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STAFF



the people



Jen Burnett: Owner / Director, Company & Academy Instructor


Jen founded the studio in 2008. She saw a need in the area for a studio that was more family-focused and inclusive. Jen has danced since she could walk and has taught dance to both competitive and recreational teams for the past 17 years. With one degree in Film Studies and another degree in Elementary Education, Jen has experience in producing and teaching, which help her in her responsibilities in the studio. Jen has won many choreography and studio awards over the years. She has an incredible staff that has supports her in all her goals, one of her main goals being giving dancers a safe and positive environment to dance in. Being in the dance world has brought her many life lessons, opportunities, and life-long friendships. Jen feels very blessed to know she is part of these dancer’s childhoods and considers herself fortunate to have this as her career. Apart from directing the studio, Jen is a mother of two awesome kids and considers the studio a part of the family. She is also a lover of all things Harry Potter, Disney, road trips, history, tubing rivers, camping, diet coke, and chocolate.



Heather Jones: Studio Manager


Heather has been dancing for over 25 years. The second she stepped into the studio she knew she was home! She danced, assisted and taught classes for years while growing up in Cache Valley. In high school, Heather danced with the drill team and was a member of the team presidency her Senior year. During college, she continued to take classes wherever she could find them. Once she married her high school sweetheart and started her family, she took Zumba classes as often as possible just for a few minutes of dance time. Eventually she started teaching Zumba for fun. Her daughter has been dancing with Diversity Dance since she was 2 and Heather has loved it here. Once the opportunity to start teaching opened up, Heather jumped at the chance! Heather loves teaching and getting to share her love of dance. She wants all her students to have fun and love coming to dance class as much as Heather loves being there! She also wants to help her dancers become kind, confident, well-rounded people. When not dancing, Heather is a proud mother to three beautiful children and is a loving wife. She runs an Etsy shop and is finishing her college degree online. She also has a huge love for photography, blogging, sewing, and panda bears.




Shauntay Olson: Tumbling Director


Shauntay started taking tumbling and dance at the age of 3. By the age of 9 she was taking power tumbling and gymnastics from USA in Ogden. Shauntay enjoyed going to many competitions for tumbling, including State and Nationals. She was ranked 2nd in the Nation for her level, placing just behind a team member by only 1/10th of a point. Her favorite passes included full twists and back fronts. She was also a Cheerleader in High School where she loved all aspects of the sport. With Shauntay having a background in dance as well, she is able to teach the importance of technique into tumbling. She can spot anything from a cartwheel to a full twist. Shauntay has a love for children and the ability to manage any chaos kids can throw at her! Shauntay is married and a mother of three.



Natalie Porter: Ballet Director, Company Instructor

Natalie Willes Porter has danced and been an arts advocate all her life. Starting from the age of 3, she received instruction from some of the very best. In 2011, she received her bachelor's degree in Dance Performance from WSU where she received full tuition scholarships in choir and dance each semester she was there. While attending Weber State, Natalie performed with Orchesis Dance Theater, Moving Company, attended American College Dance Festival Association, attended a worldwide acknowledged conference in New York City where she was able to take classes at Alvin Alvey Americal Dance Theatre and Broadway Dance Center. She has been fortunate enough to bestow her love of dance through teaching and coaching in studios, drill teams, and award-winning solos. In 2016, Natalie became an SSA certified personal trainer and was able to train clients pertaining to workouts and nutritional guidance within a gym atmosphere. Natalie has a great love for all the performing arts but singing and musical theater have a special place in her heart. She has been a member of numerous choirs, special groups, and musicals throughout her young training years as well as throughout college and afterwards. Natalie's greatest calling and accomplishjments in life have been her family. Married in the Bountiful LDS Temple to her husband of 14 years, they are blessed with three beautiful children, Paizlim Greyson, and Beckham.



