RMSDPA - Dance for the love of it!

Lynne Patton,

Artistic Director and Owner

Miss Lynne has been a dance teacher and choreographer from the time she was 16 years old to the present and was a vocal music education major. She has trained with Stan Picus, a former Joffrey Ballet dancer, Gloria Diemen, a former American Ballet Theater dancer and Gus Giordano, renowned Jazz choreographer. Her training has taken her to Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Europe. With 10 years of vocal training in Classical, Pop and Jazz improvisation, she has established herself as a leading vocalist performing the lead roles of Mary Magdelene in "Jesus Christ Superstar", Sally Bowles in "Cabaret", Tzietel in "Fiddler on the Roof, Evita in "Tribute to Weber and Rice" and Mary in "The Pajama Game" at the Arvada Center. Her favorite performances were on a European tour in 1987, performing in London , Paris, Prague, Denmark, Innsbruck, and West Berlin. She has choreographed high school, college, community theater and professional musicals including "Camelot", "Pirates of Penzance", "Pippin", "Hello Dolly", "The Wizard of Oz", and was the guest choreographer for the Miss Colorado Pageant from 1994-1996.

She has judged local and national competitions for dance and talent, and directed the children's Summer Performing Arts Camp for Kirkwood College and the Cedar Rapids Community Theatre. She has performed vocal tracks for radio and TV commercials as well as industrial training videos. Miss Lynne has also been recorded locally and has several original compositions on CD that have been used in her dance productions.

Her pride and joy is the annual "A Christmas Story" that she created in 1986 and has produced for local audiences since December of 1992. This spiritual (but non-denominational) interpretation of the Christmas story expressed through dance has become the holiday highlight for many families.

Miss Lynne has received national accolades for her unique choreography and is now in demand as a guest choreographer and master class teacher nationwide. Many of her dancers have taken top honors at regional and national competitions and conventions, and have gone on to careers in the Arts. Miss Lynne moved to Denver in the spring of 1987 and started her dance studio in August 1992. She is the President and Artistic Director of A Rocky Mountain School of Dance & Performing Arts, Inc. She is married to her husband Jack (who built the facility for RMSDPA) and lives in Erie with their cat and collie. Miss Lynne continues to pursue her dream of creating the highest quality dance school in the country.

A Special Message from the Director

Ken photo 2010 Kenny Jiminez, Hip Hop & Breakin'
Kenny Jiminez has produced Entertainment Productions for world renowned artists and organizations such as MC Hammer, Digital Underground,Young MC, Arrested Development, Ace Young, Jamie O’Neal, Otis Day, Coolio, the NBA, AND 1 Basketball, the NFL, and more.

As a choreographer and Instructor, Ken has trained some of the most sought after dancers in the country, some who have gone on dancefor Janet Jackson, Omarion, Britney Spears, Madonna, Aaron Carter, Cirque Du Soleil and more. Bringing Hip Hop’s top artists to the Western region, Ken is the founder of the annual “Colorado Hip Hop Festival”. Jimenez also owns and directs the award winning dance studio, Motion Underground as well as the internationally recognized professional company, “Elements of Motion”. No stranger to the competition arena, Ken has recently joined “Fluid Dance Conventions” as a faculty member for their 9 city tour for the 2007/2008 season.

picture of Sarah Sarah Tallman, Ballet Mistress
Miss Sarah is well known for her energetic, enthusiastic approach to teaching dance. Her genuine love for her students and the art of dance shine through and enhance her amazing talents. Miss Sarah attended University of Northern Colorado majoring in Dance, Performance and Choreography. Miss Sarah is also a Yoga and Pilates certified instructor. She has received her third year certificate in Ballet, Jazz and Modern Dance from the Bardar Danseinstitutt in Oslo , Norway and has been a company member of Kim Robards Dance in Denver (2001 - present), Burklyn Ballet Theater in Johnson , Vermont (2002 - present) and was the Assistant to the Director at Colorado Dance Theater in Greeley , Colorado from 1995-1999. Her training has taken across the nation and to Europe and encompasses kinesiology, African dance, art in education, music history, theater training, commercials for camera, technical theater, movement exploration for children, dance and philosophy, and gymnastics. Miss Sarah was given the honor of UNC Dancer of the Year in 1997 and 1998 and "Dancer of the Year from the National Dance Association in 1998. Rocky Mountain School of Dance is home for Miss Sarah who will be focusing her teaching expertise on the amazing students within the RMSDPA program.

picture of meghan Meghan Mahala
Miss Meghan is a graduated student from RMSDPA. After growing up in the RMSDPA family, she has proven her talent in performance, technique, teaching and choreography. Her national accolades range from 1st overalls at competitions and title awards. The passion and musicality that Miss Meghan brings to her students shines through when they are on stage and helps many dancers find confidence in their movement. Miss Meghan fulfilled an internship position at Paramount Studios in Hollywood , California. While in Hollywood , Miss Meghan trained from leading artists in the industry. Miss Meghan has expanded her career into the accounting profession and is an associate at one of the area’s largest accounting firms. As she travels from coast to coast providing a multitude of accounting services to her clients, she continually finds her way back to where her artistic soul and heart can best express themselves – her RMSDPA home.

