Tracy Holtzer has been dancing for 19 years. She has an expansive dance background including performing at the 1996 Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Atlanta, GA. While attending the University of Georgia (UGA), Tracy danced on the Hotshots Basketball Dance Team, CORE Concert Dance Company (pre-professional modern company) and Dancefx (pre-professional jazz company). She graduated from UGA Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance Education. In 2002, Tracy’s piece “Lucid Slumber” was auditioned and selected to compete in the Leo’s Choreography Competitive Event Finals in Chicago, IL. In addition, she has studied in Chicago at the Giordano Dance Center and on a prestigious dance scholarship at the Joel Hall Dance Center. Tracy was an adjunct professor at Michigan State University during the Spring 2006 Semester teaching jazz dance, has taught dance at Suburban Ice and she also performed with the Lansing Concert Band at the Wharton Center for their annual showcase. She has been the Director of Dance at the MAC for 3 years.

Bryan Grochowski has been dancing for 7 years. He started with the MSU Ballroom Dance Club, and traveled the country to learn swing dancing from some of the best instructors in the world, including balboa swing from internationally renowned Sylvia Sykes and swing from Nick Williams, the 2001, 2002 and 2003 National Jitterbug Champion. He has also had the opportunity to learn from some of the original dancers from the Savoy Club of the 1930s and 40s such as Ambassador of Swing, Mr. Frankie Manning, who appeared in famous swing dancing movies such as “Everybody Sings” with Judy Garland and “Hellzapoppin”. Bryan has been teaching swing, salsa, partner hustle and various dance styles around the Lansing and Mt. Pleasant area for 4 years. He specializes in breaking the dances down to simple formats for lessons, and believes that everyone (even those that come without a sense of rhythm) can learn to dance if they want to learn.

Santos Gutierrez has been dancing since the age of 12 with Xochi Quetzal, a Mexican Folkloric Group from Saginaw, MI. While in college, he studied ballroom dance at Eastern Michigan University and began teaching Latin Dance in 1997 for the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation. Santos has performed across the U.S. and Mexico with El Ballet Folklorico Estudantil (Mexican Folkloric Group) from Flint, MI. In 2001, E.B.F.E. received a national title while competing in Chicago, IL. Santos keeps abreast of his Latin skills as a National Conference Member of Assacion de National Groupo Folklorico (ANGF). In the area, Santos has been teaching at the Lansing Foster Community and the Hannah Center since 2000 and began teaching at the MAC in 2003. He is also starting a Mexican Folkloric group here in the community of East Lansing and Lansing area.

Mary Jane Heppner-Gamble is the former artistic director and professional dancer with Happendance, a professional contemporary modern dance company. She served in this position from 1994-2003. During this period, she choreographed many pieces for the winter concerts, as well as for the Lecture demonstration team, that serviced many elementary schools in Michigan. One of her pieces “Crepitant Whispers” (a piece about the social and gentle nature of the wolf) was auditioned and selected for inclusion in the (statewide) Michigan Dance Festival Showcase Concert in 1989. In 2000 she choreographed a dance based on the book Legend of Sleeping Bear by Kathy-jo Wargin. She especially loves to work with children using literature as a springboard for creative movement. Mary Jane has been teaching in the area since 1985 at the MSU Childcare Development Lab, Okemos Nursery School, Eastminster Childcare, Peoples Church Pre- School and other day care facilities. She has also taught at the Michigan Athletic Club. She is a certified GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® trainer.

Micha Hickey has been dancing for 18 years with a competitive background extending over the past 13. She has worked as an Instructor for the Universal Dance Association and continues to Judge their dance competitions across the Midwest. While attending MSU, Micha was a member of the Michigan State Dance Team for 3 years rounding out her senior year as Captain of the team. A recent Graduate of the Lymann Briggs Nutritional Science Program Micha plans to attend Medical School and continue her education in health sciences.

