Leading Dance Education in Northeast Ohio for 33 Years
Character, Community,
Leadership & Wellness
Beyond The Dance Floor
Why The Dance Centre?
Through dance, we seek to cultivate long term character development, wellness, and healthy athleticism through quality, professional dance education that provides a nurturing, welcoming and challenging environment. We value versatility in dance training and believe strongly in age-appropriate instruction and choreography. Our goal is for TDC students to grow as dancers and as leaders in our community.
The Dance Centre's Core Values
- We've been a leader in dance education for over three decades to thousands of students in Northeast Ohio! We have set examples in our industry by which others have emulated. Our expertise sets us apart from studios with less experience in dance education and business relations.
- We pride ourselves in having a unique group of teachers who are genuinely concerned for our students' well-being, helping them to achieve their goals and become leaders in the community. A number of our instructors have been with TDC for 20+ years!
- We strive to provide quality dance education through organized management and a faculty with extensive performance and teaching experience. We work to stay current with our changing art form, attend continuing education opportunities, and update certifications regularly.
- We build long lasting relationships with teachers and guest artists, which our students benefit from during their time at TDC and beyond.
- TDC has an outstanding reputation for integrity. We have never solicited students from other organizations and will continue that commitment.
- We maintain a welcoming, nurturing, and challenging environment.
- We take pride in the positive and supportive studio culture that our TDC parents, students, and faculty work hard to uphold.
- We value participation in philanthropic opportunities that serve our community. Giving back is a value we aim to instill in all of our students.
- We believe in age-appropriate instruction, choreography, and costuming.
- We work to foster a strong team bond within our classes and performance groups, teaching our students to be team players.
- We expose our students to a variety of opportunities within the performing arts.
- We strive to maintain open dialogue between teachers and students as well as teachers and parents
- We have “serious fun” while teaching our students work ethic and integrity! We set high, yet attainable goals, and teach that expectations can be reached through consistency and effort.
- We provide developmentally appropriate movement skills that will allow our students to excel within their range of capability.
- We believe in a versatile, well-rounded dance education, and we encourage our dancers to step out of their comfort zone to try a new style.
- We believe that dance nurtures freedom, joy and confidence and supports the development of self-care and healthy athleticism. This discipline improves overall wellness with benefits that are apparent now and in the future.
- We believe that every body is beautiful. We are committed to creating a welcoming environment where dancers of every size are celebrated for their unique talents and the individuals they are. Every dancer is different, and that’s part of what makes TDC special.
- We advocate a holistic sense of health and are happy to guide our students as they learn to make smart choices for their specific body needs. We do not endorse, nor will we ever recommend, fad diets or other unhealthy methods of altering ones body.
The Dance Centre Story
Heidi Glynias founded The Dance Centre in 1989, and through its growth and success, TDC has become a highly esteemed dance studio in Northeast Ohio. Heidi’s vision was to create a space for dancers to not only develop and excel, but to become the best they can be, experiencing success, pride and confidence through hard work. Heidi has been a leader in dance education, touching the lives of thousands of students, and has built a legacy that will continue to live on in the years to come under the direction of TDC’s new owner, Kayleigh Feldkircher.
A few words from Heidi, “Knowing Kayleigh for more than a decade, experiencing her incredible work ethic, and seeing how our values align, I am confident that "TDC next-gen" will be filled with great energy, quality instruction, trusted leadership, and continued focus on engaging our students and supporting them to succeed!”
The Dance Centre Difference
As A Leader In Dance Education For More Than Three Decades, We Will Continue to Focus On Development, Character, Leadership, & Integrity That Goes Far Beyond The Studio.
Kayleigh is an alumni of TDC and has been a member of TDC faculty for many years. She has a deep respect and appreciation for the legacy Heidi has built in the 33 years of owning TDC, and plans to continue the mission and values Heidi has worked so hard to establish.
Giving back to our community will continue to be a part of our programming, and Kayleigh believes this is an important value to instill in our students. In addition to providing quality dance education, Kayleigh is committed to serving TDC students by putting their best interests first and leading with integrity.
Community
TDC GIVES BACK
Community
TDC GIVES BACK
In 2022 We Raised Over
For Prayers From
Maria
In 2023 We Raised Over
For Elle's Enchanted
Forest
TDC Is A Proud Affiliate of
Girls Geared For Greatness
A nationally recognized program that prepares the girls of today with tools they need to achieve and believe that anything is possible for the betterment of their future.
Girls Geared For Greatness is designed to empower and inspire girls ages 7-18 through meaningful and unique training and development opportunities, workshops, and seminars.
