Meet Our Team!
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Daniel wilkins
Artistic Director | Contemporary, Ballet, Boys Class
Daniel trained at School of American Ballet, performing principal roles in the Graduation Workshop at Lincoln Center. He went on to perform professionally with Suzanne Farrell Ballet (Kennedy Center), Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Donald Byrd- The Group (NYC), Spectrum Dance Theatre, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet (NYC). Wilkins is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of DASSdance, a multi-media contemporary dance company based in NYC since 2000 and Seattle since 2007.
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DASSdance has been presented in New York by Diane von Furstenberg- The Theater, DanceNow, the d.u.m.b.o. Dance Festival, the JoyceSoho, and the Baryshnikov Arts Center. In Seattle, DASS has been presented by On the Boards, the Bagley Wright Theater, Velocity, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, Washington Hall, and Broadway Performance Hall.
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Daniel has taught contemporary dance master classes at Peridance NYC, Regional Dance America, and the Joffrey Ballet Contemporary Summer Intensive in NYC. DASSdance has been featured in Fashion Wire Daily, Flaunt Magazine, Paper Magazine, Art News, W Magazine, New York Magazine, The Seattle Times, The Daily and the New York Times radio WQXR.
DASSdance School opened formally at the MLK FAME CC in 2014 offering professional-level dance training.​
Cathleen VanBuren
program director
Born and raised in Washington, Cathleen began her dance training at age 5. She studied at multiple studios including Evergreen City Ballet, Ensemble Ballet Theatre, and Washington Contemporary ballet, training in ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz, and flamenco. Cathleen graduated Magna Cum Laude from Western Washington University in 2019 with a BFA in Dance, a BA in Spanish, and a minor in Mathematics, and was recognized as the Outstanding Graduate in Dance. Throughout her time in the BFA program, she performed works by a plethora of faculty, peers, and guest artists, and choreographed multiple pieces of her own. She attended the American College Dance Association's Northwest Conference for three years, and travelled to New York to work with accomplished choreographer, teacher, and filmmaker David Fernandez, who choreographed a new solo work for her.
After college, Cathleen spent a year in Cazorla, Spain, working as an English Language and Culture Assistant in a primary school. She currently works as a Paraeducator in the Tahoma Transition Program. She is also the Director of the Tahoma Color Guard and a staff member with Rhapsody Winterguard. She has performed in Bellingham Repertory Dance's 7-Day Dance Festival, DASSdance's Seattle City Nutcracker, the Seattle Pride Parade, and the Torchlight Parade. She has taught a variety of classes at Issaquah Dance Theater and DASSdance. Cathleen loves to teach and work with children and is a firm believer that anyone and everyone can and should dance.
Stephany olalde
development coordinator | Contemporary, Choreography, Jazz and Pointe
​Staphany Olalde is currently an upcoming Seattle based artist, where she attended Cornish College Of The Arts. Staphany is originally from Phoenix, AZ where she attended The School of Ballet Arizona and graduated from Metropolitan Arts Institute, where she was trained in various modern, contemporary, and ballet techniques. She has had rigorous training since she was at the School of Ballet Arizona, where she performed full length ballets. As well as the metropolitan arts institute, where she had the opportunity to work with outside choreographers and perform site specific works. She had the opportunity to train one summer at The Joffrey Ballet School where she worked with some great instructors and choreographers. She focuses on contemporary and contemporary ballet as of right now but is interested in many forms. She has a passion for movement and movement in technology, like screen dance. Staphany has devoted herself to being a movement artist. She has a strong passion for giving other people joy and herself with the movement she creates.
Danielle Wilkins
company manager & stage manager
Danielle trained with the Louisville Ballet School for 12 years and also attended a Youth Performing Arts High School in Kentucky. She received her BFA degree from the University of Hartford, during which she performed at the Kennedy Center as a soloist in Jean Grand Maître’s Uroboros. In addition, she trained with dance masters like Peggy Lyman, Kirk Peterson, Franco Devita, and Maria Youskevitch. Danielle trained in NYC at The Alvin Ailey School and The Limon Institute and worked professionally in New York with Rebecca Kelly Ballet, Mary Seidman and Dancers, Mimi Garrard Dance Company, and danced in a project at Grand Central Station. After moving to Seattle, she worked with Spectrum Dance Theater, performing in PNB’s Celebrate Seattle Festival and the Spoleto Festival in Italy. Danielle appeared as a “Shark girl” in the 5th Avenue Theater’s production of West Side Story and danced with Seattle Opera’s production of The Pearl Fisher’s. Danielle joined DASSdance in 1999 and danced in festivals including the D.U.M.B.O Dance Festival, the Dance Now Festival, and at DvF--The Theatre. Danielle has taught at numerous schools including Hartford Ballet School, Island Dance, Evergreen City Ballet and currently at Issaquah Dance Theatre. Not only is she Daniel’s wife, but she served as an original DASSdance board member and is thrilled to manage DASS company and school productions
giada Lesothebe
creative marketer | Ballet, Contemporary, mambo Jazz, Tap
Born in The Bay and raised on the Eastside of Seattle, Giada began training in salsa during her second year at the University of Washington with her current competition coaches. She has performed in salsa competitions and showcases in New York, New Jersey and soon in Mexico City with one of the top ladies mambo teams from Seattle-- the Mambo Queens. She will be graduating with a bachelors in Early Childhood Education and Dance, where she has built ballet & contemporary foundations, learned how to inspire through the arts, and integrate different styles in latin dance. Her journey with DASSdance started in 2025 when she took Adult Contemporary & Ballet and fell in love with the community built on young artistic freedom, movement quality and uplifting diverse dance styles.
Throughout her high school and university years, Giada has immersed herself in photography and photojournalism ethics. She strengthened her digital photography experience as a staff member of The Daily at the UW and worked on Informatics projects along with the Latine Student Commission organizing marketing strategies and User Experience design.
Pixie wilkins
acro & Hip hop
Pixie has been dancing since age 3 and has studied with Millennium Dance Complex, Koach Giggz, Seattle gymnastics, and DASSdance. Pixie has honored to be chosen to dance in Seattle Opera's Magic Flute. She was also featured in Good Day Seattle's Super Bowl commercial in 2022. Pixie has danced numerous roles with DASSdance including being a soloist in Tough Roots which performed in Seattle & NYC. She has danced featured roles in Seattle City Nutcracker, Wonderland, and Swan Lake Remix.
Pixie has studied ballet, contemporary, jazz, gymnastics, acro, and hip hop. Pixie loves teaching and is excited to join the DASSdance faculty.
Rebecca eide
costume design
Rebecca graduated Cum Laude from Seattle Pacific University in 2015 with a BA in Fashion Design. During all four years of her attendance at the university she worked in the theater costume shop- including designing costumes for three senior student productions- which solidified her passion for storytelling through costume.
Growing up, her imagination was inspired by the elaborate Halloween costumes her mother made for her and her siblings, as well as the costumes in her favorite fantasy movies and TV shows. She first began creating costumes for herself in 2009 and has 17 years of overall sewing experience.
After graduating, she spent three years working in custom bridal with Zeita Studios, honing her skills in precision and collaboration, before joining the DASSdance team in 2018. Rebecca draws from her experience in fashion, theater, and dance to bring dreams and imagination into reality.
lynisha Bailey
hip hop
