Victoria’s love for dance started at the very young age of 4 right here in South Lyon! She continued studying various styles of Ballet with Cecchetti being her main focus also Tap, Jazz, Lyrical and Musical Theater. Victoria has taken student exams l-VI. After graduating from being home schooled, Victoria got hired as a performer to bring some of our beloved characters to life at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida! Before her pixie dust wore off she got offered a chance to move to Australia and continued her teachings. While in the land down under she got to train at the Sydney Dance Company and got certified in AusDance Practical Teachers Course in Perth. After moving back to Michigan in 2016, Victoria continued her long love of Cecchetti and successfully took her Teachers exams l-IV. Additionally her work at competitions have received multiple stand out judges awards for choreography, costumes, entertainment and storytelling. Victoria is excited to be back in her hometown that instilled her love and passion for dance. TEACHING DANCERS THE VALUE OF DEDICATION, DISCIPLINE, RESPECT AND HARD WORK IN BECOMING A CLASSICALLY TRAINED DANCER WHILE INSTILLING A LIFELONG LOVE FOR THE ART AND HISTORY OF DANCE is Victoria’s passion that she hopes to share with students of all ages and levels that she works with. She recently got certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and is constantly looking for ways to excel her teachings. Victoria always knew she would own her own dance school one day, and that day is finally here. She is so excited to welcome parents and students into her family based studio!
Mr. Charlie Howard-Putnam grew up in Metro Detroit, where he started his love for dance. With 20 years of teaching experience, he is a passionate instructor with knowledge in training and strengthening dancers to go to professional levels. Mr. Charlie has received certification as an instructor in the renowned Cecchetti Ballet Method, Dance Master of America/Michigan, and Acrobatic Art. He danced professionally with Art Lab J, where he explored the world of contemporary dance and performance art. He is a well-rounded teacher who has trained and studied multiple dance genres but specializes in ballet, jazz, and lyrical, with a heavy concentration on the competition circuit. He is continuously educating himself to train and assist his students with ever-changing ways of dance. Mr. Charlie’s work and students have received multiple standout awards, including choreography, technique, special judges recognition, costuming, and many more. He has dancers who have gone off to pursue their careers in dance nationwide.
Sarah Mervyn began her dance career over 20 years ago at a competitive studio in Brighton, MI. Following several years as a competitive dancer, she found a passion for ballet and switched focus to the classical Vaganova technique. Sarah's experiences at the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet, BalletMet, and the Milwaukee Ballet School lead her to be accepted to train in pre-professional ballet programs around the world. As a student, she had the opportunity to perform pieces from The Nutcracker, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, and many more. Over the past few years, Sarah has choreographed and taught many award-winning dancers, most recently receiving an "Excellence in Choreography" award. In addition to training competitive dancers, she has directed multiple full-length ballets, including Giselle, the Nutcracker, and Coppelia, as a part of a multi-location ballet and pre-professional program she built in the Upper Peninsula. Since relocating back to lower Michigan, Sarah is pursuing a degree in astronomy and astrophysics, completed the Kathy King Strategies “Dance Teacher Development Program”, and expanded her Alixa Flexibility certification through the fourth module.
Alan Horn is a Detroit based dancer and choreographer. He attended Western Michigan University and earned his Bachelor or Arts in Dance and Bachelor of Communications in Public Relations. Alan was invited to join Walt Disney World Florida as a guest performer and has worked with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as an audition assistant. Many of his students have gone on to professional careers working for Cruise Lines, Paris Fashion Week and touring dance companies. Alan is dedicated to the art of performing, teaching and inspiring students to reach their full potential.
Sara Ray began dancing at the age of four and fell in love with the art of dance. She completely absorbed all levels and styles of dance, advancing to competitive dance. While a student of dance, the multiple instructors at various studios exposed her to a wide variety of dance styles and instruction techniques. Her passion for dance quickly evolved into teaching others. Sara became a teacher assistant under the mentor of her mother, Marcie Fergus. Her desire to learn more led her to enroll in the dance program at EMU. This experience enhanced her skills for instructing all levels and styles of dance. Her choreography has won her choreography awards as well as top overall scores. Continued enrollment in various workshops and relationships with many other studio owners and instructors led to ongoing personal and professional development and enhanced her desire to teach all children and adults with varying interest in dance from beginners to advanced levels.
Caroline Julian is from South Lyon, Michigan and has studied a range of dance styles for 17 years. Over that time, tap dance stole her heart. Her competitive years took her across the country to conventions, tap intensives, and competitions with many top finishes but more importantly, it gave her the chance to meet and build relationships with other tap dancers. Caroline has trained with many of the tap greats over the years such as Savion Glover, Derrick Grant, Heather Cornell, Sarah Reich, Christopher Broughton, Dormesha, Nico Rubio, the late Gregg Russell, Arizona’s own Suzy Guarino-Hall and Jennifer Miller, and the late Professor Reed. Since 2018, Caroline has been training with her mentor Jason Janas and is one of the newest members of his professional company, Co.MMIT. Caroline is also a member of Brendan Kellam’s DXX Tap, based in Tucson Arizona. She is a senior majoring in Film Studies at Michigan State University.
Sloan Lemberg is a dancer and choreographer based in Michigan. She is a recent graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned her degree in Dance and Marketing. Sloan was an active member of MSU’s Department of Theatre, where she was given the opportunity to choreograph many productions, and was awarded the title “Outstanding Senior in Dance” this past Spring. She was also the Executive Director of MSU’s Orchesis Dance Company, where she was a member for four years. Sloan participated in Brighton Dance Festival for two summers as an intern, which gave her the chance to connect with other Michigan artists, and to develop her own skills. Additionally, she worked as the Assistant Choreographer for a production by Pensacola Opera, under the direction of one of her mentors. Sloan is so excited to get back in the classroom and to meet new students. She aims to inspire dancers, and to encourage them to take creative risks!
Hope danced for 14 years before continuing her passion for dance as an instructor. Her love of teaching began by assisting and substitute teaching. Hope has a strong background in both ballet and contemporary, as well as trained in and performed styles such as tap, jazz, hip-hop, pointe/variations, and lyrical. Her main focus was performance. Along with the many professional performance opportunities through her dance team, Hope was part of and performed with Detroit Tap Repertory.
In addition to the opportunities and instruction from her home studio, Hope was fortunate to train in the Vaganova method of ballet with instructors from the Perm, Kirov Academy, Vaganova Academy, The Rock School of Ballet and Bolshoi Academy. Hope is certified to teach Progressing Ballet Technique US (PBT) and enjoys teaching all ages and levels. Sharing her love for dance is one of Hope’s favorite things to do which is why she loves performing and teaching.
Outside of the studio Hope enjoys baking, is a seamstress, a dental assistant, and is pursuing a degree in Dental Hygiene.
Miss Hope will be taking a year off from teaching with VSD to expand her personal growth. BUT she is our go to when we need a sub!