MEET OUR dance family
Amy Redmond Waran
Owner/Artistic Director
Ballet (all levels), Contemporary, Modern, Creative Movement, Rainbow Tots Pre-Dance, Intellidance and Zumba, Spectra Dance Team
Amy is a Hollister native whose passion for dance began at age 5. Over the past 30 plus years she has trained in several dance styles including: Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Afro Haitian and Samba. Her early dance training focused mainly on ballet. She studied ballet at The Mainstreet Ballet Studio in Hollister, California under the instruction of Ariel Hall and at The Academy of Classical Ballet in Sonora, California under the instruction of Suzanne Stalley-Katsarsky (former soloist for the San Francisco Ballet). In 2000 she received a scholarship from the San Benito County Arts Commission; Ms. Redmond was the first recipient of this performing arts scholarship in San Benito County. Amy holds a B.A. in Theater Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a M.F.A. in Dance Choreography and Performance from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
After graduation from UHM she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. While living in the Bay Area she was an active member of two dance companies; Malia Movement Company and On Three Dance Company. In June of 2010 she completed a comprehensive Pilates teacher training course at Turning Point Studios in Walnut Creek, CA. Amy has taught Pilates both out of her home and at various studios/gyms around the East Bay Area.
For the past several years Amy has had the pleasure of teaching dance to children of all ages. Her classes for children focus on teaching proper technique in a disciplined environment that is encouraging and supportive. Amy's compassion and enthusiasm, combined with her education in anatomy and kinesiology, create a class environment that is not only fun, but also safe and effective.
From 2014 - 2018, Amy served on the board of directors for the San Benito Stage Company. She has choreographed 3 musicals for SBSC and is the Broadway Dance Pathway director for the SBSC Summer Theatre Camp. In 2022 she choreographed the San Benito High Schools production of The Addam's Family. Amy is a certified Zumba and Zumba Kids instructor. In 2017 Amy became a certified Intellidance instructor and completed a teaching practicum in order to make Flying Colors a licensed Intellidance facility. She is excited to bring this wonderful early childhood movement program to the Hollister community.
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Jennifer Hunter
Instructor
Intellidance, Zumba, Creative Movement, Rainbow Tots Pre-Dance, Combo Classes, Ballet A, Jazz (all levels)
Jennifer resides in Hollister, CA with her husband and two daughters as a stay at home Mom. She always had a passion for dance, which started at the age of 5 when she took her first ballet class. She continued on to take tap and jazz over the years and eventually focused mainly on jazz and some modern. Jennifer became a Napa High School Spiritleader her Sophomore year after passing an intense tryout and continued as a Spiritleader during her Junior and Senior years. She was also a member of the School’s competitive dance team, where they placed 1st at several local competitions. In 1999 her team qualified to compete at the NDA (National Dance Alliance) Nationals, where they placed 2nd in the nation for the Jazz division. In 2000 her team returned again, taking 1st place in the nation for the Jazz division. That same year, Jennifer was nominated for the “All American” dancer award. Her and her daughters have been Flying Colors students since 2016. Jennifer completed the Intellidance Teacher Training course in 2019. She is also a certified Zumba and Zumba Kids instructor. She is excited to share her love of dance and movement with Flying Colors students!
Ryan Sims
Instructor/Office Assistant
Classes: Jazz (all levels), Creative Movement,
Rainbow Tots Pre-Dance, Combo Classes
Ryan has loved to dance for many years and first started dancing at the age of 10. Her first year at a studio she was exposed to mainly jazz and tap and from there she knew she wanted to continue growing as a dancer. After that she began taking dance intensives during the summer and her knowledge and technique continued to grow. Ryan moved up to the more advanced levels not too long after starting and absolutely loved it! She became exposed to more styles of dance such as contemporary, modern, ballet and hip hop as well as continuing to do jazz and a little bit of tap. In high school she was in the dance program all four years and while being there she choreographed several dances which were taught to other students and she loved the idea of being able to teach and share her love of dance with others. While there Ryan also competed in jazz and contemporary at a local high school dance competition two years in a row which she feels was such a fun experience to be a part of. The summer going into her senior year she was offered a job as an instructor at the same studio she had been dancing for. As an instructor she was constantly learning new things and growing. Ryan began teaching ballet, tap and contemporary as well as continuing to take several classes in the advanced levels. She also started working as an office assistant in the studio during the day. Ryan loves dancing and being able to share that with others as well as learning new things. She is excited to be working here at Flying Colors as an office assistant and instructor!
