-Where quality dance instructors provide quality dance education-
Setting high standards for excellence in our faculty starts at the very top. That's why for 50 years, Miss Linda's has strived to bring the young dancers in our community the best possible instructional experts around to create enduring experiences for every student.
Linda Fuller, better known as "Miss Linda," began studying as a young girl at Virginia Maupin’s Dance Studio in Minot, ND and has been dancing ever since. She has become a staple in the Great Falls and Montana arts communities as a performer, instructor and advocate of the arts. Linda has a BS in English from Minot State University in ND and holds teaching certifications in dance from Dance Masters of America and Dance Educators of America, James A. Rozanas method for gymnastics and tumbling, Mary Mayta Aerobics and Kelopecz Pilates. Linda was a founding member of the Center Stage Theater Company and co-founder of the Dorothy Monagin Music Endowment, a music scholarship program supporting Montana youth. She has served on the Montana Arts Education Council, Montana Dance Arts Association Board, and numerous committees and groups supporting and developing all arts in Montana.
Linda has produced, directed and choreographed for hundreds of concerts, fully staged theatrical productions, cabarets, revues, school shows, television spots and more including local Dancing with the Stars, Marie Osmond’s Meet Me in Montana tour, Oklahoma!, The Music Man and 49 years of Miss Linda’s Spring Productions.
Linda is a percussionist and has been a member of the University and Great Falls Municipal bands and the Great Falls Symphony. As a dancer her performance credits include the Mod Moms and ‘Lectric Ladies companies; theater roles Annie (Miss Hannigan), Anything Goes (Bonnie), Sweet Charity (Charity), Mame (Gootch) and The Sound of Music (Mother Superior).
Her passion for the performing arts and their benefits to people of all ages is what drives Linda to make sure anyone wanting to explore their creative side or expand their imagination can do so at Miss Linda's.
Sarah Dassinger
Sarah Dassinger comes to Miss Linda’s from Kansas where she trained in Cecchetti ballet, jazz, contemporary and hip-hop. She has competed and received national awards in jazz and hip-hop from Co.Dance (Paula Abdul), Tremaine and West Coast Dance Explosion. Sarah has performed with Bowery Dancers and Topeka Ballet Ensemble where she performed Les Sylphide, Fantasia Corrette, LaBoutique Fantasque, Missione A Bombay and others.
Since arriving at Miss Linda’s, Sarah has served as an instructor in ballet, jazz and modern, a choreographer, company director for YDC and the Great Falls Ballet Ensemble, an administrative support and Studio Manager. She is a hip-hop specialist. Her choreography has won awards at competitions at the local, regional and national levels. She served as the dance captain for the Act I Theater Company’s community theater production of White Christmas. Sarah is a guest teacher at studios throughout the state and a jazz instructor at The Creative Arts Center in Helena. She has been a board member of the Montana Dance Arts Association In the Great Falls community she has had the opportunity to teach at the Heisey, collaborate with the Chinook Winds and the Cascade Quartet as a performer and she is a former coach of the GFHS Dance Team.
Sarah is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters, Rosie and Millie.
Wendy Masterson
Wendy Masterson is a talented and sought-after master teacher, somatic practitioner, arts administrator and movement specialist with over 35 years of experience. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Dance, is a certified BMCSM Practitioner, a Somatic & Infant Developmental Movement Educator, is certified in GYROTONIC® and owner of The Motion Space, LLC in Great Falls.
A former professional ballet dancer, Wendy has worked with prestigious educational organizations and professional dance companies including 25 years on the dance/director at Interlochen Arts Academy in MI. She spent 15 summers as an administrator at President and Mrs. Ford’s Vail International Dance Festival working with elite dancers, choreographers and pedagogics from around the world. She has been the Director of Program Development at Kinesthetic Learning Center for 5 years. She is currently serving as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Body-Mind Centering Association. As a leader in the field of dance pedagogy and artistry, Wendy has presented at the International Association of Dance, Medicine, & Science conferences in Washington, DC; Seattle, WA; and Basel, Switzerland and at the BMCA Annual Conference 2013 in Boulder, CO. Wendy is currently serving as the president of the Montana Dance Arts Association.
Shannon Hudson
Shannon Hudson discovered her love of the arts as a student at Miss Linda’s and has been dancing through life ever since. She attended Walnut Hill School for Performing Arts before graduating from CMR. Following that she studied at the University of Utah before transferring to and graduating from the University of Michigan with a BFA from the College of Music where she studied musical theater and dance. Go Blue!
From there Shannon pursued a career in the arts. Working as a dancer, singer, actress, choreographer and director she performed throughout the US, Europe, Canada and Mexico spending 10 years based out of NYC before moving to London where she spent the next 17 years. She has had the privilege of working with top professionals in the industry on both sides of the pond. Throughout this time Shannon was also an instructor in dance and worked in arts administration. Trained in multiple genres she has taught at studios, colleges and universities throughout the US and the UK.
