Sarah Johnson, Artistic Director, Co-Founder

Sarah began studying the art of dance at the age of three at Jack Dyville’s Dance Factory in Williston, North Dakota. She has studied eleven competitive styles of dance: ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, pointe, modern, hip hop, character, song and dance, Irish folk style, and production numbers. At eight years old, she was asked to be a part of a competitive elite elementary group, Kids Company. She was a part of the A Company competition team from the age of twelve through her high school graduation.

Sarah was a Miss North Dakota dancer for seven years. In June 2007, she competed in the Miss North Dakota Pageant and won the Overall Talent Award. She was a part of the North Dakota State University Competition Dance Team in Fargo, N.D. from 2006-2007 where she was chosen by her peers as the Most Improved Dancer. In 2010, Sarah won 2nd place in "Dancing with FM's Finest" Ballroom Fundraising event with her partner, Eric Piela, of Fargo.

Sarah has taught at Bonnie Haney’s School of Dance in Moorhead, M.N., Red River Dance & Performing Company of Fargo, N.D., choreographed the 2009 Miss West Fargo/Red River Valley Pageant, and was an assistant producer of the 2010 Miss Grand Forks, Miss Empire, Miss Eastern Dakota Pageant. She is currently certified judge for the NDADD for the past two (2) years. Sarah has choreographed the Y.E.S. (Youth Education on Stage) Summer Productions, "101 Dalmations" and most recently "Mulan".

Sarah has studied under the following instructors: Wade Robson, Brian Friedman, Mia Michaels, LaurieAnn Gibson, Dave Scott, Cris Judd, James Robey, Stacie Flatness, Deb Fontane, Craig Ellingson, Kate Keating, Karen Rudd, Angela Ekblad, Jack Dyville, Ballet Hispanico, Misha Gabriel, Mike Minery, Bobby Newberry, Nick Lazzarini and Teddy Forance.

She has performed at Disney World, the Dakota Wizards basketball games, has been on ESPN, on a cruise line to the Bahamas, and competed in Las Vegas. She was the Captain of the USHL Fargo Force Dancers from 2008 - 2010.

In May 2009 Sarah graduated from North Dakota State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and Advertising and a minor in Dance from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

In 2015, Sarah received the Certification in the Jazz Dance Technique & Syllabus by James Robey. Over the years, Sarah has been recognized for her teaching and choreography. In 2016, she was honored with the “Best Choreography” award at the National Triple S Dance Competition in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

In 2018, Sarah was recognized as one of Williston’s greatest achievers in the inaugural Top 20 Under 40 list for the surrounding region. You can find her on pages 2 and 6 of the Williston Herald’s special insert here.

Serena Christianson, Marketing Manager, Co-Founder

Serena began studying dance at the age of three at Jack Dyville’s Dance Factory in Williston, North Dakota. When she was in the fourth grade, she was asked to be a part of Kids Company, a youth competition team at the Dance Factory. In seventh grade, she was a member of the B Company troupe, advancing to A Company the following year. Throughout her tenure at the Dance Factory, she won multiple awards at International Dance Challenge, Spotlight Dance Cup, Hollywood Vibe Dance Competition, Dance Challenge, Montana Dance Challenge, and I Love Dance Competition.

After the founder of the Dance Factory relocated to New York City, Serena became the point of contact for anything regarding tap because of her specialty and expertise in this genre. She taught tap to grades 1-6 in 2002-2003, where one of her groups won the 2003 Dance Challenge Competition 2nd place Overall Junior Novice Large Group award.

Serena was a Miss North Dakota dancer for five years, broadening her dance repertoire. As a contestant, Serena won the “High Score Preliminary Talent” Award for her self-choreographed talent selection at the Miss North Dakota Scholarship Pageant in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2012. In May 2010, Serena graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of Jamestown with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Business Administration (Hospitality and Tourism Management concentration) and Communication (Media concentration) with a minor in Character in Leadership. She completed her Master’s in Business Administration (Leadership concentration) from Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, Arizona), May 2012. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona).

Serena is also a certified personal fitness trainer through AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) which she completed December 2012 and Zumba certified (February 2010).

In 2015, Serena received the Certification in the Jazz Dance Technique & Syllabus by James Robey. Currently, Serena resides in Tempe, AZ and teaches the advanced tap classes at Conservatory of Dance in Phoenix.

Madison Green, Instructor

Madison began her dance career when she was four years old at Elizabeth Dance Expressions in Williston, North Dakota. Over her dance career, she studied many different styles including jazz, hip hop, lyrical, tap, and ballet. As a competitive dancer, Madison was recognized for her performance and technique abilities. She also participated in pageants, where she excelled in the talent competition as a vocalist and dancer, earning the title of Pre-Teen Miss Williams County in 2007. Throughout high school she participated in the choir and graduated in May 2015.

Madison is excited to return to the world of dance, as her passion has been performing through singing and dancing. She is proud to be a part of the KML Family, inspiring the next generation of dancers through her love of music and dance.

Annie Gilbertson, Instructor

Annie began her dance career at 9 years old at Kay Michael Lee Studio in Williston, North Dakota. Since then, she has studied several different styles including ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip hop, modern, and musical theatre. She was a member of the Emerald Competition Line in 2014-2015 and the Ruby Competition Line in 2015-2016. As a competitive dancer, Annie was oftentimes recognized by the judges for her technique and performance ability in lyrical and jazz, she was also a part of many of Kay Michael Lee Studio’s award-winning ensembles in musical theatre, hip hop, ballet, and lyrical.

During the 2016-2017 season, she participated on the Williston Drill Team’s Junior Varsity Team, advancing to the Varsity Team in the 2017-2018 season. She enjoyed refining her dance skills through the drill team, as well as the memory of being a part of the North Dakota State Hip Hop Champions for 2017.

After her family moved to Georgia in 2018, Annie continued to study dance at Cumming Georgia Dance Studio, taking classes in ballet, lyrical, and jazz. She also made the Cumming Georgia Raider’s Varsity Cheerleading squad for the 2018-2019 season.

Annie has performed as halftime entertainment at several basketball games and also taken part in Kay Michael Lee’s original production of Halloween Alive! in 2014. As a member of our Emerald Competition Line, she received First Place for a Ballet Routine in the Mini/Junior Division at the JUMP Dance Convention in Denver, CO and First Place for both the lyrical and ballet group categories for the 12-14 year old junior category at Spotlight Dance Cup in Billings, MT. Studying under many dance industry icons such as Willdabeast, Colby Shinn, and Mia Michaels, Annie has competed against the nation’s best dancers in North Dakota, Montana, Arizona, and Georgia.

In 2019, Annie’s family relocated to Williston, allowing her to join the KML Family once again, this time as an instructor. She is so excited to be a part of the KML teaching staff and is looking forward to sharing her love of dance with her students.