OUR STAFF
GINA UNDERWOOD - Owner/Director, Choreographer, Instructor
Gina Underwood began dancing in Elkhorn, Nebraska at the age of 5 where she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, clogging and acro/tumbling. There she started dancing with a professional traveling company at the age of 10 until her family relocated to Pocatello, Idaho. Gina continued dancing and training with Marius Zirra and attending national conventions. She began teaching for Emily Yost when she was just 13 years old. Gina started her own studio, The Dance Factory, at 18 years old and has over 25 years of teaching experience with all ages and levels of dancers! She specializes in jazz, hip hop, clogging, tap, acro/tumbling, and contemporary and has choreographed numerous routines that have won at many well-known dance conventions and received top scores and awards at several competitions. Gina has dedicated her life to building and growing The Dance Factory while achieving her life-time goal creating Idaho's most well rounded dancers!
JAIDA UNDERWOOD - Choreographer, Instructor
My name is Jaida Underwood and I am born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. I grew up training at The Dance Factory and I truly believe there is no better place to grow & become a technical artist. I danced professionally for Odyssey Dance Theatre 2017-2020, I was placed in The Dance Awards top 10 in 2017, I have received several top solo awards/placements & a NBA Jazz halftime performance to name a few accomplishments. My choreography has received several overall placements, top scoring & “best choreography” awards. I have been dancing for 23 years and am passionate about sharing my love for dance with the next generation.
CHANTILLY MCCULLOCH- Instructor
Chantilly McCulloch began dancing at the age of 2, and danced for 20 years. She began teaching at 14, and has been, for almost 20 years now. She specializes in ballet, and teaches all ages. She has been teaching for The Dance Factory for 6 years, and calls it her 2nd home. Her greatest joy is being a generational teacher. She loves that some of her student's now are children of her first students.
JORDAN DAVIS- Instructor
Jordan has been teaching at TDF for 13 years. She is a mother of 5 who lives in Idaho Falls and makes the commute to be a part of this amazing studio. Jordan has been dancing since she was 8 years old, but thought she would pursue a career in track and field in college, rather than dance. When the opportunity arose for her to teach at TDF, she fell in love with teaching and chose to continue being a part of the dance world. Jordan teaches the Company teams, Ballet, and Pilates. She hopes to continue educating and influencing these young dancers to help improve their abilities and ultimately their lives.
ASHLEY FISHER- Instructor
I have ballroom danced for 20 years! I dance for many reasons some being, I love how it makes me feel. Moving my body and dancing brings me so much happiness! I also love the feeling after a hard practice of “wow I’m proud of myself for working hard”. I am teaching the ballroom classes for the competitive teams.
ELAINA MCCULLOCH- Instructor
Elaina has been dancing for 18yrs at a variety of places. She specializes in ages 18 months to 8 years old. She has worked for the TDF family for 3 years now. She believes, You don't work a day in your life when you love your job!
KLOEE BISHOP- Instructor
I have been dancing for 16 years. I love dance because it is a way to challenge and push yourself to new limits. There is no better feeling than working hard at something you love. I am teaching ballet this year.
_JPG.jpg)
KIANA LITTLE- Instructor
Kiana began her dance journey at the age of four and her passion has only grown since then. She danced with The Dance Factory for a short time, but gained invaluable knowledge and skills to take with her as she moved to Utah. Kiana honed her skills as an instructor and professional dancer for Odyssey Dance Theatre from 2013-2022. Also during that time, she performed with Junction Dance Company, Divinity Dance Company, and, most recently in 2023, Altitude Dance Company. Kiana is thrilled to be teaching company teams this season. Her enthusiasm for dance is infectious, and she is committed to fostering a fun and inclusive environment for all of her students.
PACEY NOCHEBUENA- Instructor
I’ve danced for about 12 years but started in competitive gymnastics and figure skating. I’ve had opportunities to dance in Disney parks and NBA halftimes. I’ll be teaching mostly Acro this season and am so happy to be part of the TDF team!
COURTNEY WHEELER- Instructor
Courtney has trained in all dance forms from 8 yrs old with ballet being the form that brought dance to life for her. She is in her 13th year teaching all ages with 3 years at TDF. This year she is teaching Pointe and Ballet. She wants to bring ballet alive to her students, sharing with them how beautiful, powerful and dynamic it can be.
MADISON HERNANDEZ- Instructor
Madison Hernandez danced competitively at The Dance Factory and continued her training at Idaho State University and The University of Massachusetts in Amherst (UMass). After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in dance at UMass, she is excited to return to TDF as a dance instructor. From choreographing at a community theater to teaching dance at the studio she remains involved in the community. One of her favorite styles is Hip Hop and she continuously trains in many disciplines of dance and is discovering her unique artistry.
ABBY MINER- Instructor
Abby has danced since I was 2 1/2 years old all the way up to 18 at the dance factory and went on to do 3 years of collegiate dance afterwards. My favorite class to teach is acro and I have been teaching at the dance factory since 2022.
ASHLEY SCOTT- Instructor
Ashley began her dance training at the age of 8 under Kaelynn Oliphant and Annette Randall at Dance Concepts in Utah. She trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary dance. Later in her training she had the opportunity to dance at Ballet West for a 2 year period where she really learned her love for ballet. In high school she was on Dance Company (Copper Hills), and was also able to dance at the conservatory up at the University of Utah as a training opportunity given to her through her first year of college. After that first year of college, Ashley went on to get married and started a family with her now husband, Tyler, and they have 3 amazing kids. They moved from Utah to Maine for 7 years, and have now been in Pocatello, Idaho for the last 4 years. She loves teaching and bringing a positive influence into the spaces she is in.
