In accordance with ASD policies, face coverings are required for all.
Graceful. Innovative. Athletic.
About Studio Pulse Center for Dance & Faculty
Our Philosophy
Studio Pulse Center for Dance is a locally owned dance studio in Anchorage, Alaska. Our mission is to provide well-rounded, technical dance education, and to nurture and inspire movers of all ages. Our beautiful, three-studio facility allows for individualized student attention and fosters meaningful connections within our dance community. Our studios are professionally outfitted with extra large mirrors, barres, and floating floors bedecked with Harlequin marley, imperative for safe dancing and pointe work.
Our experienced, award-winning faculty compassionately challenge students to become the very best dancer they can be. Students are exposed to a variety of styles of classical ballet, contemporary modern, acro, jazz, and hip hop, with a minimum of two performance opportunities throughout the season.
Studio Pulse is a body-positive environment that places emphasis on proper warm ups and alignment so that our dancers can continue dancing for years to come.
The Owner
STEPHANIE WONCHALA
Owner/Director
Stephanie Wonchala is an Anchorage choreographer, dancer and dance educator who L O V E S dance. She founded Studio Pulse Center for Dance in 2013 and serves as the Executive Director of Pulse Dance Company, founded in 2010. She is a 2017 Connie Boochever Fellow, a 2016 Alaska Journal of Commerce "Top Forty under 40" awardee, and a 2015 Rasmuson Fellow.
Wonchala served as Artistic Director of the 2014 Arctic Winter Games, and on faculty with UAA's department of Theatre & Dance as instructor of Modern dance. She has produced and directed numerous community dance events, including 10 evening-length concerts for Pulse Dance Company, three annual local Nutcrackers, and work for the Anchorage Concert Association and Cyrano's Theatre. She has been commissioned by the Anchorage Symphony, the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Anchorage Museum Polar Lab Initiative, and the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her work has earned highest rankings in the NUVO dance convention.
Wonchala is a UAA dance ensemble alumna and has trained in acclaimed studios in New York, Seattle, Vancouver, Long Beach, and Berlin, as well as attended multiple American College Dance Festivals across the U.S. She has interned, instructed, performed and choreographed for dance intensives in Homer, Seward, and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. Her competition and drill team experiences include performing with the Crestview High Dazzlers in FL, as well as serving as Officer with the Chugiak Chaparrals, a nationally recognized, award-winning girls dance drill team at Chugiak High School.
She has held the titles of Miss Anchorage 2005, Miss Chugiak/Eagle River 2006, Miss Alaska 2006, and competed in the Miss America 2007 pageant on Country Music Television. In addition to a lifetime of dance training and 18 years as a dance educator, she is certified in Yoga Sculpt, Buti Yoga, Barre Pilates, and Zumba.
Most importantly, Wonchala knows dance to be the most visceral shortcut to joy, and is incredibly grateful to live a life in the arts - especially in Alaska. She continues to be inspired by the beautiful souls who share her passion for dance, and feels deeply privileged to work with them every day.