Kelsey Gibson

Kelsey Gibson was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She began dancing at Diamond at the age of 11 and competed and trained with the Diamond Dance Studio team for 7 years. She was trained in multiple styles including ballet, contemporary, jazz, improvisation, and lyrical. While at Diamond she was dancing under the incredible instruction of Ms. Kate Yurtayeva, Ms. Margaux Leffas, Ms. Tina Day, Mr. Aj Ocampo, and many more. She also attended Las Vegas Academy of the Arts where she trained in several styles of modern dance and ballet under the direction of Ms. Delaney Otjes, Ms. Jeneane Huggins, and Ms. Tara Foy. She began choreographing for the Diamond team in the 2018-2019 season and has been teaching and assisting classes around the studio ever since. She is so inspired to share her love of dance and passion for performing with the students at Diamond Dance.

Savanah Skaggs

Savanah Skaggs is a dance teacher and choreographer at Diamond Dance Studio. She is always striving for a hardworking, positive environment. She has been teaching for over five years and also works in the professional industry. Her credits include; Latin Grammys, Super Bowl Halftime Show 2022, Samsung Flip Phone national commercial, Adbry medical brand national commercial, Charlie D’Amelio Music Video “if you ask me to,” Shab music video ft. Fat Joe “VooDoo,” and many more, with her Bachelors in Fine Arts accompanying her experience. It is her passion to share her knowledge and stories to our new generation of dancers. 

Kate Yurtayeva

Yekaterina Yurtayeva (Kate) was born in Russia to an artistic family. From an early age Kate loved to dance and at the age of 6 she was accepted to a ballet school that was run by Omsk State Music Theatre. After a couple years of intense training Kate started dancing solos on the professional stage. It was a great responsibility and honor for the little ballerina. At the age of 9 she left Omsk to study at the famous Novosibirsk State Choreographic College where she was selected into the top 10 out of 300 candidates. While in the college Kate went through rigorous ballet training and performed different parts in ballets, such as “Giselle”, “Don Quixote”, “Swan Lake”, “Nutcracker” and others, that were performed on the stage of Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre, one of the best theatres in Russia. After finishing her studies in Novosibirsk Kate moved back to Omsk and got her degree in teaching ballet, folk, ballroom and modern dance from Omsk State College of Arts and Culture. After graduating from the college she was offered a dancer position at the State Dance Company and eventually was promoted to a principal dancer. During those years Kate was coaching dancers of the company and choreographed most of the performances. At the age of 20 Kate moved to the USA. After her performance in “Nutcracker” in 2002 she was offered a job at New Mexico Ballet Company but at that time couldn’t accept any job as a newly arrived immigrant. Since 2003 Kate has been working as a ballet teacher in dance schools and judges for national dance competitions.

Micelle Flynn

Micelle received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Sociology from California State University, Sacramento. In Sacramento, she was a regularly featured company dancer with the highly acclaimed modern dance company, Dale Scholl Dance Art. Also in Sacramento, she performed and choreographed for Leaps of Faith Dance Company and Jazzee Dance Company. In Los Angeles, she has taught at CSUN and choreographed award winning pieces for the Santa Susanna High School dance troupe. Micelle has also enjoyed teaching for Universal Dance Association and performing with the Los Angeles based groups Rock Show Dance Company and Intersection Dance Project. Micelle earned her MPA (Masters degree in Public Administration) from California State University, Northridge. She founded Visceral Resolution Dance (a non-profit professional modern-jazz company) in 2009 to fulfill her dream of combining sociology and dance. Micelle continued teaching with the School of Dance and Music in the LA South Bay studios until 2016 when she moved to Henderson, Nevada. Micelle has since been teaching all styles of dance around Henderson, including special dance pedagogy work with small children. She is thrilled to join the Diamond Dance family and is bursting with choreography for the new year!

Margaux Leffas

Raised in sunny San Diego, Margaux fell in love with dance from the second she put on tap shoes. Her early years of training were at the well renowned San Diego Dance Centre.  She attended Orange Coast College and received her Associates in Fine Arts and then made her way to Las Vegas and received her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with emphasis in Performance from UNLV. She has trained and competed in tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre. Once her school years were completed, she moved back to California to continue what she loves most, teaching dance to the next generation. Since Margaux has been teaching for 15 + years, you can find her students on WOD, tv commercials and more. Margaux has won many awards at competitions such as “Highest Score of the Competition”, “Tap Excellence” and lastly has been nominated for the IDA’s several times for her Tap routines. She works with Spotlight Dance Cup as a Show Director and is also judging with Starquest. 

jenn King

Ms. Jenn was born and raised in Las Vegas and always knew she wanted to dance. At a young age she became part of the Stars Dance and Drill team that traveled and performed half-time shows at major sports games and parades. In private elementary school, auditioning for the church choir was required and it was there she discovered her love of singing as well and was the youngest soloist. She trained under Helene and Jenna Gregory and later under Christine Harper. In high school Jenn was introduced to the world of musical theatre, a world that allowed her to sing, dance and be a little dramatic ALL AT ONCE! She was the choreographer of her show choir, a competitive cheerleader and also starred in the spring musicals each year. She attended Southern Utah University to study Musical Theatre and minor in Dance. She was also part of the professional choir at Guardian Angel Cathedral on the strip for several years. In the last 34 years, Jenn has starred in many local community theatre, amateur and professional productions here in Las Vegas which include Anita in West Side Story (which she choreographed as well), Annie, The Wiz, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 1776, Seussical, Batboy, Urinetown, Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan, A Musical Adventure, Tony and Tina’s Wedding, Mamma Mia as Rosie at the Henderson Pavillion (and so many more).... and most recently in April of 2023, starred as Ursula in The Little Mermaid! Jenn has enjoyed teaching children her passion of musical Theater and dance the past 7 years including directing Seussical Jr. and Annie Jr. She has 4 children (all who have performed in one capacity or another and all who have also trained at Diamond Dance Studio in the past. (Giovanni is next!) Ms. Jenn is excited to return home to the Diamond family!!! 

Eri Koiso

Graduated from Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts as a dance major under the instruction of Lindsey Rogers and Sarah Sutter. Eri has been dancing since age three and has never stopped loving it! She danced with Diamond throughout high school as well and loved every minute of it. She has trained in many styles, some include: ballet, contemporary, modern, hip-hop, jazz. During her high school career she starred in The Addams Family musical and Newsies as a lead dancer. She then went on to choreograph for the Freaky Friday musical her junior year. By senior year she got the Dancer of the Year Award, chosen by the instructors.

When she isn't being a dance teacher she works as a hair stylist! (Psst! She loves taking new clients!) She recently just got her own station and can't wait to start this new journey! She hopes to inspire and create a loving environment for everyone who wants to dance!

Charlena (Shar)

Is originally from Kansas City, KS, a boy mom and married to her high school sweetheart. Passionate about the art of dance, Shar brings a unique blend of creativity, skill, and teaching prowess to the world of movement. With a dance journey that spans over 15 years, she has made a significant impact both on stage and in the studio. Before before moving to Las Vegas, Shar directed a studio and competition team for 5+ years. However, she learned her true passion was with her preschool kids. 

As a dedicated dance educator, Shar possesses a deep commitment to sharing the joy of dance with tiny dancers. She has trained with the best at Dance Teacher Summit for two seasons and has learned many great tools for recreational dance. Known for her ability to inspire and motivate students, Shar fosters a positive and inclusive learning environment where creativity flourishes.