ECSOD Staff

The Eau Claire School of Dance is owned and under the direction of Stephanie Houdek-Kling. She has been teaching studio classes for more than 30 years. She worked with the Universal Dance Association for 15 years and was a Head Instructor for 12 years. She has judged the National Dance Team Championships for many years. This competition can be seen yearly on ESPN.

Stephanie has toured worldwide teaching classes in Paris, France, London, England, as well as numerous cities in the US. Her creative and innovative choreography has earned top honors at many highly regarded competitions around the country, including various "High Score" and "Grand Champion" titles. Stephanie furthers her training yearly in New York City, as well as attending conventions and classes throughout the United States learning from the best in the dance field: Joe Tremaine, Desiree Robbins, Jackie Sleight, Dave Carter, Mia Michaels, Wade Robson and Cris Judd, to name a few.

She has also worked for several years with the Moscow Ballet and their local performances of The Great Russian Nutcracker. Stephanie has also worked with the one and only, Bob McGrath, from Sesame Street! She choreographed for the local performance of Bob's National Tour.

Stephanie's students have gone on to earn several distinguished awards at competitions over the years, "Stand Out Dancer", "All Star", "High Point" and numerous others. Several have been hired by Disney as performers.

Dance is Stephanie's passion. It means the world to her to be able to share that passion with her students daily!

The ECSOD is also under the direction of Miki Hagedorn. She has been teaching and assisting classes for over 20 years. Miki began her dance career right here at the Eau Claire School of Dance.

Miki studied dance at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where she trained under dance professionals from various prestigious dance companies around the world including The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The American Contemporary Ballet Company, and The Limón Dance Company.

She has also studied under world-renowned choreographers including Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Shane Sparks, Cris Judd, Laurieann Gibson, Stacey Tookey, Joe Tremaine, Art Stone, and many more by continuing to further her dance education at conventions and classes around the United States. Miki travels to New York City to learn and grow as a dancer and instructor taking classes in all styles of dance at the one-and-only Broadway Dance Center NYC.

Miki received various awards through dance including multiple "High Score" and "Stand-out Dancer" awards. Her choreography has earned many awards including "Most Creative Concept", "Most Entertaining", and multiple "Best Choreography" awards at various dance competitions throughout the region. Miki is known for her original and creative choreography, bringing innovation and excitement to dance in Eau Claire.

When Miki isn't dancing, teaching, or choreographing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking and baking, sewing, playing cards and other board games, cheering on the Packers, Brewers, and Badgers, and traveling.

Ashley Kinning has been dancing for over 20 years at ECSOD and has enjoyed every minute of it! She has studied many styles including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Musical Theater, Contemporary, and Pointe.

She is very excited to be teaching this year and can't wait to watch her students grow. She brings a fun and bubbly personality into every class she teaches and her love for dance shines bright wherever she goes!

When Ashley is not at the dance studio, she enjoys swimming and being outdoors. She also loves spending time with her dog, Levi.
 

Macy has been an instructor at ECSOD for seven years and has loved every minute of it! Teaching dance brings her so much joy, and she is passionate about sharing her love of movement with dancers of all ages.

Macy grew up in Forest Lake, MN, where she began dancing at age three at The Dance Factory. She trained there for 12 years in tap, jazz, lyrical, and ballet. In High School, she competed on the Forest Lake Dance Team for five years, serving as captain her senior year and earning All-Conference Honorable Mention. During high school, Macy continued her training by taking classes and private lessons at Larkin Dance Studio.

She went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, graduating in 2022 with a degree in Elementary Education, a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and a Certificate in Dance Activities. She has been working in education for five years and currently teaches as a Middle School Multilingual Learner Teacher.

At ECSOD, Macy serves as the EXPLORE Program Director and Curriculum Coordinator, helping ensure that students receive a strong, positive dance education from the very beginning of their training. She also works with our Company Dancers and is known for her upbeat, creative, and award-winning choreography that both challenges dancers and builds their confidence on stage. Her students have earned top scores, special judges’ awards, and recognition at regional competitions.

In addition to competition choreography, Macy especially enjoys teaching Creative Movement, Ballet, and Tap to our youngest dancers. She loves helping young dancers build foundational skills while developing confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of dance.

Macy continues to pursue her own professional development by training with industry leaders; most recently, she traveled to New York City to train at Broadway Dance Center.

Outside of the studio, Macy and her husband, Max, enjoy staying active through running and working out, traveling, visiting local coffee shops, spending time at the lake, and making memories with family and friends.

Gail began studying Ballet at the age of 3 in Portland, Oregon with Jacqueline Schumacher. From that young age on, ballet, and dance in general became a passionate and driving force in her life.

She has studied and taught throughout the U.S. and has been lucky enough to learn from and be mentored by such teachers as Yvonne Choteau, George Skibine, Marjorie Tallchief, Larry Boyette, James DeBold and Ron Sequoio, to name a few. In her career, she has studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, musical theatre, flamenco, and hula. She has choreographed musicals such as Chicago, Plaid, Guys and Dolls, Little Shop of Horrors, Quilters, and many more.

