Below is our team of highly qualified instructors. Each instructor is carefully vetted with the intention of giving you the best class experience possible. Our instructors have been teaching in the community for years and are actively performing or training to better themselves and their classes every day. View a team member’s profile to get to know them.
Nadia Duncan is the founder and owner of Impulse Dance and Fitness LLC. Nadia grew up dancing with her family: “It was our cultural norm.” She began her formal dance training at a young age that continued on through high school focusing on Jazz, Hip Hop, Break and Contemporary. She has been teaching dance and dance fitness classes all over Northern Colorado since 2011 with certifications in Zumba, BODYJAM by Les Mills, Strong By Zumba, and Group Fitness by AFAA. After graduating from Colorado State and wanting more adult dance opportunities she decided to open up a dance studio. “I wanted to create a space for the adult community to share, grow, inspire, and find happiness through dance.” Through Impulse, Nadia’s mission is to provide accessible adult dance opportunities that cultivate community, expression, and happiness.
Amy is the Studio Director at Impulse, and she also directs the Impulse Contemporary Co. (ICC). Amy is a life-long dancer and is happiest when she’s dancing. She has a master’s degree in English and fifteen years of college teaching experience. She also has over thirty years of dance training and professional company experience in many styles, including ballet, modern, contemporary, and jazz.
Amy’s classes blend multiple styles to create an experience that is challenging, thoughtful, and vibrant. Her goal is to help movers understand themselves better through liberating, thrilling expression and encourage our community to grow together through art and action.
Mo Wells is the Assistant Director at Impulse and a jazz and contemporary instructor. Mo began dancing in Colorado Springs at age four and has kept it in their life ever since. They trained as a competitive dancer for ten years, winning scholarships and awards while gaining strong technical skills and a team-focused work ethic. After taking a short break, Mo returned to dance after moving to Fort Collins to attend CSU.
Mo values constant learning through experiences and opportunities. They have created and performed choreography for Denver Pride Festival and CSU D.R.A.G Shows, in addition to film and stage pieces for Impulse. They have taught for over six years, aspiring to promote confidence and self-worth in their classes so students grow as individual movers. Mo is a professional drag performer and was awarded Ms. Gay Pride of all Colorado, serving from 2019-2022. Mo is also a member and resident choreographer of Impulse Contemporary Co.
Kira Patrylak is the Office Manager at Impulse; a ballet, contemporary, and jazz instructor; and the Impulse Contemporary Co. Coordinator. Originally from Illinois, Kira started dancing at three years old. Between her studio and school dance team, she trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip hop, Pom dance, and kick, in addition to passing levels I-V in her Cecchetti ballet exams.
She moved to Fort Collins in 2018 and earned a BS in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Chemistry from CSU in 2021. Her coursework included her thesis project, which focused on creating a curriculum of dance specific training and conditioning for dance injury prevention. During her time in school, Kira started teaching locally and continued to work with her studio back in Illinois.
Kira connected with Impulse in June 2020 and has been an active member since. She is grateful be a part of such a welcoming and supportive community, and her goal is to create a space of joy and freedom for dancers to have fun and move together every week. While working on skill building, technique, artistry, and exploring different styles of dance, Kira hopes her students will walk out of class feeling energized and grateful to move.
Lucy Carter is an Impulse front desk team member who's been dancing for as long as she can remember. Born in Louisiana, raised in Colorado, Lucy is a passionate performer, and her soul comes to life when she uses her body for creative expression. Lucy began her training in 2017 as an ensemble member with the Arkansas Public Theatre, where she danced and sang in several musicals for 3 years.
Post-pandemic, Lucy moved back to Colorado, where she majored in dance at Metropolitan State University of Denver, studying technique, education, and history, as well as working for the MSU Denver dance program. Her studies included intensives and workshops in creative movement, improvisation and choreography, ballet, tap, jazz, and modern. She has performed in several MSU dance shows and has produced and directed student-run dance productions. In 2023, she represented MSU Denver at the American College Dance Association in Salt Lake City, where she performed with the MSU ensemble.
