The Dancer’s EDGE Faculty & Staff

 

The Instructors:

(Hover over any picture to see a short bio or click for full info sheet.)

Miss Lexi started dancing 9 years ago and joined The Dancer’s EDGE the following year. She has been in Company since 2014 and has been in Pro-Co since 2017. Miss Lexi has also been a teachers assistant for the past 4 years and loves to work with kid…

Miss Lexi started as a student at the EDGE in 2012 and was a member of Company and ProCo until she graduated in 2022. Miss Lexi was an EDGE Assistant for 5 years before she started teaching her own classes in 2019. She has been heavily involved in the studio from working birthday parties and camps to performing in The Nutcracker as a mouse, Clara, Snow Queen, and more! Miss Lexi now attends the University of Iowa on a pre-med track with hopes to study neurology. Miss Lexi is so excited to teach again this year!

Cassidy started her dance journey at The Dancer’s EDGE when the studio first opened in 2008. She participated in Company, ProCo, and worked as an EDGE Assistant prior to graduating in 2019. She attended the University of Iowa where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and was a member and senior captain of the nationally-ranked Iowa Dance Team. When not at the studio, you will find her practicing as a Registered Nurse caring for the tiniest of humans in the NICU. She is excited to continue sharing her passion for dance through choreography and motivating students to work hard to reach their aspirations.

 
 

Kari started dancing at the age of 3 in Cedar Rapids and was one of the original instructors when The Dancer’s EDGE opened in 2008.  Growing up, she was on high school and college dance teams and graduated with a degree in elementary education from Iowa State. Life took her away from Iowa and after 15 years she is excited to be back with TDE!  In addition to teaching preschool and being an elementary reading coach, Kari stays busy running after her two toddlers, Graham and Daphne  She is passionate about working with children and loves to experience the many “light bulb” moments with them as they learn and grow. 

Miss Leah began dancing when she was 10. She joined The Dancer’s EDGE Pro Company in 2019 and remained on the team until she graduated in 2021. She has previously taught and assisted with classes at various levels and genres, was the captain of her high school dance team, and has competed and trained in many genres over the years! She is currently studying at the University of Iowa, majoring in Business Management with a minor in Dance. Miss Leah is excited to start her first year of teaching at The Dancer’s EDGE and is ready for a fun year!

Carol received her early dance training in Cedar Rapids from Dieman-Bennett dancer Linda Earley. She earned her BFA with honors in dance performance from The University of Iowa and MFA in dance directing from The Ohio State University. She is a cert…

Carol received her early dance training in Cedar Rapids from Dieman-Bennett dancer Linda Earley. She earned her BFA with honors in dance performance from The University of Iowa and MFA in dance directing from The Ohio State University. She is a certified teacher of Labanotation (dance notation) and director from Labanotation scores. Carol is the dance instructor in the theatre department at Coe College and has choreographed extensively for theatre productions in the Cedar Rapids area. Carol’s ballet students have attended such programs as the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive and Joffrey Ballet Chicago's International Summer Dance Intensive, competed at the Youth America Grand Prix, and performed as apprentices/trainees with companies such as Charleston Ballet Theatre, North Carolina Dance Theatre/Charlotte Ballet and BalletMet Columbus, and as members of Milwaukee Ballet II and Portland Festival Ballet. Carol teaches ballet at The Dancer's EDGE as an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 & Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Carol Maxwell Rezabek
carol@dancersedgeonline.com

 
 

Miss Abby has been dancing at The Dancer's EDGE since she was six years old. Her love of dance led her to join Company in 2016, then ProCo in 2018. She became an EDGE Assistant in 2019, assisting with many levels and genres of dance. She also enjoys helping with birthday parties and camps throughout the year. Outside of dance, Miss Abby is a junior at Linn-Mar High School and enjoys spending time with her friends and family. Miss Abby is very excited to share her love of dance at The Dancer's EDGE and looks forward to having a fun year of dance her students.

Leandro is a dancer, choreographer, and hip-hop/street dance instructor with over 8 years of experience, hailing from Argentina. He has been recognized as a national and international champion in prestigious choreographic competitions including "Hip Hop International," "World of Dance," "Danza tu Danza," and "Universal Dance." His dance journey commenced in 2013, and since then, he has mastered various styles such as hip hop, commercial, house, popping, locking, Afro, contemporary, jazz, among others.

