Instructors

Want to join the team? Apply to be a Motions Instructor

Bri Nelson

OWNER & DIRECTOR / COMBO INSTRUCTOR / TUMBLING & ACRO INSTRUCTOR / SPARKLE & LIGHTING DANCE TEAM HEAD COACH

Bri has been teaching dance and tumbling for over 20 years. She loves interacting with the kids and helping them to believe in themselves as they learn and grow into talented dancers and gymnasts. When Bri was a young child she started dancing and has continued dancing throughout her life. 

During her elementary school years, she was a gymnast and a member of the competitive gymnastics team in her community. She also performed with children’s musical and theatrical groups throughout her childhood. In high school, Bri was a member of The Elite Dance Force in Jerome, Id. While attending college, she danced for ISU on their Theater Dance Company, Danson. She has taught dance and tumbling at various studios throughout Southern Idaho. In 2004, she opened up her own dance studio in Twin Falls Idaho.

Since then, wherever she has moved to, she continues to teach and spread her love of dance and tumbling. In 2010 she moved to Meridian and began Motions Dance Studio.  

Bri feels dancing is her gift to share with others! She strives to run a modest dance studio, in price, moves, and attire, where all can enjoy and love dance! 

Bri teaches Dance and Tumbling for ages 2-18.

Hannah McKarcher

DANCE PROGRAM DIRECTOR/ BALLET INSTRUCTOR / COMBO INSTRUCTOR / METEORITE AND INTERSTELLAR TEAM COACH

Hannah fell in love with dance at a very young age! She first attended ballet classes through her homeschool group at the age of five and then moved on to continue her ballet training with River City Dance in Lewiston, ID. She was also able to dabble in many other dance styles including tap, jazz, lyrical, and modern. Through River City Dance she performed in many productions across the Lewis-Clark Valley, including many community outreach performances. 

She began teaching and assisting dance classes in high school. Hannah is now a happy wife to her amazing husband and a proud mommy to her beautiful baby girl. Her daughter is her inspiration and her future little ballerina! She is excited to pass on her passion and knowledge of dance to your young dancers and instill in them discipline and creativity. Hannah believes that dance is an amazing way for young girls to learn to express themselves and to build their self- esteem. She is thrilled to be a part of Motions Dance Studio!

Janese Botelho

DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION / TUMBLING & ACRO INSTRUCTOR / STARBURST TEAM COACH / DANCE CAMPS

Janese has always loved to dance! Over the years she has dabbled in ballet, tap, swing and country line dancing. As an adult she became familiar with the Brazilian dance style of Capoeira and began to train in it. She loved it so much she helped bring it to the Treasure Valley with Motions Dance in 2016, and in 2017 she became the Motion’s Capoeria teacher. She has always loved working with and teaching young children, and she feels like combining her love of dance and her love of children makes for the perfect job.

Nickie Astin

LUNAR ECLIPSE CHOREOGRAPHER

Nickie loves to dance! She have been boogieing since she was 3 years old, and has never stopped! Her goal in life is to have a famous Youtube video of her as an old lady getting down to some funky beats! She have a wonderful husband who tolerates her boogieing and is very supportive (because he knows how happy it makes her), and 3 kids who boogie in the kitchen with her on a regular basis! She loves teaching dance to little peoples, it is her joy in life and she loves passing it on to others! She really has danced almost her whole life, and all she can say is it’s wonderful and the best form of therapy out there!

Liberty Schaeffer

REC CHEER/ TUMBLING/ SUPERNOVA TEAM COACH/ TECHNIQUE INSTRUCTOR/ BALLET INSTRUCTOR

Hi, my name is Liberty Schaeffer. I am from Paul, Idaho. Ever since I was three I have danced at En Pointe Dance Academy. Growing up I learned a variety of styles such as ballet, pointe, jazz, acro, hip-hop, lyrical, and contemporary. I started cheering in middle school and have always loved the way dance and cheer compliment each other. Since moving to Boise for school I have continued to dance by auditioning for the Lady Spurs Dance Team. This past year was my second year dancing with the team and I loved it! I also joined Bronco Dance Club, where I will be serving as President this coming year. I’m very excited for this upcoming season and can’t wait to share my knowledge with my students! 

Lorena Sanchez

LUNAR ECLIPSE TEAM COACH

Hello everyone, my name is Lorena. I go by Lo for short. I started dancing at the age of five and continued doing so until my senior year in high school.

I danced for teams in Chino California, Twin Falls, and Jerome Idaho. We competed around the west coast. With my favorite being Disneyland. Dancing has always been a passion of mine and I have danced Lyrical, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Drill, and Hip-Hop. My favorites being Hip-Hop and Lyrical. I loved doing solos and am now one of the coaches for the High Voltage, Motion’s Hip-Hop Team. During the time that I was not dancing on a team, I choreographed dances for Quinceanera’s. Always so much fun!

I discovered Motions Dance studio 7 years ago, when my niece Evelyn joined the studio. We loved the energy and never left! Of course, I was thrilled to see that Evelyn had the same passion for dance as I did and continue to have. I am excited for another season of coaching at Motions Dance Studio. It is going to be a phenomenal one!

Alicia Birch

COMBO INSTRUCTOR / STARBURST TEAM COACH

Alicia has had a passion for dance and teaching since a young age! Growing up, she gained experience in various styles of dance, but especially fell in love with lyrical, jazz, and hip hop. When she is not dancing, she is teaching Kindergarten! It has always been her dream to mix her passion for teaching young children with her passion for dance, and she feels so blessed to be doing that and sharing her love of dance with others! Throughout her life, dance has always been an outlet for her and a way to express herself. She is so excited to share that love of dance with her students at Motions!

