Kathy Dupuy - Owner
Kathy Dupuy started dancing seriously in high school and has continued to take classes and had the opportunity to perform through various studios in Austin. Through the years, dance has proven a great way for her to stay fit after having 4 kids and maintaining a busy lifestyle. She has successfully pioneered multiple businesses from start-up to maturity including Texas’ largest nanny/sitter service, Mom’s Best Friend, and an assisted living home for seniors.   Kathy serves on various boards, and her companies have been recognized for outstanding achievement in various venues, as well as a commitment to giving back to the local community. As a dancer herself and mom to 4 little dancers, Kathy understands the need for a high-quality studio environment catering to the needs of both adults and children, so she started Balance Dance Studios in 2012. In 2017, she had the privilege of purchasing The Dance Spot from Quinton Weathers.  Kathy’s business expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, combined with her passion for the art of dance, create the perfect combination for her role as studio owner. Kathy and her husband Stuart, who is also very involved in the business operations, reside in Southwest Austin and are the proud parents of Grace, Kaitlyn, James and Jordan.

Neda Ashour
I graduated with a degree in Dance and Speech Language Pathology. I am originally from Dallas, Texas and have experience teaching ballet, tap and jazz. I moved to Austin 3 years ago to pursue teaching dance and work as an SLP Assistant. My favorite activities include dancing, doing yoga, baking and being outdoors by the lake!
Angelina Barba
Angelina Barba always had a passion for dance since she was a child. She was born in Los Angeles, California and began her training in hip hop at the age of 8. She then soon moved to Austin, Texas to continue her training at local dance studios. She competed with 2 Hype hip hop company for 5 years, under the direction of Leslie Garcia. Angelina joined the Rouse Royals drill team in high school and served as a line officer her senior year. Along with her senior year of high school, she competed with eSTREET hip hop company, under the direction of Justin Streeter. Angelina has received Grand National titles and many awards throughout her competitive dance team years. She has also received scholarships for The Streetz Dance Convention, has attended Monsters of Hip Hop for many years now, as well as prestigious assistant opportunities by her mentors. Angelina’s found love for teaching has given her many opportunities as she now teaches at many local studios and schools in the Austin area regularly. Angelina wishes to continue her training and growth as both a student and a teacher. She is excited to continue to create choreography, teach and share her passion for dance!
Melissa Best

Melissa began dancing at age 2 and has studied dance across the world from New York City to Germany.  Her dance career has been very active in the local Austin community since 1999, teaching in numerous dance studios and Drill Teams in around the country. She is certified as a pre-school teacher where she is educated and trained in early childhood development and has spent the most of her adult life inspiring a love of life and dance in her students.  From 2013-2020, she co-owned Evolution Dance Center and created a nurturing home for professional seeking dancers with the award winning EVOLVE Dance Company. Melissa is passionate about cultivating an environment that is safe and explorative for her dancers, challenging them to set goals, take risks, and make change. Under her direction, her dancers have received regional and national recognition and her choreography been nationally recognized and awarded.   Melissa brings a fresh and exciting energy into her classroom, instilling confidence and creativity in her students.  As a military wife, she is ready for anything life throws at her, and is passionate about cultivating a future of leaders that are confident, powerful, fearless, and creative. Melissa’s goal is to provide a customized dance experience for each dancer based on their own personal needs and goals and to provide a safe space to explore their growth and lead us in the future.

