Sheryl is the owner and primary instructor for DanceTales Studio. She is an accomplished dancer, teacher, and choreographer who has performed as a soloist and company dancer in numerous concerts in jazz, modern, and ethnic dance. Sheryl is also a dance instructor for North Idaho College, teaching courses in various ballroom styles, rhythm and movement, and multicultural dance.
Sheryl earned a Master of Arts in Dance from the University of Oregon, where she was the Director and Choreographer of the nationally renowned Jazzline and was awarded the Outstanding Dance Graduate Award. Her extensive education and training in dance includes ballroom, jazz, lyrical, modern, ballet, and multicultural.
She has also been trained by numerous internationally ranked latin and ballroom dance champions; most recently in 2009, Toni Redpath and Michael Mead, Charlotta Jorgensen, Heather Smith, Bill Sparks, and Katarzyna Kozak. Sheryl is a registered DanceSport professional and competitor with the National Dance Council of America.
Over the course of her career, Sheryl has been consistently noted, by dance professionals and students alike, for her innovative choreography and musicality, passion filled performances, and outstanding teaching ability. She has over 25 years of teaching experience and was recently awarded the Coeur d’Alene Mayor’s Award for “Excellence in the Arts.” Her driving force is to promote dance in the community through dance classes and events where students have the opportunity to gain an invaluable skill, an outlet for creative expression, a means to exercise in a fun way, and a positive environment to socialize with others.
Mark has over 9 years of teaching and competitive ballroom dance experience. He has won numerous awards at competitions throughout the western United States. Mark's ability to break things down, his attention to detail, and his quick wit make learning to dance a fun and enjoyable learning experience.
Mark's interests include digital arts, boating, fishing, rock climbing and snow skiing.
Callie Stewart has over 10 years of competitive ballroom dance experience. She has won over 100 awards, including 1st place medals in Pre-Champ Standard and Smooth at the National Dancesport Championship. Callie also received a 1st place award in the Amateur 9 dance championship.
Callie danced on Brigham Young University’s competitive ballroom Touring Team for 3 years, where she was the team’s soloist. Callie performed and competed in western Europe, where she received a 1st-place medal at the British Open in Blackpool, England. Callie has also performed throughout China, including appearances on Chinese national television. She has received high honors on both her Standard and Latin Medal Exams, which are the highest achievement levels offered at BYU.
Callie’s experience in teaching ballroom dance includes two years as an instructor of ballroom dance at BYU, as well as extensive contribution to workshops and clinics.
Most recently Callie has completed her bachelor’s degree in health education. Her interests include reading, camping, and tennis.
Tarah has over 20 years of dance and competition experience in a variety of dance styles including latin, ballroom, swing, jazz, tap, modern, ballet, lyrical jazz and hip-hop. She has won many awards and scholarships as a soloist and team dancer mainly in jazz, tap, lyrical jazz and hip-hop.
As a student at North Idaho College in Sheryl's latin dance class, Tarah was inspired by Sheryl's enthusiasm in teaching and by her intoxicating love for dance. It was this motivation that encouraged Tarah to pursue a career in dance education. Tarah received two degrees, one in Fishery Resources and the other in Social Dance Education, from the University of Idaho in 2008. Tarah continues to be inspired under Sheryl's teaching and has also trained under many other dance professionals - her favorites being Ben Morris and Benji Schwimmer.
Tarah has also performed in and choreographed numerous concerts, including two seasons at the University of Idaho "Dance Theatre" and "Dancers, Drummers and Dreamers." She also performed, choreographed and directed a benefit concert entitled, "The UI Latin Dance Club Ballroom Spectacular" and was a dancer in the 2006 cast of "A Chorus Line" for Coeur d' Alene Summer Theatre.
Aside from her passion for performing and teaching dance, Tarah is also earning her Master's degree from the University of Idaho focusing on vertebrate vaccinology and diagnostic techniques. As a born and raised Idahoan, she loves spending as much time outdoors as possible. Her favorite hobbies include fly fishing, bow hunting, SCUBA diving, snowmobiling and photography.
