Meet the Staff!
Neu Wixom Dance Academy is proud to have all-adult instructors who are educated professionals in the dance field. Every Neu Wixom dance instructor is passionate about teaching all ages and abilities. Neu Wixom is also proud to offer master classes from the world’s most renowned choreographers and teachers.
Gina Thompson – Owner, Ballet, Jazz & Pre-School
A native of Plymouth, Michigan, Gina discovered her passion for dance when she was five years old. Throughout her childhood, she studied and competed dance, figure skating and gymnastics within the metropolitan Detroit area. During her high school years, she attended Bunny Sanford’s School of Dance where she studied under the direction of Marie (Aversa) Rabey, Christine (Hughey) Alexander, Angie (Chadwick) Hahn and Marcy Ogozaly. At age 16, Gina was accepted into Jazz Dance Theatre’s Youth Company. She graduated magna cum laude from Western Michigan University, where she completed her studies in Dance, Creative Writing and World Literature. During her time in college, Gina had the privilege of studying with and performing for renowned Ballet, Jazz and Modern masters such as Kathleen Hermsdorf, Donald McKayle and Derrick Evans, to name a few. One of her most memorable honors during that time was being selected to perform the contemporary African piece entitled Lynching: Then and Now (Trudy Cobb) at the 2000 Martin Luther King Convocations at Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo. Before leaving WMU, Gina took her studies abroad to the inspiring city of Prague in the Czech Republic. There, she studied dance, photography and poetry. She has also traveled to Germany several times where she studied German history and the German language. Upon college graduation, Gina initiated summer dance classes for children ages 4-14 for the CARE program in the Novi Community School District. She also taught kindergarten through 12th grade as a substitute teacher in the Wayne-Westland Community Schools. Gina has been a performer, dance instructor and an award-winning choreographer for dance studios in the Metro-Detroit area. Although she has taught Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Lyrical, Modern, Ballroom, Yoga, Pilates and Gymnastics to all ages, her teaching specialties remain Ballet, Jazz and Pre-School dance. Before opening Neu Wixom Dance Academy in 2006, Gina designed and implemented the team dance program at Splitz Gymnastics in Canton, Michigan. She spent three years there as the dance director, team dance instructor and a pre-school and recreational gymnastics coach. Since then, Gina has maintained a close relationship with the gymnastics and figure skating commuinites as she continues to teach dance, flexibility and conditioning, and breath-work to competitive athletes throughout the Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor areas. http://www.gymamericagymnastics.com/ , http://www.splitz.com/ , http://www.compuwarearena.com/. Ever the students, Gina and her staff work hard to continue their dance education training through teacher-training workshops, conferences and conventions. Gina specifically holds a deep interest in kinesiology and injury-prevention. It is Gina’s greatest hope to help develop and share in ALL of her student’s passions for learning and dancing. Miss Gina would like to be the first to welcome you to Neu Wixom Dance Academy!
Julie Bielawski – Breakdance
After an active childhood of playing sports and participating in everything from figure skating to gymnastics, Julie finally met her match in her teenage years; she discovered her passion for dance. Through the Detroit Hip Hop street scene, Julie was introduced to one of the four elements of Hip Hop culture; Breakdance. She immediately concentrated all of her energy into this style of Hip Hop dance. During her development as a b-girl (“break-girl), Julie was exposed to a variety of street-inspired freestyle dancing. She focused on every aspect of Breakdancing, which included building a solid foundation of strength and basic moves, style, power moves and freezes. Julie’s competitive nature led her to travel and compete Breakdance in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, New York, California and Ontartio. Julie (aka “JayBay”) is also a member of Hardcore Detroit, Detroit’s most renowned breakdance crew, which was formed in 2001 by local Detroiter and breaker Haleem Rasul. Julie has performed professionally with her crew for hip hop concerts, fashion shows, car shows such as the famed Detroit Auto Show, the Van’s Warp Tour, the Detroit Institute of Art and the Detroit Pistons. In recent years, Julie has remained committed to educating upcoming generations about Hip Hop culture through Breakdance. We are very glad to have Miss Julie with us and she always looks forward to sharing her skills with future b-boys and b-girls!
