Dance Instructors

Kathryn J. Schulte has made it her life's work to provide quality dance instruction in the Grand Valley.  She founded Dance Works in 1980 with the vision of creating a well-rounded dance program at an affordable price so that she could spread the joys of dance throughout the community.  Kathryn began her dance training right here in Grand Junction from Joanne Gardner.  She majored in ballet at the University of Utah under the direction of William Christensen and performed with the Utah Civic Ballet.  She transferred to the University of Colorado and studied under Larry Boyette, Nancy Spanier, and Charlotte Irey.  After graduating with a degree in dance she moved to San Francisco and was accepted as a company member in the Pacific Ballet Company.  Kathryn has and continues to attend master classes with countless legendary teachers and choreographers including Gus Giordano, Luigi, Joe Tremaine, Karen Hebert, Patricia Dickinson, Dolly Kelepecz, Mia Michaels, Frank Hatchett and others.

Kathryn has touched countless lives with her devotion to dance, both as a performer and a teacher.  Within her 27 years in business, Kathryn has seen generations of students waltz through the doors of Dance Works.  Her commitment to her students has always been exceptional from her business ethics to her teaching skills.  Kathryn has also been the primary seamstress for each of Dance Works' ballet productions and dance concerts, sewing over 600 costumes each year.

Kathryn is married to Terry Schulte, her loving and supportive husband.  They have three wonderful daughters:  April, Crystal, and Rachel.  All three have had professional dance careers.

Crystal Schulte-Onsrud has been dancing since the age of three, trained by her mother Kathryn Schulte. Throughout her childhood, Crystal also had the opportunity to train with master teachers including Joe Tremaine, Bobbie Bolling, Mia Michaels, Paul Franklin, Charles Kelley, and continues to train with master teachers and choreographers currently through Dance Educators of America. Crystal performed and competed with the Dance Works Connection during Middle School through High School and received numerous scholarships and awards. She was named All American in High School and started instructing and choreographing for the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA DANZ) during her senior year. After attending Mesa State College she pursued a professional dancing career that began on Norwegian Cruise Lines with Jean Ann Ryan Productions in Miami, FL. Crystal later relocated to Las Vegas, NV and danced in "Jubilee" at the Bally's Resort and Casino, "Legends in Concert" with On Stage Productions at the Imperial Palace, and performed and choreographed in numerous concerts and benefits throughout Las Vegas, Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Crystal has also danced for Greg Thompson Productions in Lake Tahoe, NV. Crystal has a wonderful supportive husband and three beautiful children. She enjoys teaching the art of dance and disipline to her students and loves working alongside her mother and sister.

April L. Schulte-Barclay has been dancing since the age of three, training primarily with her mother at Dance Works through her childhood and teenage years.  As a sixth grader, April became the youngest member of the Dance Works Connection and won numerous awards at regional and national competitions.  In high school she trained for a summer with the David Taylor Dance Company in Denver, Colorado.  In college she attended the University of Northern Colorado on a dance scholarship where she danced with their performance troupe and ballet company.  She later transfered to Mesa State College to study within a pre-med program.  Alongside her studies at MSC, April taught many dance classes at Dance Works and won choreography awards through the dance program at MSC.  She also took a break from her undergraduate program and danced professionally with Jean Ann Ryan Productions in Philadelphia, PA.  After graduating Mesa State College with a major in biology and two minors in chemistry and dance, April danced professionally with Greg Thompson Productions in Tunica, MS.  Following her professional dance career, April received her masters degree in Oriental medicine, and she now owns Healing Horizons Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine and is pursuing her doctoral degree.  April is proud to be teaching at Dance Works alongside her mother and sister and is enjoying integrating her dance expertise with sports medicine related treatments in her clinic.

Mary Krasnow has been involved with Middle Eastern Dance for nearly 30 years,  24 of those years as an instructor at Dance Works Studio. Mary has studied Middle Eastern Dance with Nationally and Internationally renowned dancers, including but not limited to,  Morocco of New York, Suhaila Samimpour – San Francisco, Amaya – Texas, Delilah – Seattle, Suzanna Del Vecchio and Joynan of Denver, Jamila and Calypso as well as Azia of Salt Lake City. Mary also has a background in Ballet, Jazz and Tap as well as Polynesian Dance and is studying Anusara Yoga. Mary is Co-Director of Khubsurat Ruh Middle Eastern Dance Troupe with her daughter Natasha.

Heidi Bassignani started teaching tribal style belly dance in 2004 at Dance Works Studio. She has a passion for belly dance, and continues to study and learn from the top performers in the nation. Heidi is certified by Carolina Nericcio in American Tribal Style (ATS). She teaches a combination of ATS and tribal fusion belly dance and is the director of Bella Rouge Tribal Fusion and their student troupe, Red Sand Tribal. Heidi also performs as a solo artist and is a founding member of Fuego del Luz Fire Performance Artists. She performs and teaches workshops in Colorado and the surrounding areas.

Molly Kuhl has been dancing since she was about 5 years old. She has taught for the past 7 years, most recently in Steamboat Springs. She is the founder and former director of Jasmir Tribal Fusion in Steamboat Springs. She is now a core member of Bella Rouge Tribal Fusion in Grand Junction. Molly has a deep passion for belly dance and loves working with women to improve body awareness, health, fitness, body image, and self esteem. Molly is happy to be sharing the gift of dance with the women of Grand Junction!

George and Marilyn Kelly of Black Tie Ballroom have been dancing and teaching ballroom dance together since 1999.  Their students rave about how much fun their classes are and how much they are able to learn in such a short amount of time.