Katie is a Registered Nurse who has been in practice for 22 years. She is currently the Manager of Quality & Population Health at Summit Health and has just celebrated her 14-year anniversary with the company. Katie has also ventured out into being a small business owner with her own aesthetic business, Katie Howell Aesthetics. She truly enjoys taking care of people whether it is when they are sick or when they want to freshen up their look. Katie loves spending time with her family and friends when she isn’t working, especially her 3 kids. She loves the outdoors and is there any time she can be whether it is paddle boarding or being outside in her yard gardening. Katie has loved dance since she took her first dance class at 6, and it is one of her greatest stress relievers. When the opportunity came up to participate in Dancing with the Central Oregon Stars AND it was hip hop, she jumped on the chance! Katie has no problem putting herself out there, especially for a great cause like Sparrow Clubs. With all 3 of her kids growing up in the Bend-LaPine schools, she is happy to help raise money for such an amazing cause that benefits our children locally. Katie is ready to pull out her mad skills….and make sure to stretch a lot beforehand!

Alex Reininger is a dancer, roller skater, and movement coach based in Bend, Oregon. With over 14 years of formal dance training—including ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop—she brings both technical skill and a deep love of expression to the stage. She teaches hip hop, jazz, and ballet at The Dance Connection and leads all-ages line dance lessons at The Cross-Eyed Cricket. Alex also teaches roller skating and figure skating at The Pavilion and is the founder of Mindful Motion—a wellness practice that weaves together movement, music, mindfulness, and community. She performs with The Grand Ballet Academy and founded Roller Skaters of Central Oregon, the region’s only active roller skating club. Outside the studio and rink, you’ll find her dancing every Tuesday night at Bend Ecstatic Dance and attending Get Up and Groove—a monthly morning dance party held on the third Friday of each month. In 2020, Alex co-founded The Love for Life Foundation, a nonprofit supporting young adults with cancer and their loved ones. As the former caregiver of a partner with cancer, the mission of Sparrow Clubs hits close to home, and she’s honored to be dancing in support of such a meaningful cause. This is her first year with Dancing with the Central Oregon Stars, and she’s excited to bring heart, rhythm, and leadership to the stage as a Pro Hip Hop Coach of one of this year’s crews.