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6075 N. Hagadorn, East Lansing, MI I 517-225-0096 I manager@spartandancecenter.com
Spartan Dance Center
PLEASE TEXT YOUR DANCER/NINJAS NAME TO 517-225-0096 FOR IMPORTANT STUDIO INFORMATION INCLUDING CLOSURES.
FACULTY
Owner
Tiffany Burton - Owner / Choreographer / Instructor
Tiffany has been dancing all her life. She was trained at Bay Valley Academy, Perry Woodard School of Dance, Russian Ballet Academy and Broadway Dance Center. She traveled internationally (1998-1999), touring in 7 countries and 55 cities and completed over 100 performances. In 2002, Tiffany obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in fashion design from the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. Her artistic talents, knowledge and passion for the art of dance is the foundation for Spartan Dance Center.
Staff
Jared Autrey - Choreographer / Instructor
Jared was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. Over more than 20 years, he has honed his skills as a dancer and instructor in a diverse range of styles, including contemporary, jazz, modern, and hip-hop. His extensive training and experience have shaped him into a versatile and accomplished dancer and choreographer.
Jared has had the privilege of dancing with various dance companies such as Happendance Professional Dance Company and Release Detroit Performance Dance Team. Additionally, he serves as the Director of Frxsco Dance Sessions, formerly known as Dance Lansing Hip Hop Club.
His talent and creativity as a choreographer have earned him significant recognition. His work has been showcased on prominent platforms like MTV TRL, the Harlem Globetrotters Pregame Show, and the Detroit Pistons Pregame Show. In addition to these performances, Jared has made a substantialt impact in the local dance community. He has taught at various schools and studios, where his choreography has garnered numerous top overall and judges’ awards in competitive settings. Moreover, he is dedicated to sharing his passion for dance and teaching recreational dance classes to instill a love of dance in his students.
Sarah Baringer - Choreographer / Instructor
Sarah cannot imagine her life without dance! She started dancing at age three and after her first competition at age seven, she was hooked. Sarah grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where she danced competitively at Extravadance and Tumble for 10 years. She was an assistant teacher for her final four years at Extravadance and really enjoyed working with the younger dancers. Sarah was also very involved with her high school dance department and was the recipient of the coveted Dance Department Award her senior year.
Sarah has been a committed dance instructor for several years, working with dancers as young as 2 all the way through the college level. She is very excited to continue her dance journey at Spartan Dance Center and is so thankful for her local dance family!
Hannah Beauregard - Choreographer / Instructor
Hannah Beauregard took her first dance class when she was 2 years old and fell in love with tap dancing when she was 6. Hannah joined her studio’s competitive team at 7 years old and continued on competitive teams till she graduated high school. During this time she won numerous awards including showmanship, Regional Titles, Emerging Artist Title, and Stand Out Dancer. Hannah danced on Western Michigan’s Dance Team and was a part of the WMU Dance Department. She also worked for CRU Dance National Dance Competition as an Event Staff Member during college and took on the role of Logistic Manager post graduation. Hannah first met Spartan Dance Center when they attended CRU Nationals in 2023!
Hannah is now a teacher nearby. In her free time, Hannah enjoys puzzling, being in the sun, and reading. Hannah is most excited about being back in a dance studio and sharing her love for dance with you!
Aubrie Clingaman - Choreographer / Instructor
Aubrie was born in Arizona and danced since the age of 5. I’ve danced in several DisneyLand parades, on a cruise ship, and for multiple hometown festivals. I moved to East Lansing and finished my senior year at Spartan Dance Center where I was welcomed with open arms.
I went to Central Michigan University where I was on University Theatre Dance Company where I performed in and choreographed/directed my own dance production. I lived in New York for a couple of years and tried to take as many dance classes as I could. I’m so excited to be back home at Spartan Dance Center and share my love of dance with kids!
Alex Houseman - Choreographer / Instructor
Dance has been a huge part of Alex’s life since she was 2.5! She started out dancing ballet and tap and over the years has added jazz, pointe, hip hop, lyrical/contemporary, and modern to her background. Alex danced at her mom’s studio on the East side until she went to college at Grand Valley State University. There, she danced and choreographed for Grand Valley Dance Troupe, the university’s largest club, while also teaching back at her mom’s dance studio.
