Meet the team at
2nd Street Studio of Dance!

Let us formally introduce you to the team at
2nd Street Studio!

At 2nd Street Studio of Dance we hope to provide a welcoming and family friendly environment!
Get to know our teachers and staff as well as see who you should contact regarding your questions.
We are excited to get to know you!

Miss Cindy

Founder/Owner/Director/Instructor
info@2ndstreetdance.com

Miss Cindy has been teaching for over 20 years! She has a B.S. in Dance Education from Radford University with K-12 teacher certification. She has taught as an adjunct professor in dance at Southeastern University in FL, Dickinson College in PA, and Rochester University in MI. She performed professionally with the Florida Dance Theater and Tampa Bay Ballet. She received her training at Martinique School of Dance and later the Richmond Ballet and attended summer programs at Virginia School of the Arts, and Alonzo King Lines Ballet. Her choreography has been accepted to the Detroit Dance Race, American College Dance Festival, Paradigm Shift, and numerous other showcases as well as for many dance studios.

She opened Tutus and Tendus, a dance retail shop, in 2016 to provide the area with high quality dance products and friendly service. In 2021, she started her own adult professional company Diversiform Dance Project to provide a creative performance outlet for local talent. She also runs 2nd Street Swing out of the studio, which provides swing dance lessons and socials that are open to the community.

Miss Cindy just LOVES dance and loves sharing this passion with her students and the Rochester community! She feels so blessed to get to do what she loves everyday.

Miss Alex

Instructor

Ms. Alex started taking dance classes at age 3. She danced all through school up until graduation, gaining experience in many different styles. After high school, Ms. Alex worked at the same studio she grew up at in Lake Orion for 5 years. After taking a little break from dance for schooling, Ms. Alex started working at another local studio in 2021, primarily teaching solos and preschool-aged classes, before finding her home here at 2nd Street in 2023. She loves teaching classes of all styles and all ages!

During the daytime, Ms. Alex is the assistant director at a local preschool. With this experience working with young children, you will often see her in class with some of our youngest students. She is strongly rooted in her beliefs and knowledge of play-based learning, and incorporates that into her dance classes whenever possible. She is also a Child Passenger Safety Technician and is knowledgeable about car seat safety, doing seat checks and community education whenever she has time. Ms. Alex owns a small photography company on the side (you may see her taking pictures at our events!) and loves hiking, knitting, reading and spending quality time with her friends and family. She also has a speckled dog named River who is working to become a school therapy dog!

Miss Angele

Instructor
Front Desk

Miss Angele started dance at the age of 5, and went on to study Cecchetti ballet up through grade 6. After high school, she went on to receive her BS in Musical Theatre from Rochester University here in Rochester, MI. She competed at the YAGP Tampa Bay semi-finals in 2019, and has had the opportunity to study under individuals such as Lauren Anderson and Caleb Mitchell (Houston Ballet), as well as Steve Rooks (Martha Graham Dance Company). She performed in Ms. Anderson’s directorial debut ballet, Coppelia, in 2019. Miss Angele is passionate about instilling confidence in her students, and helping them find their own way to express themselves through dance. In her free time, she enjoys watching Star Wars with her husband, and volunteering at local comic conventions.

Miss Becca

Instructor
Front Desk

Miss Becca is currently a senior at Oakland University and a member of their Ballroom Club. She started out shadowing and assistant teaching at another local studio before finding 2nd Street. She now works as a full instructor and loves working with our youngest dancers!

Miss Diana

Instructor

Miss Diana has been teaching dance for over 20 years and at 2nd Street Studio since day one! Numerous former students of hers have gone on to major in dance, or are currently working in NYC and LA. Diana has nationally awarded dance numbers in Tap, Hip Hop, and Jazz, as well as numerous regional awards. She is also the Varsity Dance Team Coach at L’Anse Creuse High School and Chippewa Valley High School. Miss Diana trained under Charmaine Schick of Vaudeville for 20 years, and she then continued her education for dance with West Coast Dance Explosion and Tremaine Dance. Miss Diana prides herself on giving her students and team members the same love for dance that was instilled in her at a young age!

Miss Hannah

Instructor
Teacher Assistant Coordinator

Miss Hannah is a 2nd Street Studio Alumnus with a BS in Dance Performance and Elementary Education from Eastern Michigan University. She has performed and presented choreography at the American College Dance Association, Kristi Faulkner’s Women’s Work, and DANCE Lansing. She was an apprentice with Fun Girl, in Ypsilanti, MI, and a member of the Diversiform Dance Project. In addition to her studio classes, she teaches 5th Grade at a local elementary school.