It's not just for dancers! We welcome any and all girls in our community to benefit from this programming.
Girls Geared For Greatness In The Press
Meet Our TDC Team
Kayleigh Feldkircher - Owner & Director
Kayleigh has been a dance teacher and choreographer for nearly 10 years. She is also an alumni of TDC and was a member of TDC faculty for many years before becoming the Owner & Director. She has a deep respect and appreciation for the legacy Heidi Glynias, TDC's Founder, has built over 33 years, and plans to continue the mission and values Heidi has worked so hard to establish.
Kayleigh began her dance training at the age of four in the styles of jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary, acrobatics, salsa, ballet, and pointe. Kayleigh competed for many years and earned numerous scholarships and awards. While pursuing her bachelor’s degree, Kayleigh minored in dance and was a member of the Ohio State Dance Team, one of the most prestigious dance teams in the nation. Kayleigh also performed for showcases and dance concerts as part of Dance Connection, a student organization, and for the OSU Department of Dance. Kayleigh graduated Summa Cum Laude from OSU and after graduation, she danced for New Vision Dance Company (NVDC) directed by Melissa Gould. In addition to performing in group pieces, Kayleigh had the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the company in 2017.
In 2018, Kayleigh moved to Chicago and taught as a guest teacher for various dance studios while working full-time for a property management company as a Leasing Agent, and later as a Leasing Manager. Kayleigh was awarded the 2018 Leasing Professional of the Year from the Chicagoland Apartment Association. Upon moving back to Cleveland, she joined the faculty at TDC, following her passion for dance, and taught dance classes weekly while continuing to work full-time as a Sales Consultant, and later Sales Manager, for a portfolio of luxury apartment communities in Cleveland. In 2021, Kayleigh was awarded the National Sales Professional of the Year award from her employer, Village Green.
Kayleigh is most known and recognized for her work ethic, attention to detail, positive energy, and her excellent communication skills. In the classroom, Kayleigh is known by her students as inspiring, empowering, and positive. She helps her students believe in themselves and pushes them to achieve goals they didn’t think were possible.
Heidi Glynias - Founder
Heidi Glynias has been an instructor of dance and a choreographer for over 30 years. She is certified through Dance Masters of America, Acrobatic Arts and Progressing Ballet Technique. In addition to attending dance teacher training schools at Kent State University and The Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, she participates in numerous workshops for dancers and teachers annually. She was the owner / director of The Dance Centre in Rocky River for 33 years, where she has taught every style of dance offered. Working with competition dancers for 23 years, she received recognition and awards for best choreography, best direction of a piece, most entertaining, most versatile studio, judges’ choice, national and regional champions, and more. TDC was featured in DANCE SPIRIT MAGAZINE as 1 of 50 top studios in North America, and she has been recognized with three “Dance Educator of the Year” awards, having been noted for teaching her students to be versatile performers.
Heidi’s students have earned prestigious scholarships to train at The Edge Performing Arts Center & Millennium Dance Complex in LA and The Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Her students have also worked professionally as performers and dance captains on Broadway, off broadway, in touring companies and for NBA Dance Teams.
Heidi was a dancer, choreographer and coach/coordinator for the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers Dance Team and she coordinated the WNBA Rockers’ Junior Dance Team. She performed in RED HOT BROADWAY in NYC & other states, in addition to performances with & choreography for Sister Sledge, Quad City DJ, Jibb, Luke, 98 Degrees, CeCe Peniston, Billy Hufsey and Cindy Crawford.
Heidi choreographed performances for the Harry Hershey Orchestra, downtown Cleveland’s televised Lighting of the Square Christmas Shows, NBA All Star Weekend, NFL Brown’s Countdown Show with Michael Stanley, the Cleveland Indians mascot (Slider), Spotlight Youth Singers for Cleveland’s Bicentennial, the American Heart Association, MAASTO Convention entertainment for ODOT, American Advertisers Association, Lake Erie Marine Trades Association and Beaute’ Craft Hair Show in Detroit.
Heidi Glynias also worked as a choreographer/clinician for summer show choir camps at Indiana State University and for Show Choir Camps of America at Millikin University and Heidelberg College, as well as being an adjudicator for competitions in seven states. She has choreographed dance teams, show choirs and musical theater productions for community theaters, universities and high schools. Heidi has been a guest instructor of dance at Lorain Community College and she has taught master classes for Dance Masters of Ohio & Pennsylvania, The Ohio Dance Festival and Playhouse Square. She also worked for 10 years as a guest instructor and adjunct professor of dance at Baldwin Wallace University.
