MADISON AUDETTE

Madison Audette started dancing at age 4 in her hometown in Illinois. Upon moving to O’ahu, she continued her training at James B. Castle High school’s Performing Arts Center, studying under Natalie Jolly Uehara and Kelly Wadlegger. She then went on to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she graduated in May 2022 with a double major in Dance and Anthropology. 

While at UHM, Miss Madison attended the Asia Pacific Dance Festival Intensive in 2019, taught by Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang, Ask Dance Company, and Dancers of Damelahamid. She also attended a workshop led by Yung Yung Tsuai Lerner, a former dancer and teacher for the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. In the spring of 2022, Miss Madison’s choreography was presented at the Hawaii State Art Museum. Her performances with UHM include Integral Bodies, directed by Peiling Kao; In Sphere, by Kumu Hula Vicki Holt Takamine; and Co-Motion, a collaborative piece with Tau Dance Theatre’s director Peter Rockford Espiritu.

Miss Madison was a teaching and performance assistant at Castle High School with Kelly Wadlegger before joining KDA’s team in 2018 as a teaching and administrative assistant. She spent three years as a teacher trainee under Miss Amy before taking on her own classes in 2021. She enjoys passing on her love of dance to the next generation of dancers, and when she is not teaching, she can often be found at our front desk helping our dancers with finding their class or fitting a pair of shoes.

MADELYN BIVEN

Before joining KDA, Madelyn taught at Alive Ballet Academy (HI), Honolulu Museum of Art (HI), and Academy of Art University (CA), and had the pleasure of teaching a master class at Beijing Normal University in China. She received a BFA from Fordham University / The Ailey School in 2009 where she was the recipient of the Ully Hirsch/Robert F. Nettleton Poetry Prize for Creative Writing.

Making a transition to leave the continental U.S. and return home to Hawai’i in 2017, Madelyn has been a featured dancer in the Honolulu Biennial; Oahu Fringe (as a guest with electroViolet); Peiling Kao Dances; Maui Dance Festival; and Contact Hawaii, an annual exhibition exploring the notion of foreign contact as it relates to the Hawaiian Islands. She enjoys creating work with multidisciplinary artists on island and has shown collaborative pieces at Aupuni Space, Downtown Arts Center, Hawaii State Art Museum, and MoMA in NYC.

JENNIFER GAGE

Ms. Jennifer has 25 years’ experience teaching all levels of ballet, contemporary, pointe, and jazz. Hailing from the midwest, she spent 13 years as Artistic Director and Founder of the Alliance Dance Company, and 3 years as Owner and Founder of NorthSide Dance Theatre. From 2017-2019, she served as the Academy Director for the Todd Rosenlieb Dance Center, and served as Ballet Mistress/Rehearsal Assistant for Joel Hall and Dancers (2002-2004), Ballet Enter Nous (1996-2007), and Ballet Theatre North (1995). She trained with prestigious programs, including the Joffrey Ballet in NYC, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Ellis-DuBoulay School of Ballet, and the Baker-VanCura Dance Conservatory. As a dancer, her career spanned 30+ years performing and guesting throughout the Chicago area.

As a teacher, Ms. Jennifer strives to give her students an age-appropriate and level-appropriate class, emphasizing the importance of placement, technique, and detail in order to prevent injury and help our dancers achieve a sustainable relationship with dance.

KRISTEN SANTHANY

Miss Kristen started her training at The Movement Center (TMC) at age 5, studying ballet, tap, jazz, tumbling, and musical theater. As a student, she trained with prestigious teachers including Daniel Nelson (Royal Winnipeg Ballet), Chansri Green (alumni of the Joffrey Ballet School and Juilliard School), and Eve Walstrum (original company member of Netherlands Dans Theatre). While in TMC’s classical ballet program, under direction of Miss Chansri and Miss Carolyn, Miss Kristen performed repertoire from La Bayadere, Swan Lake,  Sylvia, and many other classical ballets. In addition to TMC, Miss Kristen also trained at Diamond Head Theatre, Punahou Tap Company, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has performed in Hawaii Ballet Theatre’s annual Nutcracker production, productions at Manoa Valley Theater and Punahou Dance School, and most recently with Stoneworks Productions in The Queen of Nöri. 

Miss Kristen has been working with children for over 15 years, providing childcare individually and in group settings, as well as running church classrooms and supervising at various events, performances, and outreach programs. After a non-dance-related injury, Miss Kristen refocused her dancing career on becoming a teacher, combining her love of dance with her lifelong passion for working with children. At The Movement Center, she was an assistant teacher for 6 years and a lead teacher for 4 years, working in integrated classes with differently-abled children.

Currently, Miss Kristen works in the Youth Service Center for the Metro YMCA of Honolulu, continuing her dedication to youth outreach and quality enrichment programs for children. She enjoys spending her afternoons and weekends teaching at Kailua Dance Academy.  Miss Kristen is also currently attending Kapiolani Community College pursuing a degree in Internet Technology.