This season will be Coach Kelsey's 10th season coaching PDT, 5th as head coach. She is also a 2014 PDT alumna, dancing on the team for 6 years. Kelsey danced Varsity all 6 years, was captain for 2 years, and her senior year was named PDT Most Valuable All-Around Dancer & an MADT All-State Jazz dancer. She has also previously coached the fall dance team program at Tartan High School.
Kelsey is an active member of the Minnesota Association of Dance Teams (MADT), serving as a Class A representative on the MSHSL Activity Advisory for Dance Team (2020-present). In 2015, Coach Kelsey received the MADT Class A Assistant Coach of the Year Award. She received the same nomination in 2017, and was also nominated for Head Coach of the Year in 2020. Kelsey has her B.S. in Kinesiology: Pre-Therapy and Master's in Athletic Training. She is a licensed and certified athletic trainer (LAT, ATC) and currently works full-time for TRIA Orthopedics as the athletic trainer for Panthers athletics as of 2023! Favorite Quote: "Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire." Favorite PDT Routine: Danced In: "Million Dollar Girls" - Kick 2014. Coached: "Legends" - Jazz 2020. Favorite Style of Dance: Kick Coach Kasey will be entering her third season as PDT JV coach. She is also a 2016 PDT alumna, dancing on the team for 6 years. She danced Varsity all 6 years, was captain for 3 years, was an All-State Kick dancer in 2014 and All-State Jazz dancer in 2015 & 2016. She received Most Valuable Jazz & All-Around awards on PDT.
Coach Kasey started dancing in studio at 3 years of age with Dance Revue. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education from the Grand Canyon University. She is currently in her third year as a 3rd grade teacher at PACT! She got married to Erik Olson, PACT Varsity assistant baseball coach, in 2022! Favorite PDT Routine: Danced In: "Million Dollar Girls" - Kick 2014. Coached: "El Soldado" - JV Jazz 2020. Favorite Style of Dance: Jazz
This season will be Coach Gabby's second season coaching with PDT! She is a 2015 PDT alumna, dancing on the team for 6 years. She danced Varsity all 6 years, was captain her senior year, was an All-State Kick dancer in 2014 and All-State Jazz dancer in 2015. She received Most Valuable Kick & All-Around awards on PDT.
Coach Gabby also danced on the UW-Stout dance team for 2 years. She has her associate's degree and works as a veterinary technician. |
Coach Josie has been a PDT Assistant Coach for 5 years. She is also a 2014 PDT alumna, dancing on the team her senior year. In her one year on PDT, Josie danced on both varsity kick and jazz, was named PDT Most Valuable Jazz Dancer, and was an MADT All-State Jazz dancer and All-State Senior Academic award winner.
Coach Josie started dancing in studio at 3 years of age, competitively by age 12. She danced at Dancing Feet, Stage Door, & QC Dance. After graduating, she taught multiple classes in various styles at QC Dance studio for 4 years. She is a former member of the University of Minnesota student-run tap company, MinnesoTap, and also danced on an adult competitive dance team that qualified for Worlds in 2018. Josie also danced in the 2018 Super Bowl LII half-time show with Justin Timberlake alongside hundreds of other MN dancers! Coach Josie has a B.A. in Sociology of Law Crime & Deviance with a minor in Outdoor Recreation & Education from the University of Minnesota. She currently works full-time as an activities director in a long-term care facility. Favorite Quote: "Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; live like it's heaven on earth." -Mark Twain Favorite PDT Routine: Danced In: "Radioactive" - Jazz 2014. Coached: "Sandman" - Jazz 2019. Favorite Style of Dance: Jazz This season will be Coach Mia's second season coaching with PDT! Mia is a 2020 PDT alumna, dancing on the team for 6 years. She danced Varsity all 6 years, was an All-State Kick dancer in 2017 & 2018 and All-State Jazz dancer in 2020, and received the Most Valuable Kick Dancer award in 2019 & MV Jazz Dancer award in 2020. She was also a 2020 Senior Academic All-State award recipient.
Coach Mia graduated as PACT Class of 2020 Valedictorian and is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Architecture at Dunwoody College of Technology. Her coaching experience includes teaching dance & tumbling classes for kids at Twin Cities Twisters Gymnastics. Favorite Quote: "Do what you love doing, be passionate about it, and stay true to who you are." -Joanna Gaines Favorite PDT Routine: Danced In: "Legends" - Jazz 2020 Favorite Style of Dance: Kick
This season will be Coach Melanie's first season coaching with PDT! She has been the head coach of the Spectrum Sting dance team for the last 7 years and has taught at various studios over the last 10 years. She has trained in the styles of ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, pointe, lyrical, high kick, and musical theatre.
Melanie has been involved in MADT All State selection committees and was a judge for Just For Kix nationals. In May of 2022, Melanie and her husband Hunter welcomed their first child, named Landry! They also have a cat named Walter who looks quite dashing in a bow tie! Favorite Quote: Favorite Style of Dance: |