Loveland, CO 80537
970 667-2091
Cell: 970 290-7673
E-mail:
missjenni@ecentral.com
M-Th 12-7 pm
Meet Our Staff
Jenni Burns Leinweber is co-owner and Instructor at the Loveland Dance Academy and Greeley Conservatory of Dance . She has been dancing since age 3, and at 11 she began studying ballet with Christina Noel at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. Jenni is a graduate from the University of Northern Colorado with an Interdisciplinary Fine Arts Degree with minors in Music and Business Administration. Jenni has taken ballet curriculum and teacher workshops with instructors from the Kirov Ballet and Boston Ballet. She is currently developing a new ballet curriculum. Jenni is currently the director at the Loveland Dance Academy and teaches ballet for both the Greeley Conservatory of Dance, Carbon Valley Recreation Center and Loveland Dance Academy. Jenni has choreographed and performed in Peter and the Wolf, The Nutcracker, Coppelia and Paquita to name a few, as well as directed and choreographed for the Loveland Dance Academy’s Performance Team since 1999. Ms Jenni loves spending time with her daughter, Sydney Klair at home with her husband Mark.
Katie Sue McSwain is currently an owner and Studio Director of the Greeley Conservatory of Dance, co-owner and Instructor at the Loveland Dance Academy and co-owner and Store Manager of Performance Dancewear. She began directing and choreographing for the GCDance Performance Company in the fall of 1998. Katie has professionally performed for several staged shows such as Countdown to the Millennium (1999), Spyder Ski Wear Show (1999), Vail, CO and The Mrs. Colorado Pageant (2000). In 2001, she temporarily relocated to Los Angeles, CA to extend her dance and professional background where she trained at the EGDE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, California. While in LA, she appeared in shows with Precision Dance Company and Emporium International Hair Shows. Katie was also working in the entertainment industry as a Production Assistant on several Hollywood television series. Katie continues to set choreography and direct for local and regional productions, dance companies and showcases.
Linda McSwain is the founding owner and Administrative Director of the Greeley Conservatory of Dance, co-owner of the Loveland Dance Academy and co-owner of Performance Dancewear. Linda is also the founding President of Colorado Dance Theatre and an active member of the Downtown Development Authority. She is an involved community leader who is enthusiastic and optimistic with the revitalization of Downtown as well as the quality of life in Greeley. Linda attended the University of Northern Colorado and graduated from the University of Miami with a B.S. in Nursing. She has since found herself involved in many small businesses including real estate investments, designing a line of wooden garden products for her company, Timeless Trellis and holistic health products with Nikken, Inc. Her favorite activity is being involved with her two kids, Katie and Richard.
Krista Young
graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in
Musical Theater with an emphasis in Dance. She has been on faculty at
the Greeley Conservatory of Dance and Loveland Dance Academy since 2002.
Krista began choreographing for the GCDance Performance Company in the
fall of 2004 and she will take on the new title of Co–Company Director
at Loveland Dance Academy this season. Krista is the Founding Director
of the Musical Theater Program at the Loveland Dance Academy where she
directed and stage the musical “One On This Island”. In addition to
teaching, Krista will perform and choreograph for the new GCDance
professional dance company 8th Street Company. Krista has studied
and taught for the Colorado Performing Arts Academy and was Assistant
Director for CPAA’s children’s group. She has been featured in many UNC
based productions such as Dance 2003. In 2004, Krista broadened her
instruction and passion for the performing arts when she began working
as a vocal coach at the GCDance. Krista is also the Assistant Store
Manager of Tutu Cute Dancewear Boutique.
Connie Comer
began dancing at the age of two with her mother, a former
professional dancer and musician, as her instructor. While growing
up she traveled extensively to all the major US cities to enhance her
dance education, training with renowned instructors and choreographers.
She attended Colorado University, earning 12 credit hours in kinesiology
and 6 credit hours in early childhood development, while studying ballet
with Larry Boyette, CU’s dance master and director of the Denver Civic
Ballet and Colorado Ballet Company. After becoming a professional
she was a member of the National Association of Dance and Affiliated
Artists (NADAA) and served on the board for Dance Masters of America.
Her repertoire includes tap, ballet, jazz, coaching gymnastics and the
title of “Director/Choreographer” for numerous dance concerts and
ballets. Having owned three dance schools for 27 years, she
trained many dancers to become instructors or performers, including her
daughter who danced professionally with a New York City based company
touring the US and Europe for 15 years. While living in Arizona,
1987-2003, Ms. Connie was owner and director of a pre-school, and taught
master classes for various schools in Phoenix. Since moving to
Loveland in 2003, she has been contracted to teach for several dance
schools in northern Colorado
More Instructors:
Sharon Finlinson Attended the University of Utah on the William Christensen Ballet Scholarship. She owned her own studio for 3 years and currently has students performing on Broadway and professional production across the United States. She has judged and taught in dance workshops across the United states. She has been an official choreographer and production manager for Mrs. Utah International Pageant for 2 years, and choreographed for the East/West Shrine Bowl Halftime. Sharon was also coach for 3 time National Champion High School Drill Team at Brighton High School in Sandy, Utah. She has also been a certified penalty judge for Dance, Drill and Cheer Junior and High School Teams State and National Competitions for 15 years. She has Studied under William Christensen, Toni Lande, Bruce Marks, Bene Arnold and various artists from Ballet West.
Debbie Hiatt is an instructor at Loveland Dance Academy. Debbie is a graduate from the University of Oklahoma with a Fine Arts Degree in Ballet Pedagogy. Her performance experiences include dancing with Oklahoma City Civic Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Des Moines Ballet Company, Iowa Dance Theatre, and Canyon Concert Ballet of Fort Collins. Her teaching experiences began at an early age as an assistant leading to 12 years of teaching all levels of ballet technique. Debbie was co-founder of a dance school in West Des Moines, Iowa for 6 years, School Director of Canyon Concert Ballet School for 4 years, and on the faculty of Colorado State University Dance Department for 3 semesters. After a sabbatical from dance for a few years to teach in the public schools, she has returned to share her love of dance.
Lindsay Pond
Jamie Vigil
Michelle Ruiz
Sheli Eilers
