Tandem 2

Raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN, Jamie began dancing at the age of three and trained for over fifteen years in jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, hip hop, and pointe. She studied primarily at Butterfield Gallerie of Dance under Shannon Butterfield Wacha, Gina Blashack Illies, Judi Olson, Johanna Sapakie, and Jessie Rice, and competed regionally in Minnesota and at the national level.

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After graduating from high school, Jamie stepped away from dance to pursue other creative avenues. She earned a BFA in Printmaking from the College of Visual Arts, and developed a long career in graphic design, alongside a lifelong curiosity for making—ceramics, jewelry, fiber arts, and music among them.

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Since moving to Southern Oregon in 2010, Jamie has found herself continually drawn back to the intersection of movement and emotion. Her return to dance was inspired in part by the experience of profound loss and transformation, and by the healing power of expression that transcends words.

Dance serves as her way of rediscovering the self—transmuting emotion into motion, and reconnecting with the body’s innate intelligence.

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Outside of dance, Jamie works as the studio coordinator at Northwest Ceramic Studio, runs her craft business Acorn + Fern, and sings with the Ashland World Music Choir. She is honored to join Tandem and be a part of such an incredible community of dancers.

Raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN, Jamie began dancing at the age of three and trained for over fifteen years in jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, hip hop, and pointe. She studied primarily at Butterfield Gallerie of Dance under Shannon Butterfield Wacha, Gina Blashack Illies, Judi Olson, Johanna Sapakie, and Jessie Rice, and competed regionally in Minnesota and at the national level.

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After graduating from high school, Jamie stepped away from dance to pursue other creative avenues. She earned a BFA in Printmaking from the College of Visual Arts, and developed a long career in graphic design, alongside a lifelong curiosity for making—ceramics, jewelry, fiber arts, and music among them.

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Since moving to Southern Oregon in 2010, Jamie has found herself continually drawn back to the intersection of movement and emotion. Her return to dance was inspired in part by the experience of profound loss and transformation, and by the healing power of expression that transcends words.

Dance serves as her way of rediscovering the self—transmuting emotion into motion, and reconnecting with the body’s innate intelligence.

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Outside of dance, Jamie works as the studio coordinator at Northwest Ceramic Studio, runs her craft business Acorn + Fern, and sings with the Ashland World Music Choir. She is honored to join Tandem and be a part of such an incredible community of dancers.

As a Colorado native, Lauren’s dance experience started at age 4 at Colorado Dance Center where she explored ballet, jazz, and lyrical dance. In her teen years, her passion for ballet grew, and she began studying at the National Ballet Academy of Denver under Cornell Callender (English National Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet) and Andrei Vassiliev. Her first exposure to modern dance came in college at Elon University where she began as a dance major. During her time at Elon, her focus turned to science and she stepped away from her dance career.Since moving to Oregon in 2020, after about 10 years away from dance, Lauren reconnected to ballet through various studios throughout the Rogue Valley.  Taking classes at Tandem Dance renewed her passion for more free and creative expression than allowed in the constraints of classical ballet. She is thrilled to be performing again and honored to be dancing along side such talented artists at Tandem Dance.

Sharin Lane began dancing in Foster City, CA. At 10 years old she started dancing at Dance Connection in Scottsdale, AZ where she continued her training until I was 16. She attended Metropolitan Arts Institute as a dance major in high school and began training at Elite Dance and Performing Arts in Tempe, AZ. After high school, she began dancing professionally with Gravity Jazz Dance Theater and in her 5 years with the company had many lead roles in the shows such as Alice in Alice In Wonderland and Pandora in Pandora’s Box.

She attended Scottsdale Community College for 4 years and took a variety of dance classes every semester. During this time Sharin taught at various studios around Arizona. She relocated to Flagstaff to attend NAU and major in Exercise Science and Chemistry. While at NAU she was the president/coach of the dance club Badjacks and hosted many performances, choreographed, and established the group as a non-profit organization and NAU club sport. She also taught contemporary jazz and Pilates at the University and subbed dance classes at Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy. After college she pioneered a dance class at Summit Health and Mountain Heart Wellness Fitness Club.

When she moved back to the Phoenix area she joined two professional dance companies: The Parking Lot Project and Rogue Dance Theater, she also taught at studios and elementary schools in a variety of styles. Her passion project for teaching injury prevention for the dancer began in 2008 and has evolved many times through the years. In 2018 she received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. As a Physical Therapist she specializes with dancers, pelvic floor dysfunctions, and obstetrics. She has taken many specialty courses and lectures for dance physical therapy and pioneered the Performing Arts Specialty group at Spooner Physical Therapy. She loves working with dancers and helping them achieve their goals. She continued to dance professionally with The Parking Lot Project after moving to Oregon. This is her first season with Tandem 2. 

Raised in the Rogue Valley, Audrey’s training and love for dance began in childhood. With her mother as a dance instructor, Audrey would tag along to her mom’s dance classes. She then enrolled in lessons at Stillpoint Dance Studio in Grants Pass, Oregon, where she trained until the age of 18. Her foundation is in classical ballet, modern, and tap. Audrey later expanded her genres in her late teens to include partner dancing—swing, foxtrot, tango, waltz, and more.

After a hiatus from formal training, Audrey has returned to the dance floor. She has dove back into partner dance at Annex Fusion Dance Studio, studying under Tess Minnick  Gunderson in various styles. 

Audrey is thrilled to have rekindled her connection with dance and to be a member of Tandem II.

Audrey honors her mom with this performance—her earliest inspiration and the reason dance became such a meaningful part of her life.

Melissa grew up in a small town outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan where she began taking dance classes at the age of 10. In her teens her training became more intensive; dancing competitively with her school’s pom and dance team, as well as joining the competitive dance team at Glenn’s School of Dance in Howell, MI. She was also a member of her high school’s dance ensemble and performed with local theater groups. During these years she won several titles and awards in group and solo pieces.

After graduating high school, Melissa attended Eastern Michigan University where she earned a degree in nursing with a minor in dance and performing arts. She spent 2 seasons on the Eastern Michigan University Dance Team where she performed at school and sporting events as well as competed against other college teams. Throughout the years, she has taken classes and training intensives with professional dance companies including Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Eisenhower Dance, Gibney Dance, and held a summer internship with Brighton Dance Festival in Brighton, MI. She also spent several years teaching youth dance classes.

After graduating college in 2017, Melissa began dancing professionally with contemporary dance company Suttle Dance based in Detroit, Michigan; performing in multiple shows in the Detroit area. She stayed with this company until the end of 2019 when she began travel nursing and taking jobs across the country. Melissa took a 6 year hiatus from dance until she moved to Medford this summer and began dancing with Tandem. She is grateful and overjoyed to have found Tandem and given this opportunity to rekindle her love of dance.

Kalia has loved movement from a young age. Growing up in Santa Cruz, California- she studied ballet, modern, and hip hop styles of dance. She then went on to receive a Bachelors of Arts degree in dance from Bard College, with a focus on Modern dance technique and choreography. 

After a long hiatus filled with travel, outdoor adventures, and graduate education Kalia reconnected with her love of creative movement through aerial circus arts and conscious dance.

Attending past Tandem performances sparked her desire to return to the dance studio, and she is grateful for the opportunity to join Tandem 2.