Meet The Team

Owner & Director 

Kylie Park

Kylie Park is a dance educator, choreographer, and mentor dedicated to creating empowering spaces where students feel confident, capable, and supported. A graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Education, Kylie combines technical training with a deep passion for cultivating positive classroom environments. As the founder and director of The Dance Place Nevada, she is committed to providing a safe, encouraging space where dancers of all ages and abilities can grow artistically and personally.

In addition to studio ownership, Kylie has experience as a dance coach, choreographer, and mentor, bringing a well-rounded perspective to her work. She has served as an artistic director at the collegiate level and was honored as Team Player of the Year, a recognition that reflects her leadership, work ethic, and dedication to uplifting those around her. Kylie believes dance is more than movement, it is a tool for building resilience, character, and lifelong confidence.

Instructor 

Katarina Hallerbach

Katarina is a dancer, choreographer, and educator based in Reno, NV. She has received certifications under the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and is currently pursuing a BFA in dance and kinesiology degree at the University of Nevada, Reno. Katarina trained with Ballet West Academy’s Professional Training Division and attended summer intensives at Ballet West, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Colorado Ballet, and the Royal Ballet summer program in London. She enjoys teaching a mix of British, French, and American styles with an emphasis on musicality and artistry.

Instructor

Matthew Fish

Matthew is a dancer, choreographer, and performer in his last year at the University of Nevada, Reno, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. He has been dancing for 13 years and teaching for 7. Growing up in California, he traveled all throughout California and Nevada, competing in dance with a studio before graduating high school and moving to Reno to pursue a professional career. Specializing in tap and hip hop, he has trained under teachers such as G. Madison, Anthony Morigerato, Mike Minery, Randi Kemper, Hefa Tuita, Michelle Michelson, Adam Cates, and Elizabeth Auclair to expand his career into all areas of concert dance and live theater. Matthew’s dance and teaching style is rooted in rhythm with a focus on music and musicality. 

Instructor

Juliette Hughes

Juliette is a dancer, choreographer, and performer from the Sacramento area. Starting dance at
the age of three, she quickly discovered her love of movement through competition dance. She
moved to Reno to pursue a dual degree in dance and criminal justice at the University of Nevada,
Reno. She found her footing on the concert stage while exploring the art of choreography and
furthered her understanding of dance history through embodied inquiry; learning from dance
artists including Rachel Berman, Elizabeth Auclair, and Adam Cates. She also had the joy of
attending ACDA in the spring of 2025, performing in the closing Gala performance. Juliette
enjoys choreographing using contemporary-modern motifs, while incorporating the rhythm and
musical details of tap and the performance components of dance theater.

Instructor

Sara Morelli

Honey (Sara Morelli) started dancing at the age of eight and grew up in the Sacramento area. Switching between being a synchronized swimmer in the summer and dancer in the winter, Honey developed movement and choreographic skills at a young age. Throughout high school, Honey was put in choreography and coaching roles to challenge her teaching skills. Throughout college and postgraduate work, Honey was a performer and choreographer for theater productions such as: Annie, Young Frankenstein, and Mama Mia. When Honey moved back to the Reno area, she put her whole energy into becoming a professional dancer by working for multiple Professional Production companies in the local area. She found a love and has focused on building her heels dance technique. Throughout the last seven years, Honey has been in numerous local professional shows as a heels dancer and aerialist. After many years as a professional artist, Honey decided to create her own Dance and Professional Entertainment Company who has successfully produced five shows, and partake in multiple community events including Reno Dance Festival for the last four years. 

Instructor

Ava Dyer 

Ava is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She grew up in Roseville, California and recently moved to Reno to attend the University of Reno, Nevada with a double major in criminal justice and dance. She grew up doing theater and gymnastics, and finally started dancing in high school and immediately fell in love with it. Her senior year, she had the honor of taking a piece that she choreographed to the Sophia Theater in Sacramento to compete in a young choreographers competition and was awarded second place! Since then, she has learned so much attending the University and is developing a work in the upcoming Fall Dance Festival. In addition to working at The Dance Place, Ava also works for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) teaching young dancers all over the country. She is a very versatile dancer and choreographer, having taught and trained under Jazz, Pom, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Modern, and Ballet.

Instructor

Patti Casey

Patti Casey discovered her love of dance in her hometown of York, PA, when she began classes at
Dance Workshop of York with Sherry Mears Clements. During high school, she continued her training in ballet and modern dance at Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD and at Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. She received her B.F.A. in dance from Purchase College Conservatory of Danceand earned a One-Year Certificate after attending London Contemporary Dance School in London, England. Upon returning to the U.S., she moved across the country, teaching and performing with ballet and modern companies in Minneapolis MN and Boulder CO. She danced for 9 seasons with
Reno’s Wing & A Prayer Dance Company, and has performed locally with 5 Branches Dance, Sierra
Nevada Ballet, and as part of the Reno Dance Festival. Patti has been on the faculty of various local
studios and dance programs, including both Truckee Meadows Community College and the University
of Nevada, Reno.

Patti believes that the focus, discipline, creativity, class etiquette, beauty, and pure joy of movement
that students can discover in pursuing dance will benefit them in many ways. She sees the study of any and all of the Arts as a fun and vital part of a well-rounded education that can bring us joy throughout
our lives.