Our Staff
New Dance Instructors Always Welcome!
Fidalgo DanceWorks, a thriving non-profit in Anacortes devoted to dance education, seeks to expand its excellent team of instructors. We offer classes for all ages in many forms, including ballet, hip hop, modern, tap, jazz, and more. Inspired by dance and passionate about passing on the art? Come join our creative staff! Competitive wages. Call (360) 299-8447 or contact us at studio@fidalgodanceworks.org for more information.
Our Directors
Linda Johnston
Artistic Director & Dance Instructor
I am a Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer, and Director originally from Modesto, CA. I began dancing at the age of 4. Class for me was more than just dance. It brought me joy. It taught me how to meet and set goals, and keep going when things become difficult and strive for more. I enjoy many styles of dance and have studied and trained in Ballet, Ballroom, Jazz and Modern. I trained with many excellent coaches and teachers in my youth. I received my AA degree in dance and immediately began teaching. With more than 25 years of experience I still love it. I have taught, choreographed and danced throughout the Western United States. Teaching allows me to share my love of dance with my students. I am continually inspired by my students, families and fellow teachers. I have always believed it important to stay current in the dance field and have continued my education by taking classes and continuing training with Master teachers and workshops. I recently certified in the Progressive Ballet Technique and am excited about bringing this technique into our studio. As director, I have been responsible for the development and implementation of all programming and curriculum. I am grateful for the continued support of my husband and 4 children.
Melissa Turnage
Executive Director
Melissa Turnage first came to Fidalgo DanceWorks as a dance mom, later serving as Development Director before becoming Executive Director. Her professional background is widely varied, but anchored on service and relationship building. Experience as an Army combat veteran, school nurse, and Family Court Liaison for the State of Delaware’s children’s department forged an emphasis on equity and community partnerships that she is excited to continue at FDW.
Melissa holds BAs in both History and Humanities from the College of St. Benedict / St. John’s University in her home state of Minnesota, as well as a BS in nursing from Arizona State University. She received her MPA from the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. As the mother of four children, she is a fervent supporter of youth arts, athletic, and educational programming. She and her family reside in Anacortes, where you can often find them hiking or running the trails, on the lacrosse field, or on stage or in the audience at any of FDW’s fabulous productions.
Our Instructors
Roz Huntley
Ballet/Hip Hop/Jazz/Modern/Lyrical/Tap
Roz Huntley began dance training in her hometown of Anacortes, Washington at age three. She attended Evergreen City Ballet’s summer intensive ‘06-’08 learning from former Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers Wade Walthall and Patricia Barker. Roz continued to study and perform ballet, modern, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop and acrobatics until graduating from high school. In order to further her education in dance and culture, Roz attended college at San José State University. While dancing at SJSU, Roz studied Limón Technique under Gary Masters, ballet with Britt Juleen and Mark Foehrigner, contemporary with Heather Cooper, jazz and tap with Jill Yager and Dominique Lomuljo, and dance composition with Fred Mathews. Roz was a company member in University Dance Theater where she had the privilege of working with many experienced choreographers. While with the company, Roz attended the American College Dance Association in 2015. She graduated in December of 2017 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in dance and linguistics. Now she enjoys living and dancing in Anacortes again. When she’s not in the studio, Roz loves to get outdoors with her husband and son.
Deirdre LaHue
Ballet
Deirdre Griffin LaHue started in ballet at age 3 and trained at The Washington School of Ballet in DC, where she is originally from. After high school, she went on to dance with The Washington Ballet and with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Now a soil scientist with Washington State University, she loves maintaining her connection to ballet. She has lived in Anacortes since 2019 and began taking adult ballet classes with Fidalgo Danceworks in January 2023. She is now excited to be teaching ballet on the staff of Fidalgo Danceworks. Previously, Deirdre taught ballet at Applegate Dance Company in Davis, CA. When she is not dancing or researching soil, she enjoys exploring the Anacortes Community Forest Lands with her husband and 2-year old son.
