Faculty Biographies
Kathleen McCormick, Program Director
Ballet, Pointe
Kathleen McCormick trained in California at the Marin Civic Ballet and continued her studies at ABT, American Ballet Center and the Banff School of the Arts. As a student she was honored with scholarships from the San Francisco Ballet and North Carolina School of the Arts. She danced professionally with Nevada Dance Theatre, Joffrey II, Joffrey City Center Ballet and the Banff Touring Co. She has taught at The Dance Studio, Washington Dance Forum, Washington Academy of the Performing Arts, Dance Fremont and the University of Washington. Formerly she directed the American Ballet Conservatory, ABCDance and the Seattle Youth Ballet. As a teacher and Director of Preparatory Dance Kathleen hopes that our students benefit from experiencing the Joy of Effort and that dance becomes an integral part of their lives.
Steve Casteel
Ballet
Steve Casteel received his early training from the Jan Column School of Classic Ballet in Tacoma, WA. At the age of 16 he trained and performed with Boston Ballet II. He danced with Houston Ballet from 1987 to 1997 where he became a soloist. Steve received his BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in 2002, and an MFA from the University of Arizona in 2004. He has taught at Spectrum Dance Theater, Dance Fremont, Cornish College of the Arts Seattle, Berkeley Ballet Theater, University of Washington and Bainbridge Dance Center.
Leigh-Ann Cohen-Hafford
Ballet, Pointe
Leigh- Ann Cohen Hafford served as the Artistic Director of the Conservatory Ballet of Washington and the Ballet Department at Washington Academy of the Performing Arts for several years. She was a dance faculty member at Oakland University, MI and assistant coach with Ballet B.C. She performed and toured internationally with companies in North America including Ballet B.C., Ballet Jurgen, Metropolitan Ballet Theater and Pennsylvania Ballet. Her choreography has been performed by numerous companies in Canada and the United States. She holds a diploma in dance training and Spanish dance.
Tinka Gutrick-Dailey
Special Techniques, Jazz, Theatre Dance
Tinka began her training in New York City with the prestigious Harkness Ballet and went on to tour the world extensively in a number of Broadway shows as well as being principal/soloist with the American Dancemachine for 10 years. She has served as assistant to Lee Theodore and Agnes DeMille, and has worked with some of Broadways’ most notable choreographer/directors. She has taught Theatre Dance throughout the country including LA and NY’s High School for the Performing Arts. She continues to teach, study, and perform many different styles and techniques including, African, Brazilian, and East Indian and Cuban. Tinka currently is in her 14th year teaching at Cornish College for the Arts, where she has taught in both the Theater and Dance departments, and continues to teach master classes with PNB, Arc Dance Company and Spectrum Dance Theatre as well as coaching and teaching for the 5th Avenue Theatre, in Seattle.
Pat Hon
Ballet, Pointe, Modern
Pat Hon began studying ballet at the age of 10 in her native Singapore and continued her studies at Rosella Hightower’s Centre de Danse Classique in France. She also studied Flamenco and Classical Spanish dance in Madrid, Spain, and performed with the foremost Spanish dance company, Antonio and his Ballets of Madrid, before coming to New York to attend the Joffrey School and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. She has choreographed for the Atlanta Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Summer Inventions, Singapore Ballet, Ballet Concerto of Miami, Goh Ballet in Canada, Federal Ballet Company of Malaysia, Ballet Petit, and for dancers competing in the International Ballet Competitions in Jackson, Mississippi. She also teaches in the Cornish BFA dance program.
Christine Juarez
Creative Dance, Pre-Ballet, Ballet
Christine Juarez received her BS in Ballet and MS in Modern Dance at Indiana University. She performed extensively throughout the Midwest. Christine has participated in the Artist-in-residence program in the Seattle Public Schools, works as a freelance choreographer, and as the Artistic Director for Vashon Allied Arts and Program Coordinator for Summer Dance at Cornish College of the Arts.
