ABOUT US

The Best Dance School In the Cedar Valley!

Allison's Dance Center first opened its doors in 2008 with the idea of a creating a studio where dancers felt safe to grow and learn valuable life lessons; a studio that will become a fundamental piece in their personal growth. Over the years, ADC has had a few different homes within our community. From our first single classroom studio to our current state of the art facilities with two locations and seven dance classrooms, we’ve always built and designed with our students and their families in mind.

GET A COMPLIMENTARY TOUR!

Yes, I want a complimentary tour!

MISSION & CORE VALUES

Mission

At ADC, our mission is to offer a positive environment where all students feel safe to learn valuable life lessons through dance.

Core Values

POSITIVITY

We believe in a positive environment.

PROFESSIONALISM

We conduct ourselves in a professional manner, providing a consistent and fair experience for all.

DEDICATION

We are passionate about our mission and core values and believe our dance family deserves the best we can offer.

AGE-APPROPRIATENESS

We value age-appropriate music, choreography, and costumes.

EXCELLENCE

We like to set the “barre” high. Excellence is always our goal.

RESPECT

We give and expect respect.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

We value our community and feel a responsibility to give back.

Want to join our inspiring team?

We are always on the lookout for passionate, energetic, experienced, and dedicated teachers to join our faculty. If you're interested in teaching, please email your resume and a short narrative (about 250 words) about why you'd like to join our team. We look forward to hearing from you!

Hiring:

- Dance Teachers

- Art Teachers

- Vocal Teachers

- Piano Teachers

Email: business.allisonsdancecenter@gmail.com

OUR TEAM

Brittany Reiter

Business Manager

Brittany's journey has always been deeply connected to the world of dance - from her years as a young dancer to supporting her sister’s dance journey, and now watching her own children fall in love with dance - all leading to her role as Business Manager at Allison’s Dance Center! Before joining Allison’s Dance Center, Brittany spent seven years as a Speech-Language Pathologist, helping children find their voices in the Cedar Valley. While she found fulfillment in that work, she knew she wanted to be part of an organization that truly aligned with her own personal values and passion. That’s why she made the leap to Allison’s Dance Center! As Business Manager, Brittany combines her business and leadership skills with her love for dance. Her “why” is simple: to be a part of something greater than herself while creating a lasting, positive impact on every child who walks through ADC's doors!

Ms. Amanda Krambeer

Teams Coordinator | Instructor

Ms. Amanda started her love of dance at age two. Throughout her years of dancing, Ms. Amanda danced competitively, was a head instructor of UNI’s Young People’s Dance Theater and a dancer for Orchesis Dance Company. She has worked at ADC since 2011. Ms. Amanda graduated from UNI with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and minors in Special Education, Reading, and Dance. Ms. Amanda currently resides in Cedar Falls with her husband and their three young children. She also works as a Kindergarten teacher at Hudson Elementary. This season, Ms. Amanda will mainly be working with our competition and performance teams. She will also be a mentor of administrative support to our teaching staff and ADC families within her Education Manager role.

Ms. Jes Folkerts

Enrollment Specialist / Instructor

Ms. Jes began dancing at age 3 and was one of Ms. Allison’s students! She danced all the way through high school and has been at ADC for four years. Ms. Jes graduated from Loras College in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and an endorsement in Early Childhood. Last summer she completed her Masters in General Education. She currently resides in Cedar Falls with her husband and two kids. Ms. Jes is very excited to be working with our students this season at our Cedar Falls location, teaching Intro and Acro Skills!

Ms. Alexia Renner

Instructor

Ms. Alexia has been dancing since age 6 and has grown a strong passion for dance over the years. She danced competitively for her high school, and also for Hawkeye Community College’s dance team. She gained experience teaching at her hometown studio. Her favorite part about teaching is getting to share her passion, and grow and connect with the dancers no matter where their skill set is. She graduated from UNI with a degree in Elementary Education. She currently resides in Cedar Falls. She loves being a part of ADC and getting to share her passion with all her students. She loves the bonds she gets to create every season. She is currently teaching a variety of different ages while working with Performance team this year!

Ms. Stephanie Lehman

Instructor

Ms. Stephanie has loved dance her whole life and attended dance for many years growing up, with some of those years having the privilege of Ms. Allison as her instructor. Ms. Stephanie was born and raised in Denver, IA and is excited to be able to raise her 3 children is this amazing community! She attended Hawkeye Community College and the University of Northern Iowa, graduated with a double major in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education. She currently teaches Toddlers at the Hawkeye Child Development Center and is so excited to work with our youngest students at our Denver location this season!

Ms. Maddie White

Instructor

Maddie began dancing at the age of 6 and fell in love with it. She has been dancing with ADC since 2010 and has danced competitively for several years up until graduating from high school. Maddie has also been a part of the Columbus Dance Team and has received three state titles. Maddie worked as a teaching assistant at ADC and is just beginning to choreograph solos and duos this year. She is attending the University of Northern Iowa to study interior design and would like to receive her real estate license.