Kelsey Wilkins
Kelsey Wilkins began her dance career studying at TDC and she was one of TDC’s original Company Dancers! Kelsey also performed at such venues as Back to School Jam with Smooth Approach, CAVS halftime performances, WNBA Rockers inaugural season opener, Jr Jammers Dance Team for the Rockers, American Advertisers’ Association Convention, Beaute’ Craft Hair Show in Detroit, Tri-C Jazzfest, Nutcracker performances, Cleveland Botanical Gardens and more. Kelsey was also a choreographer / performer with Metamorphosis Dance Company, she worked on halftime performances for the Cleveland Browns with local high school cheerleaders, and she has choreographed for the Lake Erie Monsters Dance Team. She spent two years in Los Angeles as an undergraduate at Loyola Marymount University while also frequently visiting the Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood to attend master classes in jazz and hip hop taught by several of the top choreographers in the dance industry. Kelsey graduated from John Carroll University with a degree in business. She is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and she is the coach and choreographer of the Cleveland Cavaliers PowerHouse Dance Team! This is Kelsey’s 18th season as a TDC instructor.
Jennifer Glowe
Jennifer Glowe was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, where she studied dance, acrobatics, and theater/music. There, she performed in numerous regional & industrial shows including Miss Buffalo & Jr Miss Buffalo pageants. Along with coaching & choreography for cheerleading, she achieved awards including NCA All-American Cheerleader & dance scholarships. Jennifer then spent the next 7 years in Mexico, Canada, Europe, Australia & 47 U.S. states with various national & international tours, playing venues including NYC’s Madison Square Garden & Detroit’s Fox Theater. She toured with Sesame Street Live and Care Bears Live as an AEA performer, performance director & assistant director/choreographer. She has also appeared in performances & interviews on NBC’s Today Show, CNN, and Fox & Friends. Jennifer has performed & choreographed musical theater and other various events in the Cleveland/Akron area at venues such as the Paul Cassidy Theater, the Beck Center, Weathervane Playhouse, and Huntington Playhouse. This is her 16th year teaching at The Dance Centre where she is thrilled to be part of this incredible studio.
Emily Nester
Emily was a student at The Dance Centre for 12 years through her senior year, performing with TDC Company competition team for 8 years. Following her graduation from Magnificat High School, she attended Miami University where she graduated with a Marketing Degree. While attending college, Emily was a member of the Miami University Dance Team for 4 years. She competed at the collegiate level and was selected as the NDA All American Dancer! Emily is very versatile in her dance training, having assisted and guest taught many classes at TDC. She will be a 2nd year member of the TDC instructor team in the 2022-2023 season!
Sabrina Lindhout
Sabrina is originally from Mansfield, Ohio, where she began her dance journey with ballet at the age of 4. She was accepted as a member of the pre-professional program of Ashland Regional Ballet during her high school years. During this time, she also attended summer studies with Joffrey Midwest, Orlando Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, and after graduating high school, she was awarded a scholarship to study as a trainee with BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio. She moved to Cleveland in the fall of 2015 to dance with Verb Ballets as a guest artist, and was later asked to stay as a trainee for their 2016-17 season. As a trainee, Sabrina was given the opportunity to perform in multiple pieces by notable choreographers such as Antonio Brown, Heinz Poll, and Tommie-Waheed Evans. After graduating from Verb’s two-year program in the summer of 2018, Sabrina began training with Inlet Dance Theatre for their 2018-19 season. With Inlet, Sabrina has toured nationally for their premiere storybook piece, "What Do You Do With an Idea", based on the New York Times best selling children's book by Kobi Yamada, as well as performing the piece at Playhouse Square for their Children’s Series. Sabrina is going on her third year teaching at TDC, and this will be her second year directing TDC's Junior & Senior Ballet Ensemble Performance Groups.
Lieneke Matte
Lieneke Matte grew up in the Bronx and received her early training at Ballet Tech and the School of American Ballet. She then attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in New York City. Lieneke studied for a semester at the Western Australian Academy of the Performing Arts and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase College. There, she performed in works by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, Nicolo Fonte, Lar Lubovitch and Nicholas Villeneuve. Lieneke also received the President’s Award for the dance conservatory. Following graduation, she joined Verb Ballets, where she is currently in her eighth season. During her time with the company, she has performed in works by Adam Hougland, Anthony Krutzkamp, Heinz Poll, Charles Anderson, Lauren Edson, Antonio Brown, Tommy-Waheed Evans and Daniel Precup. Ms. Matte was also a dancer in the documentary, No Dominion: The Ian Horvath Story, created by PNB soloist Margaret Mullin. Lieneke has danced across the United States and abroad, having performed with Body EDT in Taiwan as well as ProDanza in Cuba. Lieneke is going on her third year teaching at TDC!
