Ms. Lisa has been dancing since the age of 3. She studied the Cecchetti method of ballet as a student and teacher under the renowned Virgiline Simmons. She was a member of the Lansing Children’s Ballet Co., the Lansing Ballet Co. as well as the Ric Mitchell Dancers. Lisa began teaching at 18 and has taught ballet, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, pom, and tap to students at many schools, studios, and city programs over the last 44 years. She has won several choreography awards and has been a guest choreographer for many area dance groups, schools, and theater productions. Lisa also simultaneously coached the Woodside Middle School and Homestead JV dance teams for 10 years. Premiere Dance Company was founded in 1997 by Lisa and her former partner Amy Shelton. Their 1st recital was in the YMCA gym with 25 students. Over the last 26 years she has been very proud of the growth of PDC and more importantly the growth of her staff and dancers. Lisa feels very fortunate to work with amazing instructors, dancers, and their families. She also feels fortunate to share this passion with her 4 daughters and 5 granddaughters.
Ms. Gigi started dancing when she was 3 years old. She spent many hours each week at the studio while growing up and has been teaching since the age of 18. Gigi was a competitive member of PDC for many years as well as a member of the Summit dance team for 2 years and the Homestead dance team for 4 years. She attended IPFW where she earned her B.S. in Political Science. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor from Akron School of Law. While in Akron, she also taught dance at the Boys and Girls Club. Gigi returned to Fort Wayne and PDC in 2013. She is known for her unique and creative choreography and has had many dances place 1st Overall, place in the Top 10, earn Best Choreography awards, and special awards such as “Most Entertaining” at national competitions.
Ms. Clarissa began dancing at the age of 3. She grew up at PDC and competed for several years with the company. She was a member of the Summit dance team for 3 years and the Homestead dance team for 4 years. She attended IPFW studying Spanish and elementary education. She was a member of Dance Kontemporary, a local professional dance company, for 5 years. Clarissa coached Summit dance for 2 years and has been coaching Woodside dance for the last 5 years. She has won many Top 10 and Best Choreography awards for her jazz, lyrical, and hip hop choreography. She is married to Zac and has three daughters.
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Aubrey Couch--Ms. Aubrey has been dancing since she was 3 years old, along with doing gymnastics when she was young. She grew up with PDC by taking recreational classes with Ms. Gigi and Ms. Clarissa, then joined the competition team when she was 10 years old. She was on Summit Dance Team all 3 years of middle school and was a member of the varsity dance team all 4 years at Homestead where she won state titles and national runners-up twice with her team as well as state runner-up as a soloist. Aubrey was also a Showstopper finalist twice in high school. Aubrey started teaching as an assistant at PDC and then began teaching her own recreational classes when she was 18. She graduated PFW in December 2023 with a degree in Elementary Education and is currently a 1st grade teacher. Aubrey made many memories spending multiple hours each week training and working hard with her friends while on the competition team at Premiere Dance Company. She is very grateful to continue being a part of the PDC family!
Sabrina Klappa--Ms. Sabrina is so excited to join the Premiere Dance Company family. She grew up in a small town near Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was on a competition dance team nationally from the ages of 11-18. She went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and continued to dance recreationally through a dance organization on campus. During her college years she continued to teach and coach dance for a studio in her hometown and a studio in Madison, Wisconsin. She taught jazz, contemporary/lyrical and ballet. She moved to Fort Wayne in 2022. She is enjoying getting to know this awesome dance community! Let's Dance!