CMI offers high class instructors that will make you feel like you are part of the CMI family!

Our instructors are changing children's lives - one step at a time!

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MADELINE HOAG

Madeline is both an instructor and our Studio Director who is sure to keep things moving, organized, and full of fun!  She has been in charge of everything from cutting music, ordering costumes, planning classes and organizing end of season shows to planning her own individual classes and assisting in choreography for other instructors for over a decade. 

Madeline has always loved to perform and has been dancing since the age of 4. Her attention to not only technique, but also terminology is one of the many reasons her students love her classes.  Educating kids on not only proper placement and movement techniques as well as what they are called and even the history of where they originated from is one of her many teaching passions!  She is certified in the Acrobatic Arts Program as well as their Arial and Back Handspring program. 

During her time in competitive dance, Madeline ensured she participated in every available competition workshop and intensive offered, as well as taking in-studio workshops at her locally attended studio. She has participated in ballet intensives instructed by previous members of professional ballet companies as well as long standing professional dancers.

​Madeline will keep your dancer encouraged, excited and will ensure they set and reach the goals they desire! 

ALEXIS LOGAN

Alexis' dance skills are as amazing as she is! Having spent 21 years gaining dance experience, Alexis has grown her dance skills in various directions.

Starting at the age of 3, Alexis was a competitive dancer. Having been to so many competitions, Alexis has participated in numerous competition workshops. She has been instructed by a variety of professional dancers, including a Cavs Girl, a previous member of the Russian Ballet, and individuals whom have performed in movies and on Broadway, such as Gregg Russell.

She has attended many workshops throughout the "dance world", with one the most notable and well known names being So You Think You Can Dance.

Outside of dance performance, Alexis has experience in theatrical performance having been involved with multiple musical stage productions over the past several decades as well.

Alexis has been teaching competitive dance for 5 years. In addition, she has attended intensives in hip-hop, that have pushed her skills far beyond mastering the pop and lock.

She produces creative and fun routines for all ages and will keep your kids movin' in class! 

JULIE SHAULL

Julie’s passion is dance- from observing to learning to teaching!

Julie trained at Studio L Dance Center for 14 years and experiences many styles of dance including Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballroom and more. During her time at Studio L, she became a student instructor while also dancing for the Cuyahoga Falls Cougars INB Basketball Team.

Upon graduating high school, Julie continued on to head teaching, focusing on Hip-Hop and Jazz.  She also attended Kent State University as a Dance Major where she continued to pursue her dance and performance passion.

In addition, she has participated in various Tremaine Dance workshops multiple years in a row, become certified in LABlast Ballroom Dance Fitness, and performed in Youngstown’s Dance  Expo with Ballroom. 

Julie is a wife and a mother to three beautiful children. She has made dance an integral part of her life and is excited to bring her skills and spunk to the studio.  It is likely you will also see her running our front desk on occasion - or wrangling her own kids in and out of a dance class......as you can tell....Julie is 110% committed to our studio and dance families and we couldn't be more excited to have her as part of our team!

Her fun loving personality, style and energy will bring some smiles to your child's face and put some pep in their step!

CASSIE SHANE 

Cassie is a previous CMI Competition Team Member and student who has graduated and has decided to stay on and join the CMI Instructor Training Program.  She spent the 22-23 season assisting and teach assisting  and we couldn't be more pleased she has decided to join us as an instructor for the 23-24 season!

Cassie danced competitively for 15 years.  She achieved overall awards and top placements with her Tap, Lyrical & "Broadway Style" solos and has been a member of multiple award winning and National Title Winning Competition Groups.  

Cassie started with a basic ballet summer class at a recreational center and was instantly hooked - so she enrolled in her local dance studio and began her dance career with tap, acro, ballet and jazz.  Later she added classes like Lyrical, Hip Hop, Pointe and even threw in Acting & Singing when her schedule permitted.