Miss Julia

Instructor
Diversiform Dance Project Youth Company Director
Facility Rentals Coordinator
2ndstreetdance.rentals@gmail.com

Miss Julia has been dancing for over 20 years in the metro Detroit area In 2016, she performed in ABT’s production of Sleeping Beauty as a Scheherazade and a Knitting Lady. Julia received her BFA in dance from Wayne State University in 2018. Post college, Julia performed in Kristi Faulkner’s Women’s Work, the Detroit Dance Race, RAW Detroit and LA, and at the Maggie Allesee Choreography Gala. In 2020, she completed her 200 RYT in Yoga. Miss Julia danced at 2nd Street a student during her senior year of high school and has been teaching at the studio since gradating college. Julia is the Assistant Director of Diversiform Dance Project and Director of Diversiform Dance Project Youth Company!

Mr. Jon

Instructor

Mr. Jon recently received his degree in dance from Eastern Michigan University. He started dancing at age 7 as a student of Miss Diana. He danced competitively for many years in numerous award winning numbers and earned the title of Mr. Dance Force Express. He is excited to begin his teaching career at 2nd Street Studio of Dance with our boys hip hop classes!

Miss Kate

Instructor

Miss Kate has been dancing since she was 9 years old, taking her first ballet lesson with Ericka Goss through her homeschool group. From there, she went on to attend the Academy of Performing Arts in Alma Michigan, where she studied ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, and modern. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Alma College in 2017 and her MFA in 2023 from Saint Mary’s College of California.. Kate has been teaching for over 10 years at various studios, with experience teaching many genres, including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, improvisation, and musical theater. Kate is also a founding member of Third Coast Dance Company, a modern dance company based out of mid Michigan, and member of Diversiform Dance Project. This is her second year with 2nd Street Studio and she is also a manager at Tutus and Tendus.

Miss Lauren

Instructor

Miss Lauren has been teaching dance for 20 years! She graduated with a BA in Dance from Grand Valley University and also was a member and captain of their award winning and nationally ranked Laker Dance Team. She has certifications from the Cecchetti Council of America and Acrobatics Arts. After graduation she spent time studying in New York and LA. She returned to Michigan and ran her own dance studio for several years, but now is teaching part time to be able to focus her energies more on her family and 2 small children. We are so excited and lucky to have her join the 2nd Street Studio of Dance team!

Miss Leanne

Instructor

Miss Leanne has been dancing for over 20 years! She received her training from The Link School of the Arts and the Rose Marie Floyd School of Dance. She attended the Ballet Magnificat! summer intensive and later trained at the pre-professional program at Ballet Met. She has danced professionally with local companies and taught at numerous studios in the area. In 2013 she founded the E.M.O.T.E. Dance Ministry that performs at local churches and senior centers.

Miss Lisa

Instructor

Miss Lisa is an alumnus of Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Dance Education. Throughout her experience at Wayne State, Lisa has done performances under Adesola Akinleye and Marc Arthur. While studying at Wayne State, she has also received certifications with organizations such as the Cecchetti Council of America, AZ Dance Medicine, Progressing Ballet Technique, and Acrobatic Arts to aid her students she has taught in the studio setting for about 5 years. She hopes to continue her education outside of her college experiences and develop as both an artist and instructor. She a member of Diversiform Dance Project and Detroit Tap Repertory.

Miss Natalie

Instructor

Miss Natalie earned her BA in Dance from the University Of Michigan-Flint. While in college she performed and presented choreography at the American College Dance Festival. She has performed in Kristi Faulkner’s Women’s Work and Detroit Dance Race. Miss Natalie is a NASM certified personal trainer, along with being a Level 1 Precision Nutrition, nutrition coach. She is also certified in Functional Movement, from Functional Movement Systems and Progressive Ballet Technique.

Miss Nicole

Instructor
Costumer Manager
Tuition Manager

Miss Nicole started dance at the age of three at Dance Express in Garden City, MI. After graduating from Garden City High School in 2013, Nicole went on to get a Bachelor of Science in Dance with concentration in dance education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater cum laude from Wayne State University. Since undergrad, Nicole has taught dancers of all ages in tap, ballet, acro, musical theater, lyrical, hip-hop and jazz around South East Michigan. She is a member of the National Dance Education Organization and Michigan Dance Council. Nicole is the Assistant Director of dance Uprising and member of Diversiform Dance Project. In her spare time, she works in theater tech and relaxes at home with her husband and cat.

Miss Sarah

Instructor

Sarah is a registered dietitian and received her B.S. in health and exercise from Oakland University and a graduate certificate in dietetics from Wayne State University. While attending OU, she was on the Golden Grizzlies dance team and performed at the UDA college dance championship. Sarah is certified in Progressive Ballet technique and has been a fitness and dance instructor for many years. She is also a member of Diversiform Dance Project and is excited to be joining the 2nd Street Studio team!

Miss Serena

Instructor

Miss Serena is a 2nd Street Studio of Dance alumnus and has enjoyed every second she has spent there! Along with teaching dance, Serena is very grateful to be a part of Diversiform Dance Project, and an employee at Tutus and Tendus: Dancewear and Accessories! Serena is not only a dance teacher, but also a licensed cosmetologist, and certified makeup artist. Miss Serena has experience with musical theatre, and her current favorite styles of dance are hip hop and contemporary, and she is excited to be taking on more classes at the studio!