Miss Natalie began her dance training at 3 years old in the Madison area. She trained mostly in ballet with Charmaine Ristow, but also took classes in tap, jazz/funk, and modern. One of her fondest childhood memories is dancing in the Nutcracker with Wisconsin Dance Ensemble at the Overture Center. In high school, she also enjoyed Poms and dancing in musicals. Natalie continued on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from UW-Stevens Point. Natalie started ALAD in 2001. Since 2002 Natalie has been directing the Nutcracker Dream  in Oregon, WI. She has been featured in Dance Teacher Magazine in 2005, 2008, and 2011. In 2018 Natalie received a certification in Progressing Ballet Technique. In 2019 Natalie started a dance program at St. Ann School in Stoughton.

Natalie has many performance experiences, including dancing with UWSP, Wisconsin Dance Ensemble, MATC, UW-Stevens Point’s Players, UW-Madison’s Optima and Dane County Hawk’s Dance Team. She also danced in a Veridian Homes commercial. More recently Natalie spent 6 years as a member and choreographer for Madison Contemporary Dance.

Miss Natalie began teaching dance and choreographing at the age of 18. Since then, she has choreographed for Oregon Straw Hat Players, The Madison Strollers, Evansville Community Theater, Evansville and Oregon High School Poms teams, MCD and all ALAD performances since she founded it in 2001. Her musical choreographic works include Godspell, Big (The Musical), Lucky Stiff, Music Man, and the Wizard of Oz. Natalie is also a competition-winning choreographer. She won a choreography award from Applause Talent Presentation in 2003 and 2005, one in 2008 from I love Dance Presentation, and in 2018 from Imagine Dance Challenge. However her favorite competition award is A Leap Above Dance’s Studio Sportsmanship Award and Studio of Excellence Awards received in 2016, two more in 2018 and again in 2019 and 2022!

Mjss Natalie runs A Leap Above Dance with the mission “Teaching the art and technique of dance in a fun and friendly atmosphere”

Favorite things: spending time with her husband and twin daughters, traveling, writing, baking, singing along with Disney movies, and being outside (especially in water).