Renae Avey

Instructor/Team Choreographer

MISS RENAE has been dancing since age 4 at Miami Valley Dance Center. She was a member of the competition team for 10 years and won many regional and national titles, including StarQuest Top Scoring Adult Soloist in 2009. Renae is a graduate of the MVDC teacher in training program and is certified to teach through Dance Masters of America and Ohio Dance Masters – Chapter 16. She has studied many types of dance including Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Pointe, Hip Hop, Swing and Contemporary. She was given the opportunity to participate in the NCAA Kick-Off Classic Halftime Show at Giants Stadium as well as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Renae graduated from Wright State University with a B.S. in Marketing/Management and has her Masters in Human Resource Management from Indiana Wesleyan University . While attending WSU, she was a member of the Emerald Jazz Dance Team and competed nationally with other Universities. Miss Renae continuously enjoys sharing her love of dance through teaching.

Lauren Snowden

Instructor/Team Choreographer

MISS LAUREN, born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, graduated cum laude from Ohio University with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography. She loves to share her passion and creativity for movement with her students and holding space for them to reach their full potential. She is currently an instructor and choreographer at Miami Valley Dance Center in Fairborn, OH and a solo choreographer at Dance Expressions Dance Studio in Dayton, OH. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Dayton and as Assistant Director of the University of Dayton Dance Ensemble through the partnership with world renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. She has enjoyed collaborating with fellow artists including Debbie Blunden-Diggs, Shonna Hickman-Matlock, Amy Renee Jones-Gibbons, and Jonathan Pattiwael. Lauren is also a 200 HR Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance and an instructor and adjudicator for the Showcase America Unlimited Competition Circuit. When she is not in the studio she is enjoying her time with with her husband, Adam, son, Calvin, and their two cats and five dogs. 

Thaliyah Cools-Lartigue

Instructor

MISS THALIYAH is from Fairborn, Ohio and is a former member of the MVDC Dance Force. She has been dancing since the age of 12 and won many regional and national titles as well as scholarships during her competing years. She recently graduated magna cum laude from The Ohio State University with a BFA in Dance.
Thaliyah has performed and taught internationally and nationally, and holds extensive training in contemporary/modern, ballet, hiphop and African styles. She has choreographed for the Onyx Contemporary Dance Company and Fort Hayes Metropolitan High School’s Dance Ensemble. Thaliyah will be joining the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company as a Jeraldyne Blunden Fellow for their 2022-‘23 season. Thaliyah is excited to be back at MVDC and is looking forward to teaching!

Amy Renee Gibbons

Technique Instructor/ Team Choreographer, Onyx CDC Artistic Director

MISS AMY is from Huntington, WV and performed with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company from 2008-2016 and continues to perform as a guest artist with the company. During the 2014-2015 season Amy also served as joint director of DCDC2. Amy is currently a professor at the University of Dayton serving as the DCDC Artist in Residence for the Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology Program. Amy is also the Artistic Director of the UD Dance Ensemble and resident choreographer for musicals and operas performed at UD. In addition to her commitment to UD, Amy is on faculty at the Miami Valley Dance Center and Dance Expressions. Amy is thrilled to start her first season as the Artistic Director of the ONYX Contemporary Dance Company! Amy has created choreography for the Ohio Northern University's Dance Department, Wright State University’s 2015 Faculty Concert, DCDC, DCDC2, Midwest Starz National Talent Competition, Sinclair Community College, and Kaleidoscope Entertainment.

Elissa Lyons

Instructor/Choreographer

MISS ELISSA has been dancing with MVDC since the age of 5 and will be entering her 28th season with the studio. This will be her 20th year on the teaching staff. She is certified through Dance Masters of America and Ohio Dance Masters. In addition to performing and teaching dance, Elissa uses her artistic talent for studio graphics, program design and prop creation. She is also an alumnus of the MVDC competition team. In her 10 years of competing, she has won numerous high point and overall awards and titles. Elissa continues to be involved with the Dance Force team as a choreographer. In 2008, she graduated from Wittenberg University with a B.A. in studio art and a concentration in computer imaging. She has performed with Wittenberg’s student dance company at the American College Dance Festivals (ACDF) in Athens OH and Mason, WN. Her other highlights include being a featured dancer in the Inventing Flight Opening Ceremony, dancing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Meadowlands Kickoff Classic and the Ohio Performing Art Institute's (OPAI) The Nutcracker. She currently resides in Medway with her husband, Doug, and their daughters, Justyne, Piper and Veda.

Jennifer Priest

Office Manager/Director of Teacher Apprenticeship Program

MISS JEN has been dancing since the age of three and will be in her 32nd year of dance this year; 25th with MVDC! She began under her mother's direction at Van Wert Academy of Dance in Van Wert, Ohio. In 1998, her family moved to Enon, which is when she joined the Miami Valley Dance Center family! She has experience in ballet, jazz, hip hop, clogging, tap, contemporary and lyrical as well as cheerleading and theatre. She continued her dance career in college, but always came back to participate in the MVDC recitals. Miss Jen received her B.S. in Psychology from Eastern Kentucky University and her M.Ed. in School Counseling from Wright State University. Miss Jen has gone from student, to teacher, to dance mom, to Office Manager at MVDC and is hopeful to be a positive familiar face for the dancers. “It is so fun to be around all of the smiling dancers & their families! It brightens my day to be surrounded by so much excitement!” Miss Jen says it is such an honor & truly humbling to now share her love of dance with her mother (Mrs. Howell) & two daughters at MVDC. She resides in New Carlisle with her husband, John and their three children, Jaycee, Jentry and John, and their dog, Jocko.

