Meet our highly qualified, talented and VIBE-rant staff:
Alexis
Instructor
Alexis began dancing at the age of 7 where she trained at Paavola School of Dance in classical ballet, jazz, modern and contemporary. She received a scholarship to dance with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago after high school. Alexis then attended college and became a 3-year member and 1-year captain of the Central Michigan University Dance Team. Afterwards, Alexis danced professionally with the Detroit Lions Cheerleaders for 3 seasons. Alexis is VIBE's Ballet Director and has such passion instructing the students on correcting their form and sharpening their technique. She still dances en pointe! When Alexis is not teaching, she continues to train and perform in the metro Detroit area. She is a full time realtor (contact her if you're buying or selling) and loves her adorable Pomeranian puppy named Archie!
Annabelle
Instructor
Born and raised in New York City, Miss Annabelle has been dancing for over 40 years. She studied with Elliot Feld, Joffrey Ballet in New York City and attended the High School of Performing Arts where she graduated with honors. Miss Annabelle has danced and performed ballet and ballroom all over the US! She is currently teaching rhythmic gymnastics and was the form coach for beginners to elite gymnasts for over 10 years at a gymnastics training facility. Miss Annabelle has three beautiful daughters and a wonderful husband. She thoroughly enjoys seeing dancers exceed, thrive and is thrilled to be a part of VIBE Dance Academy!
Claire
Instructor
Miss Claire is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan where she got her BS in Movement Science with a minor in Dance. While there, she had the opportunity to perform and choreograph with clubs and the dance department. On the weekends you can find her performing at Jimmy John's Field with the United Dance Crew. Miss Claire loves spending time with her family and rabbit Henry. She likes to read, paint and would eventually like to travel to Sicily to visit her family there. One of her life goals is to watch the sun set in every state.
Corey
Instructor
If you're looking for hip hop culture and dance knowledge, this is your man! Mr. Corey has been professionally teaching and dancing for over 13 years. He has choreographed/danced with the Detroit Pistons hip hop acrodunk team for 11 years and has taught throughout Michigan, Ohio, Chicago, toured with the world famous Harlem Globetrotters and appeared on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE twice for seasons 10 and 12 making all the way to the end of Vegas week. Mr. Corey also has extensive knowledge in acro being in gymnastics for over 20 yrs and had competed all over the world with the US Men's National Team for Trampoline and Tumbling. We are happy to have Mr Corey and his expertise at VIBE!
Danni
Instructor
Danielle Poches (AKA Ms. Danni) has been teaching dance in the Rochester area for 9.5 years. Throughout her teaching career she has taught a variety of styles including (but not limited to) hip hop, jazz, lyrical, tap and preschool.
Ms. Danni graduated from Oakland University with her BS in Human Resources Management. While at OU, she was an active member on their athletic Dance Team. She was also a part of Woodward Entertainment where she performed at events in the metro Detroit area.
In addition to dance, Ms. Danni currently works as an HR manager for a tier one automotive supplier in the area. In what little free time she has, she enjoys going on trips, working out, hiking and spending time with her husband Matt, her 2 kids Evelyn and Brayden and her dog Vedder.
Brooke
Instructor
Miss Kelly was born in Richmond, Virginia, where she started her dance journey at the age of four. Her training began at the Concert Ballet of Virginia and later included Minnesota Ballet Arts and several local studios in Rochester, MI. She has trained and performed in many styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, pointe, swing dance and Irish step dance, but her all time favorite is ballet! During her college years, Kelly attended Grand Valley State University and studied under a variety of instructors in their dance program. She was also a part of the school’s swing dance club and dance group, “Momentum”. Kelly graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in photography and a minor in dance. Currently, she continues training regularly in ballet, pointe, modern, enjoys performing for the community and sharing how dance can be loved by those of all ages. She hopes to pass on her love and joy dance can bring into one’s life through her students and encourages everyone to have fun while working hard on technique and discipline simultaneously. When not at VIBE, you can find Miss Kelly at home with her three cats (George, Bella and Pluto), exploring different parts of town, working out, helping others, reading or looking up all the newest dancewear!
Hakile
Instructor
Alexis recently graduated from Wayne State University with a BS in dance and minor in musical theatre. While there, she had the opportunity to choreograph, perform, and assist in various concerts and musicals. Her favorite memory was being the dance captain of the touring musical theatre group “Motor City Cabaret” and performing at different schools in the community. She was also an active member on the WSU dance team for 3 years, performing at football and basketball games, as well as competing at the DTU College Classics. Currently, she is obtaining a MS in teaching and is the Dance Director for Warren Consolidated Schools Arts Program. She looks forward to working with the students at VIBE and making a difference one jazz square at a time!
