Our History

Kiah Carpenter is an accomplished dancer and educator dedicated to fostering creativity and personal growth in her dancers. With a diverse background in Modern, Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, and more, she holds a B.A. in Dance with a focus on Pedagogy and Composition from Columbia College Chicago and is a certified Acrobatic Arts Instructor. From 2013 to 2016, Kiah taught at Xavier Charter School and coached numerous award-winning dancers. Her choreography has been featured on HBO's We're Here, and she has directed productions for Magic Valley Repertory Theatre and Magic Valley Little Theater, with notable credits including Chicago and Cabaret. Since 2015, Kiah has been the Director of Ovation Dance Studio and has served as the Artistic Director of Inspirata Dance Project since 2024. She is excited to continue in following IDP's mission of creating an inclusive environment that empowers dancers to explore their creativity, emphasizing discipline, teamwork, and confidence. She hopes to that every dancer feels valued and inspired to develop their unique artistic voice.

Kristian Turner was bit by the 'dance bug' at the age of 9 and started her exciting dance journey under the direction of Julie Wright-Leggett (Julie's Jazzworks), where she studied numerous styles of dance, including lyrical/contemporary, ballet, pointe, modern, hip hop, jazz, funk, clogging, and tap. Dance is her longtime passion, as she has been dancing/performing for almost 30 years and instructing for 20+ years. While attending CSI in Twin Falls, she was a member and captain of the Golden Girls Dance Team. She also trained in Aerial Dance at CSI under Cindy Jones. Kristian has had the privilege of performing in various stage productions, including The Nutcracker with Eugene Ballet Company, many musical productions with Magic Valley Repertoire Theatre, and has been a member of Inspirata since 2017. She looks forward to continuing her journey as a member/collaborator of Inspirata Dance Project. Kristian serves as a lead instructor & the Ambassador Program Manager at Ovation Dance studio in Twin Falls. When she isn’t in the studio, you can find her working in the school setting as a teacher's aide. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband, two kids, and their small "zoo" of cats, dogs, and assorted plant life.

Hailee Deelstra began dancing at a young age and knew early on it would be a lifelong passion. She trained primarily at a small studio in Jerome, Idaho. Under the direction of Shari Mauldin and various other instructors, Hailee studied a variety of dance styles and competed for a decade. She pursued degrees in dance and dental hygiene at the College of Southern Idaho, performing with the CSI Golden Girls for three years, two as captain. After completing her degrees, she practiced as a Registered Dental Hygienist in Twin Falls for five years. Hailee joined Inspirata Dance Project (IDP) as an understudy in its inaugural year and became an official member in the second. She danced with IDP until 2019, then took a nearly three-year hiatus to focus on her family. Thrilled to rejoin IDP, she now balances dancing with being a stay-at-home mom, caring for her two children and her giant orange cat, nurturing numerous house plants, and supporting her family’s organic dairy business

Ally was born in Twin Falls and grew up in the dance studio. She was known to always be at dance and loving every bit of it. She started dancing at the age of two and has been dancing ever since. Going off to college she became a member of the CSI Golden Girls for three years and was the captain for two of those years. She has danced professionally with the Inspirata Dance Project and received her AA in Dance and Social Work. She is as a dance instructor at Ovation Dance studio in Twin Falls. Her passion is teaching all ages and putting a smile on each one of her students' faces. Her goal is to give her students an outlet to feel safe and be able to let go and be able to express themselves through movement.

Ausha Messman fell in love with dance at an early age. They grew up dancing in Twin Falls with Kelli Mauldin. Over the years, they received training with other instructors, including IDP's founder, Cindy Jones where they studied ballet, modern, contemporary, tap, jazz, and lyrical. Messman treasures their time spent with their daughter, and crafting.