Meet Your Instructors
Brittney Barnes - Studio Owner and Dance Instructor
Brittney Barnes, the heart and soul behind Rise Dance Company, grew up in rural Fergus Falls and has chosen to raise her family in this wonderful community. A proud graduate of Underwood High School, she was involved in numerous local activities before moving to Moorhead, where she earned her AAS in Massage Therapy.
With over 20 years of dance experience, Brittney trained with Just For Kix, the Fergus Falls School of Dance, and the Otter Fury Varsity Dance Team, where she also served as captain. Most recently, she spent over five years directing a dance program that grew to support more than 150 dancers.
This is the fifth season of Rise Dance Company, and Brittney is thrilled to share her passion for dance with students in a welcoming and uplifting environment. She is committed to helping each dancer develop both their technique and their confidence, ensuring that every class is a fun and inspiring experience.
Dani Sundblad - Dance Instructor
Dani lives in Erhard, MN with her family, two dogs, and one cat. Dani was born and raised in Fergus Falls, MN. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She has taken ballet, tap, hip hop, modern, lyrical, jazz, and high kick. Dani found a love for dance at a young age and it continued to grow into her high school years. She was part of a competitive group for years and loved every second of it. She began teaching dance at the age of 15 and continued on through her early 20's. She enjoys being outside, spending time with the family and friends, and being a nurse!
Mercy Anderson - Dance Instructor
Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Mercy began her ballet training with Rozanne David at The Dance Center of Colorado Springs, and went on to train and dance under the direction of H. Christopher Fairbank at the Performing Arts Conservatory of Texas and Fairbank Dance Theatre under a half scholarship. During her time at Fairbank Dance Theatre, she was one of five dancers selected to tour through Austria with Young! Tanzsommer. When she returned home to spend time with family and finish her senior year of high school, she continued her training under Antonia Matchefts, Tasha Redder, and Mia Gerrish. During her time training, Mercy had been invited to multiple ballet summer intensives, including Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Colorado Ballet, and the Atlanta Ballet Ballet Centre for Dance Education. In addition, Mercy has been recognized regionally at competitions such as NUVO, Dance Educators of America, and Sheer Elite and has been invited to attend the Youth America Grand Prix New York City Finals. Mercy also received a feature in Pointe Magazine in 2013. After graduating high school, she took some time off to heal and recover from injuries, but came back to dance with Kinect Dance Collective for 2 shows. After some time, she made a difficult decision to shift her focus to sharing her love of dance and ballet with the next generation of dancers at multiple studios around the Colorado Springs area, ultimately spending most of her time at Artistry in Motion and Colorado Ballet Society. Mercy continued to teach for 5 years before moving to Minnesota after her husband, Hunter, left his active duty military service. During this time, she taught for one season at an area studio. After the birth of their second son, Mercy took time off from teaching to grow her career in human resources and ultimately discovered her passion for bedside patient care. Mercy is excited to return to teaching and can't wait to meet all of the dancers at Rise Dance Company!
We are excited to have you here!
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