​STEPHANIE WONCHALA​
Founder, Executive & Artistic Director, Principal Choreographer

Stephanie Wonchala is an Anchorage-based choreographer, educator, arts leader, and entrepreneur whose work has helped shape the city's contemporary dance landscape for nearly two decades. As Founder and Executive Director of Pulse Dance Company and owner of Studio Pulse Center for Dance, she has dedicated her career to creating opportunities for artists, audiences, and young dancers throughout Anchorage and Alaska.

A 2025 Rasmuson Sabbatical Award recipient, Wonchala is also a 2017 Connie Boochever Fellow, a 2016 Alaska Journal of Commerce Top Forty Under 40 honoree, and a 2015 Rasmuson Individual Artist Fellow. Her work reflects a deep commitment to strengthening Alaska's creative economy and cultivating a thriving arts community.

Wonchala has created, produced, and directed numerous community-centered dance initiatives, including over 30 productions for Pulse Dance Company. Her choreography has been commissioned by the Anchorage Symphony, Alaska State Council on the Arts, Anchorage Museum's Polar Lab Initiative, and the University of Alaska Anchorage, among others. She served as Artistic Director of the 2014 Arctic Winter Games and has served as adjunct faculty with the University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Theatre and Dance.

While her artistic training has taken her to New York, Vancouver, Long Beach, Berlin, and dance festivals across the United States, Wonchala has consistently invested those experiences back into Anchorage. Through Pulse Dance Company and Studio Pulse, she has mentored hundreds of dancers, reached thousands of audience members, developed performance opportunities for emerging artists, and expanded access to high-quality dance education in Alaska.

Her commitment to community extends beyond season programming. Wonchala regularly donates studio space and resources to support local artists and creative projects, helping strengthen Anchorage's cultural ecosystem. A lifelong advocate for her hometown, she has also served as Miss Anchorage 2005, Miss Chugiak/Eagle River 2006, and Miss Alaska 2006, representing Alaska at the 2007 Miss America Competition.

A proud alumna of the UAA Dance Ensemble, Wonchala has studied with acclaimed artists and educators from around the world while remaining firmly committed to building her life and career in Alaska. She is a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher certified in Yoga Sculpt, Buti Yoga, Barre Pilates, Progressing Ballet Technique, and Zumba, and believes deeply in the power of movement to foster connection and build community.

Wonchala remains grateful to live, create, and share in Anchorage, and continues to draw inspiration from the artists, students, audiences, and collaborators who make Pulse Dance Company's work possible.