Our Staff
Our Team
April Dahl
April Dahl co - founded Dahl Dance in 2005. She has been coaching for over 30 years and is skilled in multiple dance disciplines including ballet, contemporary, ballroom, west coast swing, and Argentine tango. She holds a degree in Kinesiology from the University of MN and is a postural alignment specialist, personal trainer and Dance for Parkinson’s provider.
Through Dahl Dance, April blends her dance expertise with coaching and leadership mentoring not only as a dance professional but also as an AC certified life coach and Insights Practitioner. She creates experience for individuals and teams wanting to develop stronger communication, discover their creative potential and build sustainable partnerships. She has been a guest speaker and creative educator for the Prouty Project , Alice Mayo Society, Mayo Clinic's staff development DRIVE Leadership program, the Cowles Center's Dance Without Barriers and Beyond Ballroom Dance Company ( to name a few).
The charity event she co-created, Dancing for the Arts, has impacted over 100 local business leaders and community contributors through partnership development, artistic education and a unique way to give back. This event has raised over 600K for arts education and experiences in the Rochester area.
Her hobbies include dancing, reading, baking surprises for anyone in her circle, hiking, snowboarding and connecting with her two adult children in travel adventures.
Gary Dahl
Gary Dahl co - founded Dahl Dance in 2005. He has been instructing dancers for over 30 years, is a regular finalist in the Dancer‘s Cup tour and was recently inducted into the DCT Instructor Hall of Fame. His journey to dance started with a girl inviting him onto the floor in high school and although the girl moved on, the dancing stayed! He thoroughly enjoys the technical precision of dancing and his passion is for finding new ways to help his students understand their bodies and the music. Gary is a former member of the Beyond Ballroom Dance Company in Minneapolis, a sought after collegiate level coach and a guest instructor with Dancing Classrooms. He has been a choreographer and professional dance volunteer with the popular, local charity event, Dancing for the Arts since its launch and is known for his music editing skills for performances and wedding couples. He supports the social dance community in Rochester as a regular instructor for the local chapter of USA DANCE.
When not teaching, he can be found on the golf course in summer and racquetball courts in winter, enjoying catching a few fish and running his woodworking company, Art in Advertising. A skilled wood worker , Gary creates custom furniture with a creative twist to match his clients imaginations.
Danika Dahl
Danika Dahl has been dancing for over 20 years and is skilled in a variety of dances including ballroom, ballet, lyrical, jazz, hip hop, and swing. As an Allstar West Coast Swing Dancer, she travels all over the world competing and teaching at events with other world-renowned instructors. Her education in neuroscience and knowledge of foreign languages allows her to explain techniques and principles from many technical perspectives to provide flexible methods of learning for each student. Danika supports the artistic community in Rochester through her participation as coach and professional dancer with the charity event Dancing for the Arts. She got her start early, coaching her first celebrity partner at age 17!
She is a passionate writer and self development coach through her platform DanikaDahl.com and provides clients with the research, skills and encouragement to accomplish their goals.
Her favorite thing about dancing is that no matter where you go in the world, no matter the communication or experience boundaries you may face, dance is a universal language that allows you to connect with anyone anywhere.
