Team
West Valley Dance Studio Staff
Jani Patrick
Owner
Director
Choreographer
Jani Patrick began dancing at the age of five and quickly developed a lifelong passion for the art of dance. Throughout her childhood, she trained in a variety of dance styles, building the strong technical foundation that would shape her future as both a performer and instructor. In high school, Jani auditioned for the Elmira High School varsity dance team, where she performed and competed for four years. During that time, she earned multiple varsity letters and awards while helping her team achieve success at regional, state, and major dance competitions throughout Oregon. One of the highlights of Jani's high school dance career was performing for the Portland Trail Blazers and their fans. During the summers, she attended the University Dance Camp in Memphis, Tennessee, where she continued to develop her technique while studying a variety of dance styles, choreography, leadership, and teaching methods. After graduating from high school, Jani attended Western Oregon University, where she majored in Dance and continued performing as a member of the university dance team. Following college, Jani moved to Wyoming in 2006, where she served as the dance coach at Star Valley High School. In 2012, she returned to Oregon and continued sharing her love of dance by teaching summer dance camps and inspiring young dancers throughout the community. Since joining West Valley Dance Studio in 2017, Jani has taught jazz, lyrical, hip-hop and currently serves as the Director of the Company Team and Junior Company Team. She is passionate about helping dancers grow not only in their technique but also in their confidence, discipline, and love for performing. Jani believes that every dancer has the ability to succeed when they are encouraged, challenged, and supported. Her goal is to inspire each student to work hard, believe in themselves, and discover the joy that dance can bring both on and off the stage.
Caroline Smith
Instructor
Choreographer
Caroline Smith is from Carmel, Indiana and has been training in ballet since she was just three years old. She has trained with varies ballet companies such as Joffrey Ballet, BalletMet and Ballet Idaho in addition to various ballet summer intensives. Along with being a professional ballet dancer, Caroline has a passion for teaching young dancers and implementing a positive environment for students to learn and grow. Caroline has recently joined Eugene Ballet and is excited to join the West Valley Dance Studio faculty as well!
Nikki Martin
Barre Fitness
Nikki graduated from the U of O with a degree in Political Science and Business Administration. However, soon after graduation, I had my first child and found a passion for health and wellness. I grew up dancing, loving movement and am so excited to have found my way back to the studio. Diet and exercise are the driving factors for nearly every disease and I want to give people real, approachable tools to better their lives. With Beyond Barre we go beyond a simple workout: It's about creating a healthy lifestyle that is vibrant and full!
Alyssa Woolcott
Instructor
Choreographer
Alyssa has been a part of the West Valley Dance Studio family since she was 8 years old. Her passion, dedication, and love for dance quickly led her into a class helper role, and by the age of 14, she began teaching our Level 1 dancers under the guidance of our instructors. Alyssa has continued to grow her training through West Valley Dance Studio, Joffrey Ballet School in Long Beach, CA, Las Vegas, NV, and Kennesaw, Georgia, as well as Eugene Ballet Academy. Today, we are incredibly proud to have Alyssa as a full-time instructor. She is a wonderful role model who inspires our dancers every day, and we feel truly blessed to have her as part of our studio family.
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Jade McAnally
Summer Instructor
​Jade is from Columbia, South Carolina and began her dance training with Hillary and Gabor Toth at the Southeastern School of Ballet. In 2013 she moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to train on full scholarship at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. While at CPYB, she had the honor of performing many Balanchine ballets including George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Valse Fanstasie, Emeralds, and Raymonda Variations. Since graduating, she has worked with Ballet Austin, Ballet Arizona, and Oklahoma City Ballet. Jade joined Eugene Ballet as an Aspirant in 2020 and was promoted to Company Dancer in 2022. Some of her favorite performances since joining EB have been Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty, Jordan Baker in Toni Pimble’s Gatsby, and in Gerald Arpino’s Reflections for the Arpino Centennial Celebration. She has also had the privilege of working with choreographers such as Suzanne Haag, Edwaard Liang, Val Caniparoli, Nicolo Fonte, and Eva Stone.
Sierra Kaplan
Summer Instructor
Sierra Kaplan grew up in Tomball, Texas. She started dance at the age of 3 and started training competitively in all-star dance at age 6 at Dancin’ Bluebonnets. She joined her high school dance team at Tomball High School, the Cougar Charms Dance Team her sophomore year of high school. She was then on the team sophomore through senior year in which two of those years, she was a dance officer. Her senior year, she joined the inaugural KC Collective Worlds Team. She is a 2x Dance Worlds Champion and has won many solo titles and championships. Sierra has assisted coaching for 2 years and has coached for 2 years at The Dance Vault All Stars. Sierra is now a freshman at The University of Oregon on the Oregon Dance Team. While at UO, she is majoring in dance and psychology. Sierra is so excited to join the family at West Valley Dance Studio!