She spent two seasons dancing professionally for the Grand Rapids Drive, the former g-league for the Detroit Pistons, to end her college career. After college, she went on to dance for the Detroit Pistons and is now excited to bring her passion and experience to Spartan Dance Center! In her free time, her favorite thing to do is to spend time with her husband and daughter and she loves to help people buy/sell real estate.
Miriam Marnier - Choreographer / Instructor
Miriam grew up dancing at a studio in Northern Michigan, as both a recreational and competitive dancer. From a young age she has always had a passion for dancing, along with assisting younger dancers while she was in high school.
Miriam has traveled to many states to compete in competitions, winning multiple regional and national level awards, and has performed at Disney World! She has extensive training in many dance styles, including contemporary, pointe, modern, jazz, tap, musical theater, and African-funk, some training done with nationally known dance professionals.
Now Miriam is studying Kinesiology at Michigan State University. She is very thankful to be a part of the SDC family and loves being able to share her passion for dancing with her students!
David Schmidt - Acro/Tumbling Instructor
David started dancing at the age 6 at Perry Woodard School of Dance in Bay City, Michigan.
David moved to Lansing to teach dance at Everett High School. He taught jazz, lyrical, acro and beginning ballet. David also has choreographed for numerous local plays and production for Pitt and Balcony, ABC Summer Productions, One Acts at John Glenn High School and Saginaw Valley State University. He currently a high school math teacher at Grand Ledge High School.
In his spare time he enjoy spending time with his wife and two boys.
Carlie Shaw - Choreographer / Instructor
Carlie Shaw grew up in Muskegon, Michigan. She was an active member of the local performing arts community and danced competitively with her home studio for 8 years.
Carlie graduated with honors from Michigan State University in 2022 with a B.A. in PreLaw and with Minors in Dance and Law, Justice, and Public Policy. While at MSU, she danced with and was the Marketing Chair for Impulse Dance Team. She is now attending Wayne State University Law School to pursue her J.D.
Carlie has been an instructor at SDC for 6 years and is an award-winning choreographer, most recently for her 2024 Rainbow National Grand Champion routine “Back to School.” She loves sharing her love of dance with her SDC students who inspire her every day.
Brielle Wynne - Choreographer / Instructor
Brielle started dancing at 3 years old and competing at 4. She graduated from Grandville high school where she was a part of their theater and had been in multiple shows such as her favorite Clue while competing at Body Language Dance Company for most of her career and Expressions Dance Academy towards the end. She is currently a Freshman at Michigan State University where she has taken and taught some classes with the MSU ballet club. She’s majoring in Human Biology and hopes to be an anesthesiologist someday but she loves to teach to all ages and can’t wait to teach more!
Chloe Heethuis - Choreographer / Instructor
Chloe began training at Spartan Dance Center in 2012 at 5 years old. In 2013, she started training on SDC's competitive team. Chloe graduated from East Lansing High School and was co-captain of their High School Dance Team.
Chloe has taught at SDC since the age of 14, choreographing dances for our recreational program and teaching technique to our youngest competitive dancers. Being a "home grown" dancer, she enjoys sharing her love and passion for dance with the students and focuses on bringing growth & fun into each class she teaches.
Chloe currently is studying to become an Occupational Therapist at GVSU and is on the Grand Valley State University Laker Dance Team.
Elaina Andrews - Choreographer / Instructor
Elaina started dancing at three years old and joined SDC in 2015. She started in SDC’s recreational program for one year, and joined their competition team the next. She has been a part of SDC’s competition team for nine years. At SDC, she learned the basics of break dance and is continuing to teach those basics to her mini hip-hop class this year. She also assists company tap technique and jumps and turns at the studio.
She is a captain of the East Lansing High School Dance Team and has contributed choreography to many of the routines they have performed. The ELHS Dance Team has given her an opportunity to showcase her dancing and choreography for the public and be a part of a dance community at school. She is currently a senior at East Lansing High School and hopes to continue dancing in college and will be pursuing computer science.
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