For Shelly Whan and Kelly Fellers, dance has never been just about pirouettes, pointe shoes, or polished performances. It’s been about community, friendship, and building a second home for generations of Skagit Valley families.
Photograph courtesy of Skagit Valley Academy of Dance
This year, the lifelong friends and co-owners of Skagit Valley Academy of Dance (SVAD) are celebrating 42 years of ownership. The two have spent their lives teaching dance, mentoring young instructors, and creating holiday memories through their well-known production of “The Nutcracker.”
“We’re teaching the grandchildren of students we taught decades ago,” says Whan. “That’s when it really hits you how long we’ve been doing this.”
Growing up in Skagit Valley, Whan and Fellers began dancing together as kids and were already teaching classes at the studio by the age of 14. When studio owner Susan Cooper decided to sell the business, the pair stepped into ownership together at just 19 years old. With guidance from studio parents, friends, and family, they learned to navigate the challenges of running a business while maintaining their friendship and building a strong partnership.
“You make so many changes when you start at 19, we aren’t remotely the same people now that we were then,” Whan says. “It is so much like a marriage,” Fellers adds. “You work through things and grow together, just as you would in a marriage.”
Photograph courtesy of Skagit Valley Academy of Dance
That partnership has become one of the core characteristics of the studio itself, creating a place built as much on relationships as on technique. Today, Skagit Valley Academy of Dance offers classes ranging from toddler ballet to honors pointe, along with jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, and acro. While the studio also has a competitive team, Whan and Fellers emphasize that their focus extends beyond trophies and rankings. Instead, their mission centers on growth, education, and development. That commitment was recently recognized when the studio won the OneBeat APEX Studio Award, showcasing professionalism, technique, and showmanship.
Perhaps what SVAD is best known for is its annual “Nutcracker” performance, a production that transforms the studio each fall and has become one of Skagit Valley’s most popular holiday events. Whan and Fellers first introduced the show in 1989, at a time when few studios outside of the Pacific Northwest Ballet were producing the holiday classic. Over the years, the production has grown from a modest local performance into a large-scale regional event that regularly sells out McIntyre Hall Performing Arts & Conference Center within days.
Photograph courtesy of Skagit Valley Academy of Dance
What sets SVAD’s “Nutcracker” apart from bigger metropolitan performances is its emphasis on storytelling and collective participation, often bringing parents and alumni into the ballroom scenes alongside current students.
“The kids put on a spectacular show,” Whan says. “One of the aspects we love most about our version is that everyone in the audience can understand the story and feel connected to it.”
Beyond the stage, Whan and Fellers remain invested in keeping dance accessible for local youth. Through scholarships and fundraising efforts, the studio helps students continue dancing during difficult times, whether families are facing financial hardship, illness, or unexpected life changes. Many of those same families later return the support, paying it forward for future dancers.
That sense of collaboration along with decades of experience allows Whan and Fellers to continue teaching and mentoring while creating memories and relationships with their dancers. “This is a family,” they say. “It’s a community and we are so proud of that.”
1522 Jay Way, Mount Vernon, 360.424.6677, skagitvalleyacademyofdance.com