Becky Speicher
Becky Speicher grew up in Westlake and currently lives in Avon with her husband, Kyle, and their two young children. Becky started dancing as a student at The Dance Centre when she was five years old and is very proud to have danced there through high school graduation. She competed with TDC for eight years, was a class assistant, and taught classes at TDC for three years as well. Becky went to the University of Dayton for undergraduate school and John Carroll University for graduate school, earning her Masters in Education for School Counseling. She is going into her eighth year as a full time school counselor. During Becky's time at the University of Dayton, she performed with their Performing Arts School's Dance Ensemble. She also ran one of the largest student organizations, a student-led dance group called Life Itself Dance. Becky taught the tap, jazz, and contemporary classes for this group and coordinated all of the organization's performances. Most recently, Becky coached the Avon High School Dance Team for three years. Becky's daughter attends class at TDC and she has really enjoyed experiencing this great studio as a mother. Becky is extremely passionate about dance and is excited for the opportunity to return to The Dance Centre as a member of their faculty for the 2022-2023 season! She is looking forward to working with the students and families and helping her students gain confidence and passion, as well as dance technique!
McKenzie Beaverson
McKenzie Beaverson trained at Toledo Ballet under the direction of Lisa Mayer and Michael Lang. There she had the opportunity to work with professionals including Soili Arvola, Tricia Albertson, Olga Pavlova, and Renato Penteado. McKenzie is also a graduate of Toledo School for the Arts with a Dance Major Certificate. She has performed in Bolero with Verb Ballets, and work by Kora Radella, founder of the Boomerang Dance Company. McKenzie danced with The Dancing Wheels Company in 2016-2017 which was her first exposure to physically integrated dance (combining dancers with and without disabilities). She then worked with Atlanta’s own physically integrated dance company and founder of The Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, Full Radius Dance. McKenzie has also been an artist with Gotta Dance Contemporary, Dance Canvas, The Big Muddy Dance Company, and performed as a dancer for Maya Kodes at Georgia Institute of Technology. McKenzie is currently back in Northeast Ohio with The Dancing Wheels Company continuing her training and performing, as well as teaching students of all ages and abilities. She recently finished a tour to Leon, Mexico. McKenzie worked as a guest teacher at TDC this past season and will be joining the teaching team for the 2022-2023 season!
Cassidy Speicher
Cassidy is very proud to be a TDC Alum! She began dancing at the age of 4 and danced at The Dance Centre for 10 years, all the way through her senior year. Cassidy also served as a student teaching assistant for a number of years. She was a member of TDC’s competition team for 8 years, competing in a variety of dance styles. She also participated in dance conventions where she earned numerous scholarships throughout the years. Following graduation from Westlake High School, she attended The Ohio State University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She continued to dance throughout her time at OSU and was also a substitute teacher for TDC during her years at school. Cassidy has experience working with a variety of age groups and has taught classes in several dance styles. Today, Cassidy is a Registered Behavior Technician working with children with Autism at Building Blocks Therapy in Avon. She is extremely excited to be involved with the studio that she grew up at and can’t wait to be a member of TDC’s teaching team for the 2022-2023 season!
Ashley Cooper
Ashley Cooper is a dancer, aerialist, and personal trainer from Cleveland, Ohio. After dancing from the age of 2, Ashley trained in New York and Los Angeles at the AMDA College and Conservatory of the Arts and graduated in 2017. Following graduation, Ashley joined Norwegian Cruise Lines as a Production Dancer and Aerialist, traveling and dancing all over the world. Given the opportunities to work with international choreographers and training on both the East and West Coast, Ashley is trained in a wide variety of dance forms and acting techniques, as well as a NASM Personal Trainer and certified Acrobatic Arts Instructor. Having over 7 years of dance teaching experience Ashley has won various choreography awards and loves to tell stories through dance as well as helping her students grow, not only as dancers but kind, hardworking humans. Ashley is new to the Rocky River area, but you can find Ashley coaching at Orangetheory Rocky River, and may even be able to spot her in some commercials, such as Nike, Intel, and others. Ashley is thrilled to join TDC and start this new chapter in Rocky River!
