Teacher Bio's
Corinne Olcott is the owner and founder of Touch of Grace Dance Studio. Originally from New Jersey, Corinne received an extensive classical ballet and pointe education. She was a student of ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical at the Eastern Youth Ballet Company and "The Rehearsal Hall" for many years, competing in numerous state wide competitions. Corinne studied under renown Ballet Mistress Phyllis Papa and N.Y.C. Rockette, Verna Pharo and began dancing professional roles at age 12. Some of those roles included Clara, Lead Snow Flake, Pro Flowers, Dew Drop, Arabian, Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker and the main characters in Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Corinne also studied at the School of American Ballet in New York, NY and was 1 of 200 students throughout the world selected to participate in two summer programs. Corinne has 25+ years of teaching experience working with students of all ages and has been blessed to work with great families here in Hutchinson for the last 20 years.
Jamie Streich (Plamann) grew up right here in Hutchinson MN and has been dancing since the age of 7. She began studying under Corinne in middle school and has used that training to teach young students the basics of dance. Jamie studied Early Childhood Education with an emphasis on Special Education at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. While there, Jamie was a member of the Concert Dance Company, performing various styles of dance. At Touch of Grace, Jamie teaches some of our beginner classes- using her training and years of experience with children to make the classes imaginative and fun. Jamie also assists with much of the office work and subs when other instructors are away.
Lori Ann Dahlman began her dancing career at a young age in Minneapolis MN under the direction of Virginia Loma. As she grew, she found her love of tap with Walter “Bear” Hartell. Walter guided a love of tap perfection with years of private lessons. This took her to excel in many community, state and national championships. While living abroad, Lori continued her study of dance by diving into dance forms from other countries. As a teacher, Lori has state, regional, and national competition dancers in her history. Most dancers have returned home as champions. With her love of dance, she created and coached the first ever dance line at the Hutchinson High School now known as the Showstoppers. Lori has been a creating and teaching dance since 1981. After years of running her own successful dance studio, Lori is thankful to be focusing on the teaching aspect of dance at ToG.
Karissa Heerdt has been teaching ballet for over 20 years and has taught, choreographed, and directed over 25 original productions. She recently stepped down from her position as teacher/artistic director with Reign Dance Theater, to focus on being a mom. She is grateful for this opportunity with Touch of Grace to continue teaching in a smaller capacity closer to home. She currently lives in Hutchinson with her husband and their son. She loves to “Praise His Name With Dancing” (Psalm 149:3) and desires to help encourage others to dance for His glory, and take care of their bodies in the process. She has trained in New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Mississippi, acquiring a variety of education specifically in classical ballet, pointe, and physical therapy. She desires to help equip students to take care of the body God has given them while dancing with excellence for His glory.
Ashley Rosengren grew up in Renville MN and participated with her high school dance team. During her dance team experience, she performed numerous jazz, high kick, hip hop, and pom routines and competed at the state competitions. Ashley was also on the choreography team and was senior captain. For the 9 years post Highschool, Ashley has been an official with the Judges Association of MN Dance Teams where she has had extensive training on difficulty and technique of skills, choreography, and execution. Ashley has a passion for dance loves teaching ToG students with the same passion. This upcoming season Ashley will primarily be acting as a substitute instructor while she raises her children.
Office Staff
Heidi Van Marel Joined our staff in 2016 and is our part time Finance Manager. Heidi oversees all areas of finance including: accounts payable and receivables, banking and reconciliations. If you have a question about your invoice, Heidi would be happy to help you at [email protected]