Lindsay Thomas
Owner
Lindsay is so excited for her first year of owning the studio! Lindsay completed 11 years of dance at The Dance Centre’ where she danced in jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, tumbling, and lyrical. She also was a member of the competition team for 5 years. Lindsay studied dance at The University of Akron, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance with a Business Cognate. She studied jazz, tap, ballet, modern, and choreography classes. She had the opportunity to work with many dance companies that traveled on tour. After college, Lindsay joined a modern dance company called SMAG Dance Collective based out of Dayton, Ohio and took classes from the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Lindsay then performed with the Walt Disney Company in Orlando, Florida. After that, she continued to teach dance classes in the Akron\Cleveland area and Marysville area as well. She has attended Dance Teacher Summit in Long Beach, CA., Hollywood Vibe and several other conventions. Lindsay has continued her passion of teaching and spreading her knowledge of dance with the Dance Centre’ for the past 10 years. While Lindsay continues to teach dance, she now is certified and teaches Yoga and Barre Intensity Fitness classes.
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Maeva Naylor & Pamela Houston
Founders of TDC
During their years of teaching, Maeva & Pamela have not only inspired thousands of dance students, but they have also influenced and inspired their staff to continue their legacy for the love of dance.
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Debra Schlenker
Business Manager & Instructor
Deb has been teaching at the Dance Centre’ for 38 years. She was a competitive gymnast for 8 years through grade school and high school and was a student at her mother’s studio Maeva’s School of Dance for 15 years. While in college at The University of South Carolina Deb coached gymnastics at Carolina Gymnastics Center for a year and a half. After graduation, Deb moved back to Wapak to work with her mother, Maeva in the studio. Deb was instrumental in the addition of the Dance 1 program and starting the competition team and tumbling programs. Deb has studied dance with Hoctor's Dance Caravan, Dance Olympus, Tremaine Dance Convention, Al Gilbert Musicworks, and LA Dance Magic. Deb also studied dance in California at Joe Tremaine Dance studio studying all forms of dance as well as Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Deb has also attended Dance teachers training at Western Kentucky University and Dance Teacher Summit. Deb trained with Patti Komara and the Tumble bear program. She has also participated in a studio director program in San Francisco as well as New York. Deb is also a certified Acrobatic Art Instructor. Deb has a true love for the Dance Centre’, its parents and students!
Michele Wolke
Instructor
Michele has had the privilege of teaching dance for the past 34 years. She directs our competitive team and teaches tap, jazz and lyrical classes. She has studied extensively across the country including The Edge in Los Angeles and Broadway Dance Center in New York. Her love of dance has inspired her to teach and choreograph and her students have experienced success on all levels. Her love of the competitive dance field and dedication to teaching has won her numerous choreography awards.
Mary Beth Webb
Secretary
A former Maeva Naylor Dancer, Mary Beth returned to the studio and has been our secretary at the Dance
Centre’ for 29 years. She keeps our office and staff well organized and manages our lobby area. Her creativity and hard work is displayed with the designing of many props and her assistance with many costumes for our
recitals. Mary Beth is also our master coordinator in our Petite Show as well as making sure all our dancers are taken care of, getting their costumes changed quickly and back on stage in record time.
Amber Ridenour
Instructor
Amber has 14 years of dance experience from M/Dance Centre’ and has been teaching for 20 years at The Dance Centre’. She teaches the little ones from Dance 1 to Dance Fusion. She loves to watch them grow and be so proud of themselves when they have mastered something new. Amber also instructs our Mini and Petite Dance Company teams. Amber attended Ohio State University graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Doctor of Pharmacy. While at OSU she enjoyed taking dance classes. Amber has studied with Nuvo, Hollywood Vibe, as well as attended the Dance Teacher Summit in Long Beach, CA.