Deborah Magallanes
Parkinson’s Dance/Tai Chi
Deborah Magallanes teaches both our Dance For Parkinson’s (Dance For Fun and Balance) and our new Tai Chi Qi Gong classes. She is also part of the international teaching team of Dance for PD® (a Mark Morris Dance Group and Brooklyn PD Support Group project), is a Teaching Artist for the Seattle Theatre Group program and has been teaching dance to persons with movement challenges for more than 15 years. Deborah’s formal training began in the ballet studio of Shirley Ross. Starting in 1975 Deborah studied and performed Northern and Eastern African Dance. In 1992, she began the study of the Chinese arts and dance with Xue Zhi Wang of Beijing China. Deborah was a performer in Pat Graney’s Movement Meditation Project and continues as a Performance Artist with the Chinese Cultural and Arts Association (Wu Dang). In the world of Tai Chi and Qi Gong, Deborah is recognized as a Golden High Master in the Wu Dang Gate Lineage from Wu Dang Mountain Taoist monasteries. She holds a Second Degree Black Belt in martial arts and has won 1st and other high place trophies in Tai Chi Forms competitions at the local, regional and international levels. She is also a Certified Instructor in several Tai Chi For Health® programs and is an East Asian Medicine Practitioner (retired). Martial arts and Traditional Chinese medicine are important components of Tai Chi and Qi Gong practice and study. Her training and rich experience in both these fields allows Deborah to bring these traditions to her Tai Chi and Qi Gong classes making them richer and allowing students to explore this form of exercise and development more fully.
Danielle Olsen
Ballet/Hip Hop/Jazz
Danielle Olsen started dancing at the age of 5. For 11 Years, she trained at The Evergreen City Ballet Academy in Auburn, Washington with Wade Walthall. She performed in their Nutcracker every year dancing numerous parts including her first solo as the Arabian Queen.
She attended Evergreen’s Summer intensives for 6 years and attended Whitman College Summer Dance Lab program.
After discovering her passion for jazz, lyrical and hip hop, she joined Ninth Avenue School of Dance in Federal Way and their performing group Aria. She also danced with the South Side Dance Force Company in Kent.
Danielle spent many years taking drop in classes at Cornish School of the Arts and Westlake Dance Center in Seattle. Specifically, she took jazz and lyrical from Kirsten Cooper along with many hip hop classes from various instructors.
For 5 years she fit pointe shoes and other dance shoes while working at The Dance Collection in Federal Way.
Danielle attended Western Washington University in Bellingham and graduated in 2009.
Her family moved to Anacortes in March of 2022. When she is not dancing she is hiking and biking with her two little boys and husband. She is excited to join the Fidalgo Dance Works team!
Jeanne Robson
Ballet
Jeanne has been with Fidalgo DanceWorks since its founding. Trained in classical ballet and modern dance, she began her early training at the Atlanta School of Ballet and the School of American Ballet in New York. In Seattle, Jeanne danced professionally with Pacific Northwest Ballet. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Western Washington University and enjoys teaching all ages.
Alexandria Schafer
Ballet/Jazz/Hip Hop/Lyrical/Young Children’s Dance
At age 5, Alexandria Schafer began dancing at Skagit Valley Academy of Dance (SVAD) located in Mount Vernon, Washington. Her joy for dance began with ballet, tap and jazz, but quickly grew to lyrical, hip hop and pointe as she continued to dance till graduating high school. At SVAD she performed in numerous Nutcracker performances as well as competed with their competition team, Dansations. She attended competitions and workshops with Dance Educators of America (DEA) and was awarded multiple scholarships to attend DEA’s ballet seminar during summers. Alexandria was crowned Senior Miss DEA in 2010 in DEA’s Title Competition. She later attended DEA’s Teacher Training Seminar to complete her Level 1, 2 & 3 DEA Teacher Training Certification.
Alexandria began assisting in 2008, and teaching/choreographing a few years after. She has continued to teach dance of all styles, beginning at SVAD and continuing to Dancing For Joy (Bellingham, WA where she is currently the Jazz Department Head), Allen Grange Dance Education (Bow, WA) and now Fidalgo DanceWorks (Anacortes, WA). Alexandria has also had the opportunity to assist in coaching the dance team at Burlington Edison High School.