Lauris Blackwell

Lauris Blackwell grew up singing and dancing! After high school she attended Austin College,and then went on to New York, where she was a scholarship winner to the American Musicaland Dramatic Academy. She stayed in NYC for eleven years performing professionally on and offBroadway and on many National and European tours. Some of her favorite roles are theNarrator in“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, Rose, in “Bye, Bye Birdie”,Amnesia, in “Nunsense”, Lily, in “Annie”, and Rhetta, in “Pump Boys and Dinettes”.She has performed at the White House and the Kennedy Center for both the Bush and ClintonAdministration in conjunction with the Children’s Literacy Program. She performed in theNatchez Opera for ten years and was fortunate enough to bethe soloist for then GovernorGeorge Bush’s Inauguration.Since moving home to Texas, she has performed and Choreographed with Waco Children’sTheater, Temple Civic Theatre,the Public Domain, and River City Pops and many others. She haschoreographed for Buzz Productions, Akins High School, River City Pops, Austin SummerMusicals For Children, as wellas served on the RCP and ASMC Boards. She teaches tap, ballet,jazz, andmusical theatreto all ages. She is the dance instructor and Choreographer for ChristianYouth Theatre. When not dancing about, she spends time with her husband, James,and theirwonderful son Dustin. She is so grateful and blessed to be a part of all of her work “families”.

Dane Burch
Dane grew up in Oregon, where he started training in dance at the age of 10. He quickly fell in love with movement and the expressiveness of it. He moved to Los Angeles, when he was 18, with a scholarship to EDGE Performing Arts Center. After completing his training, he continued to dance and perform. He worked with Tremaine Dance Convention for 5 years. He also worked for Move Dance Competitions, where he judged and taught master classes all around the U.S. In 2008, Dane moved to Austin. He is now the Co-director of Rise Dance Company and Reverence Dance Project. He works for numerous studios and high schools all around Texas. He loves sharing his knowledge and love for dance with all.
Tracy Dunivan
A native Texan, Tracy has successfully coached and guided the careers of young performers for over 25 years. Because of her strong training and diverse performance abilities, she undertook many artistic endeavors and opportunities, including choreography gigs and acting roles in local and regional playhouses including Houston’s renowned Theatre Under the Stars. During the evolution of her career, she began to specialize in training and promoting young actors. Through her highly successful SHOKIDZ acting classes in Houston and Los Angeles, a “career-changing” professional level seminar series, and her artist management company, numerous young actors found their niche and began rewarding careers. She helped launch the professional careers of Hilary & Haylie Duff, Renee’ Olstead,  the late Skye McCole Bartusiak, Sarah Hagan, Mariah Parks, and Jinhee Joung. Tracy saw a need within the competitive and pre-professional dance community for better performance understanding; so, she developed an innovative approach to teaching dancers how to honestly, organically and fully create and interpret the “story” of the choreography given them. Tracy’s goal is to help her clients recognize their full potential so they may realize all life’s gifts!
Alicia Gravis

Alicia started dancing when she was 7 years old with Deb’s Dance in Elgin and continued on till she was 11 years old. When learning from Ms. Deb she was taught in Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. Alicia started dancing again as a sophomore in high school at Elgin and became apart of the Purple Diamonds Dance Team in 2014. She eventually became Major officer her Senior year and won numerous awards while on the team. After graduating she continued with dance and started teaching Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and Drill Team Prep classes at Dance N Groove with the ages 2-15. After teaching for a year she continued her dance education at Tyler Junior College and was offered dance scholarships. While in Tyler she had the opportunities to teach at multiple dance studios, solos, and was a assistant director for TJC’s 30th anniversary of The Nutcracker. She is currently continuing her education at ACC and plans on being a Early Childhood- 6th Education major.

Elena Giannuzzi

Elena Giannuzzi is an artist based out of Austin, Texas. Since the age of two Elena has been dancing, and was instructed in several forms of dance such as Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Contemporary. Her passion to study dance took her to Sam Houston State University, where she graduated with a B.F.A. in dance and with an emphasis in Pilates. She also had the opportunity to work closely with artists such as Manuel Vigonoulle, Bliss Kohlmyer, and Joshua L. Peugh. Since training at SHSU, Elena had the opportunity to study abroad with The Dance Italia Program out of Lucca, Italy. There, Elena took daily classes in Counter Technique with Elita Cannata and Gaga classes and Repertory with Chisato Ohno (Batsheva Dance Company). Additionally, Elena has worked under Elijah Alhaji Gibson (SHSU) who is a long-standing company member with The Gus Giordano Company, where Elena had the opportunity to train as a scholarship student with their College Program in Chicago, IL.  Most recently she has performed in The Dance Gallery Festival in NYC, The Barnstorm Dance Fest in Houston, TX, the American College Dance Association in Beaumont, TX, and NobleMotion Dance in their show “Catapult” in Houston, TX. Upcoming, Elena will join The Axis Connect, (Barton Movement) Program out of Los Angeles, where she will study under the guidance of many artists as she travels from Los Angeles to New York City. Currently, Elena is dancing for The Social Movement, under the instruction of Elijah Alhaji Gibson out of Houston TX.

