Director

Mackenzie grew up in Carmel, CA where she started dancing at the age of three under the direction of Carol Richmond. She continued her training at Walnut Hill School of the Arts and then attended the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2015 with a BFA in Dance Performance. Mackenzie has studied and performed works from SF Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Boston Ballet, ABT, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Doug Varone and Dancers and many others. She has performed throughout the US and internationally. Mackenzie founded Moonwater Dance Project in Chicago, IL in 2018 and serves as Artistic Director. In 2019 she co-founded Take Up Space, a dance festival celebrating female directors and choreographers. In 2025 she stepped into the role of Director of Footlight Dance Centre. She is passionate about making the dance world a better place and loves bringing this passion with her company, festival, and teaching.

Founder

Hilarie began dancing in Chicago, IL. and then received her BFA in Dance from Southern Methodist University. She danced professionally with the Portland Dance Theater and Cirque, dance company before moving to the Wood River Valley in 1980. Co-founder of the Idaho Dance Ensemble, she performed regionally for five years before devoting her full-time energies to dance education. She founded Footlight Dance Centre in 1984. Hilarie is a Licentiate member of the Cecchetti Council of America holding Professional Grade 6. She has been a dance consultant for the state education department of Idaho, a recipient of an Idaho Apprenticeship Art Grant and helped write the state curriculum for dance K-12 in 2000 and is working on the 2023 revisions for the Idaho State Dept. of Education. She taught for 25 years as dance specialist for K-5 for the Sun Valley Community School and is currently on faculty with the Performing Arts Academy at Wood River High School. A member of the Idaho Dance Arts Alliance, National Dance Registered Educator, National Dance Educators Organization, secretary of the Idaho Dance Educators Organization, past president of the Idaho Alliance for Arts in Education and past member of the Ex. Board for the Wood River Arts Alliance. She served six years on the Ketchum Arts Commission. The 2004 Dance Educator of the Year for the NW District AAHPERD, 2019 Dance Educator of the Year for IDEO. Hilarie serves as administrator of the WRHS National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) honoring students for academic achievement, dance accomplishments and community service.

Anne has been working with Footlight since 1991. She received her BA in Dance from the University of Colorado. She then trained in NYC and San Francisco with Nikolais/Louis Repertory Company and Wendy Rogers Dance Company. Anne loves to create, explore and share her love of dance. She works with the Advanced Modern Company dancers.

Leah began her study of dance with Hilarie Neely at Footlight Dance Centre, graduating here in the Wood River Valley. She accomplished a year of modern dance studies and performances as well as classical ballet at Arizona State University before transferring to University of Arizona receiving her BA in Psychology and Early Childhood Education. Leah spent five years in Washington, D.C. teaching Kindergarten at a public charter school where she implemented movement and dance on a daily basis into her classroom. Upon returning to the Wood River Valley Leah completed her yoga teacher training. She is passionate about children and movement going “hand in hand” and everyone should have the opportunity to learn with movement. She also directs the "Mindful Movement for Children" program at Studio Move in Ketchum.

Raised in Overland Park, Kansas, Gabi began pursuing her natural love for dance at age 6. She danced jazz, tap and contemporary competitively across the country in her younger years. Later she expanded her studies to included classical ballet, modern and theater. In 2012, Gabi moved to Boise to study Bilingual/ENL Elementary Education and dance at Boise State University. Her studies with Marla Hansen reinforced that one’s love for dance has no end and can take many forms. She was able to study modern with Kelli Brown and danced professionally two seasons in, Off Center Dance. After graduating, Gabi traveled and made her way to the Wood River Valley. She teaches at Wood River Middle School and is ecstatic to continue empowering youth and share her love for dance.

Bronwyn grew up dancing in Scottsdale, AZ. She was a member of the Elite Company and also on the Gatorline Pom HS Dance Team. She graduated from Denison University in Ohio with her BA in Health, Exercise & Sport Studies, and was a member of the Denison Univ. Dance Team. She is an avid fly fisherwoman and volunteers with Swiftsure Therapeutic Horseback Riding Ranch. Bronwyn is thrilled to be dancing and sharing her love of the art form by teaching hip hop. You can find her all over the valley working with adults, teaching hip hop and fitness to meet your needs!

Jensen grew up in Rome, GA where she began dancing at the age of two. She continued dancing into college where she received her BA in Law, Politics, and Society and a minor in Dance from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. There, she was a member of the Samford Dance Company, focusing mainly on ballet and modern styles. She has always had a love for working with children and started as a teaching assistant at her home studio in Georgia at the age of 12. Jensen also teaches dance at the Sun Valley Community School with students ranging from Kindergarten to 5th Grade. She has grown up visiting the Wood River Valley all her life and has loved living here full-time since April 2024. Jensen is so excited to get to share what she loves with the students!

Sophia Rumasuglia is a Bay Area native that has performed professionally with Joffrey Ballet in New York, Ballet Austin, Bay Pointe Ballet, Ballet Bernansconi, No Strings Attached, and Metamorphosis Ballet. She also received her BFA from St. Mary’s college, and is a certified yoga and GYROTONIC® trainer. She has been teaching various movement forms for over 12 years. She currently dances and tours with SOULSKIN Dance and has been with them for six years, including several works in correlation with Alchemy Arts Collective.

Jace Pauly was born in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains where his earliest memories include dancing at weddings, marching around the house to The Music Man, and attending the symphony. He began his dance training with Melissa Miller-Port who taught him technique and discipline, but most importantly she taught him to love dance. At 17, Jace moved to Walnut Hill School for the Arts where he graduated with honors.
Jace spent the next 10 years performing timeless classics and fascinating contemporary pieces with companies around the country. He was filled with curiosity to learn from the dancers he worked with and that learning has yet to cease. He seeks out opportunities to learn from world-class teachers and choreographers; keeping him challenged by the limitless depths of classical technique and inspired by the freedom of movement in contemporary styles. He especially loves learning complex coordinations, challenging musicality, and improvisational modalities.
Outside of the studio, Jace is passionate about food, music, and the outdoors. He enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, sharing meals with family and friends, practicing guitar and piano, and walking barefoot through the woods. He is grateful for the incredible support of his family, friends, and all the teachers along the way. No one becomes a dancer by accident; no one does it alone.