Jen Kurtz
Miss Jen started dancing at the age of 3, studying ballet, jazz, tap, and modern dance at The Turn Around in LeMars , Iowa . She was a competitive dancer and gymnast and qualified for the State gymnastics competition twice. She began teaching dance and gymnastics in 1985. As a high school student she spearheaded the opening of a satellite dance studio where she instructed dance and gymnastics. Miss Jen attended Iowa State University where she studied dance and was one of two freshmen accepted by audition into the dance company Orchesis. She performed in various Iowa State dance productions including BARJCHE, and also studied dance at the University of South Dakota and Westmar University where she received a modern dance scholarship. During her junior and senior years of college she continued instructing dance and gymnastics at The Turn Around. She became a safety certified gymnastics coach under the United States Association of Gymnastics. Miss Jen graduated from Westmar University with a BA in Elementary Education and a minor in Reading . She was an elementary teacher in Des Moines , Iowa area schools and continued coaching gymnastics there before moving to Denver . She also designs handcrafted greeting cards and has been published in Paper Crafts magazine. She has been married to Jim for 9 years and they have two children - Emma, 6 and Sam, 3. Miss Jen’s enthusiasm in the class room encourages students to dance with passion!

Kada Willy
Miss Kada began her dancing career with RMSDPA at the age of ten and is now a graduating senior. Miss Kada has consistently demonstrated her performance and choreography skills with her top ten placements at both regional and national events. Most recently she has received top honors at JUMP, Westcoast Dance Explosion, and was honored as Denver Miss Showbiz. She has choreographed her own solos for 4 years and continually demonstrates artistry, musicality and originality. In addition, she choreographs APT soloists, duet/trios, groups and lines as well as for the Arvada High School show choir and poms. She recently returned from filming for High School Musical 2 and has filmed in the music video I Can’t Say by Shareen. Miss Kada is a highly dedicated choreographer and teacher who shares her knowledge, skills and passion with all of her students.

picture of Rachel Rachel Ilk
Miss Rachel is a 2005 graduate of RMSDPA. Her passion and contagious enthusiasm for all forms of dance make her a versatile teacher and choreographer. During her seven years as a member of the Artistic Performance Team at RMSDPA, Miss Rachel received numerous awards including two time National Miss Showbiz Winner, two time National Overall at Hollywood Connection Nationals and top recognition at LA Dance Magic, West Coast Dance Explosion, and Hollywood Connection regional events. But most of all, she received an excellent understanding of what it means to be a true artist in dance and how to entertain an audience; knowledge that she passes on to her students. Miss Rachel is a junior at Colorado State University where she is pursuing a degree in Speech Communications and Media Studies. You can see her in the local TV series Competitive Edge TV which is currently in production for their second season. Rachel can also be seen in the music video I Can't Say by Shareen and the movie High School Musical 2. A Rocky Mountain School of Dance & Performing Arts, Inc. has always been Miss Rachel's home.

Jennifer Daiker, Vocal Trainer

A native of Littleton , Colorado , music and theatre has been a part of Jennifer's life since childhood. She has produced, directed and worked as well as managed backstage in various shows and recitals. In 1984 she began teaching and by 1996 was teaching privately from her home. Jennifer also produced and directed home school choirs and ensembles, one of which was selected to open the Colorado home school convention and was featured on the cover of the Colorado home school magazine. Currently, Jennifer teaches piano, guitar, and vocal performance and is going to school to finish her degree in music.

One of Jennifer's biggest thrills was singing with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra Chorus for a number of years as well as playing the leading role, Rosie, in "Bye, Bye Birdie" and Maria in "The Sound of Music". She enjoys being part of the performing arts community and enjoys helping others be a part of it as well. Her biggest goal as a performer is to make the audience laugh, cry and think deeply and as a teacher to teach her students how to make the audience laugh, cry and think deeply.

Special Thanks to our administrative staff!

Vicki Coughran

Office Manager

Diana Ferrero

Office Support

Jan Smith

Office Support

Dave Marks

Computer Maintenance, Props & Design

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