Along with her passion for performing, Elena is also a passionate teacher and has been teaching in studios around Texas for five years now. Recently, her choreography has been featured in the Annual Dance to Breath Benefit Concert, raising money for Cystic Fibrosis in Austin, TX. And her work as an undergraduate student at SHSU was nominated as a candidate to perform at The American College Dance Association in 2018. The Dance community is very important to her and she plans on continuing to teach so she can spread the knowledge she has attained from her dance career.

AnnaMarie Li
AnnaMarie started training at Texas Ballet Theater at the age of 8, and was featured in many company productions including Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, and Romeo and Juliet. She began studying Kinesiology at the University of Texas at Arlington to pursue a career in physical therapy, and recently graduated this year. While in her senior year of school, she was offered a position at Coastal City Ballet in Vancouver BC, and decided to pursue dance while continuing with her degree. While there, she was featured in productions such as Swan Lake, Raymonda, and other acclaimed works.
Ki'ana Rowland

Ki’ana considers herself an Austonian, even though she was a military brat and lived in many different places growing up. She started dancing when she started walking and, as she grew up, continued to dance in her garage and put on talent shows for her parents. She performed in many talent competitions as she moved across the globe and ultimately became the captain of her step team in 8th grade and later, the creator of the first hip hop dance club at her high school. She went to school to play basketball at Trinity International in Chicago, and then transferred to the University of North Texas, where she joined Choreoblock, also known as UNT FSA Modern. She became a choreographer and later, the creative co-director for the team, between 2015-2017. In the meantime, she also danced on Neighborhood, in Dallas, out of DFC dance studio, and went to World of Dance, placing 1st in 2016, and 3rd in 2018, winning crowd favorite both years, as well as Summer Meltdown, in Houston, in 2016, taking home 1st, and Dancers’ Paradise, in Mexico, in 2017 and 2018. After completing school at North Texas, she finished out her time with Neighborhood, in the spring of 2018, and became the director of the youth team, Impact N Change, for the 2019 WOD Dallas season. In August 2019, she moved home to Austin. She love dancing and is committed to continuinng to make it a part of her life, to learn and grow, and try to help promote growth for those around her.   

Ann Marie Schuler

Ann Marie is an award-winning dancer, teacher, choreographer, actress, and singer, who has been teaching and performing for over 25 years.  She grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, studying dance at Becky Nalevanko’s Dance and Tumbling Studio. She was the Co-Director of Hudson Dance Academy, in the Twin Cities, from 2006-2009, a teacher and choreographer at Dance FX, in Des Moines, from 2013-2015, and most recently, was the Owner/Director of AMS Dance Collective in Indianapolis, prior to relocating to Austin. She has adjudicated dance/talent competitions and travels where she is needed to teach dance workshops, as well as to choreograph competition solos and group routines. Ann Marie specializes in Hip Hop, Contemporary, Ballet, and Musical Theatre. She performed in productions of “West Side Story” (Margarita), “The Pajama Game” (Poopsie), and “A Chorus Line” (Cassie), and also choreographed for Community Theater and High School productions of “Guys and Dolls”, “Wizard of Oz”, and “The Nutcracker”. She has both studied with, and had her work performed, for Emmy-winning choreographers, Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Tyce Diorio, Brian Friedman, Cris Judd, Chuck Maldonado and Kevin Maher, among others.  Ann Marie is excited to bring her love of the performing arts to The Dance Spot family!

