FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Arye started dancing at the age of eleven and trained in many dance forms such as ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, and Irish Step Dancing. She graduated from Hope College in 2011 with a BA in Dance Education and Elementary Education. While at Hope, she danced with the semi-professional modern dance company dANCEpROjECt, now known as H2. During her time at Hope, Arye worked with many choreographers including Steven Iannacone, Linda Graham, Sharon Wong, Matthew Thornton, and Alicia Diaz. Arye recently retired from education after ten years in the profession as a dance educator. She currently works as the Development Manager for a non -profit organization.

Arye lives in Grand Rapids with her husband Nicholas and, when not dancing, enjoys reading, hiking, good coffee, Spanish wine, and has an incurable case of wanderlust.

ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Seasons One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six

Cydney grew up in West Michigan, training in the Holland Area Arts Council, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, and Zeeland Recreation. In high school she trained with Nancy Clyde in the Zeeland Dance Program and Zeeland Dance Ensemble. Cydney earned her BA in Dance and Religion Education from Hope College. During her time at Hope she received the Florence Cavanaugh Award for dance, presented choreography at the Veritas Forum and International Sacred Dance Guild, and had the opportunity to study under Steven Iannacone, Linda Graham, Sharon Wong, Matthew Thornton, and Alicia Diaz. Cydney has been teaching with Zeeland Recreation for 17 years and co-founded the Zeeland Youth Dance Company and Zeeland Dance Company in 2008 where she continues to serve as artistic director, choreographing original works and staging ballet productions for the youth company.

Cydney lives in Zeeland with her husband, Michael, and daughters, Remy and Ruby. When she is not dancing, Cydney enjoys hiking the West Michigan lakeshore, reading, writing, and making music and art.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six

Alyssa began dancing at 5 years old at Milford Dance Academy, and was simultaneously a gymnast and cheerleader. She attended GVSU where she was part of the Gymnastics Club and University Choir Ensemble. She has rekindled her passion for dance through her time with GRDE and Atelier Dance Company.

Alyssa is the owner of Fleurology Designs where she was named - among other accolades- the two time winner of The Knot’s Best Wedding Vendors. Alyssa currently works as the Event Planning Specialist for LACASA Center - a non-profit for women’s shelter. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, son, and dog, Otto.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six

Christina started dancing nearly as soon as she could walk. She grew up as a ballerina, but discovered her love for modern and contemporary dance in college. She loves nothing more than blending her training in environmental science with her love of movement. She is currently a co-lead artist on Future Fields, a dance investigation of climate change and agriculture with Dance Exchange. She is also the Education Specialist at the Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University, where she leads aquatic science education and outreach programs. She has held artist residencies at Santa Fe Art Institute, Signal Fire, Works on Water and SciArt Center, and has presented her work widely. She was also the Director of Environmental Art at the Schuykill Center for Environmental Education for six years. 

Christina is a native Pittsburgher and relatively new Michigander, and enjoys learning all she can about the Great Lakes. In her spare time, she knits feverishly, gardens novicely, hikes with her family, and tries to keep up with her energetic 1 year old.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six

Mary began dancing at the age of 3. She grew up attending Diane’s School of Dance and studied tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. She then perused a double major degree in dance and elementary education at Hope College where she continued her studies in dance and focused on modern and tap. Mary spent 2 years dancing with GRDE and this will be her 4th season with Atelier Dance Company.

Mary currently teaches first grade at Jeffers Elementary School in Spring Lake. She lives in Norton Shores with her husband, Caleb, and her son, Henry. She loves spending time with family and friends, fishing, boating, and reading a good book.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Three, Four, Five, and Six

Tiffany found a love for dance when she first started in high school. After graduation she attended Muskegon Community College with a dance scholarship, then transferred to Grand Valley State University to continue her dance education. She ultimately stepped away from dance to pursue a career in cosmetology at the Douglas J AVEDA institute. Still having a love for dance she found numerous studios to dance at over the years.