Brenna Monroe-Cook
Modern
Brenna Monroe-Cook is originally from Oak Park, Illinois. She began her dance training at the Academy of Movement and Music under the direction of Stephanie Clemens and performed extensively with the affiliated MOMENTA Performing Arts Company. She went on to receive her BFA from The Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. Professionally she has worked with Buglisi/Foreman Dance, Thang Dao Dance Company, Subtle Changes, Riedel Dance Theatre and enjoyed five years of international touring with the Limón Dance Company. Ms. Monroe-Cook continues to teach Limón technique and stage repertoire for various companies and schools nationwide as well as presenting her own choreographic work. She also received her Pilates Certification from the Kane School of Core Integration in New York City and is active as a pilates instructor.
Paula J. Peters
Ballet, Pointe, Jazz
Paula J. Peters received her early training in ballet, modern, jazz and tap at British Dance Academy in Renton, WA under the direction of Sandra Baca. In October of 1991 she joined Spectrum Dance Theater as an apprentice and immediately moved on to become a full company member where she remained for fourteen years. She also served as SDT’s rehearsal director from 1998 to 2005. With SDT she performed lead roles in works by numerous choreographers, including Ann Reinking, Margo Sappington, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Claire Bataille, Danny Buracezki, Daniel Ezralow, Trey McIntyire, Donald Byrd, Wade Madsen and Dale A. Merrill, touring throughout the US, Europe and Mexico. In addition to working with Spectrum she performed in local industrials and independent artist productions. She has taught as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Washington, the Montana Dance Arts Association, and is currently on faculty at Dance Fremont. Upon resigning from Spectrum Dance Theater in May of 2005, she joined Next Stage Dance Theatre for two seasons. Paula J. Peters received her BFA in Dance through the Professional Dancers Program at Cornish College of the Arts in 2007 and is currently a graduate student at the University of Washington as a M.F.A. candidate in Dance.
Dorienne Raynolds
Dorienne Raynolds graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Dance. Dorienne is classically trained and began her studies in the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus. She completed with merit all exams and performed in the Solo Seal performance. She then when on to explore the world of modern dance and had the opportunity to perform great works by Zvi Gotheiner, Vaslav Nijinshy, Doris Humphrey, Lar Lubovitch and Jose Limón. She has also worked with local choreographers Corrie Befort, Rob Kitsos, Alice De Muizon, Hannah Wiley and Paige Barnes. She has presented her own choreographic works in 12 Minutes Max and Velocity’s Under Construction. Dorienne has taught at various studios around the Seattle area including Velocity Dance Center until taking a break two years ago to have her little girl. She also went back to school to for her Apparel design degree and currently works as a clothing designer for Cutter & Buck. She is very excited to get back into the classroom.
Christine Weh
Creative Dance, Ballet
Christine Weh studied and performed with Cynthia Tosh at Portland Community Ballet . Ballet. She performs in locally in independent artist productions. Christine earned her BFA in Dance cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts where she worked with choreographers Mary Sheldon Scott, Pat Hon, Tonya Lockyer, and Gary Masters from the Limon Dance Company. Currently Christine is the Administrative Assistant for Preparatory Dance, a collaborator with the Catherine Mayer Foundation, and on faculty at The Dance School in Everett.
Vanesa Wylie
Vanesa Wylie graduated from Cornish College of The Arts in 1994 with a BFA in Dance. Upon graduating she worked and performed with many local choreographers including Kristina Dillard, Pat Graney, Michelle Miller, Jessica Jobaris, Lynn Simonson and the Big Red Dance Company. In 1998, Vanesa and her husband formed The Bleeding Hearts Theatrical Dance Ensemble where they directed, choreographed and self produced their own shows. Vanesa’s choreography has also been seen at Bumpershoot, The Fringe Festival, The Moore and 12 Minutes Max. In 2000 she began teaching and fell in love with it. She joins the Preparatory Dance faculty teaching Creative Movement, Pre-Primary and Modern. Vanesa has taught dance at The Dance School, Studio One, Immaculate Conception, The Country Day School and in the Snohomish School District. Vanesa is passionate about sharing the experience of dance and we are fortunate to have her on our faculty.