Meet our Teachers!

Gaby Baldock

Program Director

Originally from Northern California, Gaby Baldock grew up a Nevada County native. At a young age, she started competing as an elite gymnast, which in return led to the start of her dance career. Gaby attended University of California, Irvine where she earned a full ride scholarship along with a degree in dance and education. She then moved to New York City where she danced professionally for six years. Gaby was a member of SynthesisDANCE under the artistic direction of Tracie Stanfield and BEings Dance under the artistic direction of Emily Bufford. Gaby has performed at numerous venues including BAM, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, High Line Ballroom, Ailey City Group Theater, The Brooklyn Musuem, and the Salvatore Capezio Theater. She has taught at Broadway Dance Center’s Children and Teen program, AMDA college & Conservatory of the Performing Arts in NYC and surrounding studios in the tristate area. After moving back to Nevada County, Gaby was hired as the assistant Director of Theatrical Dance at Nevada Union High School as well as the Director of the Advanced Dance Team, Lines in Motion. In 2019, Gaby was hired to be the director of the dance program at Bear River High School. Gaby loves to share her passion for dance with her students and help foster their love of dance!

Callie Jonutz

Assistant Director

Callie Jonutz is a dedicated dance educator and choreographer with a passion for fostering creativity and technique in her students. Growing up in Grass Valley, Northern California, Callie began dancing at the age of eight. She spent her adolescent years honing her skills at In Sync Dance and as a part of the advanced dance program at Nevada Union High School. Callie continued her studies at California State University, Long Beach, where she trained for two years in the Dance program before relocating to Costa Rica in 2019. There, she served as the Assistant Director of a local dance studio, teaching ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and pointe. During her time in Costa Rica, she co-produced and choreographed for their productions of The Nutcracker and Aladdin. Upon returning to Northern California, Callie co-founded the Lost Dance Project in Nevada City, where she taught contemporary and jazz dance while working with both company dancers and community members. Her commitment to growing the dance community continued with her involvement in the Bear River Dance Program, where she began setting choreography in 2022. Currently, Callie serves as the Assistant Director of the Bear River Dance Program, where she teaches and coaches dancers at all levels in ballet, contemporary and jazz. She also coaches both the Junior Varsity and Varsity Dance Teams, and serves as the program’s photographer. Callie strives to create a positive and supportive environment that inspires creativity and technical development, encouraging her students to become strong, well-rounded dancers.

Guest Choreographers

  • Emmy Bucher

  • Kacie Delarosa

  • Abby Farr

  • Nevada Hiatt

  • Sophie Humphers

  • Jenna Laplante

  • Haley See

  • Alexa Tran

    Lex is honored to continue choreographing for Bear River Dance, a program that played a huge role in her dance journey. A proud graduate of the class of 2022, she choreographed for the program throughout their three years as a dance student. Her dance journey began at the age of four with ballet, later expanding into contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and modern.

    Currently, Lex is an undergraduate student at UC Santa Barbara, studying Financial Mathematics and Statistics. Alongside her academic pursuits, she works as a Research Assistant and Student Assistant for UCSB’s Department of Education and volunteers as a junior high school math tutor. Despite a busy schedule, her passion for dance remains strong—she continues taking community dance classes and loves coming back every year to share hercreativity with Bear River Dance.

  • Klaire Wolford