Ms. Katie Murray

Instructor

Ms. Katie began dancing at the age of 3 and continued studio dance and competition team through high school. Throughout college at UW-Madison, she performed with Optima Dance and taught at her hometown studio. Ms. Katie currently resides in Cedar Falls with her husband, son and golden retriever. She is excited to be working with students at our Cedar Falls location this season and sharing her passion for dance!

Ms. Taylan Howard

Instructor

At the age of 3, Ms. Taylan started her dance journey, which included studio dance, competition dance, and being a member of her high school’s dance team in Boone, IA. After graduating, she pursued her Bachelor of Health Science degree at the University of Northern Iowa. Currently, she is studying nursing at Allen College to achieve her BSN. She is so excited to be able to share her passion of dance with her students and help them grow their love for this amazing art at ADC.

Ms. Madeline McGarvey
Social Media Specialist | NHSDA Specialist | Instructor

Ms. Madeline, a Cedar Falls native, danced from a young age through high school, participating in various styles and her school's dance team all four years. After shifting focus to her education, she graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2020 with a BA in Elementary Education. She began as an assistant at Discoveries Learning Center in Denver in 2017 and became the preschool teacher at the Waverly location after graduation. Her passion for dance was reignited after the Cedar Falls Dance Team Alumni performance at the last UNI Dome football game. She initially taught at the Denver location for ADC before joining the CF location teaching preschool classes this season. She lives in the Cedar Valley with her husband and enjoys caring for her plants.

Ms. Shaelyn Wheelock

Instructor

Ms. Shaelyn began dancing at the age of 4, and it has been a huge aspect of her life ever since. She danced competitively through studio dance and being a member of her high school dance team in Knoxville Iowa. She's currently a student at the University of Northern Iowa working towards a degree in psychology and mental health and hopes to become a therapist one day. Ms. Shaelyn is so excited to share her love of dance with others and help kids gain confidence!

Ms. Summer Kramme

Instructor

Ms. Summer started dancing at ADC at the age of eight. Throughout her time at ADC, she was a teaching assistant and spent many years as a competitive dancer. She was also apart of the West High Dance team in which she helped bring home three state titles. Ms. Summer earned a spot on the All-Iowa Honor Dance Team her Sophomore year of High School. Throughout her college career, she spent three semesters competing for Grand View University's Dance Team. Ms. Summer is teaching lower performance team, core classes, and competitive solos/small group this season! Outside of dance, she is a recent graduate from Drake University with a Bachelor of Arts in Law, Politics, and Society with a double major in Sociology. She would like to attend law school someday to become a Juvenile Attorney!

Ms. Katie Waltz

Instructor

Ms. Katie W started dance at the age of 12 at Allisons Dance Center and immediately fell in love with dance. She danced for 4 years on the competiton team and decided to continue her love and passion of dance through teaching. She is currently attening University of Northern Iowa with a major in Biology, and plans to go to Allen her last year to get a medical lab science degree so she can eventually work in a lab in a hospital. This is Ms. Katie's first year as a teacher role here at the ADC and she is so happy she gets to continue to be apart of the amazing community here!

Ms. Kendra Caster

Instructor

Ms. Kendra started her love of dance at age 2. This is her first year working at ADC. Throughout her years of dancing, Ms. Kendra danced at local studios, on her high school dance team, and in the Orchesis Dance Company while studying at UNI. She is also a high school dance team coach. Ms. Kendra graduated from UNI with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Literacy. Ms. Kendra currently resides in Grundy Center with her husband and their two dogs. She also works as a Third Grade Teacher at Grundy Center Elementary. She is so excited to be a part of the ADC family!

Ms. Hailey Jackson

Instructor

Ms. Hailey has been passionate about dance since the moment she could stand. She grew up in Orlando, Florida where she was a competition dancer and found herself taking every class & style offered. Ms. Hailey was apart of the dance magnet at Dr. Phillips High School, allowing her to dance during school, choreograph numerous pieces, and train under professional dance companies, her favorite being Lehrer Dance Company. She began teaching dance in high school, choreographing recital and competition pieces, and has loved encouraging dancers to live up to their fullest potential & take every opportunity they can to be their best self. Throughout college, Ms. Hailey continued dancing in Orchesis Dance Company at the University of Northern Iowa. She created many pieces within the company and displayed her choreography at the American Collegiate Dance Conference (ACDA) in 2024. Ms. Hailey is finishing up her time at UNI where she is dual majoring in Elementary & Middle Level Education.

Ms. Marie Gookin

Instructor

Ms. Marie began dancing at the age of 5 and continued studio dance until her senior year of high school in Des Moines. She was a teaching assistant at Betty Hill Dance for a few years as well as helped in a first and fifth grade classroom at her elementary school. She attends the University of Northern Iowa studying elementary education. She loves to teach because she loves the idea of making a difference in children’s lives.