Lizzie Evans is an Impulse front desk staff member as well as a hip hop instructor. She has danced all of her life and has taught and choreographed her high school dance team as team captain at Fort Collins High School. She also trained at Studio West Dance Center growing up and has years of experience in hip hop, jazz, and contemporary technique.
Lizzie has also been a part of the Impulse community since 2021. In her classes, she focuses on bringing dancers together to build confidence and grow skills in understanding how they express movement. Lizzie believes hip hop is unique in what it can individually bring out in each dancer. She aspires to create an environment where students can flourish authentically in themselves. Her classes are all about having FUN and creating an inclusive experience for people to simply do what they love and grow along the way.
Ella Murdock is an Impulse front desk team member who is so excited to learn more about the world of dance. She loves to try new kinds of workout classes, and one of her favorite pastimes is yoga.
Ella comes to us from Las Vegas, where she grew an immense passion for fitness and understanding how much joy you can obtain from moving your body. Currently studying Marketing at Colorado State University, Ella also shares a passion for hair. She has been a licensed hairstylist since May of 2025, and she understands how important it is to take care of yourself.
Striking up conversation is one of her favorite things to do, so be sure to use her as a resource if needed!
AJ Omundson is an Impulse front desk team member who was born in Arizona, on the northern edge of the Sonoran desert. They were raised as a competitive athlete (soccer, basketball, track and field) and have a close relationship with the limitations of their body. In this post-athlete stage of their life, AJ is learning how to move more slowly and creatively through the world -- picking up hobbies like gravel biking, pottery, and gardening, which seem to be less injury prone. Don't be shy if you see them attending one of the beginner classes at Impulse. They're probably just as nervous as you are to try something new!
Aries is a professional nerd, part-time chaos gremlin, and full-time rump shaker. Twerking for longer than she can remember, Aries began her teaching journey in 2023. Gaining instructor certifications from Vertical Joes, Rockstar Pole Fitness, and X Pole (L1 & L2), she brings a wealth of expertise in Twerk foundations and technique to her classes. She has taught Twerk at studios such as Sankalpa Pole Fitness and Ass Class at Pole Den, in addition to performing in showcases around Denver.
As a pole and Twerk instructor, this H-town hottie’s classes fully embody her uninhibited mentality. She encourages all who attend to shed their inhibitions and embrace the joy of life through movement. Dubbed “Thee A$$ Shaking Aries,” Aries loves to transport her students to fun and open environments where they can embody whatever dance means to them.
Gretel has been teaching in the dance fitness community for over 10 years. She is passionate about people and helping them find a fitness format that they can stick with for a lifetime. Dance fitness never felt like workout for Gretel; it always felt like a party and a joyful community that she wanted to share with others! As a result, she founded Fusion Fitness, LLC, where she promotes dance fitness as the power to bring the BEST out of ourselves and the community. As an instructor, her goal is to help participants rejuvenate and let loose while getting toned and burning calories.
Shelli Choate is a hip hop fitness instructor who has been part of Be Bad Hip Hop since 2010 and became a Be Bad Hip Hop instructor in 2014. “I’ve always enjoyed dance but when I found Be Bad Hip Hop, I fell in love!” Shelli not only found an opportunity to dance to awesome music and meet new people but also to exercise. “I can get my heart rate up, burn calories, and have fun doing it.” In Shelli’s class, you can become part of a community that accepts everyone for who they are, no matter where they are on their journey…. And you’ll have an hour of high energy, calorie burning fitness. “I just want people to feel comfortable and have fun! The choreography can be learned – just dance from your heart. It won’t lead you astray.”
Originally from Las Vegas, Kayla has been dancing since she was two years old. She competed in Jazz and Hip Hop at Universal Dance Association National in High School and continued dancing in college as the Captain of the Willamette Dance Team and as a Choreographer/Dancer for the Willamette Dance Company in Salem, Oregon.
Kayla has been an active member of the Impulse community since 2018. She has taught Jazz and Contemporary at Impulse and is a member of Impulse Contemporary Co. In March 2022, she welcomed her twin boys into the world, and in August 2022, she returned to teaching and dancing at Impulse.