Aundreah
Instructor
Aundreah Walenski began dancing at the age of 5 and has performed and trained in many styles of dance including Cecchetti ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip hop and pom. Aundreah graduated from Oakland University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Spanish Language. During her studies at OU, she was a member of the Oakland Athletic’s Dance Team and performed locally with Woodward Entertainment. After graduating from Oakland University, Aundreah went on to get her Masters in Interpersonal Social Work from the University of Michigan. Now Aundreah is a clinical social worker and psychotherapist in Oakland County with a special focus in women’s mental health. Aundreah believes dance has the power to bring happiness, joy, and confidence to all who have the privilege to dance. When Aundreah is not working or dancing, she loves to snuggle with a good book and her cats and spending time with her family and friends. We are so happy Miss Aundreah is a part of the VIBE Tribe!
Eden
Instructor
Miss Eden was born in Florida, moved to Michigan when she was 4 and has been dancing since 3 years old! Miss Eden was trained at Suzettes Masters of Dance and joined the Company team at 6 years old. She competed with tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop and ballet! Miss Eden is currently at Wayne State University studying in Pre-K - 3rd grade education. When Miss Eden is not teaching, she loves taking her cavapoo dog, Oakley for walks and car rides! She also loves watching Netflix on her down time. Lastly, Miss Eden loves teaching her students good work ethic and loves watching them achieve their goals at VIBE!!
Katie
Instructor
Katie Franchini is an Oakland University Dance Team Member and has been dancing for 10 years. She is a former member on the Rochester Varsity Dance Team and has been a studio dance assistant for 4 years. Katie has experience in jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, pom and hip hop. She loves spending time with her family and dogs, Jack & Marley, hanging out with friends, dancing and of course, coffee! Her patience, technique and choreography is well received. VIBE is thrilled to have Katie as part of the teaching staff.
Heather
Instructor
Heather began dancing 24 years ago when she walked in the back left corner of what is now VIBE’s Studio 2 and hasn’t stopped since! Growing up, Heather competed and performed dance for many years. She also served for two years as captain of the Lutheran High School North Varsity Dance Team. Heather went on to teach at two Metro Detroit dance studios while she pursued her double major at the University of Michigan. While at Michigan, she danced with Cadence Modern Dance Company. Heather holds a J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and is a trial lawyer at a law firm in Troy, Michigan. Heather is passionate about encouraging VIBE students to develop their character and reach their full potential—inside and outside the studio!
Lorna
Instructor
Miss Lorna grew up competing both locally and nationally for both studio and high school dance teams. She is currently working with the Detroit Pistons Dancers for her fourth season and has traveled internationally to represent the NBA and Detroit Pistons Organization. She is assisting leading the team this year as Co-Captain and loves every second of it! Lorna has choreographed for several groups including Eastern Michigan University’s Dance Team, USPBL Dance Crew, studios in the Metro Detroit area and music video shoots. She’s judged many entertainment auditions that focus on performance, hip-hop, jazz/funk, pompon and lyrical dance styles. Her interest in dance is constantly growing as is her love and passion for the art of it. Lorna is extremely eager to continue teaching and learning from her students and peers for years to come! VIBE loves Miss Lorna's kind spirit and stylish choreography!
Kevin
Instructor
Kevin Belanger grew up in Sterling Heights and, after graduating from the Virginia School of the Arts, danced professionally with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Ballet San Jose, the American Repertory Ballet, and the Minnesota Ballet. Kevin has taught and choreographed ballet for numerous schools throughout Michigan and the United States for the past twenty five years. Mr Kevin loves gardening, landscaping, dark chocolate and his dog! VIBE is so happy to have Mr Kevin on staff!
Nicole Redko was born and raised in Troy, Michigan, where she trained and taught at Juliana's Academy of Dance for twenty-two years, beginning at age three. She competed and performed in all styles, including jazz, tap, lyrical, hip hop, ballet and musical theater. Nicole graduated with her bachelor's degree from Oakland University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in both Dance and Spanish language. She then graduated with her Masters in Clinical Psychology from University of Detroit Mercy. Nicole now works during the day as a school psychologist for Detroit Institute for Children and also teaches social-emotional classes. Her passion is training dancers to be the best that they can be, both technically and mentally.