Leandro Santillan
info@dancersedgeonline.com

Miss Hannah has been dancing since she was three and has been at The Dancer’s Edge since around 2011. She joined The Company in 2014 and continued in ProCo the years after until she graduated in 2022. As a student at TDE, Miss Hannah worked as an EDGE assistant with Tinies being her favorite class. Miss Hannah now teaches a mixture of Tinies, Hip Hop, and Lyrical classes! She is currently a student at The University of Northern Iowa majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders with the goal of becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist. 

 
 
Matt Shea is a Cedar Rapids native. He began dancing at the age of 3. He continued his training from many various studios in the Cedar Rapids area. He attended the University of Iowa under the direction of Linda Crist, Jeffrey Bullock, David Berkley…

Matt Shea is a Cedar Rapids native. He began dancing at the age of 3. He continued his training from many various studios in the Cedar Rapids area. He attended the University of Iowa under the direction of Linda Crist, Jeffrey Bullock, David Berkley, & Alan Sener. He found his love of teaching through local theater & dance studios. He has over 20 years of experience teaching. Many of his students have gone on to collegiate dance programs/teams, danced for the NBA/NFL, & many have gone on to become dance instructors themselves. Matt enjoys pushing his students to help reach their full potential.

Miss Devyn started at The Dancer’s EDGE in 2010 when she was five. She has been in the Company, ProCo, and a TA throughout her time. When she reached Linn-Mar High School, she became a 4 year member on Linn-Mar Varsity Poms. She is very excited to have this opportunity to teach and work alongside those same influential people who taught her in the studio she grew up in. Miss Devyn will be teaching a variety of Jazz and Ballet with a focus on Hip Hop. She is excited to share her passion of dance and hopes to inspire the same while teaching! She is currently studying Political Science at the University of Iowa. 

Miss McKinzie has been dancing at The Dancer’s EDGE since the age of 3. She is part of The Dancer’s EDGE ProCo team. She has been an EDGE Assistant since the age of 13 and enjoys helping with birthday parties. She is currently a junior at Marion High School. McKinzie is so excited for her first year of teaching! 

 
 

Miss Rylee started her dance journey at the age of 3 and has been loving it ever since! She has been with The Dancer's EDGE since 2013 and joined Company in 2015. She has also been an EDGE Assistant and a member of the administrative team before starting her teaching career! Miss Rylee graduated in 2021 and is now an Elementary and Middle Level Education Major at the University of Northern Iowa. In her free time, Miss Rylee enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She absolutely adores kids and cannot wait to meet her students this year and grow alongside them while fostering a love of dance each and every week!

A native of Cedar Rapids, Stephanie has been dancing for over 25 years. She attended CR Washington High School and enjoyed participating in competitive dance, show choir, and theatre growing up. She was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholarsh…

A native of Cedar Rapids, Stephanie has been dancing for over 25 years. She attended CR Washington High School and enjoyed participating in competitive dance, show choir, and theatre growing up. She was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholarship to attend the University of Iowa and was named one of the Tippie College of Business "21 Best Students Under 21”. She graduated with honors from the University of Iowa after studying Finance, Actuarial Science, Entrepreneurship, and Dance. While at UI, she had the pleasure of taking class from some of the nation’s best dance instructors. After graduation, she began working in Corporate Finance for an insurance company, until transitioning to full-time work at The Dancer's EDGE in 2017.

Stephanie is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She teaches Ballet, Lyrical/Contemporary, and Tinies classes, in addition to co-directing the Company. Her choreography has won many top honors, including a 2016 Industry Dance Award. She enjoys teaching students of all ages and takes great pride in watching them grow into confident, professional young adults. When not dancing, Stephanie enjoys reading, puppy snuggles, and spending time with Charlie, friends, and family.

Charlie is Cedar Rapids native and co-founded The Dancer's EDGE with his wife Stephanie in 2008. He has been dancing for over 30 years and instructs Tap, Hip Hop and Tinies classes at the studio in addition to directing the studio's competition team, The Dancer's EDGE Company. He graduated from the University of Iowa after having studied Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management and also holds a Minor in Vocal Music Performance from Cornell College. Charlie’s choreography has won numerous Grand Championship, Most Entertaining, and Best Choreography honors throughout the country, including a 2016 Industry Dance Award. He has an infectious passion for teaching and feels most at home when he's in the classroom acting like a big kid amongst his students. When Charlie isn’t dancing, he enjoys detailing his car to an insanely nerdy level, playing with his adorable puppies, traveling, and spending time with his wife and family.