Yasmina Amal is a classically trained dancer whose repertoire ranges from ballet and modern to jazz and beyond. She has studied the Cecchetti method of Ballet for 15 years and started her dance career with the Lansing Ballet Co. at LCC. A professional Middle Eastern dancer with more than twenty years experience, she has studied with the legendary stars of modern Middle Eastern Dance both in the U.S. and abroad. For the past 16 years, She has been the Artistic Director of Michigan’s Premier Oriental Dance troupe “The Habibi Dancers”. Yasmina has performed in the most popular Arabic supper clubs in Detroit, Chicago, Atlantic City & Juneau, AK, as well as for the Arab international festivals, television commercials, and charities.

Shane Marie King has been dancing for 26 years. Her training includes ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and tap. She received her Liberal Arts Degree from LCC in 1994 and has studied at the Broadway Dance Center, NY and Edge Performing Arts, L.A. Her professional experience includes: Caesar's, Atlantic City; "Avril en Paris: A Night at the Moulin Rouge" (dancer/choreographer); a member of Lansing Chamber Dance (dancer/choreographer) for 5 years; various performances at LCC Dart Auditorium; and “The Nutcracker Ballet” at the Wharton Center. She has taught at Danceworks of Michigan, LCC, and has been teaching at the MAC for 5 years.

Melissa Morelli has been dancing for 25 years and has studied under several ballet companies all over the United States including the San Francisco Ballet, the San Jose Cleveland Ballet, the Houston Ballet and the Plymouth Ballet. She has also performed numerous times in the Nutcracker ballet all over Michigan. Along with Ballet, she has an extensive background in Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical and Cecchetti. Her first choreographed piece involved a 30 member Professional Dance Ensemble. While attending Michigan State University she formed a campus dance program – Generation Dance – free to all students. In this program she taught beginning and intermediate students all types of dance including a preparatory class for students interested in auditioning for MSU Motion Dance Team. She graduated from MSU with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Human Resource Management and a double minor in Business Management and Sociology. Melissa is excited to join the team of dance instructors at the MAC for her second year.

Krista has been dancing since she was...well...walking! Her greatest 'loves' in dance include jazz, hip-hop, tap, and modern. She has participated and placed in several competitions throughout the years including solo and group performances. Krista has been teaching jazz (and various forms) since the summer of 2005. She recently taught jazz/hip-hop classes at Danceworks of Michigan, LLC. She has studied under several instructors over the years, but most recently Brigitt Bouche. She has also participated in the Chamber Dance Company of Danceworks for the past 6 years. Including dance, she has a history of performing in the arts including musicals, plays, and vocal performances. Krista is very happily married and stays at home with her 2-year old son, Gabriel. She and her husband currently run a successful nutritional business out of their home. Truly her biggest passion in life is to help people heal, both spiritually and physically.

Emily Scott has been dancing since she was four years old and never stopped! A native of the Pacific Northwest, Emily has primarily trained in ballet but has also taken numerous jazz, modern, tap, and hip hop classes. She started performing at age 5 in her first “Nutcracker” with Vancouver Dance Theatre, WA, and has danced every principle role in this ballet including Clara, the Dew Drop Fairy, the Snow Queen, and the Sugar Plum Fairy. She has also danced principle roles in “Sleeping Beauty”, “Coppelia”, and other contemporary pieces for companies in the WA and OR region. Emily began teaching ballet for the Dance Department at Western Washington University where she received her Bachelor’s of Science in biology. After moving to Corvallis, OR to pursue a Master of Science in Forest Science, Emily joined the Chamber Ballet of Corvallis where she continued to perform and teach ballet classes. While in Corvallis, Emily also choreographed Okalahoma for the local high school’s annual musical production. In 2005, Emily entered into a Ph.D. program at Michigan State University in the Forestry Department and last fall joined Lansing Chamber Dance, a jazz/modern/ballet company based in Holt, MI where she continues to train and perform in the Lansing area.