Sam Budzinski – Pre-School, Tap, Jazz, Ballet
Sam began studying dance at the age of nine and has not stopped since. She has trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theater, Lyrical, Liturgical, Pointe, Hip Hop and Acro. She began apprenticing at the age eleven and became an assistant dance teacher by age 13. She studied Cecchetti Ballet and has passed Grades I and II. Sam also has years of comptitive dance training and experience. Throughout high school, Sam focused on Musical Theatre and she was very active with the Pinckney Players Community Theater, with roles including: tapping Plate and Wolf in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”, Vladd Valadicov and several others in “Seussical the Musical”, Prince and Harem Girl in “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” and Dancer and assistant choreographer for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. In her Junior year she also was the student choreographer for the Brighton High School production of “ Hello Dolly”. Before joining the staff at Neu Wixom, Sam taught at Jazzy Jen’s School of Dance in Stockbridge. From August 2010 through January 2011 Sam completed a term with the Disney College Program in Florida. Currently, Sam is working towards completing her undergraduate degree and she continues to explore the different concentrations of dance at the collegiate level. She is so excited and honored to be working at Neu Wixom and to be able to instill the love of dance that she has with your children. Her students are inspired by the energy and excitement that Sam brings to the classroom. We are very happy to have Sam as part of the Neu Wixom family!
Doug Courter – Music Theatre, Voice, Acting
Doug has had an exciting life. He was born in California and lived in Scotland before finally landing in Michigan. He attended high school in White Lake, Michigan and was extremely active in Lakeland High School’s marching band and theater programs. He had the wonderful opportunity to play the part of Dr. Chumley in the play Harvey in his senior year. After seeing his performance, the school paper wrote that Doug was the sole reason to go see the play; since then, Doug was hooked on theater for life. Doug grew up on the stage and has been performing in musicals since the age of 8, when he had his first solo singing part. He attended William Tyndale College where he received dual degrees in Music, with an emphasis in Music Performance, and Sociology. He worked for 8 years with the South Lyon Summer Players Drama program as well as 4 years with the High School Marching band, helping lead them to three 2nd place finishes in the state. He has also worked with various marching bands and colorguards as an instructor, writer and choreographer. His directing experience includes STOMP, The Prince of Egypt, The Lion King, Songs for a New World, The Little Mermaid, Ditch Day, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and others. He has toured Europe, Mexico and all over the United States singing and dancing with various vocal ensembles. Doug always enjoys offering his tremendous experience to fuel the Neu Musical Theater Program. His first love is teaching and he looks forward to many great performances! We are very happy to have Doug, and his infectious enthusiasm, as a part of the Neu Wixom family!
Jasmine Horton – Office Manager
Jasmine is originally from Rhode Island and California. She graduated from OCU with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Performance. Jasmine has been dancing and performing since a very young age. As a young dancer she was in many commercials including the National “Darkwing Duck” commercials. She has perfomed at summerstock theaters with roles including Dream Laurie in “Oklahoma”. After college Jasmine moved to NY and performed in the off broadway debut of “At the Diner”. She has also worked for Radisson Cruise Lines performing on a World Cruise. In addition to OK, Jasmine has taught in CA, NY, NJ. She has worked for the Hall of Fame Dance Challenge for 7 seasons as a judge, emcee, competition coordinator and office manager. Jasmine is thrilled to be a part of the Neu Wixom family!
Eliska Mayer-Vitanovska – Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Character, Theatre & Stage
Eliska is a native of Prague, Czech Republic, where she studied and enjoyed a long career as a dancer, teacher, actor, designer, director and choreographer. Her international career as a Master teacher spans over 40 years. She is a third generation of theatre professionals, bringing over 80 years of cumulative experience to her work. Eliska graduated, with honors, from the Prague Conservatory of Music and Dance in 1974. She then studied an extra year to receive her certificate as a Pedagogue for Ballet, Modern and Character dance as well as for Ballet Theory and History of Dance. Upon graduating, she performed as a soloist with the National Theatre in Prague, however, she actually began dancing professionally at age 13. She worked with Natalia Dudinska (Vaganova’s pupil), Alicia Alonso, Alex Ursuliak, Jinette Bastien, Ctibor Turba and the famous mime Marcel Marceau, with whom she studied from age 15. After experiencing an injury, she became a principal with the prestigious Fialka Mime Company in Prague, where she was also appointed as a Modern dance mistress. In 1985, she received a scholarship to the London School of Contemporary Dance in England. She has acted in over 30 leading roles for theatre, television, radio and film, and she directed, choreographed and designed for theatre. Eliska also served as Chair of the Dance Department of the Alternative Theatre Branch at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague (DAMU), Czech Republic. She has taught professional dancers, actors and directors at many of the theatre and mime festivals in France, Germany and the Netherlands. Her mentor, Jacque Lecoque, encouraged her to teach her own Movement Compilation Technique Method for which she was invited to teach at La Jolla University of California in 1991. In the United States, she has been on faculty at Wayne State University, the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive, Geiger Ballet and Marygrove College, to name a few. Eliska is a recipient of 2003 WSU Copper Foot Award for creativity and her name can be found in the “Czech Who’s Who” and the Dictionary of the Czech Dance and Mime Theatre. Her theoretical work, named The Contributions to the Studies of Renaissance Dances in Bohemia, is among study materials at the University Library in Prague, CZ. We are very fortunate to have Eliska teaching at Neu Wixom Dance Academy. She has so much to give her students as she brings wealth of knowledge and an unwavering passion and excitement to all of her classes. Everyone enjoys Eliska’s warm, kind-hearted joyfulness!