Ms. Ava

Instructor

Ms. Ava began dancing at ADC at three years old. She has been a part of the competition team since fourth grade and has competed many routines at different competitions. She is involved with the Cedar Falls Dance Team through her school. Ms. Ava has also been a part of the ADC teaching assistant program for many years, learning from many of the great role model teachers at ADC. This will be Ms. Ava’s first year in a teacher role with ADC and she is so excited to work with all the dancers this season!

Ms. Lily

Instructor

Ms. Lily started dancing at ADC when she was 2.5 years old and has been dancing ever since! She worked as a teaching assistant for 5 years before becoming a teacher. Ms. Lily is a senior at Cedar Falls High School, and is planning to attend UNI next year for Elementary Education. She is so excited to share her passion and love for dance with all of her students!

Ms. Megan Sacia

Instructor

Ms. Megan is a senior at the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in Supply Chain Management and Organizational Leadership. She is originally from Eldridge, Iowa, and graduated from North Scott High School. Her dance career started when she was just three years old. Ms. Megan quickly fell in love with the sport and the life lessons it teaches us. She continued dancing throughout her elementary and high school days, and she now has the privilege of being a fourth-year member and third-year captain of the UNI Dance Team. Teaching, choreographing, and inspiring young dancers has become some of her greatest passions, and she is so excited for the opportunity to be a part of the ADC community!

Ms. Lauren Gant

Instructor

Ms. Lauren started dancing when she was 5 years old and continued to dance until her senior year of high school. She was born and raised in Milan, Illinois just outside the Quad Cities. She attended Rock Island High School where she completed an education internship her senior year helping out in a kindergarten classroom. For 11 years she attended Kim's School of Dance and Tumbling where she created lifelong friendships. She danced at Above the Barre Dance Academy during her last two years of high school where she learned skills that equipped her for college. Throughout her studio dance career she danced competitively at both studios, winning numerous awards. She currently attends UNI where she is majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education. She loves to teach because she believes in creating a welcoming environment to be able to grow and express yourself through dance.

Ms. Olivia Cunningham

Instructor

Ms. Olivia began dancing at the age of three and quickly fell in love with the art of dance. She spent many years as a competitive dancer and was a dedicated member of Pella High School's dance team. Ms. Olivia also spent a semester dancing competitively for St. Ambrose University. Currently, Ms. Olivia is studying Psychology at the University of Northern Iowa and is passionate about working with children. She is excited to share her love for dance with her students this season! She hopes to inspire young dancers to grow in confidence, skill, and passion for this incredible art form!

Ms. Abby Kopriva

Instructor

Ms. Abby began dancing at the age of 3 and continued her training in studio dance throughout her senior year of high school. She attended North Tama High School in Traer, Iowa, where she was a dedicated member of the dance team for all four years, ultimately serving as the team captain during her junior and senior years. Ms. Abby has studio dance experience as both a teaching assistant and instructor. She has had the opportunity to perform in several roles in The Nutcracker at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls, collaborating with the Minnesota Ballet. Ms. Abby is currently the Head Coach of the Hawkeye RedTail Dance Team, where she has led the team to a remarkable 4th place finish at UDA College Nationals. With seven successful seasons under her belt, she continues to inspire and guide her team to new heights. She is thrilled to be a part of the ADC community and looks forward to continuing her passion for dance and teaching.

Paige Strohbehn

Receptionist

Paige is currently attending Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo. She is an Ag Business major. Paige graduated from Grundy Center High school in 2022. She loves getting to know others and meeting new people. She is so excited to be a part of the ADC family!

Maclayne Frana

Receptionist

Maclayne grew up dancing at ADC and was a part of the competition team. She was also involved in the Cedar Falls Dance Team in high school. Maclayne graduated in 2023 and is now going to the University of Northern Iowa and will attend Allen College to pursue a degree in nursing.

Ms. Allison Meinert

Owner/Director

Ms. Allison began dance classes at age 2 and has never stopped! She danced competitively for many years throughout elementary, junior high, and high school, winning numerous awards. She attended Louisian State University after high school and graduated from UNI after moving back home with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science – Dance Education, a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, and a minor in Dance. She also danced with Orchesis Dance Company, Young People’s Dance Theater, and Repertory Dance Theater while attending UNI. Ms. Allison became a head dance instructor and choreographer at age 19 and has continued this passion ever since. Her proudest accomplishment is the success of ADC since opening in 2008. Ms. Allison currently resides in rural Black Hawk County with her husband and their sons, Barrett and Brooks. Ms. Allison previously taught first grade at Lincoln Elementary in Cedar Falls. She is very excited to continue to serve the Cedar Valley at a high level of excellence!