Meet the Teachers

Donna studied ballet and modern dance at UNLV under the instruction of Vassili Sulich, founder of the Nevada Dance Theater. She was also a member of the first performing troupe of the UNLV Contemporary Dance Theater.

Donna subsequently taught pottery and dance at the then brand new Clark County Community College. Upon her move to Pahrump in the late 1970's she became an instructor for the outreach program and taught dance in the Pahrump and Amargosa Valleys before starting her own studio in 1979. In 1993 Donna was a founding member of the Pahrump Visual and Performing Arts Council (PVPAC) and president for the first two years. She participated in numerous programs sponsored by PVPAC bringing instruction and demonstrations of dance, pottery and sculpture to the classrooms of Pahrump.

Alisa began dancing in 1981 in San Marcos, CA. She began with ballet and tap and advanced to include jazz and pointe. Alisa developed an interest in musical theater a few years after starting to dance. Over the years, Alisa performed in musicals at various venues in California before moving to Lake Havasu City, AZ, where she continued to enhance her love for dance and musical theatre by continuing to perform. She performed in a variety of musicals: Carousel, The Wiz, Li'l Abner, Annie, Cinderella, Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof, Tom Sawyer, Peter Pan, and Music Man. Alisa's combined love of both dance and musical theater developed into a passion for the arts that has continued throughout her entire life.

In 1995, she moved to Las Vegas, NV to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While at UNLV, she studied dance and musical theater and was a member of UNLV's ballroom dance formation team. Alisa retired from dancing and theatre in 1997, and in 2010, she returned to dance at Donna's Studio of Dance, where she added lyrical and clogging to her repertoire. You'll still find her enjoying any of the dance or theater classes here at the studio!

Alisa became the Director of Donna's Studio of Dance and Theatre in 2023. She looks forward to sharing her experience, dedication and passion for the art forms of dance and theatre, as there is no greater magic than seeing the joy and freedom on the faces of the students when they realize their own passion and strength as performers.

Kyrstyn was born and raised here in Pahrump, NV. She spent most of her childhood days as a cheerleader, both at school and briefly in competition cheer. She started dancing at the age of 9, her first class being ballet at Donna's Studio of Dance. Since then, she has taken many classes including ballet, jazz, pointe, hip hop, lyrical, and tumbling.

During her high school days, she was a part of the Pahrump Valley High School Cheer team before joining the Pahrump Valley High School Dance team in 2017. She also participated in the Pahrump Valley Jr/Sr High Rodeo Team, served as president from 2018-2019, and was a member of Pahrump Valley Rough Riders gymkhana club. Through her various activities her love for dance never faded away. In 2016 she began her teaching career with Donna's Studio of Dance as a substitute teacher before becoming a full-time teacher in 2017. With a passion for dance, she enjoys sharing her knowledge and helping young girls in her community blossom with the confidence dancing brings. After taking a step back in 2020 she is beyond happy to be back on the team since 2023!

Alexander “Xander” Stone was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, and began enjoying performing in front of crowds while in high school when he was involved in military show drill teams. Very early he understood he wanted to be on stage wherever there was one, pushing him to take a chance at dance. After auditioning and making it into the nationally recognized dance group “Culture Shock”, he made a commitment to see his dance career choice through by taking healthy risks in the industry.

At the age of 20, he began teaching at Nevada Ballet Theatre and Academy of Performing Arts as the youngest teacher that was ever on faculty. Gaining momentum and a significant passion for the teaching arts, he started teaching at studios in the Las Vegas area like Bunker and Backstage Dance Studio for many years, as well as making appearances teaching at regional showcases and dance conventions on the west side of the U.S. During his career he has performed in “Splash”, Rio's “Show in the Sky”, and many other popular shows on the Las Vegas strip. Xander has also performed in music videos, awards shows and tours, with musical artists such as Missy Elliott, Paulina Rubio and Kanye West, and has had feature performances at the Tropicana Casino and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines doing impersonations of popular celebrities.

He truly believes in the quote “the children are the future” and has dedicated his life to mentoring and coaching the youth to their greatest potential possible. His motto is “If you can see it, you can be it… so open your eyes wide to the possibilities that life has to offer”.

Teagan has been dancing with Donna's Studio of Dance since the age of five, beginning with beginner jazz and quickly expanding her skills through tumbling, hip hop, and jazz. Over the years, she has grown as a versatile and passionate dancer, and this year she is excited to take on the challenge of the advanced lyrical class to further deepen her connection to dance.

Teagan is thrilled to be stepping into an assistant role, where she looks forward to sharing her enthusiasm and love for dance with younger students. She finds joy in helping students grow, and she's committed to making every class a fun, encouraging, and memorable experience. Teagan is grateful for the opportunity to assist at Donna's and hopes to continue on her journey toward becoming a dance instructor in the near future.

Darcy Pierstorff has been involved in gymnastics since the age of 5 and brings a lifetime of experience in gymnastics, acro dance, cheer, and tumbling. She is a USAG Gymnastics Team Coach with experience coaching competitive and recreational athletes and previously owned and operated her own gymnastics program.

Darcy has built gymnastics programs, developed athletes, created routines and showcases, and mentored future coaches. She also has personal experience with acro dance and competitive acro through her family.

As a coach, Darcy is passionate about helping athletes build strength, confidence, technique, and a love for movement. She is excited to bring her experience and passion to the studio and help grow its Acro, Dance, and Tumbling programs.

Darcy is a proud mom of seven and is excited to begin this new chapter of coaching and helping athletes reach their goals.

Tiffany discovered her love for dance at the age of 6. When she was 8 years old, she started taking classes at Donna's Studio of Dance. Since then, she has been trained in ballet, pointe, tap, acro, tumbling, jazz, lyrical, pom and hip hop. Tiffany was also a member of the Pahrump Valley High School varsity dance team for 4 years.

She taught many classes at Donna's Studio of Dance from 2015-2017 until she married her high school sweetheart and moved to Texas. Tiffany is now a happy mother of 3 and has been spending her days caring for and dancing with her family.

She views dance as a beautiful way for young dancers to build confidence and share their unique, God-given talents with the world. Her classes focus on building strong technical foundations while fostering a joyful, supportive environment. Now teaching jazz and lyrical back where it all started, Tiffany is so excited to help her students shine both on and off the stage!

Suzanne is the new Office Manager here at Donna's Studio of Dance and is genuinely thrilled to be part of such a creative, supportive, and inspiring environment. With over 15 years of experience in office administration, she brings a strong background in organization, communication, and behind-the-scenes coordination to help keep everything running smoothly.

Though she didn't begin her career in the arts, she's found real joy being surrounded by music, movement, and the energy of young performers. After spending 20 years living in Germany, she relocated to Pahrump two years ago and has loved becoming part of the local community. The warm welcome she's received, especially from the incredible team at the studio, has made this new chapter especially meaningful.

Suzanne takes pride in being a steady, supportive presence at the studio and is passionate about creating a positive, efficient environment where students, staff, and creativity can thrive.