Teaching with Encore since June 2024
EAGLE, S MERIDIAN KIRSTEN TURNER (Choreography, Hip Hop, Jazz Dance, Multi-Cultural Dance) Kirsten’s primary steps started in Ballet at age 5, and quickly turned to Hip-Hop in her adolescence. She was a regular and started her first job at Dance West Dance studio in Boulder, Colorado. In high school she began studying Flamenco and dancing in a modern company (Movement on the Edge) directed by Rebekah West. After graduating from high school she traveled and lived in southern Spain studying Flamenco and Spanish. She studied at Carmen de las Cuevas (Granada,) with Alicia Marquez (Sevilla) and at the Pena De Buleria in Jerez. Her passion for Flamenco led her to the University of New Mexico where she earned her degree in dance and cultural anthropology. She studied under the notorious Encinias family. During her time at UNM she founded and directed the contemporary dance company called the Duke Dance Collective. While studying at UNM she came across Jackie Burns who was teaching children dance for The National Dance Institute. Kirsten fell in love with the pedagogies originally founded by Jacques D'amboise. She quickly became an apprentice and instructor for the National Dance Institute of New Mexico. Kirsten taught with three companies across the Rocky Mountains from the Affiliates of the National Dance Institute; NDI-NM, Celebrate the Beat and Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts(TRICA). In 2013 Kirsten left the United States to pursue her Masters in Ethnochoreology from the University of Limerick’s, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. She studied in Catherine Foley’s program under Mats Melin. Her thesis included inquiry over movement systems from the West African Diaspora. Kirsten moved to the Treasure Valley in 2016 and met her husband Jason. During this time she has been the primary dance teacher at Idaho Arts Charter School teaching Kindergarten-5th graders. In the evenings she is dancing professionally with Kelli Brown and Flamenco Idaho. She has a 4 year old daughter named Kennedy and a 13 year old step-daughter named Rubee. They love to go Hiking, Skiing/ snowboarding and visiting the Oregon coast. Check the availability for another instructor here.
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