Coaches

Angela Nieman

Owner, Director and Head Coach

Angela Nieman celebrates her 23nd year as Head Coach of the 2008-2013, 2015-2018 State Champion Washington High School Highsteppers. Angela has also taught algebra, Spanish, and German classes at Washington High School, and currently, teaches "Introduction to Dance" as a program for the fine arts division. She was elected to serve on the inaugural National USASF Dance Advisory Panel and currently serves on the NASC.

In 2001, Angela started her own dance studio, Champion Legacy. In 2014 her all male Open Hip Hop team brought home a Gold Medal from Dance Worlds, followed by all Large Senior Hip Hop in 2015. In 2018 Small Senior Jazz and Large Senior Pom brough home the coveted title of World Champion.. The teams have won a total of 12 medals at Dance World, and the team is one of the only studio teams to compete and place in the top 6 in all four styles at the 2017 Dance World. These styles included Pom, Jazz, Hip Hop and Lyrical.

In February 2013, Coach Nieman received the DX Legacy Award for her lifetime achievements in coaching cheer and dance, and just recently Angela was also recognized as one of the top three studio owners in the nation by the USASF.

Coach Nieman’s oldest daughter, Ashley, has her master's degree in counseling and was a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader from 2012-2015. Her son, Josh, is a graduate of Washington High School, and her youngest daughter, Anna Kate, is a gratuate of University of Cincinnati.

Available for Private Lessons - angelasnieman@gmail.com

Brooklin Nothdurft

Head Coach/Choreographer

Brooklin has been dancing for 20 years and specializes in pom, jazz, and contemporary. She trained at Champion Legacy Dance Academy, where she contributed to multiple world championship titles, including three gold medals in pom and two in jazz at the USASF Dance Worlds. In the spring of 2023, she graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato, with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Dance. Over the course of five years, she was a member of the award-winning Minnesota State University Mankato Dance Team, helping secure seven UDA National Championship titles.

Choreography credits include South Dakota State University (SD), Minnesota State University Mankato (MN), Champion Legacy Dance Academy (SD), Rapid City Central HS (SD), Tea Area HS (SD) Almost Famous Dance and Cheer (IA), Huron HS (SD), Murphysboro Devil Dazzlers (IL), Washington HS (SD), Beresford HS (SD) Shining Fame Performance (MN), and Premiere Dance Complex (SD).

Available for Private Lessons - brooklinn@outlook.com

Joslyn Harms

Coach

Joslyn has been a dedicated member of Champion Legacy for as long as she can remember. She began her dance journey at the age of 4 and spent 12 years training and performing at Champion, where she was a part of two World Championship teams. After transitioning into coaching, Joslyn is now in her fourth year of guiding and inspiring the next generation of dancers. Her passion lies in helping dancers grow both in skill and confidence, while fostering a positive and supportive environment. Having experienced the joy of dance at all levels, she is committed to sharing her love of dance with others, creating a lasting impact on her students.

Anna Kate Nieman

Choreographer

Anna Kate Nieman is is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a business and marketing degree . An avid dancer and teacher, she participated on the National Champion Bearcat Dance Team at the U of C, and has been an enormous asset as a coach at Champion Legacy for past six years. Anna Kate does choreograph for Champion Legacy in Sioux Falls, and also currently takes a lead role in helping with choreography for other surrounding high schools and colleges.

Anna Kate was a member of four State winning dance teams, and has been with winning teams at Champion Legacy, bringing home numerous Gold, Silver and Bronze World Championships. In addition to her competition choreography, Anna Kate also teaches classes and workshops in jazz, contemporary, hip-hop and other dance technique, with a specialization in the "turning technique."

Amy Hofer

Head Ballet & Pointe Instructor

Amy began dancing at age 8 in Sioux Falls, studying classical ballet with Martha Peterson, Judith Szakats and Carolyn Westphal. She continued her studies of ballet at the Boston Ballet School and with Terry and Daid Shields in Cambridge, MA where Amy also studied modern dance with Julie Ince-Thompson and jazz with Adreienne Hawkins and John DeLuca. Upon returning to South Dakota, Smy attended USD with a Fine Arts/Dance major. Smy has both attended and instructed at numerous dance intensives as a teacher, and has had the opportunity to study with many world-renown ballet instructors over the last several years through the Cecchetti Council of America Summer Teacher's Seminars.

Amy has taught ballet for over 40 years, and has also been instrumental in pioneering worship dance ministry in the Sioux Falls area. She is a past board member of the South Dakota Dance Network. Amy has guest instructed in CCA seminars in the midwest region and various studios across South Dakota and Iowa. Amy has instructed several USASF Dance Worlds champion competitive dance teams and Sioux Falls and high school competitive dance teams in classical ballet over the last 12 years.

Ali Viereck

Coach

Ali is entering her second year as a coach, bringing with her a deep passion for dance and a strong background in both performance and leadership. She spent 13 years dancing at Champion, where she was a member of the Worlds team for five seasons and proudly brought home four globes. In high school, Ali was a committed four year member of the Washington High School Highsteppers dance team. Her freshman year, the team earned a state title, and she played a key role in securing first place finishes in hip hop each year that followed. As a senior, she was honored with the All-State award, a meaningful capstone to her high school dance career.

Although competing and performing were major highlights, some of Ali’s most cherished memories came from mentoring younger dancers. She began helping with the younger teams early on, and it was through that experience that her love for coaching truly took root. Watching dancers grow in confidence, skill, and passion reminded her of the deeper purpose behind the sport.

Tessa Keller

Coach

Tessa began dancing at the age of 7 and trained for 13 years, developing a strong foundation in jazz, pom, hip hop and contemporary. She spent 5 years as a member of Champion Legacy, earning 1 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal at national competitions. A 2023 graduate of Brandon Valley High School, she was a key member of the state champion dance team, helping lead them to two state titles. She recently completed a season on the South Dakota state University Dance Team and is currently pursuing a degree in Exercise Science on the Pre-Physician Assistant track. With two years of experience as a certified SDHSAA dance judge, she brings a well-rounded and passionate approach to reaching and inspiring young dancers.

Amaya Fisher

Early Childhood Instructor

Amaya danced at Champion for five years, where she earned a spot on a Worlds team for her final two seasons. In high school, she was recognized as an All-Conference Metro athlete all four years. Her high school dance team placed 2nd at state three years in a row and claimed the Metro Conference title during her junior year.

Amaya is passionate about helping dancers grow both technically and personally. She loves creating an environment where her dancers can develop new skills while having fun. One of her favorite parts of coaching is watching her dancers discover the same love for dance that has shaped her own journey.