TDC Support Team
Laurie Masters - Administrator
Laurie Masters, who is Miss Kayleigh's mother, retired from KeyBank in 2022 after 23 years with the company. She started in the marketing organization and worked her way up through the ranks to become the Chief Administrative Officer for Key's Commercial Bank. In that capacity, Laurie provided support for various strategic initiatives and business operations such as sales management, events, the management training program, compliance, marketing, communications, and other special projects.
Prior to Key, Laurie worked in various marketing roles for advertising agencies and business in Cleveland and Chicago.
Laurie graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. She is the proud mother and grandmother of four, including the newest addition to the family, Emerson James Misencik!
Drue Murman - Costuming
Drue Murman is proud to be a part of TDC for 25 years. Her formal education includes the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland State University and her MA from Case Western Reserve. Her freelance company, DBDdesignbydrue has been in existence for the last 35 years. Her career as an artist/designer and teacher, includes: ten years on the faculty of Virginia Marti College of Fashion, Art and Design; fine art; commercial design; stage and costume design. Local design credits include: Playhouse Square; Independent Films; The Dance Centre; North Coast Dance Collective; Metamorphosis Dance Co., and several community theaters. New York City: Playwrights Horizons / Peter J. Sharp theater; Soho Rep and Letea. New Orleans: Paper Crane and Pendulum and Le Pain. Her greatest artistic endeavors to date are her two very talented daughters, (also TDC alum), Meryl and Eryn.
Guest Teachers & Choreographers
Chelsea Michener
Chelsea started dancing at the age of 3 in Colorado. By the time she was 17 she was accepted to the Edge Performing Arts Center Scholarship Program in Los Angeles. She is well versed in tap, jazz, jazz funk, ballet, hip hop, lyrical, theatre, and contemporary. She has been seen on stage many times working for choreographers such as Tessandra Chavez, Malaya, Joelle Martinec, Sakinah LeStage, Adam Parson, Scott Hislop, and Tabitha and Napoleon D’Umo to name a few. Some of her previous work includes The Sing Off (Season 3), Cold Case, Dance Plug, the NAACP Awards, O’Spada, Alex Kogan, Heartour, El Capitan Theatre, Disneyland and Christina Grimmie. She has traveled to New Zealand, Sweden and Australia to assist some of the above choreographers. She is also a member of Commonality Dance Company under the direction of Adam Parson. You can catch her class on Phoenix Dance Convention in New Zealand, at OneDanceEpic In- Studio Workshops all over the U.S. She also taught at the world renowned Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles until it closed in 2021. Chelsea now teaches at DanceLine in L.A.
Jimmy Locust
Jimmy Locus has shared his talents internationally, working with superstars Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Quincy Jones and Debbie Allen. He has appeared in music videos and films and has performed at the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. Mr. Locust was one of the head choreographers for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics and was nominated for an American Choreography Award in 2001 for his work on Warner Brothers’ show Nikki. Locust worked on the Justin Bieber Tour in 2010 and recently as choreographer for the CW T.V. Network’s The Next with hosts John Rich, Joe Jonas, Nelly and Gloria Estefan. Locally, Jimmy choreographed for the Stamford Symphony's Gala and Concert in 2011 and designed and wrote dance education curricula for Domus, Chester-Addision Community Center and the Stamford Family YMCA. Locust has been a studio owner, master teacher and choreographer in the Fairfield County area since 2003. He is also Founder and Director of Harmony Nation (formerly known as No Hate but Harmony), an anti-bullying educational program that performs at area schools. Locust’s multi-faceted lifestyle is chronicled in the reality show Locust Under 5’. Jimmy’s most recent project is as co-Creative Director/Choreographer for Taja Sevelle’s upcoming music video Little Diva, which is being shot in New York City.
Gev Manoukian
Born into a family of professional figure skaters, Gev has a natural ability for performing. After learning to skate himself, he discovered a new passion for dance. He began dancing at the age of 16 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His professional dance career began when he was cast as a featured dancer in “High School Musical 2”. He then became a principal dancer in the movie “American Mall”. In 2008 Gev was one of the finalists on the Fox reality hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance”, where he was one of the top 10 dancers.
Gev’s versatility has given him the opportunity to travel all over the world choreographing, teaching and performing. He has worked with various artists, such as Whitney Houston, Ludacris, Ellen Degeneres and LeAnn Rhymes to name a few. Gev can also be seen in National commercials, music videos, Nickelodeon’s “Fresh Beat Band”, “Big Time Rush”, ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars”, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”, and AMA with Pink.
TDC has brought Gev to TDC to teach and choreograph since 2012!