Susie Garifi holds an MA in Dance Education from New York University, a BA with a major in Dance from Colorado State University, and studied with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in their Independent Study Program. She carries a strong interest in the fundamental values of dance and community and strives to create productive and supportive experiences that use dance as a vehicle to form connections. Susie is part of the dance faculty at Colorado State University and danced professionally as a company member in IMPACT Dance Company where she also acted as an Outreach Coordinator of their program "Every Voice Matters."
Additionally, Susie is a certified Vinyasa yoga instructor and carries the values of somatic practices through all of her teaching and learning experiences. Susie loves to sharing dance and yoga with the community.
Jackie is a dance instructor originally from Atlanta, Georgia, with over 30 years of dance experience. Her background is in a variety of dance styles including ballet, tap, jazz, and modern. In 1999, she had the privilege of auditioning for the School of American Ballet in New York City. Here in Fort Collins, she has been a certified Zumba instructor for several years. She loves sharing her passion for international dance with all levels. She believes everyone can experience the joy of dance, no matter what the skill level.
Rachel started dancing at a young age in her hometown of Elkhorn, NE. Although she studied all styles of dance, she fell in love with tap, clogging, and theater right away. She grew up competing and performing as often as she could, including multiple performances in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In college, Rachel focused her training on theater performance and participated in several shows a year. At the same time, she studied psychology and worked at a local dance studio. She spent 12 years coaching, choreographing, and connecting with students of all ages as a competitive coach, dance teacher, and youth theater choreographer and director.
In August of 2020, Rachel joined Impulse, excited to be a student again. The community instantly felt like family, and she is thrilled to continue connecting with everyone in a new instructional role. With a passion for seeing people find joy in movement, Rachel is happy to continue cultivating a space that welcomes all who want to share the joy of dance.
Nessa has been active in the dance world for over 30 years, and she is passionate about sharing the art of ballet with anyone who wants to dance while working with them to achieve correct technique and strength to support their artistry throughout their dance journey.
Her credentials include:
- 12 years teaching experience in ballet, pointe, and conditioning
- ABT® Certified Teacher after successfully completing the ABT®Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT®National Training Curriculum
- Certified in Progressing Ballet Technique
- Trained in various styles of dance including Ballet, Jazz, African, Contemporary, and Salsa Rueda at the University of South Carolina while completing her B.A. in Art History and German
- Taught English and dance in Germany
- Performance roles in The Nutcracker, Paquita, and Sleeping Beauty with Colorado Dance Theater and Longmont Dance Theatre
- An M.A. in Art History and a Graduate Certificate in Strength & Conditioning and Fitness Coaching from the University of Denver
Ashley Meeks is a Texas native, began dancing at age 2, and went on to perform nationally with her high school ensemble, earning honors such as Miss High Kick in Texas (2009) and a featured performance at Disney World’s Epcot Center. She later earned her BFA in Dance from the University of North Texas, where she performed in faculty works, joined the Chi Tau Epsilon Dance Honor Society, and appeared in festivals across the country.
After graduation, Ashley expanded her career as both performer and choreographer. She danced with The Fledgling Project in Minneapolis, created award-winning routines for competitive studios, and later built the Fort Collins High School Dance Team into a CHSAA-sanctioned program, leading them to historic regional and national achievements.
Now based in Fort Collins, Ashley is most passionate about teaching and inspiring others through dance. She is especially excited to share her love of movement with adult hip hop students at Impulse, where she focuses on building community, confidence, and creativity in every class.
Elle Ping started training in tap, jazz, and ballet classes at a small studio in Upstate New York when she was 5, and truly fell in love with tap a few years later. Since then, tapping has become an integral part of her personality and she cannot imagine a life without it.
At Skidmore College, Elle continued her tap education and explored the world of modern dance. She was a member and eventually president of the college’s tap club, The Stompin’ Soles, where she choreographed myriad pieces including special performances at protest exhibits in museums and other locations. She performed with small groups at the American Tap Dance Festival in NYC, opened for the comedian Nicole Byer at one of her shows, and has been involved in many stage productions and recitals.
