Owner & Artistic Director
Meet Allysen
Ballet/Pointe/Modern/Tap/Conditioning/Adult Ballet
Growing up on a dairy farm in the Wild West, Allysen developed an untamed love for both cows and dance. The discipline, resilience, and work ethic she learned on the farm became the foundation of her approach to life and fueled her passion for the artistry and the athleticism of dance.
Allysen graduated Cum Laude from the University of Idaho in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Dance receiving National Honor Society of Dance Arts (NHSDA) Honors. Most notably she established a deep passion for understanding the body and physical mechanisms of movement through extensive coursework in anatomy labs where she worked with cadavers. She learned ways to unlock a bodies potential, and ways to improve its limitations. Allysen received full funding from the Dean of The College of Health and Human Sciences to conduct research with the help of the Movement Science lab and Biomechanics lab for her Senior capstone research. She tracked physiological changes to prove empathetical transfer between audience and performers. In addition, all four collegiate years Allysen was a test subject in those labs as well contributing to further dance research and learning along with researchers what physiological markers can be improved through nutrition, training, and biomechanical patterning. Allysen also Obtained Credits from Duke University training under a multitude of teachers and styles. Her education allowed her to combine movement science with artistic expression, developing a teaching philosophy centered on healthy movement, biomechanical efficiency, strength, and longevity for every dancer. Knowledge is power and she wants to give her students that power in their dance education.
Committed to lifelong learning, Allysen earned her BASI Pilates certification in 2020 through an intensive nine-month program and continues to pursue further educational trainings to better serve her students. Most recently, she attended the 2024 Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) Teacher Training. Through scholarships and professional development opportunities, she has trained with and performed alongside distinguished artists and companies from around the world at numerous conferences, intensives, and master classes. Training in Afro-Contemporary under Charles Anderson, Countertechnique under Rosanna Tavarez, and floor work with Kiley Dolaway enriched her love of continued learning and exploration of different styles. She has also gratefully trained with The Grahm Company, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, Cunningham, Pilobolus, Michael Schumacher, Vim Vigor, Cleo Parker Robinson, Mark Morris, and Pat Taylor to name a few. Allysen believes staying curious and keeping an open mind is the key to a lifelong love of learning.
Her professional performance credits include Atlas Dance Collective, Myriad Dance, and the Ewell Webb Company. She has also performed with choreographer Charles O. Anderson, Artistic Director of Dance Theatre X, in Footprints for the American Dance Festival in Durham North Carolina.
While living in Salt Lake City, Allysen worked as a professional performer, choreographer, and educator. She served as an Adjunct Professor in the Dance Department at Salt Lake Community College and taught in Waterford School's dance program (an arts college preparatory school), local dance studios, and an academy serving at-risk youth, where dance became a powerful tool for confidence, healing, and personal growth. It was these experiences that made her realize she loved teaching far more than she ever loved performing.
In 2023, Allysen returned home to Fallon, where she now serves as owner of The Studio for the Performing Arts LLC and Artistic Director of the Fallon City Ballet. She is honored to continue building upon the legacy of Jef and Karen Horne, whose mentorship inspired her own love of dance and teaching.
More than developing skilled dancers, Allysen is passionate about developing exceptional people. She believes dance is a vehicle for teaching perseverance, integrity, discipline, kindness, and respect. Her mission is to inspire students to care deeply about their work, embrace challenges with determination, and discover the confidence that comes through dedication. If her students leave with both strong character and a lifelong love of dance, she considers that her greatest success.
Lindsey - Jazz/Drill Team
Lindsey began studying dance at the age of 7. She was a member of the Uintah Basin Ballet Company for 10 years during which time she performed in numerous ballets and studied clogging and tumbling. She was a 3 year member of Uintah High School drill team during which time she helped her team achieve 2 state championships. She had choreographed numerous drill and dance team solos.
Among all the dance genres in the BYU dance education Program, Lindsey fell in love with Modern Dance during her University training. She has taught private and group classes and was part owner of Dance Studio R in Omak, WA. Lindsey has taught at The Studio for 9 years and has coached the high school precision/ drill dance team for 3 years. Lindsey has also helped choreograph a few community theater productions as well.
Elena - Ballet/Pointe
Elena began dancing at the age of four and has dedicated the majority of her training to ballet and modern dance. Throughout her dance journey, she has also explored tap, jazz, and ballroom, giving her a well-rounded appreciation for many styles of movement.
To further her ballet training, Elena attended four summer ballet intensives. Three at the University of Utah Summer Ballet Program. And one at the Brigham Young University Ballet Program. These experiences strengthened both her technical foundation and artistic expression and prepared her for collegiate dance training.
Following her summer intensive training and graduation, Elena attended the University of Utah as a freshman in the School of Dance. There, she studied ballet, and other university coursework while performing with the university. Her time at the U provided invaluable performance opportunities and deepened her understanding of dance as both an art form and an educational discipline.
While Elena’s higher education goals have since shifted toward education, her passion for dance has remained constant. She is currently completing her degree in Education and will begin serving as the music teacher at Lahontan Elementary School. She loves helping young dancers develop confidence, artistry, discipline, and a lifelong appreciation for ballet.
Elena is honored to continue sharing her love of dance with the next generation and strives to create a positive, encouraging environment where every dancer can grow both technically and artistically.
Morgan -
Morgan grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. By here teen years she was head over heels in love with dance involved with many productions with her studio and her school. She was trained in tap, ballet, jazz, and contemporary styles. At 18 she left her studio in Nashville to head west to New Mexico where she found The Dance Eclectic. She spent two years dancing with the eclectic before moving to Hawaii where she put dance on hold to start her family.