Rebecca Weger grew up training in North Carolina, South Carolina, and many areas of Virginia. Her dance and scholastic studies carried her to Point Park University, in Pittsburgh, PA, where she studied on both dance and academic scholarships, gradua…

Rebecca Weger grew up training in North Carolina, South Carolina, and many areas of Virginia. Her dance and scholastic studies carried her to Point Park University, in Pittsburgh, PA, where she studied on both dance and academic scholarships, graduating Magna Cum Laude, with a B.A. in Dance Performance and then to Virginia Commonwealth University where she graduated with a Master’s in Business Administration. During her career she has had the opportunity to study many dance styles and techniques. These studies have allowed her to work with many esteemed teachers and choreographers such as Alan Hineline, Mark Diamond, Gabriel Otevril and Elie Lazar. She has completed The Royal Ballet School’s Teacher’s Seminar and holds her Pilates Mat certification. Rebecca has taught at the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota; for the School of Richmond Ballet in Richmond, Virginia; and as the Ballet Mistress for the Southwest Virginia Ballet, Virginia’s pre-professional dance company.

Nichole began dancing at the age of 5 and started teaching her own classes when she was in high school. She attended the University of Iowa where she earned a B.A. in Dance and was a member and captain of the nationally ranked Iowa Dance Team. Upon …

Nichole began dancing at the age of 5 and started teaching her own classes when she was in high school. She attended the University of Iowa where she earned a B.A. in Dance and was a member and captain of the nationally ranked Iowa Dance Team. Upon graduating from Iowa Nichole moved to Los Angeles where she taught at several studios throughout the area and also coached a nationally competitive high school dance team. While living in L.A. she also had the opportunity to train with some of the countries most sought after instructors at studios such as Millennium Dance Complex and the Edge Performing Arts Center. After a couple of years in L.A., she returned to Cedar Rapids and began teaching at the EDGE as well as continued working as a dance team coach and choreographer. Over the years Nichole has performed with several Eastern Iowa companies including Theater Cedar Rapids, The Cedar Rapids Opera Theater, and has been a Spanish Dancer in the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker. Her choreography has won numerous awards at both dance team and dance studio competitions throughout the midwest.

Miss Rachel grew up dancing in the Cedar Rapids area and is a 2016 TDE Alumni. After being an EDGE Assistant in high school, she joined the teaching staff in the fall of 2016 while attending the University of Iowa. At Iowa, she majored in Elementary Education and minored in Dance and graduated in 2020. Rachel teaches Ballet and Lyrical/Contemporary and enjoys working with dancers of all levels at the studio. Her Company pieces have received many top awards since 2018.

When she’s not at the studio, Rachel is a 1st Grade teacher. She is passionate about teaching and sharing her love for dance while instilling life lessons along the way! Watching her students grow brings her so much joy!

Rachel Willenborg
rachel@dancersedgeonline.com

 
 
 

Admin & Support Staff:

Katlyn began dancing at The Dancer's EDGE in 2008; throughout her time at the EDGE, she was involved with our Company Program and an EDGE Assistant. She graduated with a Finance degree from Iowa State University. Currently, she works as a Credit Ana…

Katlyn began dancing at The Dancer's EDGE in 2008; throughout her time at the EDGE, she was involved with our Company Program and was an EDGE Assistant. She graduated with a Finance degree from Iowa State University. She is our Office Manager at night and on the weekends (hence the late night responses to emails!) and also works as a Credit Leader at GreatAmerica Financial Services. As our Office Manager, Katlyn coordinates our "behind the scenes" tasks, manages special projects/events and helps all of our wonderful EDGY families with any questions they may encounter. In her spare time, she enjoys biking/walking, traveling, reading sappy romantic books and eating chocolate ice cream.

Andrea started dancing at the age of five and continued dancing on her high school and college dance teams. She graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Elementary Education and was a teacher for 16 years. As the Office Manager, Andrea manages many behind the scenes tasks for The Dancer’s EDGE and The Early EDGE Preschool, such as parent communication, registration, and the organization of various projects and performances. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching her girls dance, and traveling.

Andrea Hutchinson
andrea@dancersedgeonline.com