Beverly Wilson | Dance Director, Ballet Instructor

Beverly is one of the initial founders of Reif Dance, dedicating a decade of love and work toward its development from 1989-2000. Bev’s formal dance education includes study with the Minnesota Dance Theater, The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the Ruth Page Civic Ballet in Chicago. Along with a passion for teaching dance, Bev has enjoyed a second vocation as a Registered Nurse. She earned her ADRN from The College of St. Catherine’s, St. Mary’s Campus and pursued a fulfilling career in healthcare. She believes that her early dance training; the dedication, discipline and focus required gave her important life skills that transferred over to school, work and other aspects of her life. Bev’s treasured family includes her husband David, son Matthew (Anna), daughter Sarah (Ray), daughter Emily (Cole) and grandchildren Lucian, Aaliyah, Wyatt, Tucker and Addison.

bwilson@reifcenter.org

218-327-5858 (office)

Christina Andersen | Advanced Modern

Christina grew up at the Reif Center, beginning her dance career here at age 12 with Mary Petit, Bev Wilson and Ellen Rudquist. At St. Olaf College, her interests were turned into passions by the incredible faculty, and there she earned her B.A. in both Dance and Economics. After getting married, she moved to New York City where she worked for a private equity company, continued to study and perform dance, and added Pilates and yoga to her teaching repertoire. Christina and her husband moved back to Grand Rapids nine years ago and she has been teaching dance, yoga and Pilates ever since. Christina continues to learn – from other instructors, from life, and from the students themselves – and believes she gets more than she receives in this job she calls “work.”

Grace Ann Derfler | Jazz

Grace grew up in a small town in North Carolina where she first started dance lessons at the age of five. She participated in competition dance at the state and national level winning many awards and titles. She joined the Reif Dance Company in 2017 after moving to Minnesota and performed in multiple shows with the senior company. She graduated in 2020 and earned the Reif Dance Scholarship. She is now a Reif Dance alumni, teaching jazz to all ages and plans to continue teaching dance in the future.

Teran Germscheid | First Step (PK-K) & Second Step (Gr.1)

Teran began dancing when she was four years old at the Nancy Pasley Ballet School in Grand Forks, ND. Teran went on to study musical theatre performance and dance at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. While she studied in Duluth she was cast in many musical theatre productions and continued dancing. Teran moved to the Grand Rapids area with her husband in the summer of 2018. As soon as she could, Teran became involved in our local theatre and dance scenes and this will mark her third year teaching Reif’s youngest dancers. She is a mom to four littles herself and takes great pride in fostering a love of dance in each of her students!

Megan Parlanti Belcher | Modern

Megan fell in love with dance at an early age, studying and performing for fourteen years at the Reif. She continued her dance training at St. Olaf College, majoring in both dance and Spanish. One of the highlights of her dance career was the summer she spent at Duke University at the American Dance Festival where she had the opportunity to study modern technique, choreography and performance. Megan received her Master’s in Education from St. Scholastica and spent ten years teaching Spanish. The birth of her son marked a significant career change, and she now spends her days working in the world of technology and healthcare. The change opened the door to moving back to Grand Rapids to plant roots with her husband, Bryan, and her son, Elias. She is ecstatic to be teaching modern at the Reif Center; it feels like coming home.

Katie E. Smith

Katie E. Smith | Tap

Katie is a native of Grand Rapids with a love for working with children and a passion for the arts. Katie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from the University of Minnesota, Duluth with a minor degree in dance. She is a veteran director, performer and supporter of the Grand Rapids arts scene. She began choreographing in 1995 and has staged dances for dozens of musicals and dance shows. Katie spent two years in Houghton, Michigan where she was the Artistic Director of the Michigan Tech Dance Company and owned a private dance studio.

Jinnea Zenzen | Tap 1 & 2

Jinnea is a proud Reif Dance Company alum. She was born and raised in Grand Rapids where she began taking dance lessons at the Reif Center at the age of five. Jinnea graduated from Grand Rapids High School in 2011 and went on to receive her Secondary Education Social Studies degree from the University of North Dakota and her Masters of Education from the College of Saint Scholastica. She returned to Grand Rapids and is in her ninth year of teaching social studies at GRHS. She is excited to share her passion for dance with her new students and see their confidence and abilities grow throughout the course of the next year.