Tiffany lives in Zeeland with her husband, Jared and their five kids. She loves watching her kids enjoy soccer, tennis, swimming, golf and dance. In her spare time you can find her reading a book, doing a puzzle or spending quality time with family and friends. 

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Three, Four, Five, and Six

Kylee started dancing in high school under the direction of Nancy Clyde with the Zeeland Dance Program and Zeeland Dance Ensemble. Having no previous experience before this, dance turned into a love for the art.

Kylee went on to dance at Hope College and had some fun her senior year by joining the poms dance team. She graduated with a BA in Exercise Science and minor in Psychology. After college Kylee helped coordinate dances at church and enjoys helping backstage for Zeeland Recreation’s ballets and recitals.

Kylee lives in West Michigan with her spouse and two daughters where she works at an elementary school. She is excited to return for another year of dancing with this amazing company of dancers and being able to create and move alongside of them. In her downtime, Kylee enjoys spending time with her family and reading in between running her girls to their dance classes and activities.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Four, Five, and Six

Growing up on the East side of Michigan training at Miss Lores Dance Rage. Stephanie started dancing at the age of 5 training in many styles of dance such as Jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop and acro-gymnastics. At the age of 6 Stephanie was asked and joined the competitive team getting to travel around the states competing at different dance competitions. When Stephanie turned 13 she moved to West Michigan and continued training and again joined the competitive team at Dance Kraze. After graduating High School in 2008 Stephanie then transitioned over to become a teacher and choreographer at Dance Kraze since then and is still currently doing so.

In 2021 Stephanie joined a dance competition Beyond The Stars Dance Competition and travels with them around the states as one of their photographers.

Stephanie lives in Allegan with her 2 daughters: Isabel and Rosie who are also young dancers themselves.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Four, Five, and Six

Sabrina started dancing at the age 3 at Miss Lore’s School of performing arts and moved to Dance Kraze. She trained in many dance forms: jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, modern, hip hop, tap, musical theatre, gymnastics/acro all while being a competitive dancer. During her time as a competition dancer, she received many judges awards, photogenic, scholarships, and placed in overalls. After graduating high school, she began teaching at Dance Kraze for 5 years where she received choreography and showmanship awards while taking basic college classes. In 2018-2020 she went to WMU to peruse a degree in Dance and Exercise Science, but put college on pause due to COVID and starting her family. Currently she is working part time at Little Tigers Learning Center and will be slowly teaching dance again at her hometown studio.

Sabrina lives in Otsego with her husband, Hagan and 2 daughters, Sophia and Hazel. When Sabrina is not dancing, she enjoys working out, doing different activities, and spending time with her family and friends.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Five and Six

Bre grew up dancing on the east side of the state at Mrs. Bridget's School of Dance. She danced from ages 2 through 18 and was on the competitive team for 13 years traveling over all over Michigan.

Bre is trained in multiple genres such as ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, African, belly, pointe, and acro. After graduating high school, she moved to Grand Rapids for college and took a break from dance to pursue cheerleading. A few years after graduating college, she found a local dance studio in Grand Rapids where she's been dancing ever since.

Bre is currently an adult support coordinator for the I/DD population, and the team lead for direct support professionals working with disabled kids. In her spare time, you can find her searching for the moon, traveling, hanging with friends and advocating for mental health.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Five and Six

Amy grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and began dancing at age 3. Dance has always been her joy and passion. During her childhood years and through high school, she spent time training in ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical at a variety of dance locations including Praise in Motion, the Fort Wayne Ballet, and the Fort Wayne Dance Collective. Amy continued to dance during college and after, coordinating dance ministry at her local church. She graduated from Hope College with a BA in elementary education and a minor in French. In 2021, Amy earned her Masters in Reading and Literacy K-12 from Central Michigan University.

Amy lives in Holland with her husband Brent, and their two children Alexis and Jaxon. She taught kindergarten for many years and is currently an elementary reading specialist. Amy loves watching her kids play hockey, tennis, and dance. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, hanging out with their little pug Lola, and reading at the beach.