Jenie Labrum: Creative Movement


Jenie was raised in South Eastern Utah and has loved dance since she can remember. Having four younger sisters, Jenie began teaching dance early. She would hold “dance” classes for all the neighborhood kids. In junior high and high school she danced on the school Drill/Dance teams and had the opportunity to take ballet classes from CEU. To give back to her community, Jenie taught dance classes once a week to younger dancers with her teammates. Jenie was fortunate enough to gain a dance scholarship and was able to dance in college where she fell in love with contemporary dance and performing arts. Jenie was also a member of the Baggerettes; the Snow College dance team, which afforded her many amazing dance experiences. After college, dance took a backseat as Jenie’s growing family became the love of her life. She still found ways to fill her love of creative dance though with teaching aerobic classes, which include floor, step, kickboxing, spinning, hip hop hustle, Zumba, interval, and currently Jazzercise. Jenie immensely enjoys teaching children the art of dance, how to move their bodies and express themselves through their movements. She loves to teach them HOW to dance and how to LOVE dance, which is what Creative Movement is all about.



Kortnee Balls: Company & Academy Instructor, Tumbling Assistant


Kortnee has danced since before she can remember and considers dance her greatest passion. She trained with a local studio for 10 years in all forms of dance including ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, contemporary, and tap. She then went on to become a member of her high school Drill Team where she served as team Secretary and made the All-Region Drill team. After graduation, Kortnee then went on to dance at Snow College on their recreational team and helped teach at a few local studios. She has always considered dancing an escape and a place for her to express herself and hopes to be able to share that with her students. She has helped teach and choreograph many dances over the years and fits in perfectly at Diversity Dance with her drive and passion.



Sydney Bott: Company and Academy Instructor

Sydney was born and raised in Perry, Utah. She has loved to dance since the first year she competed at the age of 3 years old. She grew up dancing in jazz, hip hop, lyrical, musical theater, and contemporary. She has trained at many national conventions with the industry's top instructors in all genres. Sydney was a member of the Box Elder Drill team for 3 years. She was a Top Corp nominee twice and received an Epic Drill camp award for Most Improved. She was an officer for two years and her senior year, she served as Drill Captain, Sydney loves to travel and has had the opportunity to travel to Australia, New York, Boston, and Nauvoo where she was a performer in the Nauvoo Pageant. Sydney loves teaching and sharing her passion and love for dance with her students. She hopes to inspire and help her students reach their highest potential in dance and in life!

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Karlee Fifield: Company and Academy Instructor

Karlee has been dancing since she was just 3 years old and never wants to stop! She was born in Brigham City, Utah and graduated from Box Elder High School where she was a four-year member of the Rockettes Drill Team. She is currently attending Weber State University and majoring in Elementary Education. Karlee loves to share her passion for dance with her dancers and is so grateful to be able to teach!

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Heather Hansen: Tumbling Coach


Heather has been involved in the dance world since the age of 3. She has been on competitive teams in power tumbling and cheerleading since age 12. After graduating high school, she became a power tumbling coach and was the cheerleading coach at West Point Junior High School for several years. She loves teaching and is passionate about the awesome sport of tumbling! Heather has been married for 14 years and has 4 wonderful children.



Cherry Burnett: Creative Movement, Assistant Tumbling Coach


Cherry gets to be the grandmother of the studio as she is Jen’s mom! Cherry was born and raised in the big city of Ogden, Utah. She spent her whole childhood tumbling and dancing. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she wanted a big family. Her wish came true with four wonderful children who grew up way too fast. Cherry also runs “The Cherry On Top”, which is workout classes in the studio weekday mornings at 5:00 AM! Cherry loves working with children and she has 50 years of experience in gathering kids together, teaching them to learn and grow, and to have fun together. Cherry’s goal in life is to be an example of kindness and to help others see the good in themselves by doing their very best. Cherry is excited to work with your children and to assist the parents in building great kids with high self-esteem and a bright future!



Justin "Spot" Beecher: Tap Instructor

Spot has been performing on stages throughout Northern Utah for over 32 years. From live theater to dance troupes, many years of different experiences have helped create a passion for performing arts of all types. Favoring tap dancing, he has had the opportunity to be a featured tap dancer in several live theatrical productions. Recently, he has begun choreographing for shows such as "Nunsense", "Something Rotten", "42nd Street", and "Crazy for You" to name a few. You can usually catch him at the local community theater. If he is not on stage doing a production or directing a new production, he is spending his time with he wife and two children. Most likely involving games, movies, or taking the dogs out for a walk. He loves to teach tap dance! His goal is to educate and inspire a similar love for tap dancing and the styles it can bring as a performance style and art.

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Jacinda Heyder: Lead Front Desk Receptionist

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Annie Bywater: Front Desk Receptionist

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