Meet the Staff
Eric Coffman
Founder
Eric was introduced to dance by his mother, an accomplished dancer herself. By age 10, Eric was taking ballet classes every day, in addition to playing tennis, doing gymnastics, and swimming. At age 15, he won a Ford Foundation Scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet and began dancing with that company the following year. Eric later moved to New York City, where he danced with the Robert Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. From there, he joined the renowned Royal Danish Ballet, and was the first foreigner to be chosen to dance leading roles. He went on to dance in movies, TV shows, night clubs and opera houses in 22 different countries. Eric passed away in 2008, and the studio remains his legacy to the Treasure Valley.
Anne Sakolsky-Basquill
Director/Owner
Teen Ballet, Ballet 4/5 Beg/Int. Pointe, Beg/Int. Adult Ballet, Int Adult Ballet, Ballet Basics
Anne started her ballet studies as a child at the Miami City Ballet School in Miami, Florida. By the age of 14 she became a member of the Ballet Royal, a regional civic ballet company based out of Orlando, Florida. When on break from the company she studied at Jacobs Pillow with Margaret Craske, Ted Shawn and Norman Walker; the Washington School of Ballet in Washington DC, and the North Carolina School of the Arts. During her university studies she danced at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After graduation she continued to dance professionally in Texas, New York, California and Germany. Anne has been teaching ballet since 1977 throughout the US and Germany. She has been teaching at Backstage since 1995.
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Emily Misner
Intermediate Adult Tap
Miss Emily has been dancing since she was three years old. She studied dance at Weber State University and at Boise State University. She has performed in many showcases and with Idaho Dance Theater. Miss Emily has been teaching for 10 years and likes watching her students learn and grow. Backstage Dance Center welcomes Miss Emily to our family.
Alexa Bouvier
Combo Ballet/Tap Ages 4/5, Ballet 1 Ages 6-8, Acro 1
Miss Alexa has studied dance in Idaho, California, New York City, Boston and Germany. She received her younger training under the instruction of Backstage founder, Eric Coffman. Miss Alexa is a holder of the Module One Acrobatic ArtsTeacher Certificate. While going to school in Boston, MA she taught at Dance Connections in Windham, New Hampshire. Her goal as an instructor is to have her students grow into strong and more confident individuals, both on and off the dance floor, while still having fun.
Lisaun Whittingham
Adult Beginning Tap, Adult Int Tap
Miss Lisaun came to us from southern California. She began her dance/singing career at 19 on cruise ships and in amusement parks. She has performed throughout the world with Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean, Princess and Tokyo Disney. She has worked for every equity theatre in Los Anngeles and has worked with Reba McEntyre and Michael McKean, among others. She has tauaght Ballet, Tap and Jazz at many studios in southern California, and was Ballet Director at Huntington Beach Ballet. We are thrilled to have her join the Backstage family. Miss Lisaun is looking forward to sharing her knowledge with our students.
Lydia Sakolsky-Basquill
Adv. Contemporary, Jazz 4
Studying dance both nationally and internationally from a young age, Miss Lydia graduated with an AA in dance from New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL. From there she continued her dance training at both Arizona State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance re-staging classical and contemporary works throughout her studies. Since returning to Boise in 2011, Lydia has performed and choreographed for Ballet Idaho, Boise Dance Co-op, and Idaho Dance Theatre. Her choreography has received numerous awards in competitions nationwide. She is also director of Project Flux, an improv based contemporary company. Lydia is excited to teach for Backstage in memory of her mentor, Eric Coffman.
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Ellie Sullivan
Hip Hop 1,2, Tap 1/2, Adult Hip Hop
We are excited to have Miss Ellie as part of our Backstage family. She is from Tri Cities, Washington, and has been dancing since she was four years old. Her concentration has been Hip Hop and Tap since she was 9. Her previous teaching experience was in Kennewick, WA. She is eager to share her knowledge and love of Hip Hop and Tap.
Gabby Marquez
Jazz 2, Lyrical 2 & 3/4 and Turns & Leaps 1
Miss Gabby comes to us from Santa Cruz, California, where she trained at the Pacific Arts Complex. She has been a competition/convention dancer since the age of 10, and has been teaching Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop and Fundamental Ballet. She was captain of her high school dance team and Vice President of the Bronco Dance Club at BSU. She holds a BS degree in Public Health from BSU. We are thrilled to have her join our backstage family.
Address
2140 E. Commercial Street
Meridian, ID 83642
Phone
(208) 887-4908
