"No one can 'arrive' from being talented alone.  God gives talent; work transforms talent into genius."  Anna Pavlov

Our Guest Choreographers 

All That Jazz hosts workshops and utilizes the talents of world-renowned professional teachers/choreographers from New York, Los Angeles, Portland, etc. to enhance the dance training experience of its Production performance group ensemble members. Although located in a relatively small town away from the big cities and prolific arts opportunities, All That Jazz and it's founders/directors have always 'dreamed BIG'. "If they don't live near us, we'll bring them to us," has always been the studio philosophy regarding the value of providing its dancers with amazing outside choreography talent and opportunities. Here are a few of our favorite dance industry professionals:

Lorena Aranda

Originally from Mexico, Lorena moved to the United States in 1998 to train in the prestigious EDGE Performing Arts Center's scholarship program in Los Angeles. After graduation, she danced professionally with Tymme & Aury Reitz, Joaquin, latin recording artist, Brenda, and others before returning to Mexico and opening her own contemporary dance studio at the age of 23. Her studio represented Mexico on tour in Austria for the Tanzsommer Dance Festival in 2003 (in the same cast as All That Jazz's ensemble). Lorena has performed in television works and in films "Angel Baby", and "Steps" ...she's appeared on stage at Project Dance LA, The Choreographers' Carnival 2000, Urban Jamm Showcase, and the Los Angeles Dance Invitational. Lorena now lives in Portland where she directs and choreographs for the professional dance company, MOVEO. She has also performed, choreographed, adjudicated, and taught in New York City, Austria, Mexico, at dance conventions across the United States and Canada, and as a contract choreographer for other Tanzsommer dance companies. With strong hip hop and lyrical backgrounds, Lorena's choreography is captivating, blending her own soul, her latin roots, and today's urban styling into one fantastic dance package.

  Wes Veldink

Wes was raised in Grants Pass, trained with Karen Daggett as a young dancer, co-founded All That Jazz with her in 1989 at the age of sixteen, and later moved to Los Angeles to complete his senior year of high school at the elite Orange County High School of the Performing Arts. At 18 he began his professional career as a dancer in the Disney film, "Newsies", followed closely by a co-choreographer job designing the dance sequences for Paula Abdul's video, "Blowin Kisses in the Wind". From there, Wes continued his career as a performer in film, video, tv, on stage, and in print-work working with industry and commercial giants too numerous to list. He was offered a teaching position at Tremaine Dance Center at the age of 19, and later taught and choreographed for the scholarship program at EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood.
    After moving to New York City in the late 90's to further his career, Wes founded his own professional dance company, The Wes Veldink Movement and began touring the world as a highly respected, accomplished, sought-after chroeographer, director and teacher. He has since performed and/or choreographed for Virgin Records, Sparrow Records, EMI Records, Ani DiFranco and Righteous Babe Records; he has also taught and choreographed in Paris, Holland, Tokyo, Italy, Korea, Canada, Norway, Israel and across the United States for the Oslo Jazz Dance Ensemble and State Ballet, Le Harmonique, K-Broadway, Ongakuza Theater Company, Columbia University, Loyola Marymount University, UCLA, Vanderbilt University and others. Adding to his credits, Wes and his company have been featured in articles for Dance Spirit Magazine, theYomiyuri Newspaper, Aftenposten publications, and European Dance News Magazine.
    In 2005-06, Wes was the founding director of the professional scholarship program at Broadway Dance Center where he inspired and facilitated the transition of many young dancers into the professional world of dance.  From Grants Pass, to New York City, to Europe and beyond, Wes is known and admired internationally as a cutting edge choreographer, a true dance artist, and an inspiration to all who have been blessed to work with him in any capacity. He continues to touch many lives through his art and with his life.

  Gregg Russell

As the ring leader of his internationally acclaimed rhythm tap company, Tapsounds Underground, a teacher at EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, a staff member with countless national dance conventions-too numerous to list-, an Emmy-nominated co-producer of his dance instruction dvd series, and director & creator of 3D Dance Network, Gregg is a "jack of all trades" in the dance world...and a master of all of them too!! He has coached the Olympic Gold Medalist ice skater, Ilia Kulik, and was featured on the tv shows,"3rd Rock from the Sun", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and on "The Tonight Show". You might have even seen him in the movies "Clueless" or "Newsies", or in a Gap commercial a couple of years back. His choreography has captured national titles at the LA Danceforce finals, Co Dance finals, and many more across the United States. He has traveled the world in the past 15 years, to perform, teach, choreograph and direct. Recently co-developing (with Ryan Lohoff) the hot new magazine, Studio Beat , specifically geared toward helping dance studios and choreographers with music news, reviews and choices, Gregg has once again met a need in the dance industry. His innovative nature never ceases and his popular high energy teaching style, infectious good humor, and inspirational character support his absolute mastery of tap, hip hop, jazz, and dance comedy.

Kyle Sorensen has danced professionally with Disney Productions, trained on a talent-scholarship at EDGE Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, performed at the Los Angeles Theater Center ... at the Director's Guild in LA...as well as throughout the western states & Europe, taught/directed at All That Jazz Dance Studio for six years, and appeared in a SWING! Dance instruction video as the featured dancer. His choreography has been seen in several states and across Austria, Europe; and his original, digitally-mastered music has been included on the hip hop instruction dvd of an Emmy-nominated choreographer. More recently, Kyle has taught and been Dance Director at Arthur Murray Ballroom Dance Studios in Portland. He is currently finishing his degree as a Dance Major at the University of Oregon. Kyle was 'born to dance' and considers it a priviledge to transfer his love of dance to others.

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