Adjunct Faculty
Maxi Riley
(she/her/hers) Maxi found her love of dance at a young age. Raised in Northeast Ohio, she trained seriously at Keithe Williams’ Performing Arts Academy and Hudson Conservatory of Ballet. Under this direction, she became well versed in a multitude of dance styles and foundational techniques. Graduated from the Ohio State University, she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance. She has been featured in pieces choreographed by Keithe Williams, Daniel Roberts, Crystal Michelle Perkins, Amy Gunter and Ching Ching Wong, to name a few. In addition, she had the privilege of choreographing and dancing in Brazil with Ohio State Dance Brazil Tour Group in 2018. She has attended various summer intensives and master classes with world renowned choreographers and company dance artists including those of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance, Parsons Dance, BalletX, and Complexions Contemporary Dance. She trained and assisted with Bellamoxi Dance Convention for two seasons and has worked closely with Justin Conte, Alex Little, Lukas Van Der Fecht, Gerran Reese and Micheal Dameski.
In 2019, Maxi joined the contemporary fusion company Cleveland Dance Project for two seasons, and was appointed a member of The Cleveland Dance Project Company’s Nonprofit Board. In 2020, she relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, accepting a position with SALT Contemporary Dance’s sister company SALT2. Maxi is fully committed to each dance community she is a part of and looks forward to beginning a new journey, mentoring the artistic capability of today’s young dancers. She holds the utmost gratitude for the opportunity to aide in her student’s investigation, growth, and confidence as an artist.
Mia Sosnowski
(she/her/hers) The exciting journey of dance began at age six for Mia. She has been a scholarship student at Park City Dance Academy and Ballet West for ten years and will graduate high school this spring. Over the years Mia has been featured in many prominent roles. She has been featured as Young Clara, Arabian Queen, Angel Queen & The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Mia has also received many accolades for her performances of original works by Sawyer Player ”The Girl and the Goose”, “Ophelia”, “Loves Me Not” and “Duck, Duck, Goose”. Mia was also featured as the soloist in the premiere of the dance movement film “For Your Entertainment”.
It became clear early on that Mia’s life would be driven by her soulful passion. Mia has been awarded several outstanding honors from Artist Simply Human, Hollywood Connection, The Studio School LA, AMDA College, and is the most recent recipient for the Peggy Bergman scholarship. At just 17 years old, she has proven to be a leader and mentor, sharing her love of performance, choreography, and teaching.
Mia recently competed at the Artist Simply Human Nationals and received an invitation to be a Company member and will be part of their ’21/‘22 tour around America. She believes that with encouragement, perseverance, and bravery, students of all training backgrounds will see, and more importantly, feel a difference in their dancing. Her love of teaching began at age 14 by shadowing her mentors through years of summer camps, classes, and private lessons. This exposure allowed her to develop many skills sets in many styles of dance for the classroom. She confidently credits her drive and love of the art to her students, peers, and teachers surrounding her on a daily basis.
Beth Colton
(she/her/hers) Ever since she was little, Beth has loved movement. At a young age, she began her gymnastics training with Katia Shchennikova, a former elite gymnast for the Russian National Team. When Beth was seven, the team was passed along to Shchennikova’s former coach, Natasha Tokareva. Beth was highly competitive for a few years, even winning a State Title when she was ten, before getting injured out of the sport. At that time, eager to continue moving, Beth turned her efforts to TaeKwonDo and Dance. A few years later, she discovered the joy of teaching.
After earning her Black Belt under the direction of Grandmaster Jin Yong Kwon, Beth started teaching TaeKwonDo and Tumbling classes of up to fifty students at a time for World Class TaeKwonDo. Shortly after, she started teaching Ballet, Tap, and Jazz technique at Park City Dance where she was also receiving her dance training. She is incredibly excited to now be a part of Summit Dance Project’s team.
Katie Johnson
(she/her/hers) . Katie’s love for dance was born when she followed her sister to her very first Jazz class. All these years later she is so grateful to still be sharing that love with her own kids and students. Growing up in Park City, UT Katie trained, performed and competed locally. Her training included Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, Tap and Hip Hop. Katie attended The University of Utah where she received a BFA in Modern Dance, with a minor in Nutritional Studies. While at The U, she performed in many student and faculty produced shows. After College she moved to Monterey, Ca, dancing with a small local company and teaching master classes. Since returning to Park City in 2008, Katie has been teaching all ages and all styles. She loves being part of the growing movement of adult dancers, continuing to take class whenever she can!
