Our Faculty
Photo credit to Dean Zatkowsky
Kim Hoj
Kim Hoj (she/her) is the founder and teacher for the Nordhoff High School Dance Program (2021 recipient of a California School Board Association Golden Bell Award for Excellence in Education). Kim believes in the power of dance through equitable access and self-expression to promote transformative life experiences for students of all ages with the understanding that dance is for everyone. In her choreography, she enjoys exploring concepts including play, ambition, and the impact of loss with the emotional challenges that it brings.
Kim serves as one of 15 Teacher Leaders for the National Dance Education Organization’s Connected Arts Networks initiative supporting other dance educators on the west coast within professional learning communities. Kim serves on the team of statewide teaching supervisors for Dance credential student teachers through CSU East Bay. With the creation of 1 billion dollars of funding annually for arts education in California through Proposition 28, she looks forward to building the potential for our dance students to serve as future dance educators, performers, teaching artists, dance movement therapists and more.
Kim is grateful to her family for supporting recent completion of a master’s degree in Counseling / Dance Movement Therapy through Lesley University’s Boston-based Expressive Arts Therapies Program. Kim holds a BA in Sociology and an M.Ed. in Teaching from University of California, Santa Barbara and has served as a school counselor, assistant principal and district arts and career technical education coordinator.
Gianna Burright
Gianna Burright (she/her) is a Choreographer, Dancer, and Educator, who explores the juxtaposition and nuances of emotional extremes: happiness and sadness, grief and euphoria, rage and mindfulness, nightmares and dreams. Gianna’s passion for dance began at Nordhoff with the love, support and encouragement of her now colleague, Kim Hoj. She is honored to be a NHS dance teacher and give back to the program that ignited her dance career. She serves as the director of the Thacher Dance Program and is on faculty at the Cate Dance Program. As a self proclaimed late bloomer, she is a 2024 Hubbard Street Dance Chicago summer program Create Choreographer, 2023 Carmel Dance Festival Choreography Fellow, 2022 Jacob's Pillow Choreography Fellow and 2022 Dance Gallery Festival Choreographer in Residence. Gianna has presented choreographic work in fifteen countries including at iconic venues such as Jacob’s Pillow, The Bonnie Byrd Theater, The Place, Turner Contemporary Gallery, Waterloo East Theatre, STEPS, Opendoors North America, Mark Morris Dance Center, the International Edinburgh Fringe Festival, LA Theatre Center, and LA Dance Project. She has been mentored by some of the most acclaimed figures in the world of dance including Jojo Alsberry, Lillian Barbeito, Peter Chu, Alex Ketley, Dianne McIntyre and Risa Steinberg.
Gianna is an educator who works with dancers and movers of all ages and abilities. She aims to create artistic understanding through sensory experiences, articulation & vocabulary (verbally and physically), awareness, pleasure, joy, sadness, happiness, connection, touch, listening and partnering. Gianna holds a BFA in Dance from UCSB and an MFA in Choreography from Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance.