Staff
Miss Melissa - Owner & Director
Miss Melissa is the owner & director of Sullivan Dance Studio. Her love of dancing began at a young age and progressed through many performing avenues. Some of her favorite performances were 42nd Street at The Little Theatre on the Square, winning National Champions on the Grand Ole Opry Stage with the Sullivan Singers, and competing with the college dance team at UDA Nationals in Orlando, Florida. As she began teaching dance, she found a new passion and love for feeling how proud she felt watching her students perform, accomplish a new skill, and mostly helping a student find their inner confidence. At Millikin University she earned her bachelor’s degrees in Accounting & Business Management while taking several dance classes as well. She began her professional career working for park districts over seeing aquatics, dance, summer camps, and preschool programming. Her passion was for children, but her heart missed her hometown. She lives by the saying: “Be the change you want to see in your community.” So, she moved home, started Sullivan Dance Studio in 2016, and continues to evolve SDS into much more than just a dance studio. She couldn’t have done any of this without her husband and parents who have all poured their blood, sweat, and tears into turning this old building on the square into the beautiful facility it is today. She holds her module 1 & 2 certifications from Acrobatic Arts and is a proud member of the Dance Studio Owner Association. In all of her free time, she loves to volunteer at church leading Vacation Bible School, substitute teach at SES, and coach the SHS Dance Team. Her greatest blessing is her girls Gianna, Tinley, & Zola and she thanks God every day for placing them in her home. She can’t believe we are in season 7 at SDS already and is so excited to see what is to come 😊
Melissa Lynch - Office Manager
Several of our clients compliment SDS on its extreme organization & great communication - this is the lady who makes all of the behind-the-scenes magic happen while greeting you with a smiling face at the front desk! Office Manager Melissa holds 2 bachelor's degrees, in both psychology and theology. She also has a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. She taught high school religion classes at St. Teresa High School in Decatur for 9 years before deciding to become a stay-at-home mom and homeschool her children. She is also a super dance mom and gives great advice thanks to her 5 dancing kiddos! You probably recognize all of her children from the studio either on stage performing or in your kid's classes as SDS Leaders too. Her oldest, an instructor here, Miss Grace, currently attends The University of Notre Dame. Mr. Cian and Miss Zoe, are both Teachers-in-Training. Ellie is an Assistant and Fionn is starting her first year as a Jr. Assistant. Melissa enjoys watching all 5 of her children dance! Fun fact, Melissa’s first dance class ever was at Sullivan Dance Studio as a grown-up in adult tap!
Miss Kristen- Squad Director & Preschool Teacher
Miss Kristen is the teacher for our preschool program as well as the Squad Director for the After-School Care Program and the No School Day Camps. She and her husband live in Findlay with their children Hunter and Hadlee and their fur babies Tyson and Minnie. Miss Kristen has her masters in Elementary Education with a reading specialist degree and middle school endorsement and is excited to bring a christian based education to young kids. She also is the leader of her Gals in Grace group at church and volunteers in Sunday School and the nursery. “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” - Bob Talbert
Miss Maddie - Squad Director & Instructor
Miss Maddie is the Squad Director for the After-School Care Program, No School Day Camps, and Summer Camp. She is also excited to be teaching dance classes this season too! She recently moved back to her hometown Sullivan after graduating from ISU with her elementary education degree. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She was on the SHS dance team and co-captain her Senior Year. Throughout middle & high school she performed in Sullivan Singers and now assists with the groups! Maddie enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and new lab puppy, Walter. We love the sass & energy Miss Maddie brings to her jazz & hip hop classes!
Miss Brittany - Marketing Coordinator & Squad Leader
Miss Brittany lives in Bethany with her husband, Adam, and their daughter, Aubrie. She is a proud graduate of Lake Land College with a degree in Medical Coding and plays a vital role as both a Squad Leader in our after-school program and the Marketing Coordinator.
Her passion lies in helping students reach their full potential, and she brings this dedication to every aspect of her work. At home, Brittany homeschools Aubrie, who has been dancing since the age of 2. Outside of work, Brittany and Aubrie actively contribute to their community by delivering Peace Meals to local residents. Brittany also leads a Girl Scout troop in Sullivan, Bethany, demonstrating her commitment to making a meaningful difference.
