Canyon Dance Academy,  Faculty Biographies , a division of Canyon Movement Company, Inc.

Canyon Dance Academy Faculty: As a faculty, we meet regularly to coordinate lesson plans, share teaching tips and ideas, and discuss upcoming projects. We are dedicated to teaching your children, and helping them develop into great dancers and wonderful human beings!

  GINA B. DARLINGTON is the executive director of Canyon Movement Company and Canyon Dance Academy. Gina’s training began at the Virginia Tanner Children’s Dance Theater at the University of Utah at age 4. She received her dance degree from Brigham Young University in 1991. She also attended the University of Utah and University of Nebraska in Omaha. She has performed in dance companies in Utah, Missouri, Nebraska, and Arizona. She has been an Artist-in Residence for the State of Arizona where she conducted numerous residencies throughout northern Arizona. Gina is an associate faculty member for Coconino Community College (since 1993) and recently was a guest teacher at the American College Dance Festival in Salt Lake City, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Bellingham, WA. Previously, Gina owned and operated Gina’s School of Dance in Sandy, Utah, and Danceworks Studio in Omaha and Plattsmouth, Nebraska. Gina keeps busy with her husband and five sons. Her philosophy and teaching style is congruent with those methods taught at the Children’s Dance Theater at the University of Utah.

ERIN GLOCKNER

RACHEL THURSTON began dancing at age three at the NAU prep-school, where she trained in the Royal Academy of Dance method. She completed the RAD program through Advanced II with Distinction, which qualified her for the Genee International Ballet Competition. Rachel also has jazz, tap, and modern dance training. She danced at CCC for four years, and was a member of Encore Dance Company, with whom she traveled to Italy to perform in an international dance festival. She is currently a Senior at NAU with a major in Biomedical Science and a minor in Chemistry, and hopes to attend medical school. She joined Canyon Movement Company in 2011, and is loving the opportunity to dance with this amazing group!

KRISTI LONG is a Canyon Movement Company dancer and has over 14 years of teaching experience.  After obtaining her BFA, she began teaching tolerance and violence prevention to Flagstaff teens when she co-founded the P.E.A.C.E Project in 1998.  After 7 years with the project Kristi moved on to teach Theater Arts and Dance at Coconino High School, and Pilates at Full Circle Pilates.  Over the years she has continued to be a student as well.  She received her Associates in Dance from CCC and has sampled many different forms of movement over the years including Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, West African, Capoeira, Flamenco, Tap, Yoga, Acro Yoga, Feldenkrais, and now Circus! 

        JESSICA TAYLOR received her MA degree in Dance Education (K-12 certification) from the State University of New York at Brockport where she held the position of Graduate Assistant.  She completed her student teaching at Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts in NY. She was a high school Dance Program Director in OK, designed a creative movement curriculum for a major project grant, Dancewise, in OK, and is currently developing a culturally-based, creative movement curriculum; Dance Around the World. Jessica was a Artist-in-Residence for the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Oklahoma City Arts Council, and the Norman Arts Council where she conducted numerous residencies. Since 1995, residencies conducted in IL, UT, NY, and OK show how VERY MUCH she enjoys teaching young dancers! Jessica was a company member with theChicago Festival Ballet and Perpetual Motion Dance, (OK). She has performed at notable professional venues in IL, UT, NY, and OK. Jessica's love to empower dancers is what drives her passion for performing and teaching. She is thrilled to be living in Flagstaff and excited to be sharing her love of dance with the Flagstaff community.

Miss Carol and Miss Sarah at the DaCI conference in