Sparkplug Dance Teachers!

A Eugenean, Sparkplug Dance Founder and Executive Director Rachael Carnes received her B.A. in Dance-Theater from Reed College. She trained at the Creative Dance Center in Seattle with Anne Green Gilbert, the leading authority on Creative Dance, and worked as a teacher, choreographer and board member at the CDC, as well as developing her own classes, artist-in-residence workshops and projects throughout the Seattle area.

Rachael sat on the board for the Dance Educators Association of Washington. After relocating to NYC in 1999, she pursued graduate studies in Child Development, Developmental Psychology and Dance/Movement therapy and created her program for Little Ones and their Big People. She is a regular presenter for Lane Community College, the Oregon Association for the Education of the Young Child and the Eugene Public Library. In the summer 2006, she presented a workshop on adaptive dance and inclusion at the annual conference for Dance and the Child International, the internationally recognized organization of dance educators, in The Hague, the Netherlands. She teaches concept-based dance to all ages.

Oralia Kolaczowski has been belly dancing for 9 years, She offers workshops, classes, and performs locally. Her training is in egyptian style belly dance with a focus on veil technique. She's mom to two little ones.

Carol McIntyre has been a dance instructor for more than twenty-five years. She holds a Dance Degree from the University of Oregon where has also taught in the Physical Education Department. She has studied in Hawaii and New Zeland. She has instructed in dance at both the University of Oregon and the University of Washington.

She has taught extensively in public schools using a variety of dance styles. She has taught and managed dance troupes and has also taught as an artist-in-residence in schools througout the western states and in Pacific Rim areas.

Penny Joy Salus credits her two-year-old for her exciting re-entry to the world of dance! Penny has co-founded her own dance company, and created programs in intergenerational dance here in Eugene, offering classes for people of all ages. She also brings to Sparkplug her knowledge as a sign language interpreter and LMT.

Sherry Sterling has taught in the public schools and directed her own after school dance and drama program for 15 years. She’s the recipient of the Oregon Dance Association’s Honor award, as well as Educator of the year at Briggs Middle School. Sherry performed as a dancer in modern and ballet for 30 years. She’s mom to one.

Melanie Turnbull began her studies in dance as a child, and later focused on modern and ballet techniques at the Hartford School of Ballet, the School of American Ballet in NYC and the University of Utah. She holds a Masters in Teaching, most recently teaching English to high school students. Her toddler loves to dance!