Morgan moved to Fallon in 2022 where she decided to rekindle her love of dance at The Studio of The Performing Arts. She’s continued her training in tap and ballet. Morgan has also volunteered with The Performing Arts of Churchill County where she’s taught original choreography for multiple children’s musicals. Morgan also coordinated and taught at Performing Arts of Churchill County’s 2025 Dance Camp. There she taught jazz, tap, and assisted in teaching ballet to beginning students. Morgan is still living in Fallon with her husband and two children. She’s a firm believer that dance is supposed to be fun and accessible to everyone.
Riley - Tap
Riley began dancing at the age of 2 in Florida. Upon moving to Fallon when she was 8 she continued following her love of dance with The Studio for The Performing Arts. She has trained in tap, ballet, modern, jazz, acro, tumbling, and precision along with being a member of Fallon City Ballet for many years. She’s excited to be teaching Tap 1 instilling her love of dance in the next generation.
Karen loves dance and has dedicated most of her life to the art. She chose to major in dance at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado, under the direction of Anne Sanders. She then continued as a ballet major at the University of Utah, where she excelled at both performing and choreographing. During her college years, she was privileged to be chosen by Ballet West’s Artistic Director, William F. Christensen, to join Ballet West for their 1977 production of The Nutcracker, dancing in Dance of the Snowflakes. Karen was also a dancer for the Utah Opera’s production of Aida and a principal dancer with the Salt Lake City Pioneer Theatre Dance Company.
After graduating from the University of Utah with a B.F.A. in Ballet, Karen and her husband Jef were asked to join Ballet El Paso in El Paso, Texas. During her five years with BEP, she performed as a corps member in productions of The Nutcracker, Scheherazade, Carmen, Firebird, and Pulcinella, and as a soloist in Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and The Nutcracker. She has also returned several times to Mesa State as a guest teacher for their summer dance workshops.
Karen brings a strong, open, and graceful quality to her dancing. She enjoys teaching all levels of pointe and assisting with rehearsals at The Studio. She was also the studio’s cherished costume wizard, crafting many of the Fallon City Ballet costumes from scratch herself and adjusting them year after year for the perfect fit.
Guest Teachers & Previous Owners
Jef & Karen Horne
Jef began his dance training at the age of 9 from Jacques d’Amboise of the New York City Ballet. He attended the School of American Ballet and was in several children’s roles with NYCB’s productions of Nutcracker, Firebird, and Don Quixote under the direction of George Balanchine.
After high school Jef attended the University of Utah where he met his wife Karen. Upon joining Ballet El Paso, Jef danced many solo roles in their many productions and served as Ballet Master. In the midst of his college years he guested with several companies including: Denver Ballet, Bozeman City Ballet, Ballet West, and Salt Lake Dance Center.
Jef earned his M.F.A. From the University of Utah in 1992 and he and Karen were asked to take over The Studio. Since then Jef and Karen have put on 34 productions of the nutcracker and many annual spring Studio Shows. Jef loves teaching and choreographing for his dancers and they all love learning from him.
Substitute Teachers
Misty
Misty grew up dancing at The Studio, where she trained as a member of Fallon City Ballet. She went on to study at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she minored in dance and performed and choreographed with the Orchesis Dance Company. She served as director of the Cal Poly student dance show and an Intern with Orchesis Dance Company. She received several scholarships and honors in dance, including the Cal Poly Student Arts Award, and had her choreography featured at the Cal Poly Green and Gold President’s Dinner. While in college, she founded Dance Beyond the Spectrum, a dance program for children with autism. Her background includes training in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, ballroom dance and musical theater. Today, she works as a Family Medicine physician and is the mom of two young children. She is excited to return to the studio where her own dance journey began.
Brooke
Brooke Shaffer grew up within the teachings and instruction of The Studio of the Performing Arts where she had the opportunity to study different styles of dance. While ballet was her main passion she also enjoyed studying modern, lyrical, hip hop and jazz. She worked her way through the Junior and Senior Company, performing in numerous productions under Mr. Jef and Karen for 15 years. She was a member of the Churchill County High School Swing team for her senior year expanding her dance skills by competing and performing in ballroom dance. In 2015, she was a core member of The Reno Dance Company and performed in The Nutcracker, touring throughout northern Nevada. Brooke later on performed in charity productions that raised money for local organizations.
Brooke values all that dance provides for anyone who is passionate to express one self; mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Brooke resides here in Fallon with her husband, raising their daughter in the comfort of her hometown . She now serves the community as the local Clinical Lab Assistant at the Renown Urgent Care Clinic. Her recent return to The Studio involved her to be in the senior company, performing in 2025 The Nutcracker and The Spring Galla in 2026. She is now currently playing her favorite part which is “Backstage Mom” as her daughter also enjoys attending dance classes The Studio has to offer.
She has been dancing since the age of five, training in ballet, tap, modern, jazz, and ballroom. She is a senior company member of Fallon City Ballet and a member of the community's Precision Dance Team. In the summer of 2024, she completed a five-week intensive at CPYB, one of the nation's premier pre-professional ballet programs. Zoey is also pursuing her passion for teaching through CCHS's Teacher and Training program and is excited to bring her love for dance and experience to the studio as a substitute dance teacher.
Zoey
Janie
Janie Irving has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She has trained in jazz, hip hop, ballet, tap, modern, musical theatre, and tumbling. She loves sharing her passion for dance with others. She is excited to help student build confidence, have fun, and enjoy learning in class! Janie will be an assistant in intermediate jazz and is looking forward to subbing when needed.