Hilary Sharp
Instructor
Classes: Acro Dance (all levels), Jazz/Tumbling, Rainbow Tots pre-dance classes, Jazz (all levels), Modern, Spectra Dance Team
Hilary started taking ballet at the age of four in her small town of Hamilton, Montana. She grew up in the studio, trained in ballet, jazz, tumbling, hip hop, dance team, and lyrical. She started attending dance competitions at the age of 10, where she performed multiple group routines, as well as solos, duos, and trios placing in the top 10. She was a part of the senior dane team as well, where they performed around the state as well as at collegiate games.
In high school, she juggled dance and cheerleading and found a passion in singing and acting. She used those skills to perform many musical theater numbers both at competitions and in high school productions.
After high school, she turned her direction to cheerleading and was a staff member for the Universal Cheer Association (UCA) for two years during college. She attended Oregon State University her freshman year, where she made the cheerleading squad and continued to take ballet classes through the University. She transferred back to her home state and attended the University of Montana where she joined the dance team. She was made captain both years she was on the team and had opportunities in choreography and leadership. After college, she moved to San Diego and decided to try out to be a Charger’s cheerleader. She made it to the final cuts from 400 girls to 60, but did not make the team.
Hilary took some time from dance. She got married and had a family. Her love of dance was rekindled after taking classes at Flying Colors. She is so thrilled to be teaching and to be joining such a positive and fun team!
Kendall Andrade & Grace Liversage
Student Teachers
Classes: Rainbow Tots Pre-Dance; Combo Classes
Kendall and Grace have completed a year of assistant teaching at FCD and will be starting to take on their own classes during the 2022 - 2023 school year!
Leslie Hoffmann
Administrative Assistant
Substitute Teacher - Adult Ballet/Adult Pre-Pointe
Bio coming soon!
Melissa Conly
Special Events Coordinator
Melissa is a mother of three children. She was a stay at home mom for the formative years of her children's lives. Prior to that, she has worked jobs ranging from customer service to programs working with children. She is currently working a full time job as a customer service representative for a food service company. Melissa has worked part-time for Flying Colors for the past several years as an administrative assistant and currently enjoys helping the studio coordinate public events and community outreach. Melissa moved to Hollister six years ago from Santa Cruz, CA. While she misses the ocean views, she loves Hollister's rolling hills and old barns. Melissa's interests include; reading, writing poetry, and spending quality time with her family. Melissa loves working at Flying Colors because of the family friendly environment and the variety of creative projects she works on.
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Special Events Coordinator, Administrative Support
Raeann Collison
Special Guest Instructor
Classes: Tap (all levels)
Raeann Collison, born and raised in Hollister, has been dancing since she was only 3 years old beginning with ballet and tap. Early on she discovered her passion for dance, and at the age of 6 began competing locally and nationally in numerous dance competitions, where she showcased in tap and jazz. Throughout high school Raeann continued to dance, and was given the opportunity to teach dance at a local studio. It was there she discovered the joy of sharing her love for dance with others. On top on teaching tap, jazz, and ballet, she also began managing the dance studio. During her time in studio management, she continued to teach and soon began taking on the role of choreographer. She choreographed several middle school theater productions. More recently, she has choreographed productions with The San Benito Stage Company. With a passion for dance and teaching, Raeann continues to participate and learn wherever she can. She shares her love for dance with everyone including her daughter, in hopes she will follow in her tap shoes.
