Terrie has been involved with Stagecoach since 2004. She taught voice for Stagecoach Upper East Side in New York (2004-07) and St. Louis Park (2007-09). In the summer of 2009 Terrie purchased the St. Louis Park school and became a Principal.
While in New York, Terrie spent several years working for CBS in advertising sales before becoming a NYC Teaching Fellow, which took her into the inner city to teach elementary education in both the Bronx and Queens. She has performed in Regional theatre productions in Florida, Nebraska, and New York, as well as off-Broadway. Terrie holds a BA in Drama from Ithaca College and an MS in Childhood Education from City College of New York. She is Mom to three wonderful children- Zachary, Caleigh, and Aniela.
On March 22, 2010, Terrie was awarded the 2010 Newcomer of the Year award for her work as Stagecoach Principal in St. Louis Park.
Meet our teachers
Principal - Terrie Coats - MS Childhood Education; BA Drama
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Early Stages, Dance Coach - Kristin Freya
Kristin's teaching philosophy is to create arts programs that provide students with real-life experiences to teach them skills necessary to building a successful career in dance and theater, help them explore their talent and give them creative opportunities to stretch and to grow.
Professional accomplishments
Kristin is the Artistic Director of Heartbeat Studios, A Center forPerforming Arts in Apple Valley. She teaches weekly classes in modern, ballet, jazz, acting, composition for students 3-adult and beginning to professional. She directs four musical theatrical productions each year for youth and adults. She currently leads the Beat Squad for the Minnesota Timberwolves, a youth and teen company youth who perform hip-hop and break dance at Timberwolves games. As well as the Heartbreakers, a dynamic teen breakdance battle crew. She also founded and directs The Heartbeat Academy Program, designed for students who are interested in a serious and focused study of dance and theater. Academy students study pedagogy, the art of teaching dance and theater, while assisting master teachers in classes in their art discipline focus. Many of program's graduates have received full and partial collegegic scholarships in theater and dance.
Kristin's artistic accomplishments have been diverse. She founded, choreographed, and directed the critically acclaimed Vox Medusa Dance Company. She merges modern and jazz dance, aerial work, fire dancing, video, spoken word, opera and original music to create epic theatrical productions. She has produced over 100 dance productions and over 60 multi-medium dance installations that were inspired by female archetypes drawn from ethnically diverse mythological and historical sources. She has performed these works internationally in London, Tokyo, and Barcelona and locally in such venues as Walker Art Center, Weisman Art Center, Theatre De La Jeune Lune, O'Shaunghnessy Auditorium, Guthrie Theatre, Fitzgerald Theatre, Loring Playhouse, Pantages Theatre and many more. Her dance company has been honored to be the first to stage a production on the altar of the Basilica of St. Mary in downtown Minneapolis. Her work in multi-media was commissioned as gallery installation at the Falaki Art Museum in Cairo, Egypt.
Kristin also founded Ricochet Kitchen: a multi-art, multi-room cabaret that showcased local and national artists of diverse dance traditions and other art mediums such as music, fashion, spoken word, studio arts and film. She produced events in the Twin Cities to bring multiple choreographers together to present their works. The choreography has been as diverse as flamenco, middle-eastern, break dance, tap and percussive, hip hop and jazz. In its five year history, there have been 25 Ricochet Kitchen events. She has presented over 400 artists in such locations as First Avenue, Bryant Lake Bowl, Theatre De La Jeune Lune, Weisman Art Museum, the Loring Play House and Bedlam Theater.
Profession Recognition
Kristin has been awarded grants for the creation and/or production of dance or installations from the University of St. Catherine "Women of Substance Series", Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Falaki Art Gallery (Cairo, Egypt), St. Cloud State University, Leeds Castle (London, England). In addition, she has received guest artist residency from Menendez Studios (Havana, Cuba), St. Cloud State University, University of Cairo (Egypt), ARTN Dance Studios in Tokyo (Japan), the MN College of Visual Art and Design and Bailounge in Barcelona, Spain.
We are very pleased to welcome Kristin to StageCoach St. Louis Park for the 2011-2012 season!
Professional accomplishments
Kristin is the Artistic Director of Heartbeat Studios, A Center forPerforming Arts in Apple Valley. She teaches weekly classes in modern, ballet, jazz, acting, composition for students 3-adult and beginning to professional. She directs four musical theatrical productions each year for youth and adults. She currently leads the Beat Squad for the Minnesota Timberwolves, a youth and teen company youth who perform hip-hop and break dance at Timberwolves games. As well as the Heartbreakers, a dynamic teen breakdance battle crew. She also founded and directs The Heartbeat Academy Program, designed for students who are interested in a serious and focused study of dance and theater. Academy students study pedagogy, the art of teaching dance and theater, while assisting master teachers in classes in their art discipline focus. Many of program's graduates have received full and partial collegegic scholarships in theater and dance.