Justyne Redd

Digital Media Manager

MISS JUSTYNE began dancing at MVDC since the age of 3. She was a part of the MVDC Dance Force for 8 years and trained in jazz, ballet, tap, and contemporary. During her senior year (in 2015), the Diamond Lyrical team won first place at Nationals with their performance of “Take Me To Church.” “It was my favorite memory, holding hands with my entire lyrical team and screaming when our names were called,” she says. She continued dancing in college as a Seton Hall Sapphire.

She graduated from college in 2019 with a Marketing and Communications dual Bachelor’s degree and is now the Social Media Manager at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Justyne is working on social media for MVDC as well as website updates. She currently resides in Fairborn with her husband Jordan and two dogs, Wookie and Kylo.

Grant Shaffer

Instructor/Choreographer

MR. GRANT has been dancing at Miami Valley Dance Center since he was 4 years old. He was a member of the MVDC Dance Force for 8 years. He graduated from the Dayton Regional STEM School in 2019 as Valedictorian and is now attending Wright State University pursuing a degree in Neuroscience and Pathology. He is also certified by Dance Masters of America and Ohio Dance Masters, Chapter 16, in Tap and Modern. Mr. Grant has participated in numerous master classes, conventions, and intensives held by institutions such as the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC), Dayton Ballet, Miami Valley Dance Teachers Association, and Ohio Dance Masters. During his time on the Dance Force, Mr. Grant earned many regional and national awards and titles such as Kids Artistic Revue Mister Dance of America 2018 in Panama City Beach, Florida. He has also competed twice in the Teen Mister Dance of Ohio Pageants. He has performed at the Harlem Globetrotters Half-time Show and also in the production of “…And the Greatest of These is Love” at the University of Dayton as a guest artist. Mr. Grant is honored to have the opportunity to share his love and passion for dance with others at MVDC.

Karen Simpson

Instructor

MISS KAREN has been teaching at the Miami Valley Dance Center for 37 years. After dancing as a child, she studied Modern Dance for 2 years at Indiana University before switching majors to Spanish and Physical Education. She continued to take classes throughout her college career and beyond. After moving to Ohio in 1981, she began taking classes, and then teaching a few years later with Noreen Poppell at Noreen’s Dance and Fitness Academy (later known as the Miami Valley Dance Center). It was during her time with Noreen that Karen initially developed and began implementing the Teacher-in-Training class which continues today. Karen is thankful to Miss Kelly for keeping her on as a teacher upon acquiring the studio and for continually working to make the Miami Valley Dance Center a studio of the highest quality and values. Karen retired from Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities as a PLAY Project Consultant, working with young children with autism and their families. She presently works part-time providing support for teachers of preschool-age children with autism. In her spare time Karen is a coach for the Clark County Special Olympics, loves spending time with family, hiking, traveling, and listening to audio books. Karen has been married for 46 years to a wonderful, supportive husband. They have 3 grown children all of whom have had the exciting experience of dancing at Miami Valley Dance Center.

Abbie Trittschuh

Technique Instructor

MISS ABIGAIL, Abbie is a professional artist with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Financial Services, graduating Cum Laude from Wright State University. She is currently employed as Choreographer for West Carrollton High School.
Abbie danced professionally as a guest artist with Dayton Ballet as well as the pre-professional companies of Dayton Ballet II (DBII), Chautauqua Festival Dancers, and Ballet de Jeunesse (now Gem City Ballet). She has taught professionally for Dayton Ballet, Dayton Ballet School, Pontecorvo Ballet Studios, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and privately. Additionally, she served as the Director of DBII Senior, DBII Junior, and as Ballet Mistress of Ballet de Jeunesse.
Abbie has choreographed works for DBII Senior and Junior, Dayton Ballet School, Dayton Opera, and the West Carrollton High School Show Choir most recently choreographing the musical “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” for West Carrollton High School. She was a Creative Liaison for the development of “Ghetto,” an art installation by Rodney Veal for the University of Dayton, now touring internationally.
Abbie is an active supporter of the arts and community volunteer, currently serving as a member of the WYSO Community Advisory Board and previously as a Grant Panelist for Culture Works. She was the Director of Saint Martin’s Clothing Room at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dayton, Ohio. She has fundraising experience supporting the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) on the 2014 ICE Gala Committee and Chair of the 2016 and 2017 Soulstice Galas benefitting Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
Abbie’s corporate experience spanned 8 years, where she was responsible for inside sales, accounts reconciliation, marketing and pricing, and management. Abbie is married to Mr. Larry L. Trittschuh, raising the youngest of their 5 children in Oakwood, Ohio.

Chelle Vollmer

​Technique Instructor

MISS CHELLE began dancing with River Cities Dance Company in Greenup, Kentucky. After dancing with River Cities Dance Company for 15 years, Chelle was accepted into Wright State University’s Dance in Fine Arts Program in Dayton, Ohio. With the Wright State University Dance Ensemble, she performed eleven shows, in which she choreographed five different works. During her college career, she also had the opportunity to serve as dance captain in Wright State’s musical Hairspray and train and perform with Dayton Ballet II. After graduating from Wright State University with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts Dance and a minor in Business Management, Chelle began dancing with Fueled & Aflame Dance Company, teaching and choreographing for youth dance companies. Chelle loves traveling to choreograph for competition teams, show choirs, theater programs and to judge dance competitions.

McKenna Wagers

​Instructor

MISS MCKENNA is from Fairborn OH, and has been dancing at Miami Valley Dance Center for 10 years with 4 of those on the Dance Force and has been assistant teaching for 5. Miss McKenna graduated from Fairborn High School in 2021 and is currently studying at Wright State University to earn a degree in elementary education. While on the Dance Force she earned many regional and national awards for her groups and specialty performances. Miss McKenna is very excited to start her 11th year at the studio and another great year of dancing!