Blake Angier
Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Blake Angier went on to train extensively on scholarship with the Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, California. He has worked with artists such as Beyonce, Rihanna, Ricky Martin, Miley Cyrus as “Hanna Montana” and Latin superstar, Chayanne. You may have seen Blake as a dancer for the Apple Ipod campaign, Old Navy, Cingular Wireless and as a feature on “Bring It On – All or Nothing”. He has been a guest choreographer and Master Class teacher for conventions across the USA, Canada, New Zealand and the Congreso Internacional de Danza in Mexico. You may have also seen Blake in the original “So You Think You Can Dance” ad campaign. Blake currently owns “Dance Barre”, the largest dance studio in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Training dancers on a daily basis, he knows the importance of great class structure. His goal is not only to inspire and motivate each dancer, but to challenge and educate as well. Blake's hope is that each dancer will leave his classes excited and ready to get back into the classroom for more!
In Memory of Gregg Russell
Gregg was an Emmy nominated choreographer and worked with such stars as: Bette Midler, Gene Kelly, The Nicholas Brothers, Michael Jackson, Gregory Hines, and Kenny Ortega. He directed a commercial for Carvel Ice Cream, and also performed with numerous music artists: Reba McEntire, Sugar Ray, The B-52‘s, Jason Mraz. Gregg danced in a Volkswagon national commercial portraying Donald O’conner, and performed on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars." He was also featured and choreographed on the TV shows “Mobbed," “America’s Got Talent," and “Live to Dance” hosted by Paula Abdul. He tapped at Madison Square Garden’s home opener for the New York Knicks, choreographed for Derek and Julianne Hough on their “Move” live tour, and danced on the 2014 Latin Grammy Awards. Gregg also hosted and produced “Tap Into the Network” intensives, channeling 10 different cities throughout the U.S. (TDC being one of the locations); directed his tap company Tap Sounds Underground into their 16th season; and traveled with ASH and Hollywood Dance Jamz conventions. Sadly, Gregg passed away in 2020, but his legacy lives on as a passionate, energetic, and memorable master teacher.
Drew Burgess
An Ohio native, Drew Burgess made his industry debut on Live with Regis during Amazing Kids Week. Upon relocating to California, he trained at L.A.’s best studios including EDGE, Millennium, Fusion, and the PAC Annex. Drew is highly sought after as a performer, choreographer, master teacher, dance supervisor & dance captain. He has also been a guest teacher at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood. Drew judges Regional, National & International competitions for NexStar, Headliners, American Dance Awards, Dance Masters of America, & Dance Educators of America. A former competitor himself, Drew’s titles include Jr. Mr. Dance of America 2002 & Mr. Dance of America 2007. Drew is certified by test to teach Ballet, Tap, Jazz, & Acrobatics through DMA & DEA. Drew’s passion for dance circles the globe with master classes, performances, & choreography year-round. His corporate and live entertainment credits include: GMC, Nestlé, Reebok, CitiGroup, Toyota, & American Greetings with Taylor Swift. Drew’s students have accolades including: Teen Miss Dance of Arizona, Male Dancer of the Year, Miss Dance of Ohio, Mr. Dance of Ohio, & Mr. Dance of America. His national choreography merits include the Sherry Gold Memorial Choreography Award at DMA & Best Group Choreography at NexStar. Drew also tours worldwide with Rasta Thomas’ Bad Boys of Dance.
Angela Carter
Angela is an award-winning choreographer, studio owner and highly sought out master teacher. She travels all over the world choreographing, dancing and teaching. Angela is the owner of Tap’d Out Studio, a private rental dance, fitness and event space in Los Angeles, Ca. She is on staff with Hollywood Vibe Convention, and a Co-Director of Tap Into the Network, along with Ryan Lohoff. She has also worked for various conventions, studios and organizations (Dance Challenge – Guatemala, CoDance, Metropolitan School of the Arts, N-House Dance Productions, 3D Dance Network, Dance Olympus, Dance Masters of America, VIP National Competition, etc.). She has performed and choreographed for opening acts for artists such as Mary J. Blige. Her tap sounds were used in Disney’s Princess and the Frog and Al Gilbert’s Grade 9 Technique. She has been featured in many live shows, short films, and can be seen in commercials for Carvel Ice Cream. She can be seen in music videos for Brittany Murphy. Angela has choreographed and performed for the Miss Kansas Pageant, Choreographers Carnival, LA Tap Festival, Motor City Tap Festival and Tri-Tappin’ Festival. She has also worked with Tyce D’iorio on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, and performed on Mobbed with Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo on FOX! Angela has choreographed for and performed with many professional Los Angeles companies including Tapsounds Underground, the LaLas, and Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies. She has also worked as an award winning company director at Dance Connection Performing Arts Center in Concord, CA.