Cassie Bryan
Instructor
Cassie has worked at the Dance Centre for 18 years. She has a background in dance, cheer, show choir, and
gymnastics. She teaches hip hop to all ages of students. Cassie started the hip hop competitive team and hopes to continue competing. She has had the pleasure of working with Barry Youngblood, Matt Steffanina, loves
attending Monsters of Hip Hop Dance workshops and choreographing musicals. She loves attending
conventions and classes every chance she gets. Cassie also works at Amanda Animal Hospital as a vet tech.
assistant when she is not dancing.
Kelly Hawk
Instructor & Administrative Assistant
Kelly danced for M/Dance and The Dance Centre’ for 15 years before becoming a teacher at the studio.
She has been teaching at The Dance Centre' for 17 years. She specializes in teaching tumbling. She also loves working with our younger students in our Terrific Two’s, Dance 1 & our Petite Academy program. She has had the opportunity to train with Patti Komara and the Tumble Bear programs, with the Al Gilbert Music Works and is a certified Acrobatic Arts Instructor. Kelly works in our office during day time hours.
Amanda Fisher
Instructor
Amanda has been dancing at the Dance Centre’ since the age of three. She shares her expertise training in The Dance Centre’s tumbling classes. She has assisted and taught for 15 years in tumbling and hip hop and now specializes in the instruction of our tumbling classes.
Kerry Stedke
Instructor
Kerry is our ballet director and has been a ballet instructor at The Dance Centre’ for 15 years. She danced at M\ Dance Center for 16 years and was in dance company for 7 of those years. While in college at ONU she minored in dance with a ballet emphasis. She has studied and performed with James Sewell Ballet, Julie Cartier, Steve Zee, African American Dance Ensemble, Tom and Susana Evert, and Ronan Koresh. Kerry recently went back to ONU and performed in the Choreographers Showcase with fellow alumni. Kerry enjoys sharing her love of ballet with her students.
Susan Blatz
Instructor
Susan was a dance student with Pamela Houston Dance Studio for 10 years before becoming an assistant with Pam and then teaching her own classes for 7 years. After taking a break to raise her family, Susan returned to be one of our classroom assistants and for the past 10 years has taught at the Dance Centre’. She has been honored to get to teach and make an impact on these young lives.
Richelle Foster
Instructor
Richelle danced at The Dance Centre’ for fifteen years and was a member of the competition team for nine years. She attended Bowling Green State University where she majored in Dance and was a member of the dance team. After college, Richelle returned to pursue a career as a teacher at The Dance Centre’, which was always her dream. Throughout college and her time at TDC, she has had the opportunity to attend numerous workshops and study under various choreographers to further her education in dance. Richelle teaches ballet, jazz, lyrical, jazz/hip hop, Dance 1, and Terrific Two’s classes. This is her 11th year teaching and sharing her love and passion for dance here at The Dance Centre’.
Chandra Zink
Instructor
Chandra studied dance at the University of Akron and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts Degree. She has studied with various artists throughout her career, such as David Parsons (Parsons Dance), Hernando Cortez (The Verb Ballet), The Doug Varone and Friends Company, Lana Carroll Heylock (Jennifer Muller/The Works Dance Company), Tom Smith (Martha Graham Dance Company), Mary Ann Black, Nick Carlisle (Tom Everett Dance Company), Cydney Spohn (Pennsylvania Ballet), and Christina Foisie (Cincinnati Ballet Company), She has also attended multiple collegiate dance conferences as well as Dance Teacher Summit. Chandra has been teaching dance for 9 years. Outside of Dance, she has choreographed musicals, pageants and has obtained multiple fitness certifications. Outside of dance, she has multiple fitness certifications.
Taylor Kuehl
Instructor
Taylor has returned for her 6th year of teaching along with many years of assisting at TDC. She teaches Petite and Mini Company, Hip Hop Flip Flop, Jazz Hip Hop and our Competition Cheer teams. Taylor was a student at The Dance Centre for 15 years, 10 of which she also danced on the competition team. As a student at The Dance Centre, she studied jazz, tap, ballet, and lyrical. In 2022, Taylor received her law degree from Ohio Northern University. She truly loves sharing her love of dance with students of all ages just as her teachers did with her at TDC.
