OUR
INSTRUCTORS
The DDC faculty members come from backgrounds including professional performance, college education and several years of teaching experience. In addition to great instruction, it is important for us to also provide positive, caring role-models for our students.
ELIZABETH
KELLER
After investing her childhood training in dance in her hometown of Toledo, Elizabeth (Lisa) continued her studies at Eastern Michigan University (ballet focus) and The Ohio State University with a (modern techniques and choreography). As a touring instructor with MA Dance (Plano, TX) and a freelance choreographer, she has taught and choreographed for dancers in over 30 cities across the United States. She performs locally with New Vision Dance Company, and occasionally serves as a dance competition judge and adjudicator.
Having suffered an injury that took away her ability to dance on a full-time professional level, injury prevention for dancers has become a main focus in Lisa's teaching. She is a Balanced Body certified Pilates instructor, and utilizes her knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology in effort to teach proper movement techniques and activate the correct muscles--all of which will help prevent injuries in her students. Lisa is also a certified Progressing Ballet Technique Instructor.
In addition to dance, Lisa holds a degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Toledo.
KATIE
HANIGAN HUGES
Katie Hanigan Hughes started her training at the age of 5 at the School of Cleveland Ballet under the tutelage of Gladissa Guadalupe, Ellen Costanza and Dennis Nahat. There she found her passion for ballet, as well as all dance forms. While in the pre professional division, Miss Katie performed alongside the Cleveland Ballet in numerous productions. During these early years, she also attended many prestigious programs on scholarship around the United States; including Ballet Met, Virginia School of the Arts, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Washington Ballet. This afforded her the opportunity of studying under tutelage of some of the greatest dancers, such as Melissa Hayden, Violette Verde and Petrus Bosman. Upon graduation, Miss Katie then joined Butler Ballet at Butler University and then went on to finish her education at The a Ohio State University and graduated in German Linguistics and Dance.
Shortly after graduation, Miss Katie joined the staff of Columbus Youth Ballet and soon became the Artistic Director of the Ballet program. There she choreographed and restaged many ballets such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle and Coppelia. She also has a great passion for choreographing contemporary ballet as well as coaching for Youth American Grand Prix. She teaches Ballet technique, Pointe, Variations, Pas de Deux, Character and does private coaching.Miss Katie has a passion for teaching as well as performing. Some of her favorite roles have been Violente Fairy from Sleeping Beauty and Sugar Plum Fairy and Spanish from The Nutcracker.In addition to ballet, Miss Katie enjoys teaching Zumba. She has been teaching this form since 2007 and has even taken classes from the creator Beto Perez!
Brittney
Boyer
Brittney began taking dance classes when she was just four years old at Avante Gymnastics and Dance. She started dancing competitively at the age of 8. Her tap solos earned her the titles of Junior Miss Dance in both Indiana and Ohio. Brittney trained privately with and performed choreography by Mark Santora and Charles Kelley of Broadway Dance Center. As a young dancer, she danced the role of Clara in The Ballet Academy's premier production of The Nutcracker (Newark, OH). She is a very well-rounded dancer, having studied: tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, clogging, acrobatics, and Irish step dance.
Brittney is also a very gifted choreographer, having won her first award at the age of 14 with an Irish step solo. Since then her innovative and entertaining choreography has won numerous awards in several regional competitions each season. With 10 years of teaching experience, Brittney has also proven herself to be a very effective instructor, coaching her students to many accomplishments.
In addition to her dance experience, she holds a degree in business with an emphasis on marketing and sales.
TREZON
DANCY
Trezon Dancy a native from Hartford, Connecticut is a Choreographer, Performing Artist, and Educator. Dancy has worked with various artist through his life such as Travis Gatling, Kim Stroud, Nathan Andary, Earl Mosley, Ronald k. Brown, Kyle Abraham (A.I.M. Dancers) and many others.
Dancy graduated High School from Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts in Hartford, Connecticut. Dancy also received his Bachelor degree, Dance: Performance and Choreography at Ohio University in 2017.
Upon Graduation Dancy accepted a First Company position with the world-renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. During college, he began to explore his choreographic mind, methods, and theories. As a choreographer, Dancy works evokes emotions and aims to connect audiences by guiding them through genuine and visceral movement, inspired by familiar life and human obstacles. For Dancy, the creative process starts with remembered experiences. Those memories serve as an archive to activate the creating thought. Though the work is abstract, the viewer is encouraged to develop his own interpretation, and find personal life connections visually, physically and spiritually.
During college, he began to explore his choreographic mind, methods, and theories. His dance works have been presented at OhioDance Festival at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio (2015), Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Harford, Connecticut (2015 - 2017), Battery Dance Festival, New York, New York (2017), West Fest Dance Festival at Martha Graham Dance Studio, New York, New York (2017), American College Dance Association, Kent, Ohio (2017), Project Jericho, Springfield, Ohio (2018) and his recent creation “Abandoned Tales” is selected to showcase at the 31st Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance, Dayton, Ohio (2019).
CAMERON
STUART
Cameron "Flash" Stuart started dancing in 2008, inspired by YouTube videos and DVDs. After developing a strong foundation, he joined a local dance crew called TWS Krew (Together We Stand) in Dayton, OH. He continued to strengthen his love in hip hop and skill with his comrades. He studied krump, popping, & breaking.
Cameron took his talents to various companies, studios, and organizations. He has performed with various artists and companies including John Legend, Erica Campbell, Tedashii, Andy Mineo, and UniverSoul Circus, and much more!
He has developed a fluency in creating choreography of various styles. Of course, he favors hip hop. Cameron is the founder and director of Street Angelz Dance Crew which was nominated for Kingdom Image Awards 2017.