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Spartan Dance Center
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Call Or Text: 517-225-0096
FACULTY
Aubrie Clingaman - Choreographer / Instructor
Aubrie was born in Arizona and danced since the age of 5. I’ve danced in several DisneyLand parades, on a cruise ship, and for multiple hometown festivals. I moved to East Lansing and finished my senior year at Spartan Dance Center where I was welcomed with open arms.
I went to Central Michigan University where I was on University Theatre Dance Company where I performed in and choreographed/directed my own dance production. I lived in New York for a couple of years and tried to take as many dance classes as I could. I’m so excited to be back home at Spartan Dance Center and share my love of dance with kids!
Alex Houseman - Choreographer / Instructor
Dance has been a huge part of Alex’s life since she was 2.5! She started out dancing ballet and tap and over the years has added jazz, pointe, hip hop, lyrical/contemporary, and modern to her background. Alex danced at her mom’s studio on the East side until she went to college at Grand Valley State University. There, she danced and choreographed for Grand Valley Dance Troupe, the university’s largest club, while also teaching back at her mom’s dance studio.
She spent two seasons dancing professionally for the Grand Rapids Drive, the former g-league for the Detroit Pistons, to end her college career. After college, she went on to dance for the Detroit Pistons and is now excited to bring her passion and experience to Spartan Dance Center! In her free time, her favorite thing to do is to spend time with her husband and daughter and she loves to help people buy/sell real estate.
Carlie Shaw - Choreographer / Instructor
Carlie Shaw grew up in Muskegon, Michigan. She was an active member of the local performing arts community and danced competitively with her home studio for 8 years.
Carlie graduated with honors from Michigan State University in 2022 with a B.A. in PreLaw and with Minors in Dance and Law, Justice, and Public Policy. While at MSU, she danced with and was the Marketing Chair for Impulse Dance Team. She is now attending Wayne State University Law School to pursue her J.D.
Carlie has been an instructor at SDC for 6 years and is an award-winning choreographer, most recently for her 2024 Rainbow National Grand Champion routine “Back to School.” She loves sharing her love of dance with her SDC students who inspire her every day.
Chloe Heethuis - Choreographer / Instructor
Chloe began training at Spartan Dance Center in 2012 at 5 years old. In 2013, she started training on SDC's competitive team. She currently trains 5 days a week in ballet, tap, acro, pointe, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, jumps & turns & conditioning. She is also a part of Spartan Dance Centers Pre Professional dance team.
Chloe enjoys being co-captain of East Lansing High Schools dance team performing at football & basketball games with jazz, hip hop and poms. Additionally, she enjoys traveling to conventions & participating in college dance team clinics. She most recently was accepted into CLI Conservatory's professional dance program for 2026. Chloe is a senior at East Lansing High School and plans to pursue dance at the professional and collegiate level while studying to be a Physical Therapist with emphasis on dance.
Chloe has been a lead instructor at SDC since the age of 14, choreographing dances for our rec program and teaching technique to our youngest competitive dancers. Being a "home grown" dancer, she enjoys sharing her love and passion for dance with the students and focuses on bringing growth & fun into each class she teaches.
Sarah Baringer - Choreographer / Instructor
Sarah cannot imagine her life without dance! She started dancing at age three and after her first competition at age seven, she was hooked. Sarah grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where she danced competitively at Extravadance and Tumble for 10 years. She was an assistant teacher for her final four years at Extravadance and really enjoyed working with the younger dancers. Sarah was also very involved with her high school dance department and was the recipient of the coveted Dance Department Award her senior year.
Sarah is currently studying at Michigan State University, majoring in Kinesiology with a Dance minor. She is the vice president of the Michigan State Spartan Showstoppers and loves being able to perform and create choreography with this talented group.
Sarah is very excited to continue her dance journey at Spartan Dance Center and is so thankful for her new dance family!
Christyn Mc Cleary - Choreographer / Instructor
Christyn’s love of dance began at the age of 4. She quickly transitioned from recreational to competitive dance. Christyn went on to continue her education in dance with a scholarship to Wayne State University, graduating with a Bachelor in Fine Arts.
Christyn loves that dance has allowed her to travel around the country and Europe training and preforming. Her choreography career began with her high school Pom team and grew to competitive dance, creating award-winning choreography. Christyn has been teaching dance for 15 years, which also led to working with Haslett gymnasts for more than 10 years.
Christyn continues to work with her family’s business in marketing and promotion for nearly 12 years. Beyond dance and family she is enjoys sports photography. She has two girls in competitive dance and one in competitive gymnastics. She is excited to bring her love of dance to the Spartan Dance Center.
Miriam Marnier - Choreographer / Instructor
Miriam grew up dancing at a studio in Northern Michigan, as both a recreational and competitive dancer. From a young age she has always had a passion for dancing, along with assisting younger dancers while she was in high school.
Miriam has traveled to many states to compete in competitions, winning multiple regional and national level awards, and has performed at Disney World! She has extensive training in many dance styles, including contemporary, pointe, modern, jazz, tap, musical theater, and African-funk, some training done with nationally known dance professionals.
Now Miriam is studying Kinesiology at Michigan State University and continuing her dance knowledge with her dance minor. She is very thankful to be a part of the SDC family and loves being able to share her passion for dancing with her students!
Jasmine Dillion - Social Media / Choreographer / Instructor
Jasmine Dillon is a dancer, instructor, and choreographer from Tennessee. After attending a West African dance intensive in Senegal, Africa, she found a new love for absorbing dance and culture from around the world. Her professional dance career began with a tour in 2021 performing Jade Treadwell’s work Visceral Undercurrent for the Kara Walker Arts exhibit, “Cut to the Quick”. Since then she has performed as a soloist for the repertory work “Noble Sorrows” choreographed by Kia Smith, Monica Bill Barnes & Company in “The Running Show”, and Kyle Abraham’s repertory “Yes, we are in our feelings”. She attended the American Dance Festival in North Carolina and the A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Winter Intensive in Los Angeles, California on full scholarships.
After obtaining a B.S degree in Dance with a concentration in Dance Pedagogy at Middle Tennessee State University, she was voted “Best of the Best” dance/ gymnastics teacher in Warren County. Most recently she became the first Black female dancer at Country Tonite Theatre for their 2024 season, in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Rylee Bernhauser - Choreographer / Instructor
Rylee Bernhauser is a student at Michigan State and is in her third year studying Kinesiology and minoring in Dance. She grew up dancing at Denise Gucwas School of Dance in Lederach, PA. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old and has always had a true passion for dancing.
At her home dance studio, she began teaching classes her senior year of high school. She then continued teaching in her first year at MSU through Zumba classes for students. Rylee also became a certified personal trainer this past year and has loved being able to share her passion of health and fitness with others!
Rylee is a member of the Spartan Showstoppers at Michigan State! She currently serves as the social activities director for the team. She loves being able to share her passion for dance and choreography with her teammates.
This is Rylees first year at Spartan Dance Center and she is so excited to begin her journey here!
Elaina Andrews - Choreographer / Instructor
Elaina started dancing at three years old and joined SDC in 2015. She started in SDC’s recreational program for one year, and joined their competition team the next. She has been a part of SDC’s competition team for nine years. At SDC, she learned the basics of break dance and is continuing to teach those basics to her mini hip-hop class this year. She also assists company tap technique and jumps and turns at the studio.
She is a captain of the East Lansing High School Dance Team and has contributed choreography to many of the routines they have performed. The ELHS Dance Team has given her an opportunity to showcase her dancing and choreography for the public and be a part of a dance community at school. She is currently a senior at East Lansing High School and hopes to continue dancing in college and will be pursuing computer science.
David Schmidt - Acro/Tumbling Instructor
David started dancing at the age 6 at Perry Woodard School of Dance in Bay City, Michigan.
David moved to Lansing to teach dance at Everett High School. He taught jazz, lyrical, acro and beginning ballet. David also has choreographed for numerous local plays and production for Pitt and Balcony, ABC Summer Productions, One Acts at John Glenn High School and Saginaw Valley State University. He currently a high school math teacher at Grand Ledge High School.
In his spare time he enjoy spending time with his wife and two boys.
Jared Autrey - Choreographer / Instructor
Jared was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. Over more than 20 years, he has honed his skills as a dancer and instructor in a diverse range of styles, including contemporary, jazz, modern, and hip-hop. His extensive training and experience have shaped him into a versatile and accomplished dancer and choreographer.
Jared has had the privilege of dancing with various dance companies such as Happendance Professional Dance Company and Release Detroit Performance Dance Team. Additionally, he serves as the Director of Frxsco Dance Sessions, formerly known as Dance Lansing Hip Hop Club.
His talent and creativity as a choreographer have earned him significant recognition. His work has been showcased on prominent platforms like MTV TRL, the Harlem Globetrotters Pregame Show, and the Detroit Pistons Pregame Show. In addition to these performances, Jared has made a substantialt impact in the local dance community. He has taught at various schools and studios, where his choreography has garnered numerous top overall and judges’ awards in competitive settings. Moreover, he is dedicated to sharing his passion for dance and teaching recreational dance classes to instill a love of dance in his students.
Jessica Harper - Choreographer / Instructor
Jessica started dancing at the age of 3 years old and competing at 6. She graduated from Belleville High School where she was Captain of the Varsity Dance Team while also being on the Senior Elite Team at Elite Dance Force in Canton, MI.
She is currently a Junior at Michigan State University where she is Co-Chair of MSU Impulse Dance Team. Impulse has given her the opportunity to create pieces in jazz, contemporary, and hip hop to be performed at events across campus as well as their end of year showcase. Jessica has also taught classes in ballet, tap, acro, jazz, and contemporary to various ages across Michigan.
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