Lauren Drake
Instructor
Lauren danced at the Dance Centre for 15 years, four of which were spent on the competition team. This is her 5th year as an assistant and first year as a tumbling instructor. She loves watching all of the students grow. She loves their energy and dedication to dance. Lauren has a Bachelors of Science in Accounting. She attended the University of Northwestern Ohio.
Olivia Place
Instructor
Olivia danced at The Dance Centré for 17 years, ten of which were spent on the competition team. While she was a student, she studied tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, hip hop, and tumbling and attended numerous dance conventions including Nuvo and Hollywood Vibe. Olivia is currently studying at The Ohio State University in Lima majoring in Early Childhood Education. Olivia is enjoying her 3rd teaching as an assistant and especially loves coming to dance every week and seeing the dancer’s smiling faces and their excitement to learn.
Sydney Stauffer
Assistant
Sydney has been a part of the TDC teaching team for 3 years. She studied lyrical, jazz, hip hop, tumbling, tap, and ballet at The Dance Centre for 13 years. She has her Associate Degree in Childhood Development from Apollo Career Center. Sydney assisted in dance classrooms during high school. She loves seeing the children progress during the year and enjoys coming to class.
Alexis Tester
Instructor
Alexis graduated from Ball State University with a major in Applied Behavior Analysis and a minor in Speech Pathology/Audiology. She currently works as the Director of childcare at New Bremen YMCA.. Alexis danced for 12 years at The Dance Centre, and was on the competition team for 11 years. While
attending college she danced in a group called Rhythms Dance Troupe for 4 years. This will be her 4th year of teaching at The Dance Centre.
Courtney Raines
Instructor
Courtney is in her 2nd year of teaching at The Dance Centre’. She began her dance career at the age 3 1/2. She danced at Steppin Out Dance Center in Elida for 11 years. She then went on to dance at State of the Arts Dance Center for 3 years. Upon graduating high school she had studied ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap and contemporary. After graduation, she assisted at the Arts Center. She later went on to teach dance at PSD Stars by Erin for 2 years. She studied at Rhodes State College and the University of Cincinnati where she received her associates degree in Early Childhood Education. Her favorite style of dance is lyrical and she teaches and assist with our petite classes and terrific twos. Courtney currently teaches Pre-School and is the Children’s Ministry Director at her church.
Lydia Cottrell
Instructor / Assistant
This is Lydia’s first year as part of the TDC teaching team. She has studied jazz, hip hop, lyrical, tap, and ballet during her 16 years as a Dance Centre student.. She was also an eleven year competitive dancer. Lydia is currently attending college at Wright State Lake Campus for Business.
Dylon Webb
Instructor
Dylon took tumbling at TDC for 5 years while in Jr High. He ran track & cross country and was also on the dive team. He attended the University of Findlay where he was on the Dive team and was also on the UF competitive Cheer Team for 1 year. He worked at Gold Medal gymnastics in Findlay and has worked with many young tumblers over the years to perfect their skills. While at UF he earned his Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Dylon is currently a teacher at St. Charles Borromeo in Lima teaching K-8 physical education. We are so excited to have him bring his skills and education here to TDC.
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Darcy Gee
Assistant
Darcy has been as assistant at The Dance Centre’ for 18 years. She is a former Dance Centre’ student where she studied tap, jazz and ballet. She enjoys sharing the love of dance with her young students and watching them grow. Darcy also teaches first grade at Shawnee Elementary School.
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Haven Swink
Assistant
Haven is a former Dance Centre’ student for 14 years where she competed for 10 of those years. She has studied tap, jazz, lyrical, tumbling contemporary hip hop and ballet. Haven danced on the Bowling Green State
University dance team and is now finishing her degree of Early Childhood Education at Ohio State
University. She also coaches cheer for Wapakoneta Middle School. Haven has returned to the Dance Centre’ to teach and share her love of dance to our students.
Kalia Schlenker
Assistant
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Alexa Mason
Assistant
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