Amanda Milligan – Jazz, Lyrical, Competition Director
Amanda grew up locally in Walled Lake and she knew at 5 years old that she wanted to be a dancer. Her parents enrolled her in dance class and that is where her journey through dance started! Amanda began studying at many local dance studios as a recreational dancer, but she soon joined the Big City Dance Company in 2001. She broadened her experience by competing in both regional and national competitions, traveling to Las Vegas, Chicago, and Myrtle Beach and winning first place and overall awards with her team. Amanda was also a part of the Walled Lake Central Varsity Pom team from 2002-2005, where she choreographed many routines for her team, and taught multiple dance clinics for aspiring dancers. She has also had the opportunity to serve as an adjudicator for several local high school pom auditions. Amanda has enriched her dance education by attending numerous dance conventions where she has received dance scholarships and had the honor of taking class with master teachers such as Mandy Moore, Dee Caspary and Alan Sherfield, to name a few. Amanda has also personally worked with well-known choreographers such as: Sonya Tayhe from So You Think You Can Dance, Kacy Combs and Dennis Caspary. Some of Amanda’s arly performance experiences include performing at half time shows for the Detroit Pistons and dancing at the Purple Rose Theater for a Jeff Daniels movie premier. Amanda is diligently working complete her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and minor in Dance at Oakland University. Amanda, along with her colleague and good friend Kelley Young, is the Co-Director of Neu Wixom’s Competitive Dance
Company. As a dance instructor, Amanda continues to inspire children and she believes that teaching them is the most rewarding opportunity that she has ever had. Her passion for dance and teaching shines brightly and her students adore her. We are so happy to have Amanda as a part of the Neu Wixom family!
Daena Polk – Hip Hop, Certified Zumba
Daena began dancing in California at LA Dance where she quickly discovered a passion for the hip, Westcoast style of dance. From 1996 to 2000, she studied at Viginia’s Studio of Dance, a theatrical studio. She then continued her studies from 2000-2002 under Tamara Nastev (now Nastev-Smola) and Robert G. at Robert Lee Studio of Dance where she immersed herself in Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Hawaiian, Lyrical, Clogging and Theatre. By the end of the 2002 dance season, it was clear that Daena had developed into an excellent Hip Hop dancer. She refined her Hip Hop and Breakdance style and techniques at Femme Fatale Dance Studio under the direction of Rita Mosely until 2004. Throughout her high school dance career, Daena has received numerous awards for her dance and choreography including two first places for her only two solos at the Nextar and Applause dance competitions. There, she also received two Judges Choice Awards including “Funky Female” and the Run DMC award. Daena has enjoyed the choreographic process for many years, but there are two dances that are the most memorable for her. The first is a dance entitled A Hole in the Bucket, which was produced on stage at the Dearborn Heights Montessori Center. The other, called Hip Hop Melody, was choreographed while she was still studying as a student at Virginia’s Studio of Dance. The piece was later included in the studio’s year end recital and it was invited to be performed at the Michigan State Fair. Daena is Neu Wixom’s premier Hip Hop instructor, a certified Zumba instructor, and a teacher for the Montessori Centers. She also volunteers much of her time as the dance teacher for her church. She has continued to enrich her dance training in the competition and convention circuit with large venues such as the Tremaine Dance Conventions. In more recent years, Daena has gone “back to basics” by focusing her teaching technique and style on the more traditional East Coast style of Hip Hop. Miss Daena is beaming with excitement to share her love of teaching and her unique, funky style with all of her students!
Kelley Young – Tap, Pre-School, Competition Director, Front Desk
Kelley discovered her love of dance at the age of four. She studied tap, jazz, and ballet at Sheryl’s School of Dance and was put in a competitive company at the age of 9. Kelley competed in many regional competitions, including Dance Masters of Michigan and Showstopper. Kelley danced until the age of 16 when she decided to take a break. Ten years (and two children) later, Kelley immersed herself in her first love – tap at Ginny’s Danceworks. She then re-discovered what she had been missing in her life. Kelley enjoyed her advanced adult tap class so much that she pursued a career as a tap instructor. In dance, Kelley also gets to live her other passion – working with children. After working 10 years as a pre-school teacher, Kelley is now an award-winning choreographer and the Co-Competition Director at Neu Wixom Dance Academy. Kelley looks forward to instilling in your child a love for dance, rhythm, and the passion to never stop pursuing your dream.
