
– 2021 season dancers –
Carly Mann
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Education: BA in Dance from San Jose State University
Dance Background: Carly began her dance training in Fremont, CA at the age of 7. She has extended her training in San Jose, San Francisco, Colorado and Montana. In Billings, she has performed in Rimrock Opera performances, other independent projects, five seasons with Terpsichore Dance
Company, and two seasons with Arc: A Montana Dance Collective. She has directed professional concerts as co-founder of El’s Clay, a non-profit organization devoted to sharing meaningful messages to the community.
Carly has been a dance educator and youth mentor for over 15 years, teaching Modern, Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, and KinderDance. She is currently in her 8th year as co-director of Motion Arts Dance Company, a youth dance company that mirrors the structure of a professional dance company. Carly is excited to continue exposing dance to more of the Billings population!
Favorite Dance Experience: Performance wise - performing a trio piece that closed the evening Gala Performance at the American College Dance Festival. Teaching Wise - Watching her daughter show a love for dance at such a young age!
Christina Taylor
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Education: Bachelor of Art in Dance from Weber State University
Dance Background: Christina danced with pick-up companies doing independent projects in Utah during and after getting a dance degree. She then started state-hopping and growing her family. She is grateful that one of those hops landed her in Billings where she began dancing with the Arc dancers in 2015.
Favorite Dance Experience: Choreographing, and performing, a duet during the time when Christina had two small kids. Her friend and her mainly rehearsed around them in her living room and often ended up dancing with a small child in their arms. Besides being memorable, it turned out to be one of her favorite pieces of choreography ever.
Heather Gale
Hometown: Billings, MT
Education: BS from Duke University and MD from Boston University.
Dance Background: Heather danced with The Dance Factory in Billings in high school. While in college, she was a member of the Duke Dancing Devils competitive dance team from 2002-2006. After moving to Boston for medical school, she danced at Jeannette Neill Dance School of Dance, which offers adult drop-in and performance classes. She moved back to Billings in 2017, had her first baby Delilah, and
joined Arc in 2019 while pregnant with her second baby Iris.
Favorite Dance Experience: Dancing in Cameron Indoor Stadium during men’s and women’s basketball games while attending Duke University.
Heather Webster
Hometown: Billings, MT
Education: BS in Business Marketing, BA in Dance from the University of Montana, Juris Doctor - University of Montana School of Law.
Dance Background: Heather trained with Betty Loos at the Billings School of Classical Ballet, then majored in dance at the University of Montana. While in law school, she continued dancing in Missoula. Upon returning to Billings, Heather was a founding member of the Terpischore Dance Company in 2010, and has now been dancing with Arc since its creation.
Favorite Dance Experience: Dancing in the School of Classical Ballet’s recital with Terpsichore when my daughters were also performing. It was so amazing to get to be on the Alberta Bair stage dancing as an adult with dancers I grew up dancing with, while my children were performing on the same stage. What a full circle amazing moment!
Kate Blakeslee
Hometown: Billings, Montana
Education: BS of Biology and Masters of Physician Assistant Studies
Dance Background: Formative years include School of Classical Ballet, Tracy’s School of Dance, and Summer Dance Lab. Performing experience include Dance Ensemble at PLU, Terpsichore Dance Co., HaltForce Art Collective, Arc: a Montana Dance Collective.
Favorite Dance Experience: Performing and collaborating with powerful women in both Terpsichore and Arc continues to be a source of inspiration, camaraderie, and joy. I am forever grateful.
Kristie Martin
Hometown: Billings, MT
Education: BS and MS in Elementary Education with a minor in Art Education (emphasis in Dance) from MSU-Billings, Walden University and the University of Montana Dance Program.
Dance Background: Kristie trained her whole life dancing in Billings, MT. Rimview Dance Studio, CDS The Edge Performing Arts Center and the School of Classical Ballet all shaped her foundational technique. In her first year of college she performed with the University of Montana dance team and studied in their dance program. Through the rest of her college years she spent time teaching jazz and technique
classes at CDS and The School of Classical Ballet in Billings, MT. She also spent time dancing with many dance studios in LA, California to continue her training in jazz, modern, ballet and tap. She has been teaching jazz at the School of Classical Ballet here in Billings for nearly 20 years and was one of the
original dancers of Terpsichore Dance company and now continues to dance with Arc.
Favorite Dance Experience: Dancing at Hamas Dance Center in LA, California and training there with some of the most talented dancers.
Leigh Schanfein
Hometown: Los Alamos, NM
Education: MS in kinesiology with a specialization in biomechanics from Purdue University; BS in animal physiology and neuroscience with a minor in dance from the University of California San Diego.
Dance Background: Leigh has trained and performed across the USA and abroad in modern, ballet, and contemporary dance, and was a freelance dancer based in NYC for over a decade before moving to Montana. She has performed with companies such as City Ballet of San Diego, Indelible Dance, Christopher Caines Dance Company, Yoo and Dancers, Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre, and the Park Avenue Armory, and has guested with Benjamin Briones Ballet, New American Youth Ballet, Lafayette Ballet, and CONNetic Dance. She has performed in commercial productions including on stage with comedian Hannibal Buress as part of the Oddball Comedy Tour, during Fashion Week NYC for designers such as Malan Breton, and for brands such as Xerox, Suave, Oreo, and Estee Lauder. Leigh is a former Director of Dance for Periapsis Music and Dance, where her choreography was described as "gorgeous and lush," and has co-produced ArtSpaß salons since 2019.
Favorite Dance Experience: Any time I get to dance with friends is a wonderful and extra-fulfilling experience!
Maribel Parman
Hometown: Chihuahua, Mexico
Education: Bachelor in Business administration and Marketing with a Master in curriculum and
instruction with a major in Spanish literature and language. She owns a Dance Latin certification.
Dance background: Maribel has danced and professionally trained in Mexico with Danza Jazz Stage, Broadway Dance New York, Velocity Seattle and many more. She is one of the founders from Terpsichore Dance Company and now a member of Arc. Maribel is currently the Co-Director of Madco and director of Raizetna Competitive Dance Company.
Maribel has won awards from AMTC International Talent and Dance Competition. She was Assistant Director & dancer for the Outlaws Dance Team (awarded as the Best IFL National team). She's performed with the Rimrock Opera under the direction of Krista Pasini, was a background dancer for Patron G & comedian Hannibal, and was an opening concert/dancer for Eric Bellinger.
Favorite Dance Experience: During one of Terpsichore's dance concerts, she vividly remembers connecting to Heather as she was being lifted & she realized – nothing else can make her feel so very alive!
Morgan Shaw Dake
Hometown: Vacaville, CA; Charlo, MT
Education: BFA Dance – The Ohio State University; Juris Doctor – University of Montana School of Law.
Dance Background: Morgan danced professionally in Seattle for several years before heading to law school. She began dancing with the Arc dancers here in Billings in 2014.
Favorite Dance Experience: A series of house party performances with her dance crew in Seattle.