Ryan Lohoff
Ryan is a master tap instructor and national award winning choreographer. He has trained in tap for 30+ years and has developed a style of his own that is unique and exciting to watch. He is currently on faculty with HollywoodVibe Conventions touring & instructing thousands of students nationwide.
Ryan is co-director of Tap Into The Network intensives along with Angela Carter. Additionally, Ryan and his wife Brigid Lohoff have been owners and directors of Simi Dance Center in Southern California since 2012. Recently, Ryan became founder, choreographer and director of a professional tap dance company based out of Los Angeles called Rithem Dance Company. With this company, Ryan further expands his talents and skills by directing and creating tap choreography for film.
Some of Ryan's industry credits include: being a finalist on "Live to Dance" with Paula Abdul, FOX's "30 Seconds to Fame", "Mobbed" with Howie Mandell, Disney's "The Princess and The Frog", "Star Search" with Arsenio Hall, industrials for Adidas and Nike, Carvel Ice Cream, an alumni and founding member of Gregg Russell's Tap Sounds Underground, the Buddy Epson Tribute Show in Los Angeles, Tampa Bay Tap Festival, the Jerry Lewis Telethon in Las Vegas, and performing at Broadway Dance Center in New York.
Ryan is also creator and CEO of Neo Rythmo, Inc., a designer tap manufacturing company. Using his Bachelors in VisualCommunication, he has designed the worlds FIRST and ONLY color taps.
Liz Imperio
Liz Imperio has established herself as a major director and choreographer in the entertainment industry. Some of her credits include the staging and choreography for Jennifer Lopez’s most recent world tour Dance Again; director/choreographer of Gloria Estefan’s last 3 world concert tours; and two world tours for Madonna – the Re-invention Tour and the Confessions Tour.
A proud Cuban-American, Liz was born and raised in Hollywood, California. Her work caught the eye of famed choreographer Kenny Ortega at a young age. Liz Became Kenny’s Associate Choreographer for 6 years before breaking out on her own. Her credits make her one of the most sought after choreographers in the business, including most recently: The 10th Anniversary opening performance for Premio Juventud featuring Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull; multiple episodes for Dancing With The Stars featuring Sheila E. and Corbin Bleu; American Idol; The Latin Grammys (last 3 years); American Music Awards featuring Cher; United We Stand with Michael Jackson; ABC’s 50th Anniversary Celebration; Disney Channel’s Gotta Kick It Up; James L. Brook’s feature film Spanglish, CBS TV series Dirty Dancing and commercials for Jack In The Box, L'oreal, and Sheba Cat Commercial featuring Eva Longoria amongst many others.
Liz was recently named Honorary Artistic Director and was commissioned to set new works to celebrate Giordano's Jazz Dance Chicago celebrating their 50th Anniversary. La Bellaza de Cuba premiered to rave reviews this past spring and has been touring throughout Europe this summer. Liz is also known for her masterful skills as a motivator and master teacher of dance throughout the world; K-Broadway from Japan; Dance Life Studio in Stockholm, Sweden; Harmonic Studios in Paris, France among many others.
Liz has been teaching on the convention circuits for over 24 years including; West Coast Dance Explosion; Tremaine Dance Convention; Co. Dance; Break the Floor Productions; Liz is currently Artistic Director for Hollywood Vibe Dance Convention as well as numerous European companies from Italy to England. Liz Imperio is very proud to be a partner and founder of her own Los Angeles-based production company Liz Imperio Productions.
Eryn Murman
Eryn Murman is a TDC alumna and one of the original TDC Company Dancers. Eryn is a musical theater performance graduate of Sheridan College in Toronto where she was able to study classical and contemporary acting, perform her own cabaret, write music, choreograph dance/ theater pieces and perform a variety of roles, including, Anita in West Side Story and Celia in As You Like It. Upon graduation, she was the recipient of its prestigious "Triple Threat Award".
Following graduation, Eryn moved to NYC and began auditioning. Within a month, she landed the part of Anna in the Tony award winning musical Spring Awakening on Broadway. During her 18 month stay, she performed every female part in the show numerous times, including the lead, Wendla, and became Springs' Dance Captain.
