Meet our board!

Holly Petty, Board Director

Holly began dancing at age three and has continued to do so ever since. She grew up dancing at Bountiful School of Ballet near Salt Lake City, Utah and performed for five years in the Ballet West Nutcracker including the role of Clara. She received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Dance Education from Brigham Young University which is home to the largest university dance department in the nation. During her college career she performed all over the country with Contemporary Dance Theatre. She was mentored extensively through teaching with the BYU Children and Teen’s creative dance program. She also performed with DanceEnsemble which is a company that focused on building choreographers as well as the company Kinnect, which performed and taught in the public schools in Utah County.

After graduating in 2009 Holly taught dance at Payson High School. Utah is one of the few states in the nation that offers dance as an art credit teaching regular education students about the art from just like if they were taking visual arts, band or drama. In addition to these dance classes, she oversaw their dance company which was an auditioned artistic company of highschoolers that produced choreography in concert form.

After moving to Washington DC in 2010 she helped form a women’s art collective called Artist Interrupted, which aimed to provide artistic experiences for women who may have limited time or opportunities to be involved in the art world due to career changes or family life. During her time there she produced three annual concerts showcasing 15-20 highly talented and experienced performers as well as works by visual artists at each event. Holly has taught dance in the private sector for the last ten years and currently teaches at Thrive Performing Arts in Richland, WA.

Whitney Sorensen, Board Secretary

Whitney started learning Ballet, Jazz, and Tap when she was a little girl. She was accepted into Boston Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program when she was 15 years old. She added Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Breakdancing as a teenager which allowed her to perform in the 2002 Olympic Closing Ceremonies and other televised events.

In college, Whitney started to learn Contemporary and Ballroom Dance. She was awarded academic and dance scholarships from Brigham Young University to pay her way through college. She performed with BYU’s modern DancEnsemble for 2 semesters before joining the BYU Ballroom Dancing Team. With the Ballroom Team she got to perform and compete across the United States and United Kingdom. She became a United States Latin Dance Formation Team Champion as well as a Blackpool Latin Dance Formation Team Champion in England. She was able to take lessons from some of the top ballroom dancers in the world and will always look back on that time with a smile because it was an absolute blast! She graduated magna cum laude with a Distinguished Graduating Senior Award in Dance and a secondary degree in Humanities with an Art History Emphasis.

Whitney taught Ballroom Dance at BYU and at Timpview High School in Utah. She has also taught Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Ballroom in private studios for over 13 years in Utah and Washington. Whitney is so happy to be a part of MCCD!

Shantal Moody, Board Treasurer

Shantal has spent years training in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre, Modern, and Contemporary. She has performed on stage in Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Bye Bye Birdie, and Oklahoma! She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education from Brigham Young University. While dancing at BYU she had the privilege of performing with dancEnsemble, Kinnect, and Contemporary Dance Theatre. She was able to perform regionally across the Northwestern States and internationally in Jamaica and in the Czech Republic with Kinnect and CDT.

After BYU Shantal moved to Chicago where she danced with Framework DanceChicago under the direction of Pia Hamilton and Robert McKee. She taught children’s Tap & Ballet, Creative Movement, and Adult Novice Jazz at Intrigue Dance. She also worked for Urban Gateways - a company working to engage young people in art of all forms to ”inspire creativity and impact social change.” There she was able to teach as an artist-in-residence in Chicago schools and was invited to choreograph for the UG Spring Gala.

In between living in Chicago and in Washington, Shantal lived in the United Kingdom for two years where she continued finding opportunities to take professional classes and teach dance workshops for teens.

In Washington, Shantal helped found Thrive Creative Dance and has taught at Mid-Columbia Partnerships. Through those schools and other volunteer opportunities she has taught Creative Dance, Contemporary Dance, Tap, Ballet and even a little Folk Dance to hundreds of children in the Tri-Cities for close to ten years. She is now an enthusiastic founding dancer, teacher, and board member for Mid-Columbia Contemporary Dance.

Katylin Brooks, Advocacy

Katylin began dancing at age seven after realizing gymnastics wasn’t the right fit—she loved looking pretty more than competing. She has been classically trained in Ballet under the Cecchetti Method and danced for many years with Mid-Columbia Ballet. She also spent four seasons performing with Forte (Tri-Cities Youth Choir).

Katy continued her training at Brigham Young University and danced for the duration of her university education. She now choreographs for Bravo - the elementary-aged Tri-Cities Youth Choir group, and teaches Ballet and Contemporary Dance at Thrive Creative Dance. She is passionate about dance and the mental and physical strength it builds. She loves seeing the benefits dance provides through confidence building, developmental growth, and mental health and wellness for all ages.

Sam Norr, Choreography & Artistry

Samantha Norr is a dancer, choreographer, and educator with a strong foundation in modern dance. She holds a BA in Dance with an emphasis in Choreography and Performance from Brigham Young University–Idaho. Her professional experience includes work as a company dancer and choreographer with Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company, a dancer in projects for Velocity Dance Center, and most recently a choreographer and member of Mid-Columbia Contemporary Dance.

Samantha has over 8 years of teaching experience across studios, universities, and community programs. Her work emphasizes accessible, curriculum-driven training and expressive movement. She is committed to creating inclusive dance spaces and continuing her growth as an artist and educator.