Kristin's artistic accomplishments have been diverse. She founded, choreographed, and directed the critically acclaimed Vox Medusa Dance Company. She merges modern and jazz dance, aerial work, fire dancing, video, spoken word, opera and original music to create epic theatrical productions. She has produced over 100 dance productions and over 60 multi-medium dance installations that were inspired by female archetypes drawn from ethnically diverse mythological and historical sources. She has performed these works internationally in London, Tokyo, and Barcelona and locally in such venues as Walker Art Center, Weisman Art Center, Theatre De La Jeune Lune, O'Shaunghnessy Auditorium, Guthrie Theatre, Fitzgerald Theatre, Loring Playhouse, Pantages Theatre and many more. Her dance company has been honored to be the first to stage a production on the altar of the Basilica of St. Mary in downtown Minneapolis. Her work in multi-media was commissioned as gallery installation at the Falaki Art Museum in Cairo, Egypt.
Kristin also founded Ricochet Kitchen: a multi-art, multi-room cabaret that showcased local and national artists of diverse dance traditions and other art mediums such as music, fashion, spoken word, studio arts and film. She produced events in the Twin Cities to bring multiple choreographers together to present their works. The choreography has been as diverse as flamenco, middle-eastern, break dance, tap and percussive, hip hop and jazz. In its five year history, there have been 25 Ricochet Kitchen events. She has presented over 400 artists in such locations as First Avenue, Bryant Lake Bowl, Theatre De La Jeune Lune, Weisman Art Museum, the Loring Play House and Bedlam Theater.
Profession Recognition
Kristin has been awarded grants for the creation and/or production of dance or installations from the University of St. Catherine "Women of Substance Series", Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Falaki Art Gallery (Cairo, Egypt), St. Cloud State University, Leeds Castle (London, England). In addition, she has received guest artist residency from Menendez Studios (Havana, Cuba), St. Cloud State University, University of Cairo (Egypt), ARTN Dance Studios in Tokyo (Japan), the MN College of Visual Art and Design and Bailounge in Barcelona, Spain.
We are very pleased to welcome Kristin to StageCoach St. Louis Park for the 2011-2012 season!
Singing Coach - Emily Gergen
Most noted in the Twin Cities' performance scene as the powerhouse lead female vocalist for Wookiefoot and Mad Love, Emily has also been a featured soloist for many bands, local djs, Vox Medusa dance company and their Ricochet Kitchen art parties, Metro Magazine's Fashion Fight 4, starred as the lead in Bedlam Theater's "Persephone: Reign of Fire" last June (voted "Top Performance Art of 2010" by Lavender Magazine), and celebrated her performance career earlier this year with a grand event at the Varsity Theater.
Emily has also been an influential educator and inspiration in our community, teaching voice to children aged 6-16 for 10 years at StageCoach Theater Arts Schools; conducting the Regazzi choir at the MN Opera; starting a community-based all-female modern choir, Cantara, for women of all ages, and guest teaching monthly with the vocal students at Heartbeat Studios in Apple Valley.
She has been hired several times as creative director for clubs around town, and has graced the stages of the Fitzgerald Theater, Orchestra Hall, the Walker, the Pantages and many of the major clubs in town. Honored at the Women's Club in 2009 as an "Inspirational Woman," Emily's candid expression of her life and journey, expressed in her music and writing, has indeed had a powerful effect on the local community.
Emily has also been an influential educator and inspiration in our community, teaching voice to children aged 6-16 for 10 years at StageCoach Theater Arts Schools; conducting the Regazzi choir at the MN Opera; starting a community-based all-female modern choir, Cantara, for women of all ages, and guest teaching monthly with the vocal students at Heartbeat Studios in Apple Valley.
She has been hired several times as creative director for clubs around town, and has graced the stages of the Fitzgerald Theater, Orchestra Hall, the Walker, the Pantages and many of the major clubs in town. Honored at the Women's Club in 2009 as an "Inspirational Woman," Emily's candid expression of her life and journey, expressed in her music and writing, has indeed had a powerful effect on the local community.
Drama Coach - Eli Coats - MFA Acting
Eli Coats has performed, directed, written and taught theatre professionally for over 20 years. He moved to Minneapolis in 2007 from NYC, where he owned and operated his own Stagecoach school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Eli taught acting workshops in New York at Beginnings Workshop for several years, for the Workhouse Theatre in Camden in 2008, and continues to offer private coaching to actors of all ages here in the Twin Cities. Fall 2011 marks Eli's third season with StageCoach St. Louis Park.
Early Stages Coach - Alex McGreavey - BA, Theatre Arts & Performance Arts Education
As a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, Morris, Alex is excited to be joining the StageCoach team as a singing and acting teacher for Early Stages. She has been actively involved in all aspects of theatre for eight years, including acting, directing, and executive producing student-led theatre organizations. Alex has worked with young children, highschool students, and young adults in the classroom and enjoys educating students in the performing arts. During her tenure at U of M Morris, she was awarded scholarships for outstanding work in the Humanities Division as well as the Theatre department. Alex received an Irene Ryan nomination for her portrayal of Rosalind in UMM's production of William Shakespeare's "As You Like it" in 2010. We are pleased to welcome Alex to the StageCoach St. Louis Park team for the 2011-2012 season!
