Owner, director, teacher and founder of A Leap Above Dance, Miss Natalie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from UW-Stevens Point, 29 years of dancing experience and 14 years of teaching experience. She was featured in Dance Teacher Magazine in 2005, 2008, and in 2011. She is currently a member of Madison Contemporary Vision Dance Company and the Dane County Hawk’s Dance Team. Other performance experiences include dancing with UWSP, Wisconsin Dance Ensemble, MATC, UW-Stevens Point’s Players, UW-Madison’s Optima. Natalie has choreographed for Oregon Straw Hat Players, The Madison Strollers, Evansville Community Theater, Evansville and Oregon High School Poms teams, and all ALAD performances since it was founded in 2001. Her musical choreographic works include Godspell, Big (The Musical), Lucky Stiff, Music Man, and the Wizard of Oz. Miss Natalie won choreography awards in 2003 and 2005 from the Applause Talent Presentation and in 2008 from I love Dance Presentations. Other experiences include dancing in a Veridian Homes commercial and appearing in a local independent film. When she is not at the studio she is spending time with her husband, Chuck and twin 1 year olds, Lacy and Summer. Miss Natalie runs A Leap Above Dance with the mission “To teach the art of dance in a fun and friendly atmosphere.”
Miss Nicole brings 15 years of dance experience and 3 years of teaching experience with her to A Leap Above Dance. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Arts Administration and Dance from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She danced in several productions at Viterbo and was a featured dancer and choreographer for Platinum Edition, the school’s nationally renowned show choir. Miss Nicole has choreographed for a number of musicals, including Annie, Seussical, and Footloose. She is currently working with Madison Contemporary Vision Dance Company. In her spare time, she enjoys choreographing, spending time with her husband, shopping, and watching Food Network. Her personal teaching philosophy is “Each one, teach one. Let your light shine. Walk the talk.”
Miss Emily began dancing at age five with Betty Hayes School of Dance, which will be celebrating its 65th year this fall. She took private tap lessons from Betty and performed solos throughout high school. She taught tap there for three years. Miss Emily’s training includes tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical and some contemporary. She continues to take calss to be challenged and to improve. Emily is a Mathematics Major and plans to graduate from UW Madison in May. She recently got engaged and is excitedly planning her wedding for August 2011. Emily enjoys running, yoga, reading, writing and doing anything crafty. Her teaching philosophy can be summed up by the Native American proverb: “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may not remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.” She is very excited to work with her students.
Miss Whitney started dancing at five years old. She was a member of her high school’s poms team and participated in many competitions with ALAD. After high school, Miss Whitney attended UW Whitewater where she worked towards a dance minor and was a member of the dance team. Whitney moved back to the Madison area, and she is now majoring in Marketing at MATC. She has experience in ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, poms, hip hop, and pointe. She was a finalist in the So You Think You Can Dance – Madison competition. Miss Whitney enjoys eating, shopping, and being with friends. She believes you should never stop dancing.
Miss Jenna began dancing at the age of four in Rochester, MN. She took ballet, jazz, and lyrical dance lessons with the Janet Lang Dance Studio for fourteen years. Jenna was on her high school dance team for four years, serving as the team captain her senior year. She was also a member of the Children’s Dance Theater for seven years performing in the roles of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Simba in The Lion King. Jenna continued her dance training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving her certificate in dance and choreographing for the student organization OPTIMA. Jenna has been choreographing and teaching dance for last 10 years. Jenna works at Edgewood College as an advisor, and in her spare time she is a huge Badger football and hockey fan. Jenna also is currently working on her master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education. She feels that her dance instructors were some of the biggest influences in developing confidence, discipline, and a sense of accomplishment. She strives to bring these values to her students and encourages using dance as a mental, physical, and emotional outlet in at least some way for the rest of their lives.
We will have Miss Corinne's bio up soon!
Before becoming an instructor at A Leap Above Dance, Miss Sue earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from the University of Colorado – Boulder. She went on to receiver her Master of Sciences in Nutrition and Food Science from Purdue University in Indiana. While there, she was a member of the Purdue University Repertory Dance Company. She also got her certificate in Women’s Studies. Now married with two children, both of whom also dance, Miss Sue keeps herself busy with cooking, traveling, and working as a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the VA Hospital in Madison. Miss Sue will tell you that she is a feminist dancer who says you should enjoy a variety of foods. She feels that the idea of dance class is to have fun. That’s why she believes that “it is impossible to be sad and tap dance at the same time.”
Miss Abigail’s experience includes 15 years of ballet study and four years of teaching experience in the Madison area. She received a Dance Minor from Belhaven College and was a company member of the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center for five years. She has danced in several productions, including TheNutcracker, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppelia, Swan Lake, Carnival of the Animals, Bacchanalia, and TheTales of Beatrix Potter. Miss Abigail enjoys reading, long walks, coffee and exploring other cultures. When it comes to her teaching philosophy, she says, “It is my goal to develop the body, mind, and spirit of young dancers by encouraging excellence in technique, joy in community, and freedom in creativity.”
Ashley started dancing at a young age at Zahnow Dance Studio in Warren, Ohio. There she studied the Cecchetti method of ballet, along with jazz and tap. She was also a competitive dancer and attended Dance Masters of Ohio for 7 years. She continued her training as a dance major UW-Milwaukee until a knee injury led her to change her focus. She recently graduated from Globe University for Massage Therapy. Ashley is also the coach for the Dane County Hawks Dance Team. When she is not dancing Ashley loves, reading, soccer, musicals, and being outdoors. Ashley’s favorite quote is “Learning to walk set you free, learning to dance gives you the freedom of all; to express with your whole self, the person you are.” ~Melissa Hayden
Owner, director, teacher and founder of A Leap Above Dance, Miss Natalie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from UW-Stevens Point, 29 years of dancing experience and 14 years of teaching experience. She was featured in Dance Teacher Magazine in 2005, 2008, and in 2011. She is currently a member of Madison Contemporary Vision Dance Company and the Dane County Hawk’s Dance Team. Other performance experiences include dancing with UWSP, Wisconsin Dance Ensemble, MATC, UW-Stevens Point’s Players, UW-Madison’s Optima. Natalie has choreographed for Oregon Straw Hat Players, The Madison Strollers, Evansville Community Theater, Evansville and Oregon High School Poms teams, and all ALAD performances since it was founded in 2001. Her musical choreographic works include Godspell, Big (The Musical), Lucky Stiff, Music Man, and the Wizard of Oz. Miss Natalie won choreography awards in 2003 and 2005 from the Applause Talent Presentation and in 2008 from I love Dance Presentations. Other experiences include dancing in a Veridian Homes commercial and appearing in a local independent film. When she is not at the studio she is spending time with her husband, Chuck and twin 1 year olds, Lacy and Summer. Miss Natalie runs A Leap Above Dance with the mission “To teach the art of dance in a fun and friendly atmosphere.”