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Five and Six

Amanda started dancing at age three. She danced with the Miles Marsden Dance Company and trained in ballet, tap and jazz until she decided to focus on musical theatre and cheer in high school. She graduated from Wheelock College with a degree in Early Childhood Education.

Amanda lives in Holland with her husband and five kids. When not busy shuttling kids around, Amanda enjoys reading, shopping, creating, hanging out with friends and traveling. 

COMPANY MEMBER

Seasons Five and Six

Ashley's lifelong passion for dance ignited during her freshman year of high school, sparked by her color guard instructor who recognized her need for balance and coordination.  She found her dance family at Dance Kraze, where she blossomed into a dedicated company member and began sharing her love of dance through teaching. 

Ashley's commitment to dance remained strong as she furthered her education right here in Southwest Michigan. She balanced studies at KVCC and then Western Michigan University, skillfully weaving her dedication to the art of movement while completing her teaching degree. Ashley continuously honed her skills by traveling near and far to attend conventions, seminars, and workshops, always eager to learn from the best in the business and grow her craft.

After graduation, Ashley and her husband, Andy, embarked on a new chapter in Washington State. Ashley discovered a vibrant community at Dance Creations, where she danced with their adult company competitively and continued teaching. In 2014, with a 4-month-old baby and a full-time teaching job, Ashley took a leap of faith and opened her own dance studio, Chelan Dance Centre. This endeavor  was life changing. She formed relationships that led to lifelong friendships, lasting memories, and provided invaluable lessons. However, in 2018, Ashley made the difficult decision to close the studio and return home, prioritizing family and her daughters' connection with their grandparents.

Today, Ashley inspires young minds as an English teacher at Otsego Middle School while actively contributing to her community. She choreographs for school musicals and shares her passion through an after-school dance club. Alongside her husband, she co-owns 4LMoments, a videography business capturing weddings and other cherished moments.

Residing in Plainwell with her husband and two daughters, Audrey and Adeline, Ashley embraces life's simple pleasures outside of teaching and dancing. She finds solace in Reformer Pilates, invigorating cold plunges, curling up with a good book and tea, expressing herself through writing, connecting with nature, and spending quality time with her loved ones.

COMPANY MEMBER

Season Six

Ashley grew up in northern Virginia studying ballet with Margaret Virkus at the Russell School of Ballet and later at Classical Ballet Academy. She trained at various summer intensives including The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet, The Kirov Academy in Washington, D.C., and The Academy of The Colorado Ballet. During high school, she spent time training year-round at The Nutmeg Conservatory in Connecticut.

After high school, Ashley decided to pursue a dual Elementary and Special Education degree at Indiana University-Bloomington where she danced through electives and performed and taught with a non-profit company called Windfall Dancers.

As a career, Ashley has worked in the field of specialized instruction throughout Allegan County. She holds a Master’s degree and Education Specialist degree in Special Education Administration, as well as a National Board Certification as an Exceptional Needs Specialist.

Ashley continues to spend evenings and weekends teaching ballet and creative dance at the Patti Herm School of Dance in Otsego, Michigan. She recently completed her American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum certification for Pre-Primary through Level 3.

Ashley has two amazing kids who she loves watching grow into incredible, kind humans and a husband who is also a teacher. She loves her three cats, floofy dog, and all of the coffee. She is so grateful for the opportunity to join Atelier for Season 6!

COMPANY MEMBER

Season Six

Becca’s dance career began at the early age of 2. She danced through high school at Diane’s School of Dance, focusing on ballet, tap, hip hop and jazz. Through her time there she found a passion for teaching tap and ballet to younger dancers. During high school Becca took her dancing background to the diving boards and branched into a new sport. 

This new sport brought her to Calvin University where she studied Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish. During her time at Calvin she stayed involved in dance through the college’s Dance Guild, and teaching classes at EGR Rec. When she wasn’t at the pool she was likely found dancing! 

Soon after graduation accepted the Head Dive Coach position at Hope College and a teaching position in Zeeland Public Schools.  Becca lives in Zeeland with her husband, Greg and two sons. She continued her education with a Masters in Early Childhood Education and is finding her way back to the dance world!