Brandy Renz

CHEER INSTRUCTOR/ TECHNIQUE INSTRUCTOR/ BALLET INSTRUCTOR/ TUMBLING & ACRO INSTRUCTOR

Hello! My name is Brandy Renz. I started dancing at age two at a studio in my small hometown. I continued to dance competitively until my senior year of high school. My passion and love for dance have never ended! I have done Lyrical, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Hip-hop. I have grown to love all types of dance! Alongside dancing, I cheered for six years, starting in middle school and ending in my senior year. I also love cheer. It is such an empowering and competitive sport! I have also tumbled since the age of 9 and several locations! I have choreographed multiple solos (usually Lyrical and Contemporary) and Quinceanera waltzes for the past five years! I was introduced to Motions Dance Studio and immediately fell in love with the program’s structure. I LOVE to spread my passion for dance, cheer, and tumbling, and I am beyond excited to extend my passion to my students!

Brynli Nelson

TUMBLING/ACRO INSTRUCTOR/
LUNAR ECLIPSE TEAM COACH

Brynli (Ms Bryn) loves and has a passion for dance that will never end. Thanks to her mom, Mrs Bri, dance has been Brynli’s whole life and she wouldn’t want it any other way. Brynli has experience in jazz, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and cheer. She competed for her high school dance team for 4 years and competed for Motions for a year as well. She is now an Idaho Horseman Lady Spur Dance Team member and loves it.

Brynli wants share her passion and love for dance with as many aspiring dancers and she can. Which is why she is so grateful for the opportunity to coach and teach here at motions. She loves watching and helping her dancers passion, love for dance, and most in importantly their confidence grow. Her by far favorite part of teaching is watching her dancers light up when they finally get that “ah ha” moment. It is the most rewarding feeling for both the dancer and Brynli. Brynli has so much love and passion for her dancers and can’t wait to see what this year brings!

MaKaylae Coleman

COMBO INSTRUCTOR / SUPERNOVA TEAM COACH/ TECHNIQUE INSTRUCTOR/ HIP HOP INSTRUCTOR

Bio coming soon!

Lacey Bernhardt

BALLET/POINTE/PREPOINTE

Lacey has lived in Idaho for almost her entire life and started dancing when she was 4 years old. She is also lucky to have had her two sisters dance alongside her throughout her life. Up through high school, Lacey was trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop. She also competed with various teams and attended several summer intensives to continue pushing her dance education. Once she went to BSU she joined Idaho Dance Theater, a local contemporary company that became a second family. Lacey currently remains a member with IDT now as a graduate, and is excited to step into a new chapter to begin teaching!

McKenna Faber

SR HIP HOP

McKenna has a rich a diverse background in the world of dance. Her passion for ballet started at the age of three, and she later embraced jazz, contemporary, modern, and hip hop when she turned 12. Throughout her college years, she devoted her skills to the school’s pom team, captaining the squad for three years. She also choreographed lyrical, jazz, and modern pieces for the student showcase. After college graduation, she coached high school pom in Colorado and taught Junior/Intermediate Jazz for a competition team. When she lived in Arkansas, she danced for the Northwest Arkansas Battle, a semi-pro outdoor football team. Her husband, boys, and dogs moved to Idaho in 2022, and she is now a proud member of the Idaho Lady Spur’s Dance Team. With her extensive experience and infectious enthusiasm, McKenna is eager to inspire and guide dancers of all levels on their journey.

Rylie Bowan

BALLET 1 / COMBO INSTRUCTOR

Rylie started dancing at the age of three, taking ballet. After moving to her hometown of Reno, Nevada she took a break before resuming dance at the age of eight, dancing and competing primarily in the style of jazz. After trying other sports, she realized that her true passion was in dance; so, she picked it back up at the age of 12.

Since then, Rylie continued dancing competitively at her local dance studio. Her sophomore year of high school, she joined her high school dance team through the school’s signature program, the Performing Arts Center (PAC). Through this program, Rylie was able to take dance classes at school for credit, while also competing and performing with PAC. Her senior year of high school, Rylie decided to do both the school and studio dance teams and spent over forty hours a week dancing (between classes, competitions, and performances.) Rylie then was able to graduate with a Performing Arts Center- Dance seal on her diploma.

Following high school graduation, Rylie joined the Bronco Dance Club at Boise State as a shadow officer. Her sophomore year, she worked as the club’s Financial officer and she is holding that position again for the upcoming year.

She is trained in jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip hop, lyrical, tap, and musical theater.

Rylie is super excited to join the Motions team and share her love of dance!

NaKiyah Zavala

Cheer/Tumbling Assistant Coach

My Name is NaKiyah Zavala. I am from Meridian, Idaho. I am
currently a Junior at Meridian High School. I play high school
soccer as well as club. I started my first class with Motions
Dance Studio in 2011 in a Ballet/Tap/Jazz combo class. I
moved on to try Hip-hop and Capoeira. After trying the many dance classes I found my true joy in Tumbling and Cheerleading. I was one of the original team members on the first Motions Cheerleading All-Star team.

In 2022, I became a member with the Motions Dance Studio Leadership team. Being a Leadership member allowed me to help with the younger classes, help stage prep at the Spring & Christmas recitals. I am looking forward to working with all the students I have worked with in the past and am looking forward to meeting all the new incoming students.

Motions Support Team

Shay Bateman

Website Management

Brenda Picanco

Costumes

Janese Botelho

Office Manager

Janese Botelho

Scholarship Coordinator

1 thought on “Instructors”

  1. Hi! i was just emailing to see if you guys were hiring or looking for someone with the cheer girls or helping out, i would love to hear back thank you:)

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