Alexandria continues to further her education by becoming certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), training in Pilates and anything else she can!
Fun Facts:
Alexandria has had the opportunity to be a magician’s assistant.
Silja Shjarback
Toddler & Me/Young Children’s Dance
Silja has danced since she was three years old, starting with ballet and moving to modern in high school. She entered UCLA as a dance major, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology – the study of movement; and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from California State University at Long Beach. She practiced as a Physical Therapist in Seattle for ten years, where she danced at the Creative Dance Center. She teaches conceptually to enhance the developing mind and body of her young dancers and has studied with Anne Green Gilbert of the Creative Dance Center and Andrea Trench with Discover Dance. She is certified in Autism Movement Therapy and taught AMT in the school district for seven years. She has two grown daughters with husband Eric. Silja has been with the studio since 2004 and enjoys sharing movement with young children! She has been involved as a parent, choreographer, producer/director, young children’s dance instructor lead, instructor liaison and production assistant. And your older dancer may catch her subbing a ballet class or teaching a summer choreography workshop!
Janet Wilken
Ballet/Jazz/Kinder Dance/Tap/Tumbling
Janet has been dancing since she was five years old. Over the last twenty-seven years she has taught tap, jazz, ballet, tumbling, lyrical, hip hop, musical theater, pointe, and ballroom dancing at studios, park districts, and for local theater groups in Illinois and Washington. Janet has taken master classes from Arthur Duncan, Brenda Buffalino, Judy Rice, and Randy Duncan to name a few. She earned her Master Dance Educator Certification from Chicago National Association of Dance Masters in 2011 and an Associate of Arts with a transfer in Early Childhood Education from Highland Community College (Freeport, IL) in 2016. Janet enjoys sharing sharing her love of dance with others and educating young minds for the future. For the last five years she has been involved with Fidalgo DanceWorks as an instructor, choreographer, and parent.
Our Substitute (On Call) Instructors
Michelle Linak
Ballet
Michelle Linak has danced since she was five years old and began teaching in 1995. After graduating high school, she continued her education of dance with the South Carolina Dance Conservatory, and also with the Milwaukee Ballet School. She has performed in, and choreographed numerous Annual productions and Nutcracker performances with Skagit Valley Academy of Dance & Camano Dance Academy. Michelle has also performed in the Nutcracker with the Nancy Whyte School of Ballet & in the productions of 'Moulin Rouge' held at the Skagit Valley Casino, and 'As the River Flows' held at the Skagit Valley Community College. Part of her continuing education included multiple workshops and classes from world renowned choreographers. Michelle started choreographing for other studios, students and shows, all of which provided different atmospheres & technique levels to teach. Seeing goals and achievements made by the students has instilled in her a passion for teaching. She has guest taught at Dancing For Joy, T.A.G. (Theatre Arts Guild) Fidalgo Dance Works, PacWest, Dansations Performing Arts Foundation. & Dimensions of Gymnastics. In her many years both dancing, teaching and performing, Michelle has developed a strong passion and love for dance and enjoys the personal expression that it allows.
Melissa Magness
Hip Hop
Melissa is originally from Queens, New York and moved to Anacortes in 2022 with her Navy pilot husband and sweet dog, Lady. Melissa started taking hip hop classes at 6 years old and quickly fell in love! She later expanded her training to include ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, pointe, and hip hop. In high school, she was voted dance team captain her junior and senior years. She then attended St. John’s University in Queens and loved being on their dance team. They performed at all basketball games (at Madison Square Garden and occasionally the Barclays Center) and placed 1st in hip hop at the 2016 National Collegiate Dance Competition in Disney World, FL! Throughout college, Melissa attended workshops with the Knicks City Dancers and Brooklynettes. She also trained with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall during a summer intensive. Melissa started teaching dance in 2013 (primarily hip hop but also ballet, tap, jazz, and Zumba). Dance has always been Melissa’s passion because it is such a fun way to exercise both your body and mind! Melissa is so excited to be a part of Fidalgo DanceWorks and is looking forward to sharing her love for dance with her students.