Dave Naquin
Summer Instructor
Dave Naquin is a native of Cowpens, South Carolina. He began his training with Ballet Spartanburg. He started his professional career with the Grand Rapids Ballet (2011–2016). Dave then joined Oklahoma City Ballet in 2016. Under the direction of Robert Mills. He then moved to Los Angeles in 2020 to join Los Angeles Ballet. Dave is happy to be in Eugene and is looking forward to his fourth season with Eugene Ballet.
RyLee Boyersmith
Summer Instructor
RyLee is a third-year member of the University of Oregon Duck Dancers. Born and raised in Medford, Oregon, RyLee trained in a variety of dance styles at Turning Point Dance in the More than Words Company. It was there she learned that dance is about more than movement—it’s also about loving your team and uplifting your community. While RyLee loves all styles of dance, acrobatics will always hold a special place in her heart. She credits ballet, contemporary, and jazz with strengthening the acro work she’s most passionate about—skills she now proudly showcases while competing Pom and Jazz with UODT.
Mikala Nelmes
Summer Instructor
Mikala has been training in ballet, contemporary, and acrobatics for 17 years, predominantly in Washington and Oregon. She attributes majority of her modern and acrobatic training to her time at Turning Point Dance in Medford, Oregon. Her time at TPD truly prepared her for a higher caliber of dance training and led her to audition for the University of Oregon BFA Dance program. Upon getting accepted into the first class of roughly 20 BFA Dance students at the University of Oregon, Mikala began to train in ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and African idioms 25-30 hours a week. She has performed in roughly 15 shows through the University, and has been the longest standing member of the UO Student Dance Collective since its conception. She has taught at various studios in the greater Eugene area over the last three years as she completes her degree at the University of Oregon. She has a passion for helping students conquer their fears and reach their personal goals and LOVES all the students at West Valley very much!
Leila Pierson Kreitzberg
Instructor
Choreographer
I was born and raised in Harrisburg Oregon, and have been dancing for 15 years starting at age 3 at JCSD. I started competing when I was in the 5th grade. It was a tap group and continued until I was the age of 10. I then moved to UNITY School of Dance and started in their tricks and tumbling classes. I then joined their Kings Krew team and Evolve Company team. I competed in many competitions from Hollywood Vibes to Celebrity, Turn It Up and so much more. I got the honor of traveling to California with my company team and performing on stage at California Adventure Parks. I am overjoyed to be back not just dancing but teaching! Thank you for this amazing opportunity West Valley Dance Studio! I am looking forward to the road ahead!
Rachel Eisel
Summer Instructor
Rachel has been dancing in the Eugene/Springfield area for over 20 years, starting with dance teams and most recently dancing with Elite Dance Company. Currently, Rachel is a 5th year member of Elite’s choreography team, and a 13 year company member. Having trained in many concert styles of dance, she feels most at home with the high kicks and sharp lines of jazz dance choreography. She focuses her classes on strong technical foundations, as well as creative and fun choreography.
Alyna Wolgamott
Instructor
Choreogrophy
I grew up in Veneta, Oregon and have lived here my whole life. I started training at age three at UNITY School of Dance, where I built my foundation and learned from Eileen King, who shaped much of my technique and work ethic. I spent five years performing with Kings Krew Micros before moving to West Valley Dance Studio at age nine. At West Valley, I trained across multiple styles including ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hiphop which helped me become the dancer I am today. When the pandemic hit, I stepped away from the studio to focus on school, and I’m now continuing my education at the University of Oregon. I’m excited to return to West Valley in a new role as a teacher. Dance has been a constant in my life, and I’m grateful for the chance to share what I’ve learned and help young dancers grow.
Aimee Hartwig
Instructor
Tumbling
Acro
​Aimee brings eight years of competitive gymnastics experience to the studio, including competing as a Level 10 gymnast. She has a lifelong passion for tumbling and loves helping athletes build strong fundamentals, confidence, and a genuine love for the sport. As a wife and proud mom of three, Aimee understands the importance of creating a positive, encouraging environment where every child feels supported and celebrated. She believes that with patience, consistency, and the right coaching, every athlete can accomplish more than they ever imagined. A lifelong resident of the Willamette Valley, Aimee is passionate about investing in the local community and inspiring the next generation of athletes. Whether she's introducing a young tumbler to their first cartwheel or helping advanced athletes master new skills, her goal is to help every student grow in both confidence and ability while having fun along the way.
Kiana King
Summer Instructor
​Kiana King is a dance teacher, choreographer, and performer from Eugene, Oregon. She specializes in jazz, lyrical and contemporary, hip hop, and breaking, Kiana has trained with Unity School of Dance, performing with both King's Krew and Evolve Dance Company. Kiana has taught dance for four years and is a Senior Company Member with Hollywood Vibe, where she travels nationally assisting professional choreographers and instructors at conventions. Kiana is a new member of the University of Oregon Dance Team and is passionate about inspiring dancers through strong technical training, creativity, and confidence-building instruction.