Her continuing education includes training at the Bates Dance Festival, certification as a Simonson Jazz Technique instructor and certification from Vinyasa Yoga School of Rishikesh as a yoga instructor. In London, she was a corporate training consultant teaching at Cambridge University and London Business School. Shannon served the Talitha Arts UK charity using creative arts therapy to support victims of trafficking, domestic abuse and dementia.
Shannon is excited to be back at Miss Linda’s as an instructor, company director and business manager. She loves the arts, arts education and is proud to be working with her mom, Miss Linda.
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April Wendt
April’s love for performing began at the age of three right here in Great Falls, MT. As she grew up she participated in countless productions acting, singing, dancing, and growing her technical theater skills. This ongoing love influenced her to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts from Carroll College graduating in 1998. While there, April was in an original production that toured to Seattle, WA and was honored to be in two different original productions that performed off-Broadway in New York, NY. Not long after graduating, she was hired to be an Improv player for “The Stage Door” in Fayetteville, NC. When her father became ill with cancer, she returned home to Great Falls to care for him. For ten years, April was the head drama, debate, and speech coach for Simms High School. Also during this time, April helped out with local community theaters, lending her acting, improv and technical theater skills.
In 2011, April began designing lights full time for the University of Providence. Throughout the years, she has not only designed the lights, but also acted in the productions. Once again in 2013 she returned to the New York Musical Festival stage in New York, NY playing Janis Joplin in the University of Providence’s production of “The Dead Legend.” During the 2018-2019 school year, April energetically directed the UP Improv Players. When COVID-19 hit, the University of Providence Theater closed its doors. Lost without theater in her life, April went in search of a new theater family. Graciously Act I allowed April to participate in their spring zoom sessions and she fell in love! April is extremely thrilled to be joining the Act I family permanently!
Kaylee Osentowski, or ‘Kaylee O’ as she’s known to us, is a Miss Linda’s alumnus. A graduate of CMRussell High School, Kaylee had an impressive career at the University of Montana which saw her graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre (emphasis Stage Management), a Bachelor of Arts in Dance (emphasis Choreography/Performance) and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (focus Management and Entrepreneurship) with Certificate in Entertainment Management. While in Missoula she worked as a choreographer, stage manager, performer and technician for college and professional organizations including Montana Repertory Theatre, Cohesion Dance Project and UM programs including Spring Awakening, Dance up Close, Summer and Smoke, Fall Studio Works and the American College Dance Association presentations. Kaylee’s choreography includes original pieces Farewell Ophelia, How Easily Broken and Honey Hot, the musicals You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and Beauty and the Beast. She is currently the coach of the CMR High School Dance Team.
Kaylee also attended the esteemed Disney College Program and worked at Walt Disney Parks and Resort in Toy Story Land and Star Wars Launch Bay. After leaving UM she returned to Orlando to work as Company Production Stage Manager with Young Star Musical Theatre for Hairspray and Peter Pan. She has worked teaching children and adolescents dance and theatre throughout her training and into her professional career. In addition to her instruction at Miss Linda’s, Kaylee sits on the board of the Great Falls Theater Company and serves those in need during the day working for the Make a Wish Foundation.
Kaylee Osentowski
John and Laurie Johnson
John and Laurie Johnson have been dancing together regularly for many years. In 1999, they moved to Los Angeles to care for Laurie’s parents, coming home to Great Falls for two months every Summer. In 2020 John and Laurie relocated back to Great Falls for good!
While in Los Angeles, their favorite aerobics class was cancelled and they looked for an activity
to fill the void. Dancing became their workout and their passion.
John and Laurie learned to dance from watching world class dancers, taking lessons from
accomplished professionals and asking all sorts of questions!
Their focus is on swing dancing, country dancing and even some line dancing. Laurie taught
dance, voice and drama to elementary kids for 14 years, including Ballroom Blast competition
dance for 4th and 5th graders for one of the top after school programs in Los Angeles.
John and Laurie eagerly look for opportunities to spread the joy and tradition of social dancing
to anyone willing to give it a go!
K'Loni Pearson
K’Loni Pearson grew up in Ashton, Idaho and danced from the time she could walk, including competitive jazz teams, high school drill team captain and cheerleading captain. After high school she went on to study at Brigham Young University, Rexburg, ID, where she received her Bachelor’s in Secondary Education and minored in Dance. She chose that combination specifically so she could coach drill team or cheerleading at the high school where she would be teaching.
In 2011 K’Loni moved to Fairfield with her husband where they began a family and a life of farming. K'Loni has been a stay at home mom of three girls and a boy as well as being the occasional farm-hand. As her children have gotten older, she is ready to return to her artistic roots. Dance studios feel like home to her, and she is most excited to become part of the Miss Linda's faculty and share her genuine love of the art with the students.
