Brandi Breshears

Brandi Breshears has been dancing for eleven years. She began her career as a competitive dancer and gymnast at age seven. For the last few years she has focused on her dance training, taking classes from Marla Hansen, Kim Machado, Melissa Larson, Kari Hoagland and a variety of guest artists who have come to Boise. She has traveled to conventions throughout the Northwest to further her training and attended Boise State University Summer DanceFest, Ballet Idaho's Giselle Intensive, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, The Juilliard School's summer dance intensive, American Academy of Ballet, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Robert Battle and Complexions Summer dance Intensives. Brandi was featured in Verve as a company trainee in the 2005-06 season,  in Emerging from Loss  in 2006-07, and in Solace, Big Top, and Measure of Time in the 2007-2008 season. This is her third year as a full company member, and her fourth year with the company.

Caitlin Stanley (apprentice)

Caitlin grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho where she has danced since the age of four. She trained for fourteen years wit Kelli Turner at Mauldin's Dance Academy where she learned developed her passion for dance, especially tap and jazz. During high school Caitlin was choreography captain for the Twin Falls Bruinettes Dance Team. After graduation she moved to Boise and started studying with Carol Roderick as a Ballet Idaho trainee. Caitlin has attended Magic Valley Master classes, IDAA Summer Dance Camp, BSU Summer DanceFest, and more giving her the opportunity to work with many great instructors, like Regina Williams, Brian Berry, Nick Zbrowski, and Toni Pimble. This is Caitlin’s second year with the company, and in addition to enjoying her work with Idaho Dance Theatre, Caitlin is a full time student at Boise State University majoring in Elementary Education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casee Hogg

Casee, an Idaho Native, studied with Rhonda Bowden at Dance Pros for four years. She performed for two years with H-Dance Force, directed by Hailey Frisbee. She spent four summers attending the Boise State University Summer DanceFest Workshop, and two years performing with Balance, a youth dance company directed by Leah Clark. Over the past two years Casee was featured in many new works including Tenacious, Caliente, Face the Wind, Big Top, Form and Face, and Undertow. Casee’s continued professional experience recently included the Mark Morris Dance Intensive in NYC in the summer of 2008. She loves to paint, sing, write poetry, and hang out with friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yurek Hansen

Yurek is a barrista, a ballet teacher and student, a martial artist (preferring the soft arts to the hard ridged forms other than ballet, being the dynamic of both) a musician, a sculpture of wood and stone, a composer, choreographer, a visionary and energy worker, but most of all a dancer. A Boise native, Yurek has received all his training in the city of trees, trained in multiple martial arts and dance forms, his favorites being capoeira, break dancing, tai chi, ballet, aikido, and hip hop. This is Yurek’s tenth season with IDT performing in over sixty works, choreographing six, and performing eight years in IDT’s Educational Outreach Program illuminating dance for thousands of Idaho’s youth. He has been an adjunct instructor of ballet at Boise State University and also taught for the Children's Dance Institute and Ballet Idaho in Boise.  He has also taught a ballet intensive and choreographed for Columbia Dance in Vancouver, Wa. and appeared as a guest artist in Kodiak, Alaska and with Ballet Idaho.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jean Schroeder (apprentice)

Jean Schroeder has been dancing since the age of four, training in ballet, jazz, and modern. She began her training at Ballet Idaho Academy of Dance in Boise where she danced for twelve years (1995-2007). She complimented her training at Ballet Idaho with instruction from Wendy de la Harpe and Jennifer Martin. Jean has also trained with other dance programs around the United States, such as Boston Ballet in Boston, Massachusetts (Summer 2007), Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida (Summer 2006), Interlochen Arts Academy in Traverse City, Michigan (Summer 2006, 2005), Ballet Austin in Austin, Texas (Summer 2008), and Boise State University DanceFest (Summer 2001, 2007, & 2008).  Jean has also performed in a number of productions over the years with Ballet Idaho. She is currently a Senior at Boise High School while concurrently enrolled in BSU's dance program. This is Jean’s second year with Idaho Dance Theatre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alia Kelley

Alia is an Idaho native who started pre-professional training at the age of 13 at Ballet Idaho and Eagle Performing Arts Center and has been a member of both performing ensembles.  She also trained in Seattle at Pacific Northwest Ballet and on scholarship in the Professional Division of Houston Ballet Academy.  Summer training includes BSU Summer DanceFest, Ballet Idaho, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet School of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Ballet Adriatico in Italy.  In addition to her performances with IDT, Alia has performed with Ballet Hawaii in their production of Cinderella under the direction of Victoria Morgan, Ballet Adriatico under the direction of Anna-Marie Holmes, and Ben Stevenson’s Nutcracker with the Houston Ballet.  Last summer Alia was in New York City as a Dance Intern for the Usdan Center for Creative and Performing Arts.  She performed under the direction and invitation of Dennis Nahat.  Alia was featured in last season’s production of “The Journey Home” as Circe, the half goddess, half human woman Odysseus falls in love with. This is Alia’s second year with Idaho Dance Theatre and she is excited to be celebrating their 20th Anniversary with them.

Jeremiah Wierenga

Beginning his second season with Idaho Dance Theatre, Jem is thrilled to be a part of the 20th anniversary celebration. Born and raised in Boise, he began his life on the stage playing Michael Darling in Boise Music Week's 1992 production of Peter Pan. He continued to be active in the community theater scene, playing Winthrop Paroo in Boise Music Week's the Music Man (1995), and was a member of the Opera Idaho Children's Chorus, appearing in Madama Butterfly, H.M.S. Pinafore, Tosca, and Hansel and Gretel. An accomplished cellist, he was a member of the Meridian Symphony of Idaho between 1997 and 2000. After moving to Oregon in 2001, he stayed active in theater, performing with Lane Musical Arts, Lord Leebrick Theatre, and the Very Little Theatre of Eugene. He began dancing in the fall of 2002 and has studied on scholarship at the Eugene Ballet Academy, LINES Ballet School, and Ballet Nouveau Colorado. In Oregon, he performed with Dance Theatre of Oregon, Traduza Dance Company, and Rita Honka Dance. In addition to dance, Jem works as a freelance writer for the Boise Weekly and is writing his first novel. He wishes to thank Carl and Marla for bringing him on this incredible journey of dance, and his sister Sarah for her encouragement to take the first giant leap.