Jessica Stroh
Jessica Stroh began her love affair with dance at the age of 3 in Ocala, Florida. She joined the Marion Ballet Theater and performed for 8 years under the direction of Nicole Benson and was a part of numerous ballets; performing notable roles including the Sugar Plum Fairy, Odette, and Princess Florine. In 2015, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Psychology from the University of South Florida receiving the notable BRAVO! Scholarship in Dance Award. Under further scholarships, Jessica trained with Sarasota Ballet Company, Bodytraffic, Repertory Dance Theatre, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, and USF’s Dance in Paris Program. Jessica has had the privilege of performing works by world-renown artists including Ohad Naharin, Alonzo King, Maurice Causey, and Robert Moses. In 2016, Jessica moved to New York City where she had the honor of working and collaborating with Colleen Thomas Dance, Dugal Dance Projects, Alexeya EM, Rosie DeAngelo, Bryce Dance Company, and BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance. In NYC, Jessica taught with Greenhouse Arts Center and Global Community Charter School. She has choreographed, performed, and taught in NYC, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Paris, France. She is the recipient of Brooklyn-based Spoke the Hub’s 2018 People’s Choice Award where she presented an evening-length work with a collaborator, Laura Mobley. Jessica now resides in Austin, TX, and joyfully teaches at Ballet Austin and creates with her performance company, Alt Project, alongside co-creator, Laura Mobley. Altproject.co.
Dereke' Thompson
Dereke’ started his dance career in Chicago with the dance group 2XS. He was invited to LA for a Janet Jackson audition that led to him to the discovery of Monsters of Hip Hop. After being selected for the show in LA under the direction of Tabitha & Napoleon, he continued to be featured in various commercials. He was also a stand-in dancer for MTV ABDC & assisted choreographers on SYTCD. He was on two international tours with artists Kat Deluna, Amei, and Anahi, traveling to Europe, Asia, & South America. Dereke’ lived in Mexico City for five years, where he worked as a judge for Hip Hop International and Infinity dance studio which competed in the US and won various top awards at Nuvo, Monster of Hip Hop, etc. While teaching, he choreographed various tours, including Belinda & Gloria Trevi. He is now residing in Austin ready to invest in the future success of the city’s dance & fitness scene!
Andrea Torres
Andrea Torres was raised in McAllen, Texas. With a Bachelor of Science degree in American Dance Pedagogy and Minor in Business Entrepreneurship from Oklahoma City University, she has choreographed and Performed on many stages in New York City including Radio City Music Hall, Highline Ballroom, Symphony Space, the Paul Taylor Studios, Actor’s Fund Arts Center, IZOD Center, Connelly Theater, and Kaye Playhouse to name a few. Andrea’s performances include tap dancing on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, Dancing in The Shine On Awards Show at Radio City Music Hall hosted by Meryl Streep, Good Day Austin on FOX, The A.C.E. Awards, PBS Documentary Special, and as a featured tap dancer for the Step Up 3D promotional music video. Andrea has performed with Bessie Award Winner Michelle Dorrance in the debut of Dorrance Dance, on the shared evening with Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards at Danspace Project.  in A Shared Evening works with the Co-creator and assistant producer of Imagine Tap, Aaron Tolson. Andrea was a proud member of Germaine Salsberg’s Tap Dance Company  Les Femmes Plus for four years. Andrea is/has been on faculty and staff for The Pulse on Tour, DansEncore International Dance Festival, Soul to Sole Tap Festival, The International Teachers of Dance Inc. Convention, Texas Association Teachers of Dancing, Dance Theatre USA, Peridance Capezio Center, and Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Andrea is also the Artistic Director of ATDC. In New York City she created and produced the show “Outed” 2013 and Since then the company has been invited to many festivals including The COOLNY Festival, The Brooklyn Dance Festival, the Dumbo Dance Festival, and Dance to Breathe at the Austin Music Hall, & Paramount Theater. Currently, the company is in production for a brand new show to premiere in Austin, Texas this season. Andrea is Sponsored and promoted by the RAW Artists Organization.
Quinton Weathers
Quinton Weathers started dancing at the age of eight, at Joyce Willett School of Dance in Austin, TX. He studied in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, lyrical, musical theater, gymnastics and also performed with Body Talk Dance Company. He won numerous scholarships from L.A. Dance Force, Urban Jamm, West Coast Dance Explosion and New York City Dance Alliance. At twelve he started training at the Edge in Los Angeles, where he trained with Bill Prudich, Mandy Moore, Adam Parsons, Doug Caldwell, Malaya, Tabitha & Napoleon, Marty Kudelka, and Roger Lee to name a few. Quinton’s fresh choreography and outgoing attitude has made him a sought-after teacher and choreographer. He has taught master classes all over the United States, Canada, Korea and Japan. Quinton has judged and taught for Break the Floor Productions, V.I.P, Flow 40 and Hall of Fame Dance Challenge. For five years he taught lyrical, jazz and hip-hop at Simi Dance Center in Simi Valley, California. His students won numerous scholarships and awards and have gone on to work as professional dancers. He has also had the opportunity to assist award-winning choreographer Mandy Moore in Seoul, Korea at the International Jazz Festival and at the Edge. Quinton lived in Los Angeles for five years and is still represented by Bloc Talent Agency. He has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Angie Stone, Snoop Dogg, Salt & Pepa, Kylie Minogue, Anastasia, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Solange Knowles, Yasmeen, Parker Posey and Chris Katan. His T.V. and film credits include Nickelodeon’s “All That” and “Taina,” “2002 Olympics,” “Soul Train”, “Trading Spaces,” “Varsity Blues,” “Honey,” “Adam and Steve” and “Dreamgirls”. He has done commercials and industrials for “So You Think You Can Dance,” I-pod, Motorola, Smashbox Cosmetics, Nintendo, Diesel and Levi Jeans, Nike, 7-up, and Pepsi. Quinton was also a dancer on the American Idol 2 Tour and traveled around the U.S. and Canada.
Hailey White

