When you’re at Thrive, you get quality teachers who care about your dancer, as well as technique.
Christine (left) and Shantal (right), co-owners of Thrive Dance.
Christine Riesenweber has been choreographing and teaching dance since 1999. She graduated with a Dance Performance degree from University of Central Oklahoma where she studied ballet, jazz and modern. After college, she danced professionally for two years while teaching dance at Southeast High School in Oklahoma City. There, she was the director of No Limits Dance Company, a traveling dance performance group and a pom coach. She moved to the Tri-Cities in 2014 and lives there with her awesome husband and three kids.
"Teaching was not something I set out to do. It turns out it is just who I am."
Shantal Moody has been teaching dance since 2006. She attended Brigham Young University and received a degree in Dance Education where she student-taught dance classes in public schools. She performed internationally with BYUs' prestigious dance company, Contemporary Dance Theater. Before moving to the Tri-Cities in 2015, she taught creative dance, tap, ballet and contemporary in schools and in studios in Chicago, IL. She has two adorable children and one fantastic husband.
"I see my job as a teacher is not only to transfer knowledge, but to be a listener, supporter and positive influence in my students’ lives.”
Kory is Thrive’s hip-hop teacher, and learned break dancing when he was 4 and 5 years old!
Holly Petty began dancing at age three and by age nine realized her passion for dance while performing in the Ballet West Nutcracker. She later branched out from ballet to other styles of dance and earned a Bachelors in Dance Education from Brigham Young University. Some highlights from her time at BYU are performing in nine different states and on multiple performing companies as well as a dance study abroad to China.
One of her favorite teaching and choreography experiences include her time as a faculty member of the BYU Children and Teens' creative dance program where she worked with ages three to eighteen. Another passion of Holly's is producing concerts for Artist Interrupted: A Womens' Art Collective which gives artists a chance for expression during all seasons of life. Most recently she taught at her own creative dance program in Memphis, TN. She has a husband and four daughters and in her spare time loves to be outdoors and play her violin.
Kory Carterby has been dancing since the young age of 4. Ever since then he has been passionate about education and training, and the physical benefits one gets from Dance. He started his education career with Zumba when he was 16 and still teaches to this day. He looks forward to teaching your kids the benefits of modern Dance and health.
Jenna Larsen developed a passion for dance, music and theater at an early age. From musicals and choirs, to dance groups and playing the violin, she has a deep love and appreciation for all genres of performing arts. While studying Psychology at Brigham Young University in Provo Utah, she continued to take dance and drama classes. Jenna is currently a choreographer for Forte!, a premier show choir here in the Tri-Cities. She has also been volunteering as the children's music director at her church for the past 5 years. Teaching dance and music is one of Jenna’s favorite creative outlets, and is a way for her to uplift and build confidence in the children she is working with. Jenna and her husband Bennett are the parents of four children, whom she shares her joy of music and dance with as often as possible.
“Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody”