Katia Bode Katia Bode, daughter of co-owner Kathy Mueller began dancing at the age of 2.  She grew up competing with Woodbury Dance Center and was awarded many top awards and scholarships including National Jr. Miss StarQuest, American Dance Awards Regional Dancer of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and scholarships to The Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, CA.  When Katia graduated she moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where she was a professional dancer with Odyssey Dance Theater.  "Odyssey Dance Theater dancers are equally proficient in every style of dance, including ballet; tap; jazz; modern; Irish; ballroom and funk/hip hop.  Odyssey's creative repertoire, versatility and multi-talented and spirited with dancers give the company a sustainable, competitive advantage."  While with Odyssey Katia worked with choreographers such as Mandy Moore, Roni Koresh and Justin Giles.  She had many travel opportunities with ODT, including dance tours in Europe and California.  After two years in Utah, Katia returned home in 2010 to teach at WDC and has already been recognized for her choreography with a Choreography Award for "Come Home".  Katia loves the challenge of helping dancers improve, whether they have been dancing for several years or they are stepping into the studio for the first time.  She brings great energy to her classes and loves teaching dancers of all ages and levels.

Shelley Leuer  Shelley has been teaching for WDC for the last 11 years.  She feels fortunate to be able to work for, and with, some of the most wonderful people she knows.  Shelley has 3 children, 2 of whom were competition dancers at WDC for many years. That experience for them, enhanced their lives in many ways. It gave them confidence performing, they learned how important it is to work together in a group, and they made many special friends.  Shelley feels lucky to bring those experiences and opportunities to more children through teaching.  Shelley continues taking dance classes every week and enjoys being “on the other side” of the teaching dynamic.  Shelley’s warm and caring nature has enhanced WDC’s dance program and has made so many dancer’s experiences here the most enjoyable. "The soul is healed by being with children" -Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Amy Dawson You'll love taking hip-hop from Amy Dawson! Amy began studying dance at the young age of three attending 4th Street Dance Centre in White Bear Lake. There, she took tap, ballet, jazz, and hip-hop lessons for 15 years earning several awards as a competitive student. Upon graduation in June 2005, Amy moved to Illinois to instruct tap, jazz, and hip-hop at a family studio. Additionally, she choreographed award-winning small and large group productions in those styles. Now she's back and teaching hip-hop classes at local studios including Woodbury Dance Center and Lake Area Dance Center. Her hip-hop style is trendy, intricate, and most of all, fun considering she packs her classes full! Outside of dance, Amy is attending college and hopes to be a Bridal Consultant in the future. She is sure to keep your children challenged and entertained learning all the latest moves!

Anne McNaughton Anne has been part of Woodbury Dance Center since 1996.  She took five years of tap and jazz dance instruction at WDC, where her two daughters have also taken instruction.  She has assisted and taught dance to students from tots to teens for the past ten years at Woodbury Dance Center.  She enjoys building relationships with her students and making dance fun!  She has been involved in theatre and music for many years.  She completed five levels of improvisational acting and performed weekly for four years at Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis.  She has also been involved in musical theatre where she has acted in community theatre and has been Music Director for Falcon Ridge Middle School since 2005.  Besides music direction, she has choreographed movement for solos, duets and small groups for their productions.  Anne has created and directed Drama Camps at WDC for young children.  Her drama camps introduce children to the world of theatre through acting, dance, costume and scenery creation and performance.  Her most recent Drama Camp was at the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis in June.  Anne has a B.A. in Business Administration and a M.A. in Education and a French teaching degree.  She lives in Woodbury with her husband, two daughters and two cats!

Ashlee Gobely Ashlee has been dancing for over 19 years and was on competition lines for a large part of that time.   Ashlee has been an assistant teacher for 10 years and has been teaching herself for over three years.  Currently, Ashlee is going to school for a degree in fashion and retail management.  Designing clothes and dance costumes is something that Ashlee has loved to do for many years and would like to continue this passion.  Ashlee has always known that dance was a lot of work but has come to appreciate it much more after assisting and teaching.  Ashlee puts forth her own energy and enthusiasm for dance to her inspire her dancers to do the same.   She believes in having fun while learning and strives to make her classes an enjoyable experience for all.  Ashlee looks forward to many more years of teaching at WDC, growing as an instructor as well as a person.

