Artistic Team

LEAD FACULTY

Courtney Wadman
Nevada Union High School Dance Director

Courtney Wadman has been the full-time Director of Dance at Nevada Union High School since 2010. She started her ballet training at the age of three, and over the years expanded her movement training to include jazz, modern, tap, hip hop, musical theater, and Pilates. In 2006, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Chapman University in Orange, California with a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Teaching English, earning awards including “Outstanding Student Choreographer” and the “Fannie Kalis Award for Outstanding Contribution in Dance.” Her choreography was selected for the Gala performance at the American College Dance Festival. Courtney has danced professionally in venues for choreographers Sean Greene (Director of the Gallimaufry & Greene Dance Company), Tiffany Billings (Director of Club Jete), and Jennifer Backhaus (Director of Backhausdance Contemporary Dance Company). Courtney’s teaching experience includes Expressions School of Dance, Santa Ana High School, Backhaus Contemporary Dance Center, The California Conservatory of Dance, and Northern California Dance Conservatory. She is certified in Pilates Mat and Progressing Ballet Technique.

Tsal’gyur Starbuck 
NU Dance Community Founding Director | Junior & Senior Division Lead

Lauren Duchene
Founder & Director of Imaginative Movement | Youth Division Lead

Lauren Duchene is a ballet educator devoted to cultivating joyful, imaginative, and technically grounded training for young dancers. With over 25 years of experience, she blends classical technique with a nurturing approach that fosters a deep love of movement, and artistic expression.

She began her training in Marin County at Stapleton School of the Performing Arts and continued her pre-professional studies at Marin Dance Theatre. She holds a BFA in Dance from UC Irvine with an emphasis on ballet performance. She is certified in Pilates, and Barre Training to support strong, well-rounded dancer development.

Lauren is also the founder of Imaginative Movement, a ballet program for young dancers offering thoughtful dance training with a creative and playful approach.

Toria Talbott
Nevada Union High School Assistant Director

A lifelong member of Nevada County’s dance community, Toria Talbott has dedicated more than 20 years to the art of dance. Trained in ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, hip hop, and tap, she began dancing at age four and was a proud four-year member of Nevada Union’s Advanced Dance Program before continuing her studies professionally. Toria earned her BFA in Dance, Summa Cum Laude, from California State University, Long Beach, where she performed, choreographed, and collaborated with nationally recognized artists. She later completed her Master of Education and Dance Teaching Credential and has continued building a career as both an educator and performing artist. For the past fifteen years, Toria has inspired dancers throughout Nevada County through her work with students in grades K–12. As Assistant Director of Nevada Union Dance and a credentialed Physical Education teacher at NUHS, she teaches, choreographs, mentors, and helps shape the next generation of artists. Her work is known for blending strong technical training with creativity, curiosity, and authentic self-expression.

Daisy Hang
Varsity Dance Team Coach

Roxanna Cohen
Physical Therapist, Pilates Instructor & Stage Manager

Roxanna Cohen is a physical therapist, movement specialist, and owner of The Pilates Place, with over three decades of experience in movement science and rehabilitation. She is a board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) and a Fellow of Movement System Impairments, a distinction reflecting advanced clinical expertise in diagnosing and treating movement-based dysfunction. She is also a Senior Educator for Polestar Pilates and PBT-certified instructor, with extensive experience applying Pilates and conditioning methodologies to support dancers, aerialists and other high-level movers. She is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine Scientists and regularly attends continuing education with leaders in the field of dance and circus medicine. Her work is distinguished by a rigorous, systems-based understanding of human movement and a longstanding commitment to integrating clinical insight with performance training.

ASSOCIATE TEACHING ARTISTS

Dr. Annie Aguilar
Chiropractor | Strong & Steady Movement Educator

Dr. Annie Aguilar is a chiropractor and fitness professional who helps people move with greater strength, confidence, and ease throughout every stage of life. Drawing from a background in dance, yoga, and neuroscience, she combines evidence-informed chiropractic care with movement coaching to support mobility, balance, resilience, and long-term well-being. She earned her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University and holds a degree in neuroscience from Middlebury College. In addition to her chiropractic training, Dr. Annie has advanced education in craniosacral therapy, lymphatic drainage, pelvic floor rehabilitation, perinatal and postpartum care, concussion recovery, and functional medicine. Her work is guided by a belief that movement is one of the most powerful tools for supporting health, authentic expression, and vitality throughout the lifespan.

Karen Attix
Ballet & Musicality | Cunningham Composition

Karen Attix danced professionally with the New York based modern dance companies of Merce Cunningham and Kathyrn Posin. She also collaborated with New York choreographers Jane Comfort and Matthew Diamond. Returning to the Bay Area in the mid-1970, she quickly became part of the new contemporary dance scene, working with Margaret Jenkins and Brenda Way (founder of ODC) and studying with Alonzo King of LINES Ballet. She also worked with Margaret Black and David Howard in New York, Michael Smuin, Henry Berg, and Sue Loyd in San Francisco, and Robert Sund of Marin Ballet. She received two choreography fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and set her choreography on dance companies in Fairbanks, Alaska as well as Sao Paulo, Brazil and Limassol, Cyprus. As a solo performer and Affiliate Artist, she toured extensively throughout the US. She co-founded MATTIX DANCE with fellow Margaret Jenkins’ dancer Virginia Matthews and together they performed in New York, Turkey and Israel and throughout the Bay Area. Karen has taught contemporary Cunningham based technique at Mills College, UC Berkeley, Reed College and San Francisco Ballet. Since moving to Nevada City in 2005, Karen has choreographed for Nevada Union Dance and Center Stage Dance Studio. She is also a certified Level One Gyrotonic trainer and brings over 20 years of classical piano study to her technique classes.