Miss Casey - Instructor
Miss Casey’s love for “the big stage” began at the age of three. Over the years she has been trained in ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, lyrical, pointe, and clogging. Miss Casey enjoyed both recreational classes as well as being a competitive dancer for many years. Across an array of states, she won many different specialty awards as both a competition team dancer as well as a solo competitor. Her passion for performing expanded when becoming a proud member of The Sullivan Singers. Through the years as a Sullivan Singer, Miss Casey was awarded the title of “Best Performer” at many different Invitationals (including Nationals at The Grand Ole Opry Stage- where they won Grand Champions). Following high school graduation, she danced on her college dance team and auditioned for her dream role as a Disney Performer at Walt Disney World, Florida. During her time at Disney, she was able to dance down Main Street USA, perform multiple character performer roles (both in the parks as well as at special events for Make-A-Wish Foundation and Give Kids the World) and be selected to perform the renounced role as Sorcerer Mickey in the Fantasmic Show at Hollywood Studios. When not at the studio, Miss Casey works at as a Licensed Professional Counselor at the Douglas County Health Department. She has over ten years of therapeutic experience ranging from substance abuse treatment, dual diagnosis, psychosocial rehabilitation, crisis-response/intervention, and community mental health. Miss Casey received her Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois-Springfield in Human Development Counseling (Clinical Mental Health), and her Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Illinois University in Psychology and Business Administration. She is actively certified in several different therapeutic modalities, skills, models, and interventions. Her primary theoretical orientation is Existential Therapy; focusing on development through the lifespan, personal responsibility, free will, self-determination, and one’s search for meaning and purpose. Miss Casey’s overall goal is to provide empathy and support necessary for eliciting insight and choice. In her free time, Miss Casey enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her little dog Prilla. She, too, finds joy in volunteering in her community and at her local church. With more than 10 years of teaching experience, Miss Casey is ecstatic to embark on this new dance season. **Also, following a vigorous training/certification process this summer, she is now thrilled to be able to offer a new PBT curriculum for select students at SDS!
Miss Marlaina - Instructor
Miss Marlaina lives in rural Tuscola with her husband Lamar and 3 daughters Elizabeth, Abigail, and Katelyn. She is a stay-at-home homeschool mom with a passion for dance. Throughout high school and college, she was a member of her dance teams where pom became her favorite style. Watching her daughters participate in our acro classes and helping them practice at home she also began to want to learn more. This past summer she participated in the Acrobatic Arts Module 1 training learning how to spot safely and becoming officially certified to teach. As a mom, she loved watching the joy and confidence her own daughters found dancing at SDS. Now as an instructor, Miss Marlaina loves helping her students find their joy and confidence too! We have been so happy to add her to our staff this year teaching pom and acro classes.
Miss Kendall - Instructor
Miss Kendall is so excited to join the SDS Staff this year! She and her husband Austin live in Sullivan with their children Lucy, Beau, and Fur-son Bruce. Growing up she took many dance, gymnastics, and cheer classes making her very familiar with the arts and components of acro classes. This summer, Miss Kendall trained through the Acrobatic Arts Preschool Module becoming certified to teach. Miss Kendall teaches our youngest acro dancers in Tumble with Me, Itty Bitty & Preschool acro classes. She has a passion for working with children in our community. She volunteers to teach Sunday School and coach soccer. “If we all could see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic in everything.” -Akiane Kramarik
Miss Sydney - Instructor & Squad Leader
Miss Sydney started her dance training when she was five years old and was in fact the first alumni of the Sullivan Dance Studio seven years ago! She graduated from the University of Illinois in 2021 with her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance, where she spent her time performing and training with a wide range of teachers and choreographers in styles such as modern, ballet, hip hop, contemporary, contact improv, and more. Her free time was spent performing with a K-pop dance cover group and continues to enjoy learning and teaching in that style. One of her favorite styles to teach is contemporary, and she loves working on new and creative choreography for her classes and the competition team. When not teaching dance, you can see her working at the after-school care program and the SDS squad summer camp. She is passionate about continuing to grow personally as an artist by taking classes and attending intensives so she can bring new ideas and concepts to her students. Her teaching strategy is to help all students reach their goals, try new things, and grow into strong, versatile dancers and confident people!
Miss Elizabeth - Instructor
Miss Elizabeth is excited to join the SDS Staff this year! She might look familiar - she is a previous student for the past 6 years here. She recently graduated from Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School and became a proud SDS alumna! She trained for over 10 years in ballet, musical theatre, tap, and more. Some of Miss Elizabeth's other passions are theatre, art, and writing. This year she is teaching ballet, musical theatre, and tap which are her 3 favorite styles of dance!
Miss Tammy - Instructor
Miss Tammy is our Move With Me instructor. Tammy grew up in the Sullivan community and has raised her family here. She and her husband have 5 children. Tammy has her Bachelors's and Master's degrees in Early Childhood Special Education and is an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant. Over the years Tammy has worked in a variety of roles supporting children and families.
