April Garner-Hoose (BFA) is the driving force behind Dance Force-1. Her passion for dance is visible through her innovative teaching styles and motivating classroom atmosphere. In addition, her high-energy classes incorporate theatrical elements to teach the importance of emotion in dance and stage presence.

April began dancing at the age of 5 in Connecticut. She was accepted in to the Greater Hartford Academy of Performing Art High School where she studied Jazz, Ballet, Tap, African and West Indian dance. While in high school, April was invited twice to perform for the Lord Mayor of Westminster in England. She furthered her dance education at Grossmont College and the University of Arizona receiving a BFA cum laude in Dance. Her comprehensive dance background includes working for Disney, Six Flags, and USA's television show Silk Stalkings. She has had the opportunity to train with renowned choreographers: Frank Hatchett, Luigi, Joe Tremaine, Gus Giordano, Laura Fremont, Mia Michaels and Mandy Moore, just to name a few.

April's true love is teaching children. She has been teaching the art of dance for almost 20 years throughout Connecticut, San Diego, and Tucson. Her students and choreography have won numerous national dance awards, including Overall Top Studio, Top Group, Top Duo/Trio, Top Soloist. She has also received awards for Overall Excellence in Jazz choreography and recently received the prestigious Teacher of the Year award.　In addition to teaching, April enjoys taking classes at the EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, California.　She believes it is important to keep up with the latest trends and dance styles. Dance Force-1 is a lifelong dream come true for April and she looks forward to developing the potential of each dancer and their love for dance, but most importantly, adding smiles to faces and passion to hearts.

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Natalie Finley discovered her love for dance at the age of 5. By 13, she joined DanceForce-1, where she honed her craft and grew as a dancer. Over the years, she has trained under the direction of renowned names in the dance industry, including Mandy Moore, Joe Tremaine, Doug Caldwell, Denise Wall, and Stacey Tookey.

Natalie’s passion for choreography has earned her numerous accolades, including regional titles, special judges' awards, and a national title. This is her 6th season teaching at DanceForce-1, where she continues to inspire and mentor the next generation of dancers.

In addition to teaching, Natalie is pursuing her studies at the University of Arizona. When she's not in the studio or studying, she enjoys spending time with her two dogs, who keep her active and grounded. Natalie is deeply passionate about working with children, fostering their creativity, and sharing her love for dance in a positive and encouraging environment.

Lauren Johnston, a Tucson native, discovered her passion for dance at just three years old. Her early training began with classical ballet, tap, and jazz and later expanded to include pointe, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and musical theater. As a member of Creative Dance Arts’ performing company, Lauren earned numerous awards for her solo and group performances at prestigious conventions such as NYC Dance Alliance, L.A. Dance Force, Showstoppers, Spotlight, L.A. Dance Magic, and West Coast Dance Explosion.

Lauren has studied and performed dance across Arizona and Michigan, participating in showcases, benefits, and concerts. She served as the head of Pusch Christian Academy’s Dance Department in 2007 and 2008 and became an award-winning instructor and choreographer at Creative Dance Arts, specializing in jazz, hip hop, and lyrical for all ages.

Currently, Lauren is certified in Pure Barre instruction and teaches classes when she’s not working with her DanceForce-1 family. Known for her enthusiasm and dedication, Lauren is passionate about inspiring her students and sharing her lifelong love for dance.

The first time Erika put on a tutu, at the age of three, she was hooked on dance. She grew up as a competitive dancer and is a proud Dance Force-1 alumna. She is deeply grateful for the opportunity to give back to the studio that played such a pivotal role in shaping her career.

With over 16 years of teaching experience and six years of dance administration experience, Erika has choreographed hundreds of group, solo, duo, and trio routines for both competitive and recreational dancers. Outside of the studio, she performs with Life Moves Dance Company and enjoys spoiling her Goldendoodle, Murphy.

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Kalia Hoose discovered her love for dance at just 3 years old. She grew up training at DanceForce 1. Kalia’s passion for leadership and movement was further solidified as the captain of the Catalina Foothills Pomline during high school.

Now in her second year as a pre-vet major at the University of Arizona, Kalia continues to balance her academic pursuits with her creative ones. As the head choreographer for her sorority, Chi Omega, she combines her technical expertise with her knack for storytelling.

With three years of teaching experience under her belt, Kalia shares her love for dance through a variety of styles, including jazz, acro, contemporary, lyrical, leaps and turns, pom, tap, and hip-hop. Her classes are built around the same values that made her fall in love with dance: creating a safe and positive environment where students feel empowered to express themselves and grow.

For Kalia, teaching is about more than movement—it's about cultivating confidence, creativity, and connection in every student she teaches.

A DF-1 alumni born and raised in Tucson, Arizona with a love and passion for dance since age 3. Courtney is also a Pomline coach for the Catalina Foothills High School pom team and is enrolled at the University of Arizona as a Human Development and Family Sciences Major.

Courtney is a passionate teacher and coach who loves being a part of students’ paths to finding confidence, joy, perseverance, and passion through dance. Courtney is trained in, and teaches, a variety of styles including ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, leaps and turns, acro, and pom.

Tucson born and raised and a proud DF-1 Alumni! I have been dancing for over 12 years. During the day, I am an Intake Coordinator for a home health agency and I am currently enrolled at Pima Community College on the path for a degree in sports medicine.