Cassie was also selected to perform in several shows over several seasons at the Huron Playhouse (prior to their closing) and held parts in musicals such as Carousel and The King and I during her time there.

Cassie can be found assisting anything from our beginner most Combo dancers, to our upper level tappers, to multiple levels of Acro and hopes to gain her Acrobatic Arts Certification in the coming years.

AMIE SMARR

Photo & Bio Coming Soon

ASHLEY HILLMAN

Photo & Bio Coming Soon

AMANDA SHANE

Amanda is not only the owner of the studio, but she is also a performer at heart!  Although she spent her more recent years involved in the environmental industry - and managing Amazing Moments event entertainment company - she has continued to keep up with her craft and puts her performing arts knowledge from Otterbein University to good use. 

Amanda received scholarships to attend Otterbein University in Ohio as a Performing Arts Major, with a concentration in vocal performance and was a double major spending time not only singing, but also playing piano and concert trombone in their orchestra.  During her time there she was fortunate enough to travel to Holland, France and England to perform.

After college she spent several years singing with bands at weddings and other venues.  More recently she participated in the Huron Playhouse performance of The King and I prior to their closing...which is another reason she was prompted to find a facility that would be able to house all forms of arts and entertainment.  

Amanda is a wife and mother to two children, Cassie & Colton, both of whom dance at the studio currently.
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Amanda is sure to keep your kids on task and working towards their goals while entertained with her humor and and improv skills!

GARNETT HOAG (Retired 2023 Season)

Garnett has officially retired from Instructing after over 16 years of dedication and service to the Acrobatic Arts and Dance field...but don't be surprised if you see her around the studio stopping in to say "hi" or lend a helping hand on occassion.

Garnett first found her love for instructing while her three daughters were enrolled in dance classes. She has been instructing acrobatic tumbling for 12 years.

In addition to her initial training, she has continued to grow as an instructor through participating in floor tumbling and acrobatic workshops. Not only does she have a Certification in the Acrobatic Arts program but in their Ariel and Back Handspring program as well.

Garnett has been known as "a stickler" for proper and safe tumbling technique - which is why her students are some of the most technically skilled around and are easily able to move up levels at an appropriate pace.  More than a decade of educating kids on Acrobatic Arts techniques has taught her quite a few "tricks of the trade" that you won't find with the instructors who are new to the field.  Just ask her students about doing their "doughnuts" and "bug belly balancing" and you will quickly find out why her classes are fun while still being structured.

Garnett is also a wife and mother to three beautiful daughters, Madeline, Emma & Lydia - and was so happy to finally be able to have a studio where she could work with her family as she had been hoping for for many years!  
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Garnett’s goal in all of her teaching was to emphasize proper technique as they are the building blocks to more advanced skills. ​  One of her known sayings is "GRACE OVER POWER".

CMI STUDENT ASSISTANT MENTOR PROGRAM:

We do not allow any students to teach/instruct classes.  However, we DO have an extensive assistant program where we utilize current CMI students (13 and older) to be class assistants.  This allows them to both help our instructors during class as well as allows them to receive training on how to be an instructor in the future.

We only approach a small number of students at the end of each dance season and ask them to be a class assistant in the coming season.  We encourage all students to strive to be class assistants and are looking for students with dedication to their dance studies both inside and outside of the classroom.  Good attendance, ability to both take instruction and apply corrections and showing us that CMI is a priority to them are just a few of the qualities that we look for when selecting our student instructors. 

​We want them to be as dedicated to our studio and our instruction program as they are to their own dance artistry so they can pass those qualities and training dedication on to the students they are assisting!

COMING SOON

We will allow all current CMI students 13 and older who are interested in being a student assistant SIGN UP at the front desk over the Summer Session.  Assistants will be selected and contacted over the summer to schedule them for specific classes during the upcoming Fall Season.

A meeting will be scheduled for all 23-24 Fall student assistants to attend prior to the first week of classes.