Eryn staged her own New York production "Caught in the Threshold" at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater on theater row. The production was conceived, directed and choreographed by Eryn, with proceeds benefiting Invisible Children, Inc. Later that year she returned to Spring Awakening at the San Jose Rep Theater. It was exciting and inspiring to play Wendla in a new interpretation, and work with director Rick Lombardo and choreographer Sonya Tayeh from So You Think You Can Dance. This San Jose Rep production received 11 nominations from the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, including best actress in a leading role. She returned to San Jose Rep last Christmas to play Gerda in the World Premiere of "The Snow Queen" a new pop-rock musical. It was a wonderful opportunity to be part of a new work from the beginning and help create and develop her character. The Snow Queen had its New York premiere this summer at The New York Music Theater Festival.
In this last couple years, Eryn has become a singer/songwriter and has performed throughout the city with her band 5j Barrow. Recently they were chosen as the "Number 1" band in Manhattan by winning the Battle of the Boroughs at The Greene Space sponsored by WNYC and then went on to win the Ultimate Battle of the Boroughs taking the title of the Best Band in NYC!
Meryl Murman
Meryl Murman is a TDC alumna and one of TDC Company's original dancers. She is a New Orleans based interdisciplinary artist creating dance, film and performance since 2004. Her work has been seen in NYC, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Cleveland, Bangor, and Austin. Internationally she has been blessed with the opportunity to create and collaborate with artists in Johannesburg South Africa. Recently, her dance film, le Pain, had its world premier in the south of France, and it's UK premier at East End Film Festival in London. In New Orleans she co-founded Broken Wings Productions, a production company dedicated to creating dance film, and was the recipient of a year-long choreographic residency at Dancing Grounds. Murman received her BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and her MFA in Choreography and Integrated Media at California Institute for the Arts.
Tabitha & Napoleon D'umo
Tabitha and Napoleon are Emmy Award-winning married choreographers who are often credited with developing lyrical hip-hop. They are best known for their choreography on the television show So You Think You Can Dance and for being supervising choreographers and executive producers of America's Best Dance Crew. They own Nappytabs urban dancewear and have been working in the dance industry since 1996.
Their work was introduced to mainstream audiences in 2008 when they became supervising choreographers on America's Best Dance Crew and resident choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance. It was on the later show that their lyrical hip-hop choreography style gained exposure. The pair's career progressed to providing creative direction for tours and live events, where they worked with Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Celine Dion, and Jennifer Lopez. They continued to develop their dancewear line by breaking out of its previously online-only presence and opening a physical store location in 2010.
From television and concerts, their move into theater occurred gradually. In 2010, they directed the JabbaWockeeZ's MÜS.I.C. stage show and began to work with Cirque du Soleil; they choreographed Viva Elvis and were contributing choreographers for Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. In 2012, they continued to establish themselves in television as choreographers for Madonna's Super Bowl halftime performance. They also choreographed several music videos including two for K-pop artists TVXQ and BoA.
Aside from their choreography, creative direction, and dancewear line, Tabitha and Napoleon continue to teach hip-hop classes on the convention circuit. They have also been involved with charity work for organizations that support the arts.
Sarah Reich
Sarah Reich (Performer, Choreographer, Instructor) has emerged as one of the new leaders in the Art Form of Tap Dance. At the young age of 15, this Los Angeles native was featured in Dance Spirit Magazine’s article, “20 Hot Tappers Under 20” and was named one of the “25 To Watch” in the 2009 Dance Magazine article. Ever since, Sarah has been sought after to perform, choreograph, and teach in over 40 countries.
Sarah is currently on tour with Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox as the featured tap dancer. Previously she was seen on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance with Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies. With her own company, Tap Music Project, she has choreographed and performed at the Ford Amphitheatre, UCLA’s JazzReggae Festival, Blue Whale, and the LA County Holiday Celebration. Sarah was also a performer at Madison Square Garden for the opening of the NY Knicks 2013-2014 season.
In addition to her vast international travels and countless television appearances, Sarah has had the honor to perform at some of the most prestigious venues back home in Los Angeles such as The Hollywood Bowl, the Ford Amphitheatre, the Greek Theater with Mexican Pop-Star, Cristian Castro and the Kodak Theater with the great Herbie Hancock.
Sarah is developing new exciting works with her company, Tap Music Project and Sole Sisters – a collaboration with Melinda Sullivan. Sarah produces a weekly class/tap jam for the Los Angeles tap community, Monday Night Tap Experience.
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About TDC
For over three decades, The Dance Centre has provided the highest quality dance education, impacting thousands of students in Northeast Ohio. Through top-notch & age-appropriate instruction, a supportive and positive community, and versatile programming, TDC cultivates long term development of character and wellness that encourages dancers to grow in discipline, self-motivation, leadership, teamwork, and confidence!
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