Our Directors

Twilla Mann, Director

 

Twilla Mann has been dancing since the age of 5. She has been trained in jazz, tap, ballet, American clogging, ballroom dance, and Scottish highland dance. She received additional certified teacher and judges training from: the National Clogging and Hoedown Championships; America On Stage director workshops; and other various workshops throughout the United States. She has won numerous awards at competitions throughout the Western United States in clogging, ballroom dance, and Scottish highland dance. She reached the top level of competition in Scottish highland dancing and won the coveted "Most Promising Dancer" award. In college, Twilla studied ballroom dance where she attended and won awards in many competitions including US Nationals in San Diego, CA and the distinguished British Championships in Blackpool, England. She has performed throughout the world including performances for United States President George Bush, LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson as well as performances in Hawaii, New York City, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Disneyland, CA and at numerous International Folk Festivals and other performances in France, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal and Austria. Twilla has been teaching dance and choreographing for over 30 years, and Founded American Rhythm in 2000. She is married and the mother of 6 children. She and her husband currently own and operate American Rhythm Folk Ensemble in Provo, UT.

Teagan Mann, Choreographer/Teacher

Teagan Mann has extensive experience in the performing arts. She is an award winning clogger, dancer and singer. She studied Dance at Brigham Young University where she was a part of the International Folk Dance Ensemble. She was a member of the prestigious Brigham Young University Youth Ballroom Team. She served two performing missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois. She toured as a dancer, singer and musician with American Rhythm Folk Ensemble to France, Spain, Canada, Mexico, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Peru, Denmark and Sweden as well as throughout the United States. She has performed in numerous musical productions. Teagan has been a teacher and choreographer for American Rhythm Folk Ensemble for more than 10 years. She has also taught clogging at BYU and has been a dance trainer for the Young Performing Missionaries in Nauvoo, Illinois. She and her husband operate Uplift Dance Studio in Eagle Mountain, Utah. She is the mother of twins born in 2022.

 

Lianne Ames, Emeritus Co-director

Lianne Ames began her professional performing career at the Promised Valley Playhouse in Salt Lake City as a singer/dancer. Her next venue was playing the lead role of Belle Davenport in a historical play in Skagway, Alaska. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Dance Theater from Brigham Young University where she played lead roles in main stage productions including Florence in "Chess" and Anne in "The Merry Wives of Windsor." She has also toured with the Brigham Young University Young Ambassadors. Lianne has received numerous awards including: First place in the Kansas City Chapter of National Association of Teachers of Singers and a Blue Cappy Award for Best Choreography in a high school musical in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. She has choreographed for college, community and high school productions including "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Oklahoma," "Hello Dolly," and "Once Upon a Mattress." She choreographed for Central Missouri State University's show choir troupe. She and her husband owned and operated the Salmon Valley Playhouse, in Salmon, Idaho, with productions including, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" and "Hansel and Gretel." She has directed, co-directed and performed in "The Nutcracker" for more than 19 seasons. In 2002 she was invited to co-direct American Rhythm with Twilla Mann. She and her husband own Legacy Performing Arts Academy in Roosevelt, Utah where Lianne continues to teach ballet and music/dance/theater which she has loved doing for over 25 years.