, Colette has been a student of belly dance for over 25 years.  While studying fusion belly dance in San Francisco, she was introduced to the movements and music from North Africa and never looked back.  As a member of an internationally known performance troupe, Colette has taught and performed belly dance throughout the American West and Europe.  As the director of her own Pacific Northwest performance troupe, Colette nurtured students from new beginners to advanced dancers.  Seeking to deepen her knowledge of the dances that inspired fusion belly dance, Colette continues to study with dancers and musicians from source cultures and continues to explore a variety of dance styles.  Her goal is to continue to develop as a dancer and to inspire others to discover how dance and creativity can enrich their life.

ROSE

As a mom and nurse, with a mermaid soul, Rose wears her heart on her sleeve. She is a lover of dance, music, exercise, and the outdoors. Rose brings a unique history of movement to her classes at NK STUDIOS. A Bay Area native, she relocated to The Gorge as a teen. With a passion for dance and watersports, as well as a love of music and exercise, she naturally fell in love with teaching fitness classes as an adult. Trained in barre, Pilates, and rowing, she has been teaching movement classes in the Gorge since 2015. The belief that connection and community are the key to personal happiness drives the vibe of Rose's classes. A combination of resistance band work, Pilates and barre inspired movement, as well as tempo-based cardio bursts, Rose blends a true fusion of her favorite movement practices in the studio. As an instructor, Rose's goal is to see her clients smile, sweat, and maybe sing along, leaving her classes stronger and more confident than when they arrived.

Allan

Allan is a kid’s dance teacher at NK Studios. He taught Bolly X and Zumba classes in California, and has also been teaching kids how to ski, snowboard, and swim most of his life. While earning a philosophy degree at UC Berkeley, he danced in the Ballet Company at Berkeley. He began dancing ballet as a teen, but still most of his hours dancing have been freestyle dancing at concerts, festivals, celebrations, salsa nights, and anywhere else music plays.

Allan is also a musician and composer and is living out his dream of being the lead singer of his own jazz funk band called Balladiers. In staying true to his dreams, he maintains a playful optimism and open mindedness, making him a natural kid’s dance teacher, and a great facilitator for movement instruction.

Gracen

Gracen is third generation born and raised in the Columbia River Gorge. Once upon a time, her grandfather said "we've got a dancer" and signed her up for her first dance class at CGDA when she was three. She has been busting moves and exploring a myriad of dance practices ever since. Gracen holds a M.A. in Gerontology and works with older adults throughout OR and WA. She believes in the power of movement and the arts to build resilient intergenerational communities. She loves facilitating space for people at every stage of life to dance, play, and be in their bodies. Gracen is also an interdisciplinary artist and explores mask-making and large puppets that center on aging and the wellspring of her inner child. 

Clare

With a lifelong passion for dance, Clare offers a rich blend of ballet, contemporary, and hip hop in her classes. Her journey includes performing with the Zapp Dance Company in Eugene, Oregon, and extensive training in various dance styles throughout her life. After taking a meaningful pause to raise three children, Clare returned to dance through NK STUDIOS, which reignited her passion and led her to continuing her dance education to become an instructor. As a dance instructor intern at NK STUDIOS, she has trained & continues to train with Nika Kermani, the owner of NK STUDIOS. Her teaching is centered on the belief that authentic expression is the essence of dance. Clare creates a safe and inspiring space where students can explore moving their bodies free of judgement and inhibition. Through playful movement and deep emotional connection, she leads students to awaken their inner essence and fully embody their true selves. She is dedicated to sharing and expanding her love for dance through teaching at NK STUDIOS and beyond. 

Christa joy

A proud Hood River Valley native, Christa joy began dancing at the age of four at the Columbia Gorge Dance Academy and trained there through high school. As a founding member of the CGDA Company Dancers, CJ built a solid foundation in ballet, jazz, and hip hop. After furthering her dance education and performing with multiple dance troupes in Eugene, CJ returned to Hood River with a mission—to share that passion as an instructor at CGDA. Over 13 years, she grew the Hip Hop and Contemporary departments from 20 students to nearly 100, leaving an indelible mark on the local dance community.

In 2006, Christa Joy expanded her expertise by becoming a certified Barre3 instructor and steadily advanced from instructor mentor to corporate trainer and ultimately to Senior Producer. Drawing from a diverse array of education in multiple fitness modalities—including yoga, Pilates, and strength training—CJ has developed an energetic, challenging teaching style grounded in an expert understanding of body anatomy and precise cueing for proper form and alignment. Most recently, two transformative years teaching at private studios in Tahoe have further refined her approach.

Known for sessions that are beat-driven with fire playlists, CJ is passionate about helping people build strength and reduce injury—not only on the mat but in everyday life as we age and as we get after all our favorite outdoor adventures in the Gorge!