MEET THE
TEAM.
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
Natalya Z is a dancer, instructor, and choreographer based between Seattle and Los Angeles. She has been teaching and choreographing for over 10 years and is well-known in the Washington community for her passionate performances, creative projects, & unique teaching methods. As one of the youngest dancers in the United States to turn professional in the DanceSport industry, Natalya has extensive training and expertise in Ballroom technique. Aside from training with the top Ballroom and Latin coaches in the world, Natalya studied hip-hop, jazz, salsa, and contemporary dance in order to deepen and diversify her training and artistry. She has been a member of the Seattle dance companies "Breed Seattle", "Westsiders", “Cruz Control”, and "Black Floor Collective" parallel to competing at an international level with her partner.
6 years ago, Natalya transitioned out of the intense Ballroom competition circuit to find her voice in the style of Heels Dance. She felt like it was the perfect space for her to apply all she had learned in her career in an innovative and empowering way that served the community. Natalya's love for teaching, expressing and directing in this style has lead her to found ZTHEORY - a brand that focuses on Heels training and femme empowerment through movement & mindset!
CO-FOUNDER & ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR.
Carlie is a dancer, instructor and choreographer with over 15 years of dance experience in jazz, hip hop, ballet and modern dance. She has performed with many local performing companies in Seattle and Los Angeles including Varsity Dance Company, Westsiders and Studio 3 Company. She has also performed in professional stage and television performances internationally with Urban Dance Group Vietnam under the direction of John Huy Tran and Sabra Johnson.
Upon returning to Seattle in early 2020, she was looking to dive more deeply into the style of heels and reconnected with Natalya. She felt passionate about Natalya's vision for ZTHEORY and quickly became the associate director. Carlie also holds a BA in Business Administration and has enjoyed using her skills in strategy, finance and marketing to help ZTHEORY grow! Carlie is honored to be a part of the ZTHEORY community and excited for what the future holds!
MANAGING DIRECTOR.
Julia joined the ZTHEORY team in April, 2021. She holds a BA in Management, and is putting her years of coporate admnistration to work at ZTHEORY. Her specialties include communications, production coordination, editing, and keeping the team firmly on schedule. In addition to her management expertise, she has a 15+ year dance history based in jazz & broadway with principal dancer and dance captain credits to her name. After taking a three year break to pursue her degree and other passions, she returned to dance and found herself in Natalya's heels class and was inspired by the communmity created there. When the opportunity presented itself to become more involved, she jumped at the chance. Julia is honored to be a part of ZTHEORY, and excited to contribute to the growth of the company and community!