Elle joined Impulse in 2021 as a student and began subbing for Tap 1 and 2 in 2024. Elle encourages exploratory movement and connection to music in her classes while having fun and building confidence.
Kira Rohrbacher is a hip hop fitness instructor certified in MixxedFit. Kira began dancing in high school and continued dancing with a company in Hawaii. She has had years of training in hip hop, jazz, and breakdancing. She is also a veterinarian and always wants to hear about your pets!
Kira has been an active member of Impulse since 2021. She fell in love with the community and has never wanted to leave. Her classes focus on having fun and expressing ourselves through dance. Kira’s goal is to give you a good workout without it feeling like a chore.
Nicole Ryan's love of yoga began in 2004. At that time, she didn’t fully understand how transformative yoga could be, but she knew how she felt after every class. Not only did the movement feel good; she also left feeling more present and connected to her body and mind. Over time, she realized that transformation and healing is possible through mindful movement and breathwork and these were the tools she needed to begin her own journey healing trauma.
In 2021, Nicole received her 200-hour yoga teacher training from Om Ananda Yoga in Fort Collins, and since then, she has been passionate in sharing the benefits of this incredible practice in an inclusive, safe space that allows every student to show up exactly as they are. Nicole designs her vinyasa flows to align with the lunar cycle and help release and surrender tensions, increase flexibility and balance, cultivate compassion, and build strength in mind and body.
Sarah Stearns is a certified MixxedFit instructor and has subbed at Impulse since 2024. She pulls inspiration from her 6 years of experience growing in Hip Hop, Heels, Burlesque, and Twerk classes. Sarah has been a member of Impulse since the days of online classes back in 2020.
Dance has played a role throughout her life from childhood ballet classes, to dancing in the kitchen, to joining Impulse and becoming a sub. With dance fitness, her goal is playful, energizing classes that leave you feeling better than when you came in. Sarah enjoys bringing a diverse movement set to her classes that traverses many styles of hip hop and pop while making them accessible and fun. She wants her students to feel confident in the routines and to have the chance to focus on challenging themselves.
Siobhán (or "Shiv") Tuck is a local artist and former Burlesque performer who strives to bring a sense of personal authenticity to every project and experience they take on. While they did not start dancing formally until they were an adult, they have always found joy and expression in movement, especially in dance.
Shiv's Burlesque class focuses on helping students explore their authenticity through a personal approach to choreography with a focus on characterization and performance. Their teaching goal is that everyone finds they are able to bring new parts of themselves to each class and discover new ways of expressing themselves through dance.
Jacqueline Urquidez is a Dance major with a concentration in Education at Colorado State University. She began dancing for over 15 years at The Dance Centre in Orange, California, studying tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, and ballet. Jacqueline’s teaching experience spans through studio, PK-12 schools, community outreach programs, and higher education.
At Colorado State University, Jacqueline has excelled in performance, choreography, and teaching. She has performed in 15 different choreographic works and was selected through a highly competitive adjudicated process to create two pieces, one of which was also showcased at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) Conference in the Adjudicated Concert. Additionally, Jacqueline has presented at the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Conference alongside Colorado State Dance Professor, Emily Morgan.
Jacqueline is a recipient of multiple Colorado State University scholarships, including the Performing Arts, Jane Sullivan, and Merit scholarships. Jacqueline is committed to advancing her dance education through all aspects of dance within technique, performance, choreography, and pedagogy. In addition to dance, Jacqueline’s passions lie in music, lighting design, dance film and multimedia, production and direction.
Kristina is a dancer at heart and loves movement of any kind. Moving makes her spirit feel alive. She has taught fitness classes for over 15 years and loves the balanced combination of teaching barre, sculpt, and dance cardio classes with therapeutic yin, flow, and MFR classes. She encourages students of all fitness levels to feel successful with her welcoming, positive, upbeat, challenging, and fun class experiences.
Kristina has a strong ballet background, dances with the Fort Collins Salsa Collective, and holds certifications with Barre Above™, Balletone™, and Soul Sweat™ dance fitness. She earned her 200-hr Power Vinyasa certification through Mindstream Yoga and holds a 500-hr certification through Yoga Medicine™ as a Therapeutic Specialist.