Nicole
Instructor
Ryan
Instructor
Ryan started his journey of dance and entertainment here in Rochester, Michigan. After training breakdancing for a short time, he joined the Detroit Pistons Extreme Team where he was introduced to acrobatics and tumbling. There on the courts, he continued to learn and improve his dance, choreography, acro and tumbling. While working as an entertainer, he also coaches tumbling! Ryan has performed for a music video, concert and other events as a dancer. He is very excited to join the VIBE Tribe as an instructor; challenging and engaging students through Hip Hop!
Atiana
Instructor
Atiana, or Ati, is a dancer and teacher at VIBE Dance Academy and has been dancing for 15+ years; it is her favorite thing in the world! She is a hairdresser and wants to own a hair salon in the future. Her favorite styles of dance are jazz and contemporary. Atiana loves pink, likes to read, watch movies, hang out with friends, 2 brothers and 3 dogs, shop and clean. She loves dancing with everyone at VIBE!
Olivia
Instructor
Olivia comes to VIBE from Chesterfield, Michigan! She has been dancing for 12 years and 6 of those years competitively. In her dance career, she has danced at Spotlight Dance Works, Gone Dancing Studio and the Anchor Bay High School Varsity Dance Team. During her high school dance career, she was given the opportunity to teach and fell in love with teaching students how to find themselves through dance. She now attends Oakland University and is majoring in marketing. At Oakland she is a second year member of the Oakland University Dance Team. Olivia is so excited to be a part of the VIBE Tribe and cannot wait for the year to start!
Joel
Building Director
Joel has served over three decades in many fast-paced real estate, heavily focused on professional construction services, operations, quality, Information Technology and products. In addition to dozens of other certifications, honors, and professional group memberships, he has served on multiple boards for the advancement of sustainable construction, community and code development, risk, building science education and product development. Joel’s economic impact exceeds a billion dollars over thousands of evaluations & projects. He is a LEED Green Associate, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Development from Central Michigan University. Joel is an asset to VIBE and you can find him helping the entire Tribe to ensure sucess!
Maddie
Instructor
Maddie graduated from Saint Mary’s College in 2021 with a double major in Business Management and Statistical & Actuarial Mathematics, she works full time as a Recruiting Coordinator when she's not dancing. She is also a professional dancer on the Detroit Lions Cheerleading Team and is so proud to be a teacher at VIBE! She started dancing at a young age and continues her professional dance career. Maddie enjoys teaching recreational and competitive teams from littles to teens. Her favorite styles are jazz, musical theatre, pom and likes to focus on technique. Maddie enjoys cleaning dances, maintaining a happy and energetic atmosphere in her classes, she is dedicated, hardworking and so proud to be part of the VIBE Tribe!
Nancy
Reception
Nancy is a retired Librarian from St. Lawrence School, however, she still works at the school handling administrative tasks. She is a very busy body! She loves to socialize from brunch to lunch with her friends! Nancy is the social butterfly amongst her group of co-workers, friends and family. Her hobbies include shopping, volunteering, entertaining, making and painting porcelain, helping others, organizing, traveling and dining out with friends and family. Mrs. Nancy handles quite a bit at VIBE including reception, decorating, administrative duties and helping with all types of tasks outside the studio. She enjoys seeing all of the VIBE dancers, their happy faces and watching them rehearse and perform!
Ed
Building Director
Ed retired from General Motors as an Engineering Group Manager. He is enjoying his retirement yet stays very busy on the daily. After retiring, he was involved with Property Management, buying and selling homes and condos. Ed has always been behind the scenes at various dance studios making props, fixing anything broken, construction, constant improvements, running errands, setting up, tearing down, etc. You name it, he's our guy! You can find Mr Ed at VIBE most days ensuring the studio is at it's very best for the staff and dancers. He is a true perfectionist! Ed enjoys home improvement projects, scotch, boating, exercising, working outside, fine dining with family and friends, traveling domestically and internationally and taking care of his granddogs and grandcats. Ed will always lend a helping hand to anyone who asks. Ed is happy to be alive, active & retired to do what he loves and a large part of that is VIBE!
Kelsey
Instructor
Kelsey Fisher is thrilled to be a dancer and a teacher at VIBE Dance Academy! Her training includes ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, pom and more! Kelsey has over 7 years assisting teaching dance along with several years experience on her dance team & musicals at high school. Her goals as a teacher are to give students an outlet to their emotions and challenges by teaching them to move their bodies in a safe way. She instills confidence, expression and kindness on and off the stage. Her hobbies include reading romance novels, hanging out with friends, family and is 100% a Swifty! Kelsey loves teaching and being a part of the VIBE community.
