Get in Touch
Thea Bodensteiner
Edinburgh Willing to travel
Professional
About
Dance educator, choreographer, and lifelong dancer with over 20 years of training and nearly 10 years of teaching experience across several styles. Began teaching at age 16 and have taught dancers from early childhood through university level, from complete beginners to advanced performers. Trained extensively in the Vaganova ballet tradition …
Credentials
-
Extensive training in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop; Vaganova-based ballet training; serious competitive and performance training; training in pointe, improv, and general technique Utah Arts Collective (2004-2020)
About Me
Dance educator, choreographer, and lifelong dancer with over 20 years of training and nearly 10 years of teaching experience across several styles. Began teaching at age 16 and have taught dancers from early childhood through university level, from complete beginners to advanced performers. Trained extensively in the Vaganova ballet tradition and closely mentored by one of Balanchine’s original dancers, alongside serious training and competitive experience in contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Passionate about developing strong technical foundations while creating classes and choreography that are engaging, supportive, and accessible to dancers of different ages, backgrounds, experience levels, and abilities.
Qualifications & Training
Extensive training in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop; Vaganova-based ballet training; serious competitive and performance training; training in pointe, improv, and general technique
Utah Arts Collective (2004-2020)
Experience & Credits
Spring Gala Choreographer
Blue Angels Dance Team, University of St. Andrews
Choreographed and set large inter-team contemporary piece for Blue Angels Spring Gala; as it was more of a passion piece than a show piece, focused heavily on artistry and including dancers of various skill levels and style experience, some with extensive jazz, ballet, and contemporary experience, and some with purely tap or hip hop backgrounds.
Dance Instructor – Parent-Child Dance, Children’s Elementary Ballet, Teen Jazz
Tiril Andøl Dansesonen, Oslo, Norway
Designed curricula for and delivered age- and level-appropriate curricula for each class; created a welcoming and supportive classroom environment while maintaining clear technical and learning objectives; adapted teaching approaches to different ages, abilities, and levels of confidence; choreographed and taught performance piece for teen jazz class.
Advanced Contemporary Choreographer
Blue Angels Dance Team, University of St. Andrews
Ran auditions for, selected, and worked with a group of advanced dancers representing the team at competitions across the UK; choreographed and taught a contemporary competition piece that placed in the top three at all competitions; created additional choreography for competitions and performances and taught contemporary and ballet combos to the team throughout the season.
Workshop Teacher – Pointe and Contemporary
Dance Club, University of St. Andrews
Planned and taught workshops covering pointe technique, contemporary choreography, and contemporary improvisation; adapted workshops to dancers with varied technical backgrounds and experience levels.
Competition Coordinator
Dance Club, University of St. Andrews
Successfully organised and hosted fourth annual Take the StAge Competition, which was attended by nine university dance teams from across the UK.
Raising and Giving Week Show Choreographer
Dance Club, University of St. Andrews
Choreographed and taught a performance piece to university students with no previous dance experience for a charity fundraising competition, “So You Think You Can’t Dance”
Advanced Contemporary Teacher
Dance Club, University of St. Andrews
Taught open-level classes incorporating general technique and contemporary choreography for dancers ranging from beginner to advanced; choreographed two end-of-semester performance pieces and multiple shorter combos throughout the year; received training in accessibility and adapting classes for dancers with varying experience and ability levels.
Substitute Teacher – Children’s Ballet & Jazz, Age 9-12 General Technique & Ballet
Utah Arts Collective
Taught beginner and intermediate ballet classes using standard class structure, including barre, centre, and across-the-floor exercises; taught children’s jazz, covering foundational jazz technique and cleaning performance pieces set by usual teacher; taught intermediate and advanced general technique classes focused on turns, jumps, extensions, and other skills; coordinated with regular instructors to understand students’ existing training and ensure continuity in their development.
Adaptive Dance Mentor
Utah Arts Collective
Provided individual support to dancers with disabilities within weekly group classes, helping dancers participate fully in training and performances; Adapted instruction and support to individual needs while encouraging independence, confidence, and participation.