Instructors
Angela Rose Dorantes
Beginning at the age of four, Angela Rose Dorantes studied tap, ballet, jazz, and tumbling at Betty May Studio with teachers Eileen Baldwin, Avilee Goodwin, June Sturn and Betty May herself. Over the course of the next 15 years, Angela spent more time in the studio than at home, studying her craft and working as demonstrator, assistant teacher, and eventually head instructor.
Angela also trained with Jacques d’Amboise and Emily Keeler with the Event of the Year’s 1986 Jump Team at the San Francisco Opera House and under Elvia Marta at San Francisco School of the Arts, where she was honored with the S.O.T.A. Dance Achievement Award in 1993. Since 1994 Angela has worked as the dance director for Kid Stock Inc., a musical theater program for children, and in 2001 trained the Pop Warner Brown Bombers dance team taking 3rd place in the 2001 National Dance competition. She has also performed with a number of Bay Area dance troupes.
Angela completed Foundation training with Shana Meyerson in Spring 2013 and is certified through mini yogis to teach yoga to children ages 3-11. Angela founded Steppin’ Out Dance with Avilee Goodwin in 1995, and became the studio’s sole director in 2010. She is thrilled to continue passing on the gift of dance as well as serve the community that has given so much to her over the years.
Emily Hansel
Emily Hansel is a San Francisco-based dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, arts administrator, and artist advocate. Originally from Rochester, Minnesota, Emily received their BFA in Dance from the University of South Florida. Emily currently dances for SFDanceworks, Post:ballet, Christy Funsch, and Mark Foehringer Dance Project. Emily has also performed in Alexandra Pirici’s Re-collection at SFMOMA, Cunningham repertory in “Signals from the West: Bay Area Artists In Conversation with Merce Cunningham at 100,” and danced with Robert Moses’ KIN, Garrett-Moulton Productions, Rebecca Fitton Projects, David Herrera Performance Company, Jennifer Perfilio, FACT/SF, and ZiRu Dance, among others. Emily’s choreographic work has been commissioned by a variety of companies and presented at numerous venues throughout the Bay Area. Emily recently received an San Francisco Artist award from the San Francisco Arts Commission, was selected to participate in MANCC’s Forward Dialogues program, received an ODC Theater RDI Award, and was named an Individual Artist Fellow by the California Arts Council. For eight years, Emily has taught ballet and contemporary to students ages 3 through 18 at Berkeley Ballet Theater, the ODC School, Steppin' Out Dance Studio, and other schools.
Erin Coyne
Erin Coyne is currently a San Francisco-based dancer and choreographer. Originally from the Chicago area, Erin began her training under Joshua Manculich, Lizzie MacKenzie, Eddy Ocampo, and Angelina Familara. From there, she went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota with her Masters in Education, BA in Dance, and BS in Elementary Education. While at University, she performed works by Maurya Kerr, Justin Jones, and Martha Graham repertoire, and studied under the instruction of renowned artists Toni Pierce-Sands, Erin Thompson, Carl Flink, and Ananya Chatterjea. Erin's choreography has been presented at various venues in Minneapolis, Chicago, and the Bay Area. As a teacher, she has taught both in Elementary Education as a 4th grade teacher and at many dance studios in the Midwest. Most recently, she collaborated with a local music artist and presented their work in a self-produced virtual showcase. Erin is thrilled to join the Steppin' Out Dance community and connect with the growing minds of dance!
Claire Fisher-Mendez
Claire Fisher-Mendez was born and raised in Tracy, California. She trained at The Academy of Performing Arts under the direction of Deborah Skinner until the age of 16. Claire moved to San Francisco to train in the LINES Ballet Training Program and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She has participated in summer programs such as Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Northwest Dance Project, Alonzo King LINES Ballet and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. From then on she has freelanced around the Bay Area working with choreographers, companies and colleagues including Bellwether Dance Project, dazaun.dance, Fullstop Dance, Garrett + Moulton Productions, Liv Schaffer, RAWdance, and Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. Claire is currently teaching ballet at Steppin’ Out to students ranging from 3-18 years old.
Maya Mohsin
Maya Mohsin is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Oakland, CA. In 2022, they received their BFA in Dance from Dominican University Of California with the Alonzo King Lines Ballet BFA program, along with a minor in Community Action and Social Change. During her time in university, Maya performed works by Christian Burns, Gregory Dawson, Carmen Rosenstraten, Nick Korkos, Sidra Bell, and Dexandro Montalvo. Since graduating, Maya has danced for Jocelyn Reyes for REYES Dance, Roseann Baker, Andrea Salzar, Jennifer Perfilio Movement Works, Addie Norman and Erin Coyne. In 2023, Maya was a choreographic resident with Bahiya Movement for their QueerSpace Believe In Self program. In 2022, they received the Give Em’ Hope Award from the SF Gay Men’s Chorus. Maya has been a dance teacher since 2016 and has taught at various schools around the Bay Area. Along with being a Pure Barre instructor, she now teaches at various Bay Area studios and is thrilled to be joining the Steppin’ Out team!