Instructors

Our Instructors

Ms. Ashley & Ms. Alyssa

STUDIO OWNERS

Owners, Ms Ashley & Ms Alyssa, bring over 25 years of experience to their students. Together they have a proven track record of competitive excellence. Their work has won numerous choreography awards and has achieved both Regional & National Overall High Scores for multiple routines across many genres. Through their instruction, dancers have qualified for National competitions, won scholarships and have brought home Nationals Titles. Ms Ashley and Alyssa opened Premier Dance Company to bring exemplary instruction to their students.

Ms. Ruthie

Ms Ruthie is from Southern California where she graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and Business. Growing up Ms Ruthie was always active with Volleyball, Softball, Cheer, Drill Team, Jazz, and Ballet. Ms Ruthie danced through High School and College and attended Lines Ballet and Academy of Ballet in San Francisco. Ms Ruthie has been teaching for over 10 years and her passion has always been for Ballet and it’s discipline.

Miss Makayla

Miss Makayla is currently working towards achieving her degree in childhood education and has spent many years working with the youngest of dancers. Growing up in dance, Miss Makayla dance competitively, placing First Overall and winning the title of Regional Super Soloist. Miss Makayla also has a passion for Musical Theatre, being involved in school plays where she was also assistant choreographer.

From her time as a preschool teacher, as well as a head cheer coach, Miss Makayla has a passion for sharing her love of dance and instilling the hard work it takes to achieve big goals.

Miss Bella

Miss Bella is an alum of PDC and is currently studying Law at LCC, planning to transfer to MSU next year. Miss Bella has been dancing since she was 4 years and competed since she was 9. During her time at PDC Miss Bella often assisted classes and trained in multiple styles. Her passion is Tap & Hip Hop and she cannot wait to work with the PDC dancers!

Ms. Megan

Ms Megan is a graduate of Michigan State University where she received a degree in Kinesiology with a specialty in Health Promotions. She is the proud owner of our local dance shop, Dancy Pantz Boutique, and has taught at several local Mid-Michigan studios for over 10 years. Ms Megan grew up in Hudsonville, Michigan and has been dancing since she was three years old. She grew up dancing at Body Language Dance Company as a competitive dancer, and since then has put together numerous routines which have competed both regionally and nationally, Ms Megan’s routines has won several choreography awards and top 10 placements since she started teaching, and she can’t wait to be a part of Premier Dance Company’s competitive team. In addition to dance, Ms Megan has also obtained certifications in Barre, PiYo Live!, POUND fitness, and as a ACSM Personal trainer to help launch the fitness side of dance.

Ms. Jessica

Ms Jessica is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and utilizes her extensive training in biomechanics and kinesiology to teach technique and facilitate safe spotting in Acro. Ms Jessica trained at Bohaty’s School of Dance in Acro, Ballet, Tap & Jazz! Ms Jessica is a certified Acrobatic Arts instructor and cannot wait to help our dancers achieve their goals safely this season!

Miss Emerson

Miss Emerson is PDC Alum and has danced at PDC since the very beginning! She has competed regionally, nationally, and also attended many conventions. Miss Emerson is currently studying Marketing at Michigan State University in hopes to go into sales through Michigan State’s Eli Broad School of Business. Miss Emerson is so grateful to be at PDC!

Miss Mia

Miss Mia has danced for 14 years, and began training at Premier Dance her freshman year of high school. She is currently studying Elementary Education at Michigan State University. She has been an assistant at Premier and in 2021 she took over the PDC Hip Hop Program where she led the teams to top scores and runner up at HOF Nationals!

Ms. Olivia

Ms Olivia has been teaching with PDC since the very beginning. Ms Olivia danced at Performer’s Edge Dance Theatre in Carmel, IN for 12 years training in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, and musical theater among other styles. She graduated from Michigan State University in 2017 with her degree in Mechanical Engineering. While attending MSU, Ms Olivia was a member of and ballet teacher for MSU’s dance performance group.

Miss Hanna

Miss Hanna has been dancing for 20 years and has competed for 18 years at both a regional and national level. During her college career she was a four-year varsity letter winner on the Michigan State University Dance Team. Throughout her four years, Miss Hanna had the ability to travel around the country to cheer and support Michigan State University Athletics. Miss Hanna also attended UDA camps and competitions, and was a captain of the 2015-2016 UDA Jazz National Team for MSU.

Miss Hanna is trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip hop and acrobatics. Miss Hanna has taken classes at various prestigious institutions, including the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles California. Miss Hanna graduated with from The Michigan State University College of Law and practices locally here in East Lansing!

Miss Emily

Emily has been dancing since she was two years old, and she joined the competitive world at the age of 6 at The Studio in South Lyon. There, she competed both regionally and nationally, and in 2014, she was named Celebration Talent’s Junior Dancer of the Year. She most recently however trained at Noretta Dunworth School of Dance in Dearborn, MI, where at The Dance Awards this past summer they earned a spot as the Top Five Studios of the Year. Emily has trained in various styles over the years: ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, lyrical, ballroom, hip hop, and tap and worked as an assistant teacher at NDSD for numerous years.

Now, she is studying Advertising and Public Relations with an emphasis on Data Analytics at Grand Valley State University. She can’t wait to share her love of dance with the students of Premier and looks forward to dancing with us all.

“I am so impressed with my daughter’s improvement in dance. She has been in several recitals and has never remembered her routine all the way through, but now she comes home and practices hers and seems to know all of it. I think that your staff are just great teachers and know how to enhance their dance ability!”

-DANCE PARENT