Project Description

JOY OF DANCE TEAM

Founder Joy Voelker developed her approach to early childhood dance during her 10+ years as a dance educator. Her knowledge and values form the basis for all the classes. The Joy of Dance faculty bring their own valued experiences to the training they receive about the Joy of Dance methods and approach, making this a unique and dynamic group of dance educators.

Assistant Program
Founder | Director

AMY NELSON

Amy Nelson was born and raised in San Diego, California. Trained in ballet, lyrical, jazz, hip hop, salsa, and contemporary dance, she performed and competed with her high school and university ensembles.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English as well as her Secondary Teaching Credential in English and Language Arts from Sonoma State University. While living in northern California, Amy spent four years teaching secondary and middle school focusing on speaking and listening skills, as well as creative expression. In addition to her classroom teaching, she continued her passion for movement arts as the dance team coach and head cheer director also performing with contemporary dance and salsa companies in San Francisco. In Madrid, Amy teaches English workshops and tutoring for primary and ESO students specializing in Preliminary English Test (PET) preparation and fluency. Amy is excited to be involved in dance education through Joy of Dance in Madrid incorporating her passion for dance with her English as a second language teaching experience.

KRISTA ZOTOS

Krista Zotos, is from St. Louis, Missouri and has always surrounded herself with dance and music. Growing up, she trained in ballet, as well as modern and jazz. Once she reached high school, she transitioned to cheerleading and tumbling, while competing with her school’s cheer squad. Krista graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Elementary Education and has been teaching in classrooms in the US and Spain. She has been living in Madrid for 3 years and works as a preschool teacher, to children 3-5 years old. As a preschool teacher she uses songs, dance and movement as an integral part of teaching English. She is excited to join the Joy of Dance team and bring her energy and creativity to the classroom.

KATIE MCEWIN

Katie McEwin is originally from New Jersey. She trained at the Princeton Ballet School and danced with the American Repertory Ballet before turning her focus to education and sports. Katie earned her Bachelors of Arts in English Literature and Language as well as her teaching certification for secondary schools from Ursinus College in the USA. In Madrid, Katie has spent 4 years teaching in the classrooms of public, concertado, and private schools, teaching English as a second language as well as school subjects (ie. Biology, Physical Education, Music) in English. While working in Spain, she earned her certificate as an Expert in Bilingual Education from Universitat de Catalunya. Katie is currently a faculty member at the Kensington School in Pozuelo in addition to her work with Joy of Dance