At the studio, guiding and supporting kids to be their authentic selves is my passion. I teach Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz, and Ballroom.

Elisabeth Hekman is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she trained under the direction of Marlene Kenneway at Ada Dance Academy located in Ada, Michigan. She also received further training from Amanda Smith-Heynen. Elisabeth spent a year studying at the Joffrey Academy of Dance in Chicago, Illinois before joining American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey as a trainee. During her time with American Repertory Ballet, she danced the role of Emily in Philip Jerry's Our Town and danced in numerous company productions including Douglas Martin's Rite of Spring.

Elisabeth joined Ballet Tucson in 2014 and has since had the opportunity to dance in a wide variety of wonderful pieces. Favorite roles include one of the Russian Demi-Soloists in George Balanchine's Serenade, the Spanish Couple in The Nutcracker, Little Swans in Swan Lake, and Daniel Precup's pas de deux Ne Me Quitte Pas. Elisabeth loves passing on her passion for dance to the next generation, and looks forward to continuing to inspire students to express themselves through movement while guiding them to build the strength and confidence that dance will give them.

Casey Johnson began his training at the School of Nashville Ballet as a full scholarship student. After graduating he went on to dance with Dance Theatre of Tennessee for five seasons. There he got to dance works by Christopher Mohnani, Ron de Jesus, Tom Pazik, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Ma Cong. He then spent six seasons dancing with Lexington Ballet where he danced numerous principal roles in ballets such as Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella, Giselle, Snow White, and The Rite of Spring amongst many others.

He has been a principal guest artist for various other companies including Ballet Fantastique, Ohio Dance Theatre, and New York State Ballet. Casey has been on faculty at several pre-professional schools, as well as choreographing numerous successful competitive routines and professional works. She enjoys sharing her passion for ballet with the students at Dance Force-1.

Abby Warkenti began dancing at age 5 and started competing at 12. Originally from Chandler, Arizona, Abby was a member of the Hamilton High School dance team, where she helped her team secure a top 10 placement at UDA Nationals her senior year.

Now a junior at the University of Arizona majoring in elementary education, Abby brings her passion for dance and teaching together. This is her second year with DanceForce-1, where she has loved being part of such a supportive and inspiring community.

Specializing in hip-hop, Abby strives to create fun, inclusive classes that build confidence and foster growth. A proud dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., Abby enjoys traveling to Canada every year to visit family and stay connected to her roots.

Ceci Cruz started dancing at the age of 2 and trained on dance crews and in studio settings. She graduated from the University of Arizona in 2019 with degrees in B.A. in Relgious Studies & B.S. in Physiology. While attending, she was Choreographer Coordinator & worked on Public Relations for the U of A’s Black N’ Blue Crew.

Since 2015, Ceci has been teaching all ages and levels in Hip Hop. Her main goal in teaching is to encourage growth & confidence. She is excited to share her love for hip hop with the students at DF-1.

Laurel is a dedicated multi-genre dancer from Sierra Vista, AZ, who has been honing her craft since the age of three. She began assistant teaching at 14, showcasing her passion for sharing dance with others, and moved to DF-1 at 16. A scholarship recipient from the Fluid Dance Competition, Laurel plans to pursue a degree in dance after recovering from two hip surgeries, demonstrating her incredible resilience.

Laurel is trained in, and teaches, hip-hop, ballet and pointe, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz. Known for her kindness and patience, Laurel is an inspiring mentor and a valued member of the DF-1 community.

Mackenzie Roberts is a dynamic dance professional who recently completed her Master of Fine Arts in Dance at the University of Arizona. She holds a BFA from Lindenwood University and currently energizes students as an online adjunct professor at Missouri Valley College. Mackenzie has trained with NFL and NBA programs and is actively working to bring that high-level performance training into the collegiate classroom—first by presenting at the 2025 National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Conference.

Her dance journey began at age six and flourished through performing and teaching across the Midwest. While at Lindenwood, she was a member of the Lion Line Dance Team, winning two national titles at UDA Nationals in 2021. In Arizona, Mackenzie has danced with the Tucson Sugardolls for two seasons and serves as a choreographer for Arts Express Theatre. She also choreographs for high school dance teams and leads “Harmonizing Movement: Inclusive Dance Jams,” a project aimed at making dance more accessible for people with disabilities.

Mackenzie’s work reflects her commitment to an inclusive, high-impact future for dance. She gives thanks to God, her mother, family, and her new family in Arizona for their unwavering support.

Bridgette Jensen started dancing at the age of three, and grew up training and competing in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, pointe, and ballroom. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Arizona in 2021. Throughout her career she has performed works from world-renowned choreographers, such as Paul Taylor, Jennifer Archibald, and Yoshito Sakuraba. Bridgette was also a company dancer with Hawkins dance where she performed around Tucson.

She began teaching dance locally five years ago and also teaches online dance classes to people around the world with vestibular disorders. Bridgette is a Certified Integrative Health Coach and loves combining wellness modalities and mindfulness practices with dance. She is excited to continue sharing her love, knowledge, and passion for dance with everyone in her classes.

Olive Parisi was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, and has been dancing for seven years. She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, and pom. She attended Canyon Del Oro High School, where she danced on the Performance Dance Team and Pomline.

She is currently a pre-nursing student at the University of Arizona and hopes to become a registered nurse. Olive has been teaching dance for two years and loves sharing her passion for dance with her students.