Pacific Dance Ensemble
Pacific Dance Ensemble is a preprofessional university dance company comprised of gifted dance students at Pacific. PDE receives the opportunity to work directly with professionals in the dance field and gain hands-on experience preparing for a professional dance career. Auditions are held the first/second week of fall. For more information on when the next audition will be held, contact dance@pacificu.edu.
KATE BARTLEY
Kate is a first year student at Pacific University majoring in kinesiology and minoring in dance. Originally from Olympia, Washington, she trained nine years in ballet, contemporary, and jazz. Kate plans to have a career in physical therapy, specializing in dancers working with a ballet company.
BRITTANY CASE
Brittany Case is a senior majoring in biology. Brittany is from Pendleton, Oregon where she started dancing at the age of 2 ½. She danced at Jr. Jam Dance Studio, Pendleton Ballet Theatre, and on the Pendleton High School dance team. Brittany has enjoyed continuing to develop as a dancer at Pacific University for the past several years and is grateful to get the chance to dance for her senior year.
SYDNEY ENDRES
Sydney is a sophomore majoring in biology. She is from Palm Springs, California, and started dancing ballet when she was 5 years old. She has trained in multiple styles of dance, such as contemporary, hip-hop, and jazz, but ballet will always have a special place in her heart. This is Sydney's second year with Dance Ensemble at Pacific and she is excited to continue dancing and growing with Pacific University Dance.
QUINTANA FRANKLIN
Quintana Franklin is a junior who began dancing at the age of three, where her love of movement and expression quickly became an enduring passion for all forms of dance. With a solid foundation in classical ballet technique, Quintana’s instructors supported her growing interest and natural ability to quickly learn and perfect choreography in contemporary ballet, modern, jazz, and hip-hop. Quintana previously performed as a lead dancer with the Center for Movement Arts’ dance ensemble in Portland, Oregon. She is excited to continue her dance career in her third year with Pacific’s Dance Ensemble.
LILY GARDNER
Lily Gardner is a first-year student majoring in anthropology and minoring in dance at Pacific University. Before Pacific, Lily trained with New Vision Dance Center in Hillsboro, Oregon, for 15 years in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and hip-hop. During her time, Lily performed in yearly showcases, including The Nutcracker, halftime at the Portland Trail Blazers, Disneyland Performing Arts, and dance competitions such as Tremaine Dance, Radix, and Velocity.
AMANDA GIANG
Amanda Giang is a senior at Pacific University majoring in biology and minoring in dance. She was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has experience in tap, jazz, musical theater, ballet, and contemporary dance. She has trained at Diamond Head Theater, Sacred Hearts Academy, and Punahou School. This is Amanda’s fourth year participating in Dance Ensemble, and she loves being a part of such a welcoming community.
KATIE GILLAM
Katie Gillam grew up dancing and teaching at Elizabeth’s Dance Dimensions in Kirkland, Washington. She competed throughout her studio career and performed at theaters in Seattle each year. Now, she studies dance at Pacific University and performs in seasonal shows with the Pacific Dance Ensemble.
AURORA GREENWOOD
From contemporary to Hip-Hop to heels and floor work, Aurora has found herself in multiple dance styles, all of which have given her a tool to take away and put into her most comfortable style: her own style. She has learned to embrace individuality and feel confident in what kind of dancer she is. To dance is to be human!
GRACE HANKINS
Grace Hankins is a double major in dance and film/video at Pacific University. Grace went to the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics with a focus on dance. She trained competitively at Grande Finale Dance Studio in tap, jazz, hip-hop, ballet, b-boy, contemporary and modern. She performed alongside the Syncopated Ladies as a part of their youth company for many years. In the spring of 2023, Grace’s work "Comfortably Conflicted" was selected for the American College Dance Association’s Gala Showcase at the University of Utah. Grace is honored to be a part of the Pacific Dance Ensemble.
