Meet our Team

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Owner & Artistic Director

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Hannah Taylor-Kormondy began her dance training at age 9 under the direction of Steven Boyd.  She continued her training with The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she intensively studied classical ballet and modern dance.

She has performed in a series of choreography projects at Lincoln Center and the New York City Civic Centers, was a company member with Karin Stevens Dance, based out of Seattle, Washington and performed with the world re-known Cirque du Soleil in Kona, Hawaii. 

Hannah has over 15 years of teaching and studio dance experience teaching master classes, choreographing, and judging for national dance competitions, ensembles, and studios across the nation. She also has a degree in Business Administration and loves providing a fantastic work place for her team!  Her strong ballet, modern, and jazz dance background create a unique and versatile experience for her students.  Many of her students have attended top dance schools such as University of Arizona, Oklahoma University, Southern Methodist University, and Fordham University and are working as professional dancers.

Now making her home in Olympia, Washington with her husband and sons she has opened her own studio, South Sound Dance, with the hope to teach, choreograph, and inspire other young dancers in the Olympia and Tumwater community!

Assistant Director & Instructor

Born and raised in Northern California,  Katie began her dance career at the age of 5 under the direction of Mary Knight at Mendocino Ballet in Ukiah, Ca.  Katie studied Classical Ballet, both Vaganova and Cecchetti methods, until she graduated high school in 2002.  While in college, she continued dance with a  competition jazz team and began teaching ballet through the local recreational club in Chico, Ca then continued her education in  Sacramento, Ca and performed with a jazz dance group as a soloist and  company member.  Her dance experience includes ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, lyrical and hip hop.  She has performed in  numerous productions including The Nutcracker, Peter and The Wolf, Cinderella, and Don Quixote and has attended many Regional Dance  Festivals and dance competitions including the International Ballet  Competition where she was selected to represent her region as a dancer  in a gala performance.  

Katie moved to Washington in 2005 and continued to teach and take dance classes and in 2012 received her degree in  Veterinary Technology.  She is very excited to continue her love of dance acting as Assistant Company Director and teaching at South Sound Dance.

Program Coordinator & Instructor

Anna Stacey began training at Puyallup  Valley Dancenter at age five.  She studied various dance styles  including ballet and jazz, but her favorite was always tap!  She  continued dancing with PVD until graduating high school. In college, she  was a choreographer and dancer with the Repertory Dance Group at the  University of Puget Sound for two seasons.

Anna's  choreography has been part of a number of local productions.  She has  been involved with two LDS Regional Dance Festivals, choreographing both  clogging and jazz numbers.  She has choreographed three summer youth  musicals with BK Musical Productions.  Anna has also performed in  multiple shows dancing swing and lindy hop as a member of Capitol City  Stomp in Olympia, WA.

Anna has teaching experience in ballet, jazz, tap, clogging, hip  hop, and creative movement to students ages two through adult since 2009.  Her  approach as an instructor combines teaching the technical aspects of  each dance style while having fun and building confidence in her  students.

Front Desk Manager & Instructor

BIO COMING SOON

Instructor

Kristine Graham is an award-winning  teacher who recently moved to Olympia, WA from Los Angeles, CA where she  had been teaching ballet, jazz, and modern dance at Millikan Middle School and Performing Arts Academy.  Kristine was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA where she performed in original musical productions and  studied dance, drama, and voice in a Children's Workshop Theater Group.  She continued her dance training throughout high school and college and  graduated from Pitzer College with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance in 1998.

Kristine has had the opportunity to attend, teach, and  perform at the American Dance Festival (ADF) in Durham, North Carolina  as well as perform with Dancer's Group Studio in San Francisco, CA and  the LA Jazz Foundation where she danced as a soloist and an ensemble member in The Legend of the Chocolate Nutcraker, a multicultural  re-telling of the classical Nutcracker ballet incorporating jazz,  modern, tango, samba, ballet, and swing dance.  One of the highlights of  her teaching career was in 2008, when Kristine's choreography and dance students were chosen to travel to Beijing, China as part of a  pre-Olympic festival and cultural arts exchange.

Kristine has a  love for dance as an art form and her teaching style incorporates strong technique as well as choreographic and performance skills to help her  students build confidence, maintain a healthy body image, and express  themselves creatively while inspiring them to reach for success in all  aspects of their lives.

Instructor

Originally from New England, Brianne started her dance training at Michelle Goodwin's School of Dance in Townsend, MA when she was three. As a member of the studio company, she performed at Epcot (1998), Disney World (2000), and on a Disney Cruise (2002). Brianne completed a teacher training course through the Dance Teachers Club of Boston in 2004. While attending college at the University of Maine, Brianne was a member and then captain of the Pride of Maine Black Bear dance team. She performed and/or choreographed each year in the annual dance department showcase. She graduated with a major in Marine Science with a minor in Dance.

Upon moving to Washington, Brianne started teaching ballet, tap, and jazz at a studio in Puyallup. As choreographer of the Shining Stars Performing Group, she achieved a "Best Choreography" award at Fluid dance competition in 2017. 

Now making her home in the South Puget Sound, Brianne is excited to join the South Sound Dance family!

Instructor

Kindred Graving-Mead started dancing in a Jazz & Acro class at the young age of 6 years old and has not stopped for a second since! Her passion for dance has done nothing but grow since that first day on the dance floor. Kindred has always been as involved with her dance studio as possible, taking class and assistant teaching in every style of dance available to her.  She has spent several years competitively dancing and being a part of the South Sound Dance pre-professional Company, where she has participated in several workshops, conventions and immersive summer programs. Notably, Kindred spent four weeks in New York attending the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance Intensive, where she studied the Taylor technique rigorously. She hopes to continue to study and train in all techniques of dance for as long as she can! 

A student of the South Sound Dance Teacher Training Program, Kindred ensures that each dancer that walks into her classroom is challenged in a safe, welcoming, and fun environment. She hopes to give each of her students the experience of falling in love with dance every single time they come to class! 

Instructor 

Aja was born and raised in Olympia, WA where she started dancing at the age of eight in jazz and hip hop.  In 2004, Aja moved to Bellingham, WA to attend Western Washington University where she studied dance and was a member and co-captain of the Hip Hop Team (WWUHHDT).  In addition to her college dance training, Aja has trained at many conventions, such as Monsters of Hip Hop, Movement Lifestyle and Hollywood Connection.  

From 2007-2009, Aja was the head coach of the River Ridge High School Dance Team and recently the assistant coach for the Timberline High School Dance Team.  Aja is also a co-founding member and leader of the local adult hip hop group, Audacity Cru.  They have performed all over the northwest in shows such as Friday Night Hip Hop’s No Flex Zone, Beyond Boundaries, and SWDA's very own charity Gala, Dance to Make a Difference.  They have also competed in competitions such as World of Dance and Prelude and in 2015 represented the northwest at the World of Dance Finals in Los Angeles.   

Aja is known for her sassy, aerobic, strong hitting choreography and is excited to share her passion for dance!

Instructor

Olivia Schmaltz started dancing at the age of 4 years old and has been dedicated ever since. Over the last 12 years she has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, acro, modern and contemporary and has loved every second of it! Olivia is currently a member of the South Sound Dance Elite Senior Company. Olivia has attended prestigious summer dance intensives such as the Joffrey Ballet School Jazz Intensive in Las Vegas, Nevada and Northwest Dance Project in Portland, Oregon. Olivia also consistently attends local dance workshops and conventions to grow and expand her knowledge of dance! 

Olivia is so excited to continue her training in the South Sound Dance Teacher Training Program and looks forward to sharing her passion and love for dance with others!