She has taught for private dance schools, universities, professional companies, and both community and professional theater companies. Performance opportunities include the Portland Rose Festival, an original ballet production of Cinderella by James Moffett, a tour entertaining troops in Vietnam, Seattle Festival Ballet, Hallelujah Hollywood, and brief appearances with her own studio's ballet company in Denver, CO.

On a personal note, she is thrilled to be adding Eau Claire School of Dance to her repertoire and hopes to pass on the love and joy of ballet to everyone she meets!

As a seasoned dance educator, Amber has taught a wide range of styles, from classical ballet to contemporary, jazz, tap, musical theatre, and hip-hop at Eau Claire School of Dance and other organizations across the Chippewa Valley.

In addition to teaching, Amber has choreographed for show choirs and community theaters throughout the state. Her choreography has received numerous nominations and awards, including “Outstanding Musical” and “Outstanding Choreography”. Amber has been a participant and placed in Dancing with the Eau Claire Stars multiple years, and has been the featured dancer in multiple local theater productions. She travels to New York City to learn and grow as a dancer and instructor, taking classes in all styles of dance at Broadway Dance Center NYC.

Amber attended UW-Eau Claire, where she received her B.A. in Spanish. She is currently employed by the Elk Mound School District, teaching English learners and working to increase awareness of other cultures in the community. When Amber is not teaching, she loves to read, spend time with family and friends, travel, and eat good food.

Anni is currently attending Chippewa Valley Technical College in the Advanced Aesthetics course.

She attended Eau Claire School of Dance for 16 yrs and was apart of the competition team for 13 of those years. This is her second year teaching at ECSOD and she is so excited to share her knowledge and passion with her students!

Bryn graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in School Psychology at UW-Stout.

She has been dancing since she was 4 years old starting at Christine's Dance Company and later Expressions Dance Company. She also enjoyed competing on the Mosinee Varsity Dance Team all four years of high school. She is excited to be teaching at ECSOD!

Gracie Kromke is a musical theatre performing artist, dancer, choreographer, and instructor at ECSOD. A recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Musical Theatre Performance, Spanish, and Psychology.

Starting gymnastics at the early age of two, she was a devoted competitive gymnast until the age of 12, before deciding to dedicate completely to dance. She added dance into the mix at five years old and has continued that passion ever since!

She received the majority of her dance training from La Crosse Dance Centre, Misty’s Dance Unlimited, and Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. Gracie has trained extensively in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern, and Musical Theatre, with some additional experience in various movement styles including Flamenco, African Dance, Pilates, Tai Chi, Yoga , Zumba, and Latin Ballroom. Her experience also includes collegiate and high school varsity dance teams, UWEC Confluence Dance, productions such as the Nutcracker Ballet, and masterclasses at studios like Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center NYC. 

Additionally, Gracie has been awarded for her winning choreography, earning 1st Place titles in both “People’s Choice” and “Judges Choice” categories. 

As both a performer and educator, Gracie believes that dance is a beautiful, powerful, and joyful way to build confidence, express creativity, and develop discipline: “Studying dance doesn’t just teach you to be a better dancer, it teaches you to be a better person. And dancers move through life differently because of it.” Gracie loves to teach, loves to dance, and is so honored to be sharing her passion of movement and expression with the dancers at Eau Claire School of Dance!

Scout is an instructor for our Perform Program here at ECSOD. Originally from Hammond, WI, Scout has been teaching and coaching dance for four years and is excited to begin her fifth year. This is her first year at ECSOD, and she is excited to become a part of the studio community.

Scout began dancing at St. Croix Valley Dance Academy in Baldwin, WI, where she trained for 10 years in tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and ballet. She continued her training at Dance Explosion in New Richmond for three years and was also a four-year member of the St. Croix Central High School Varsity Dance Team, qualifying for state all four years. 

As a teacher, Scout loves helping dancers build confidence while having fun and enjoying the experience of dance. She is excited to teach at ECSOD because the studio reminds her of home, and she loves that there is a place for everyone. 

Outside of dance, Scout loves in Eau Claire with her two cats, Harper and Paris. She enjoys yoga, walking, and reading. Scout originally came to Eau Claire for college but fell in love with the area and decided to make it home. She also teaches 7th grade ELA at Cadott Middle School.

 

Amber Dernbach
INSTRUCTOR 

Amber Dernbach loves empowering students to express themselves through Theatre Arts. She has been teaching for 30 years and is thrilled to offer creative drama, acting, and improvisation at Eau Claire School of Dance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stacy Kelly
STUDIO DESK MANAGER 

Stacy has been a part of our studio for 14 years. She has enjoyed watching her daughter grow as a dancer of ther years and loves welcoming dancers and families to the studio at the desk each week!