JAMIE JENSEN
Jamie Jensen is a junior majoring in dance with a double major in psychology. This is her third year in Dance Ensemble at Pacific University. She comes from Taos, New Mexico, where she studied at Ballet Taos. She has been dancing for 15 years with a focus in classical Russian ballet technique. However, she has also studied contemporary ballet, contemporary, and modern techniques. She also taught young children launching their dance careers at Ballet Taos. She is so excited to be a part of the Ensemble group again this semester.
KATELYN KER
Katelyn is a junior double majoring in dance and multimedia arts. She attended Arkansas Arts Academy as part of the advanced dance group. Also, she danced at Ballet Westside and Northwest Arkansas Regional Dance Company, where she studied tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, modern, pointe, partnering, hip-hop, musical theatre, and heels. During this time, she won numerous awards with group dances, duets, and solos and was even awarded Stage One Star her senior year—an award given to a performer with the best technical execution and most professional entertainment skills. She has had the opportunity to teach and choreograph for the studio's competition team for the past three summers.
GRETA KOEGLER
Greta Koegler is a first-year student at Pacific University, minoring in dance. She has been dancing and performing since age 3, with training in ballet, modern, historical, contemporary, and character dance. She has also performed with live bands and orchestras in many educational concerts for elementary school students in her community.
KIRSTEN MENDEL
Kirsten Mendel is a third-year student participating in the Pacific Dance Ensemble. She is a biology major and a dance minor. Kirsten grew up studying many types of dance in her previous studio, but mainly centered around jazz and contemporary. This year, she hopes to expand her knowledge of dance in all styles and to get closer to her dance community.
SARA MULLER
Sara Muller has been dancing for ten years. She started her career at New Vision Dance Center in Hillsboro, Oregon, where she has performed in various showcases and performances of The Nutcracker. She is continuing her dance studies as she enters her third year of majoring in dance at Pacific University and dancing with the Pacific Dance Ensemble.
VICTORIA MURRY
Victoria has been dancing since she was three years old training in jazz, hip hop, tap, ballet, pointe, heels, contemporary, musical theatre and acrobatics alongside teaching and choreographing. Throughout her dance career, she has been on her previous studio’s competitive team and ballet company, dancing a wide variety of group and lead roles. This is her second year in Pacific University’s Dance Ensemble.
RAECHYL ROSEN
Raechyl has trained in multiple styles of dance over the past 11 years. During this time, she has worked with a variety of artists and has been featured in roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Spanish Chocolate, and Snow in The Nutcracker. Although dance is Raechyl’s first love, she has also performed in theatre productions, including playing Rizzo in a production of Grease. Having recently returned from her time working in Walt Disney World, her passion for teaching dance has continued to grow and she hopes to one day return to Disney to dance and then open her own dance studio.
LAUREN SAMS
Lauren Sams is a junior at Pacific University majoring in Education and double minoring in CSD and Dance. She is from Redondo Beach, California, and has been dancing there since she was three years old. Lauren has been competitively dancing for nine years and is trained in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and lyrical. She is grateful to have been given the opportunity to dance at Pacific and can't wait to grow her experience throughout the next two years!
MAKAZLYNN SHULTZ
After a three-year hiatus from dance, Makazlynn has swiftly returned to the dance community. After her first year in the Pacific Dance Ensemble, she has regained her confidence and is inspired to hone her technique. Makazlynn continues to flourish in dance, disregarding her mistakes with laughter. For her, dance isn’t simply an artful expression but a way of life.
ALLYSON STADELMAN
Allyson Stadelman is a second-year kinesiology major with a minor in dance. She has always had a passion for dance, performing since she was 8 years old. She has trained in lyrical, jazz, ballet, pointe, contemporary, and modern.
VICTORIA VASCOVICH
Victoria Vascovich is a first-year at Pacific University studying dance and pharmacy. Victoria has been trained in ballet since the age of 4 and has expanded her dance training in jazz, hip hop, contemporary, tap, and pointe over the years on the island of Oahu, where she was born and raised. She thanks Pacific University for the opportunity to grow in dance and can’t wait to continue her dance journey here!