Dr. Tanie is the founder and principal dancer of the company. She has an extensive background in Hip Hop choreography and performance, having toured with S.O.U.L. (Sisters On a United Level) a Portland based Hip Hop ensemble. Since 2019, she has studied and trained under Mark Lowes Baker and successfully accomplished a Proficiency with 3 times World Rhythm Champion Bree Watson in 2021. In 2022, she added additional technique training with 10 x World champions Yulia Zagaruychenko and Riccardo Cocchi. Tanie competes throughout the Pacific Northwest in the Professional/Amateur World of Latin International Ballroom since 2020. She has gained confidence after placing 1st in multiple championships and scholarships in the Latin International division at the 2021 Seattle Star Ball, the 2022 Portland Open Dancesport competition and most recently at the 2022 People's Choice Arizona Dancesport competition.
When not dancing, she is rooted to her beautiful family, Scott, Maddy, Ethan and her adorable dog, Moose. She equally loves her large extended family. She adores running with her friends at Minto Brown Park, yoga in the studio, and embraces being a small town family doctor.
Before there was Tanie Hotan Dance, there was a 6 years old Vietnamese girl who dreamed of fulfilling 3 lifetime goals; to become a healing doctor, a great mom and an inspiring dancer. When she would go to bed, she would dream about these 3 goals feverishly. So she set forth her path to attend medical school, family medicine residency, became the stereotypical "Ambitious Asian" doctor. She married a handsome, also inspiring young doctor Scott, and they opened up the Aumsville Medical Clinic in 2001 where they are still happily practicing today. Family medicine in her small town of Aumsville has been such a gift for Tanie. She could not have picked a more fulfilling first career. Then came raising her family. Her children, Maddy and Ethan became the center of her life for many years. They are now young adults, have opened up their wings and are studying at UPS and U of O. Tanie could not be more pleased to have raised kind-hearted and global citizens. Now to the dancing part! In 2019 she found herself in a dance competition called Dancing with the Salem Stars. She was among one of the 6 community contestants competing for the mirror-ball trophy. Wearing a skimpy shimmery sequence red dress, with wavy hair extensions, she danced her heart out on the Elsinore Theater stage. Let’s just say that the judges were hoodwinked by her adrenaline-pumped enthusiasm and mile-long lashes. And yes, she won that mirror-ball trophy!! It was at that moment that all 3 of her life's ambitions were self actualized: Dancing at a respectable level, being a mom and being a doctor. She felt invincible. Something interesting happens when one achieves their lifelong goals. For Tanie, it gave her a huge sense of confidence and challenged her to dream bigger. Now flash forward 3 years... we are now in 2022, Tanie is now dancing/training 20 hours/week. She started her own entertainment and well-being dance company. She compete in the pro-am International Latin Ballroom competitions as the amateur and has won numerous championships and scholarships in Seattle, Portland and Arizona's People's choice Dancesport competitions. This is what brings her life, keeps her grounded and hopeful for the future. What are Tanie's new goals, you ask... Simple... dance happy with clarity everyday. Close equity gaps through dance, and win the Ohio Star Ball Dancesport competition, Latin division.