Hailey was born and raised in Austin, Texas and began dancing at the age of two. She has trained in contemporary, jazz, ballet, tap, musical theater, and hip hop and has received many scholarships and awards through conventions and competitions such as Intrigue Dance Intensive, Dancemakers, The Streetz Dance Convention, Adrenaline Dance Convention and more. Hailey has assisted The Streetz Dance Convention and world renowned choreographers and teachers. She also worked on staff with 8 National Talent and is currently an ambassador for RAW Artists. She found a love for teaching/choreographing and began working with/teaching children in 2015. Hailey has been teaching at multiple studios in the Austin area for the past year as an instructor as well as a co-director of EMERGE Dance Company. She currently attends Arizona State University Online. She is extremely passionate about helping dancers find why they love dance and how to use it to improve!

Hannah Woolridge

Hannah Woolridge, who recently relocated to Austin, TX, began dancing at the age of 3 in Corpus Christi, TX. She has gone on to earn a B.F.A. in Dance from Sam Houston State University, is certified in Mat and Reformer Pilates, as well as pursuing her Gryotonic® Certification. Hannah performed with the Corpus Christi Ballet from 2004-2013 starring in various roles such as; Clara, Dew Drop Fairy, Russian dancer, Mirliton, Pirouette Doll, and Harlequin Doll in Nutcracker, Cygnet in Swan Lake, and the Generosity Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. She attended several summer intensives including Ballet Austin studying under Stephen Mills, the School of American Ballet studying under Peter Martins and Kay Mazzo, and the Alonzo King Lines Ballet. While pursuing her degree at Sam Houston, Hannah had the opportunity to work with various international choreographers, including Gerard Theoret and Maurice Causey, as well as perform as a member of Nicolay Danceworks in A Wynne Home Nutcracker. After graduating from Sam Houston State University in 2016, Hannah spent three months in Rome, Italy dancing and performing with VivoBallet under the direction of Enzo Celli. Upon returning back to the states Hannah began dancing as a Resident Guest Artist with Corpus Christi Concert Ballet for the 2017-2018 season as well as teaching at the Ballet Academy of Corpus Christi.