Becky Browning
Tap Teacher | Choreographer

Becky Browning has been dancing and involved in musical theatre since the age of nine. Growing up in San Diego, she developed a lifelong passion for dance, theatre, and the performing arts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre and has experience in dance, professional theatre, film, and voice-over work. An educator since 2012, Becky has worked with students in grades K-12. She spent most of her teaching career at Lyman Gilmore Middle School, where she grew a single drama class into a thriving musical theatre program that engaged nearly one-third of the school’s student population. After more than a decade in the classroom, Becky transitioned into school administration and currently serves as an Assistant Principal at Nevada Union High School. She continues to stay actively involved in arts education and helps oversee the VAPA programs at NU and is a member of the California Educational Theatre Association (CETA) Board. Becky loves creating a fun and encouraging environment where students of all ages and experience levels can build confidence, develop new skills, and experience the joy of performing. She is excited to share her lifelong love of dance and musical theatre through tap while helping students grow, have fun, and develop their own connection to the performing arts.

Elizabeth Castañeda
Ballet/Pointe, Spanish, Musical Theater & Youth Dance Fusion Teacher | Choreographer

Elizabeth Castañeda is a dance educator and choreographer with nearly thirty years of experience teaching ballet, pointe, character, jazz, contemporary, and improvisation. Her foundation began with extensive Royal Academy of Dance training and early choreographic mentorship at Austin Dance Academy. She later continued her studies at Ballet Arts Academy of Spokane, where collaborative work with her twin sister earned First Place in the Northwest Allied Arts Festival Choreography Division. Elizabeth continued her training at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and with Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. She has taught and created work for organizations including Ballet Theatre of Spokane, the LINES Ballet Pre-Professional Program, and ODC. Her teaching career also includes nearly a decade as an Artist in Residence at San Francisco School of the Arts. Elizabeth founded TWINSPACE in San Francisco, and is a co-creator of The Fossettes, a Fosse-inspired performance ensemble. She additionally leads Sister Magic Productions, a company dedicated to immersive, genre-blending performance work.

Chanthou Lam
Rhythm & Roots Teacher | Choreographer

Chanthou Lam is the Founder and Artistic Director of Connection Dance Project as well as the Director of Dance at Nevada City School of the Arts. Chanthou is an accomplished dance educator, choreographer, community advocate, and lifelong student of movement. With a Master of Science in Kinesiology (Movement Studies) and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Theatre from California State University, Sacramento, she brings a unique blend of artistic excellence, movement science, and community-centered teaching to every class she leads. Drawing from extensive training in Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Cuban, Dunham Technique, Hip Hop, Funk, Jazz, Modern, and Contemporary Dance, Chanthou has performed and trained with renowned artists and companies throughout California and beyond. Her work is rooted in the rich traditions of the African diaspora and guided by a deep commitment to dance education, cultural understanding, accessibility, and community connection.

Erin Reynolds
Contemporary Teacher | Choreographer

Erin Reynolds is a choreographer, educator, and performer whose work has been presented nationally and internationally, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, Istanbul, and Vienna. She holds an MFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach and a BA in Dance and Performance Studies from UC Berkeley. Erin is the artistic director of Erin Reynolds Performances and co-artistic director of E&C and Bare Outlines, and currently teaches at California State University, Sacramento and Chico. Her work explores the intersections of performance, new media, and public space, bringing a thoughtful and contemporary perspective to dance-making and education.

José Romero
Pilates Teacher | Personal Trainer

José Romero is a highly experienced fitness professional and movement educator helping clients improve strength, mobility, and overall well-being. Originally from Spain, José completed his training through the Spanish Federation School of Pilates and earned professional credentials through the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) before building a successful career working with diverse populations in both Spain and Miami, Florida. His approach combines evidence-based training methods with a deep understanding of functional movement, helping clients develop strength, stability, flexibility, and confidence in their bodies. José specializes in Pilates, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), functional fitness, and corrective exercise strategies, creating accessible and engaging workouts that challenge participants while honoring individual needs and abilities. He is currently on faculty at The Pilates Place, located at Body Logic Physical Therapy, providing Pilates Mat and Reformer group classes as well as personal training sessions.

GUEST CHOREOGRAPHERS

Jesse Church Beck
Choreographer

Jesse began training in Grass Valley, California at Nevada City School of the Arts.  He went on to study with Nevada Union Theatrical Dance before attending college at Chapman University as a dance major.  After two years at Chapman, Jesse transferred to Tisch School of Dance at New York University, he obtained his BFA in Dance as well as completed a double major in Politics.  He is the recipient of the Edward Weisik Scholarship as well as the Bill Cosby Memorial Scholarship.  He has performed in works by Gus Solomons Jr., Sean Greene, Tiffany Billings and Brook Notery.  His choreography has been presented in California and New York.  He has performed in works by Gus Solomons Jr., Sean Green, Tiffany Billings, James Martin Dance, Brook Notery, Lane & Co. Dance, and Dances Patrelle—a dynamic, professional ballet company in its 30th season. For nearly 20 years, Beck, on a yearly basis, has returned to Nevada Union to teach master classes and set various choreographic works on the dancers. His works have consisted of ballet, jazz and contemporary, as well as theatrical ensembles.