Meet Our Teachers

Meet the teachers!

Together, our instructors have over 110 years of teaching experience.

MISS KRISTEN BACK - (Lyrical, Dance Team)
Owner/Director of K & Co.

 

Kristen has been sharing her passion for dance for over 20 years by teaching competitive and non-competitive students ages 2 to adult. Aside from teaching in the studio, she has also taught for area preschools, and choreographed musical theatre productions for area high schools, competitive dance team dances, and solos for competition and pageants. Kristen studied and received her teaching certification with Dance Masters of America, through the University of Buffalo in New York. Kristen has been dancing for over 30 years, and is trained in many areas of dance including ballet/pointe, tap, jazz and lyrical. She has studied under many professional dancers, taken classes with Tulsa Ballet, and danced competitively on an award winning dance team. Kristen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Oklahoma State University and an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Rogers State University. She also has over 15 years experience in dance studio management and show production. Kristen is married and has three beautiful little boys.

MISS ASHLYN - (Lyrical, Jazz, Dance Team)
Office Manager

 

Ashlyn began taking dance classes at the age of three, and she has loved it ever since! When she was eight, she started dancing on a competitive dance team, and she continued to compete through the end of high school. Starting at age 10, she was an assistant in several dance classes for 6 years before becoming a teacher herself at 16. She has attended the Dance Revolution dance convention for the last 15+ years and the DanceMakers convention and competition for the last 10+ years, both as a student and a teacher. Ashlyn has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Rogers State University. She loves to share her passion for dance with her students, and she hopes to be able to inspire her students and instill in them a love of dance as her teachers did for her!

MISS BETHANY - (Combo Classes)

 

Bethany started dancing at the age of 5 and hasn’t stopped. She started her teaching career in high school and has been teaching for 15+ years. Bethany has taught a variety of classes, including ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop. She has taught students age 2 years to adult, and her favorite classes to teach are always the younger students. Bethany has been on numerous competitive dance teams. She has achieved many goals, including winning several national championship titles. Bethany has an Associates Degree in Elementary Education from Rogers State University. She works for Claremore Public Schools as a Special Education Paraprofessional, and she really enjoys it. It can be a difficult, yet very rewarding experience. When Bethany is not working she is spending time with her daughter Mia. Mia also shares a love for dance, which could not make her mom any more proud. She enjoys spending time with her daughter and watching her ride her horse, show her chickens, turkeys and bunny in the local fairs. While Bethany is extremely busy, dance is a huge part of her life.  Bethany hopes to inspire her students to love and enjoy dance as much as she does!

MISS NIKKI - (Pointe, Acro, Dance Team)

 

Nikki grew up dancing in the Tulsa area over 20 years ago and has never known a world without dance. She trained at several studios throughout her student years and is still furthering her education as a dancer today. Nikki has been teaching since 2016 and her passion for dance has only grown. She trained under Emmi Galfo to become an acrobatic instructor in 2018 and continues to stay up to date with the latest techniques. Nikki is passionate about her students having a voice and using that voice through the artistry of movement. She challenges her students to push past their self imposed limits while respecting and stewarding their bodies. She maintains a strict but warm environment in her classes and keeps the focus on inner driven movement.

MISS KARI - (Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop/Jazz Funk)

 

Kari began dance training in Wichita, Kansas at the Dance Workshop, and she continued dancing after family moved to Claremore area with Miss Diana. Throughout her dance career, Kari competed in numerous competitions and attended many conventions and dance seminars. She began teaching at 18, and continued to teach while earning her business degree, joining the teaching staff at K & Co. 10 years ago. Kari loves to challenge and push her students while building lasting relationships. When not teaching, Miss Kari stays busy being a dance mom to her daughter Marley, a band and soccer mom to her son Zane, and wife to her husband Vince.

MISS ASHLEY - (Ballet)

 

Ashley began dancing at the age of 3 and has loved it ever since! She grew up attending several studios and dancing competitively in Loveland, Colorado. After high school, she began teaching students and choreographing both in Colorado and at James Madison University. While at JMU, she was a member of the Associate Dance Ensemble and Contemporary Dance Ensemble. In addition, she choreographed several pieces which were presented at various dance concerts. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in dance and psychology in 2017. Recently she was a member of the Oklahoma State University Dance Company while pursuing her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling. Since graduating in 2020, she has been working as a mental health counselor in Tulsa. She is so excited to continue her passion of dancing and to share that love with the students at K & Co! 

MISS AMANDA - (Combo Classes)

 

Miss Amanda did ballet, tap, jazz, and cheer for 12 years in California where she grew up. She taught ballet and tap for three years and loved every minute of it. After moving back to Oklahoma she rediscovered her love of teaching dance at K & Co. In the last few years, she has taught Spirit Kids, Intro to Tap, Cheer Jazz, and Combo Classes. She looks forward to many more classes and years spreading the love of dance at K & Co.!

MISS DELAINEY - (Combo Classes)

 

Delainey has been dancing for 15+ years and continues to dance with K & Co. Dance Studio and our competitive dance team. She began dancing at the age of three and immediately fell in love with all styles of dance, especially tap. Miss Delainey taught our Mini-Mester class last year, summer classes and camps this past summer, and is teaching combo classes this year. She loves to come up with her own choreography and incorporate fun into dance. She loves to share her passion for dance with others and hopes to inspire others to see dance as an outlet and art form. She is an artist at heart and when she is not dancing, competing, or teaching she is drawing, painting, and writing.

MISS MARANDA - (Modern)

 

Maranda began dancing at age 5 & spent the next 13 years attending various studios in the Tulsa area.  While her main focus was on ballet, in which she trained mostly in the Russian & the Royal Academy of Dance/English styles, she also had many years of training in jazz.  In 1998, Maranda moved to Jackson, MS to study dance at a liberal arts college called Belhaven University.  While there, she intensely studied ballet, pointe work & modern dance.  She had the privilege of studying under Lauri Worill-Biggs (formerly of Atlanta Ballet & instructor for Ballet Magnificat), Amy Roark-McIntosh (MFA & current Director of Dance at Oral Roberts University) & Marc Arentsen (MFA & former Chair of Dance at Belhaven University).  While at Belhaven, Maranda also performed with the Belhaven Dance Ensemble & choreographed works for concerts in 2001 & 2002.  She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Dance in 2002 & returned to Tulsa in 2003.  Upon her return she became a founding member & choreographer for Tulsa Contemporary Dance Company.  For several years, Maranda had the privilege of dancing & performing with Amy Roark-McIntosh’s modern/contemporary dance company, Living Water Dance Company, as well as collaborating with local dance artist Rachel Bruce-Johnson’s company, The Bell House. In teaching ballet, Maranda incorporates a great deal from the Vagonava Method.  And in teaching Modern, she draws inspiration from the Limon & Horton techniques, but mostly from a pure joy found in moving through time & space in this most expressive and unrestrained form of dance.

MISS KAYLA - (Tap, Jazz)

 

Kayla began dancing at age 2, and she has been dancing or teaching in some capacity ever since. She has a bachelors in business administration, Human Resources. Her focus as a teacher is to create an environment where students feel safe to challenge themselves and expand their artistic capabilities.