Bruce DeMorrow Bruce DeMorrow is a tap-instructor-extraordinaire!  You will love having class with him, learning new, cutting-edge choreography at a fast and upbeat pace.  Bruce was a competition dancer for many years at Woodbury Dance Center and performed with the top competition line, the Topaz.  He has had much involvement with outside tap dance companies and is an experienced performer and choreographer.  He has been trained in many styles of dance and looks forward to teaching you a thing or two.

Erin Hinck Erin has been dancing for over 25 years.  She has assisted and taught at WDC for the past 12 years.  Erin graduated with a psychology degreefrom the University of Minnesota where she was also a part of the dance program.  She also received 6 years of ballet training from Marius Andahazy.  She continues to take all types of dance classes as much as possible to keep up with the latest dance trends.  She recently attended the Dance Teacher Summit in NYC where she took classes and seminars on teaching and choreography.  Erin loves teaching all types of dance.  She teaches ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical to all different ages and levels of dance. Erin likes to incorporate ballet into all forms of dance, she feels as though it is the strong basis every dancer needs to succeed.   She currently teaches both recreational classes and competition line students.  Her competition dances have won numerous awards regionally and nationally.  Erin has also received many choreography awards for her work on a regional and national level.  She is passionate, energetic, and sincerely cares about each student.  She enjoys the challenge of thinking of new and exciting things to do in her classes to keep everyone excited and motivated to dance their best.  Her degree in psychology has helped her to make the classes she teaches productive and organized with an emphasis on positive behavior management.  She looks forward to many more years of teaching dance to all ages and levels.

Laura Greenwell  Laura Greenwell is trained in classical dance from Ballet Arts Minnesota, under the direction of Bonnie Mathis, as well as the dance department at Butler University in Indianapolis. For more than seven years she has been instructing Vaganova-based Russian ballet and pointe, as well as creating classical and contemporary ballet works for various dance schools including Woodbury Dance Center, Ballet Internationale-Indianapolis and the Saint Paul City Ballet. Laura is an American Ballet Theatre Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level Three of the ABT National Training Curriculum. She also enjoys freelance dancing with local dance companies and groups as a Guest Artist. Laura focuses her teaching on the unique combination of proper technique, artistry and passion for dance. Outside of the dance world Laura enjoys cooking Italian food, attending Twin Cities arts events and spending quality time with her husband and family.

Mary Swenson Mary graduated in 2010 from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in the top ten percent of her class with a major in Communication Studies and a minor in Mass Communications. Mary has been dancing for nearly ten years, was a competition pom dancer, a Minnesota Vikings All-State Cheerleader, and her high school cheerleading captain.  Mary also enjoys volunteering with Girl Scout troops, going on road trips with her family, and participating in pageants.  Her pageant experience translates to helping her students become sparkling dancers who have great stage presence, communicate effectively, and are confident in front of audiences.  Mary has been teaching recreational and competition dance for the past five years at WDC.  Her competition pom students have won countless awards, received many platinum high scores and have placed 1st nationally in their divisions. Mary spends her summers teaching dance and cheerleading camps for elementary age students and loves taking a variety of dance classes herself, including latin and hip hop.  Mary is a firm believer that dance teaches more than technical ability, it inspires confidence, self-esteem, discipline, and individual expression.  She looks forward to sharing her enthusiasm, positive attitude, and love of dance with students here at WDC! “There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”  ~Vicki Baum

Lynsey Gilbertson Lynsey has been dancing for the past 16 years. She competed with Woodbury Dance Center for 14 years and was a teacher's assistant during that time. She was a member of the Woodbury High School's Dance Team, captain her senior year. After graduating Lynsey attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she was on the Scarlets Danceline for 2 years. While living in Lincoln Lynsey taught at Pure Movement Dance Institute where she taught ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical classes of all ages and levels. She moved back to Minnesota in the Spring of 2011 and is now attending the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities going for an undergraduate degree in Nutrition. Lynsey is also currently the Fall Dance Team Coach at Woodbury High School. She is looking forward to working with students of all ages and levels that share her love of dance!