Miss Elizabeth - Instructor
Elizabeth has been teaching dance here for 3 years after progressing through our SDS Leader training program. She has been dancing since she could walk and a member of our competition team for 7 years. She balances dance and instructing with her many school activities – serving as the perfect role model for our young dancers. Liz in a SHS Dance Team member and captain, in the National English Honor Society, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, NHSS, and Health Occupation training program. Her favorite style of dance is musical theatre. She especially enjoys helping with the younger student’s competition team routines. Her favorite part about teaching is making personal connections to kids every week and seeing them grow.
Miss Triniti - Instructor & Squad Assistant
We are so excited to welcome Miss Triniti to our staff this year! She started her journey at SDS 4 years ago as a student and then an SDS Leader to teacher in training. She now assists with our after-school care program, and summer camps, and teaches our younger hip-hop and sing & shake classes! Miss Triniti started singing as soon as she could talk at age 2 and taking dance classes at age 7. Her passion for performing started at a young age. She began participating in several musicals eventually starring as Annie at the Little Theatre on the Square. She is currently the junior captain of the SHS Dance Team and a member of the Sullivan Singers Show Choir. Throughout her time in show choir, she has won 7 solo competitions, received the best soloist in show 6 times, and 3 best performer awards. Besides performing, Miss Triniti has the gift of patience & bringing the magic to inspire younger students. She enjoys spending her mentoring hours at school volunteering in the early childhood classroom. Her favorite thing about teaching is how her students are always so excited and eager to try new things!
Miss Olivia- Instructor & Squad Assistant
Miss Olivia is a Senior at Sullivan High School where she participates in the Sullivan Singers show choir program, National Honors Society, Spanish Club, and dance team. She has been recognized for her writing in the Voice of Democracy contest with the American Legion and was given best performer at the Mt. Zion Show Choir Invitational. Miss Olivia has been dancing since the age of 2. She started at the Little Theater on the Square and eventually did competition dancing for 5 years. She has been at SDS since the summer of 2020. Miss Olivia works in our Summer Camp program as an HS Helper and assists in some of our younger kids dance classes. Her favorite styles of dance include hip-hop, jazz, pom, and contemporary. Her favorite memories at the studio include the funny jokes made by the kids about spilling the cereal in elementary ballet. Miss Olivia hopes to expand her dance knowledge over the coming years and continue to share her learnings with younger generations.
Miss Jennifer - Instructor
Miss Jennifer lives in Sullivan with her husband, Greg, 2 children, Levi and Lexi and multiple pets. She works for Transport Services of Sullivan, IL and owns and manages Yoder Properties with her husband. She attends the Vineyard Church and helps with Kingdom Kids. Her daughter, Lexi has been dancing at SDS for 5 years and is beginning her 2nd year on the Competition team. Miss Jennifer started dancing when she was 8 and continued through college. She was a member of the Illinois State University Competitive Dance Team for 3 years. After college she returned to her high school studio and taught ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop for 4 years. Miss Jennifer will be teaching team tech for the competition team. She is excited to return to teaching dance.
Miss Zoe - Instructor
Miss Zoe has been dancing since she was 2. She loves all things dance, takes all the genres, and is so excited to be an instructor this year. Her favorite part of teaching dance is seeing the joy and excitement when kids get a new skill that they have been working so hard on. She is also a member of the Sullivan Dance Studio Competition. Fun fact- Miss Zoe has also been a Girl Scout for 10 years! Miss Zoe hopes to be a pediatrician and plans to major in Pre-Med and minor in dance in college.
Miss Emily - Instructor
Miss Emily is a graduate of Sullivan High School and was a member of the football cheerleading team and Sullivan Singers. She has danced since she was 3 years old. Her favorite part of working at SDS is hanging out with the kids and helping them learn new skills.
Miss Rachel Cavazos - Preschool Assistant Teacher
Rachel worked previously at the Sullivan Schools in early childhood and middle/high school as an aide for 7 years. Rachel is a Sullivan native and enjoys raising her son, Alex, here alongside her husband Jaime. After watching Miss Melissa’s children for several years, she was excited to join this team. She especially enjoys fostering the growth of young children’s faith with their education. Her specialty is her patience and ability to work 1 on 1 with a child needing repetition or a different approach to master a new skill. As the program expands she is excited to continue advancing her early childhood education.
Miss Bailey - Squad Leader
Coming Soon!
Miss Sarina - Squad Assistant
Sarina is an SDS Squad leader. She is involved in many things in school. She is an FCCLA Illinois State officer, a member of FFA, Team Impact, SHS Dance Team, SOV Cheer, and is also the girls track manager! Sarina has been dancing since she was 3 years old and was on our competition team for 6 years! Her favorite style of dance is acro.