2023 24 Mini Team Social Media
2023 24 Mini Team Social Media
2023-24 Mini Team Social Media
2023 24 Mini Team Social Media
2023 24 Mini Team Social Media
Molly has been dancing with Madison Dance Academy since she was two years old. She grew her love for dance with her mom’s help, Ms.Nessa who was a dance instructor for over 15 years at MDA. Molly competed with Madison Dance Academy as well as with the Sun Prairie Varsity Dance Team. She has trained in various styles of dance including, ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip hop, and contemporary. Molly is currently studying Sociology with a minor in Psychology at student University of Wisconsin La – Crosse in hopes of working in a school as a guidance counselor.
Shaina began her dance training when she was 3 years old at A Step Above Dance and Music
Academy in Monona, WI where she was also a member of the competitive dance company. She has
trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, musical theater, hip hop, contemporary, modern, improvisation,
African, and dance composition. At the collegiate level, Shaina had many performance opportunities
including university dance department showcases and the American College Dance Association
festivals. Shaina has been teaching dance to students ages 2-18 since 2014. Her choreography has
received awards including “Best Choreography”, “Creative Concept”, and “Most Entertaining” at
several competitions including Dupree Dance, Rainbow Dance Competition, and Imagine Dance
Challenge. Shaina’s favorite part about teaching is seeing the students beam with excitement when
they master a skill and perform on stage. She is excited to share her love for dance with all the
students at Madison Dance Academy!
Marcus purchased the studio in July 2017 with his wife Emily. Marcus grew up in Cottage Grove and went to college for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Technology. He grew up in a family with two sisters who were very involved in dance. Marcus currently works at Epic in his field of study. He has always been passionate about business and customer service. Owning a small business has always been a dream of his and now he gets to own a business with his wife!
Emily and her husband Marcus purchased the studio in July 2017. Emily started dancing at the age of 3 in Madison, WI where her mom, Carol taught dance. She has studied ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, and lyrical. Emily started coaching a middle school dance team at the age of 16 and taking on her own classes at a dance studio at 17.
Emily is also certified in ballet, tap, and jazz and a former member of Dance Masters of Wisconsin. Emily and her husband, Marcus got married in September of 2016 and live in Sun Prairie with their two young children and two pups.
Ever since high school, Emily has wanted to own a dance studio of her own and her dream has now become a reality!
coming soon!
Kaitlin does a little bit of everything here at MDA. From managing our website, helping with our socials and marketing, to photo and video, to prop making and team building she helps wherever needed. Kaitlin has a background in Nursing, Professional Photography, and more currently she is a Special Educator for Elementry aged students. Kaitlin has years of competitive experience, she competed in country and world-wide competitions in middle and high school and is passionate about youth development, team and relationship building.
coming soon!
Coming soon!
Sara began her dance training at A Step Above at the age of six. She has taken classes in ballet,
pointe, jazz, tap and lyrical and she was a member of A Step Beyond Dance Company for 10 years
where she performed and competed in solo, duet and group dances. She also performed in the Peter
Rabbit Ballet with the Wisconsin Dance Ensemble. Sara began assisting with classes in middle school
and became a substitute teacher in high school. Sara was instrumental in implementing a summer
dance program for children ages 4 – 10 within the Cottage Grove Recreation Department at the age
of 14. Sara began teaching at A Step Above in 2009 and in 2011, she became a choreographer and
teacher for the A Step Beyond Dance Company. Sara has choreographed many award winning dances
to a variety of ages, levels, and in different styles. Sara holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood
Education from UW-Whitewater.
Rachelle professional training began with Wisconsin Dance Ensemble (now Madison Ballet) under the
direction of W. Earle Smith and A Step Above under the direction of Maelanie Kuzma. Fochs continued
her training with some of the best schools in the country including Ballet Chicago, under the direction of
Daniel Duell and Patricia Blair. While at Ballet Chicago, she performed a large repertoire of Balanchine
ballets as a soloist and principal dancer.
Her professional career began with Sacramento Ballet and continued with Madison Ballet, where she
performed soloist and principal roles until her retirement in 2016. Following her retirement, she became
Ballet Master and School Director for Madison Ballet. Fochs began teaching while a student at Ballet
Chicago and has continued to develop her comprehensive and compassionate teaching style throughout
her professional career. Mrs. Fochs encourages dancers through a curriculum of ballet training with an
approach that includes focus on muscle and bone alignment. Currently, she spends most of her time
learning and growing with her son, Xavier, and teaches throughout the Madison area.
Kami has been dancing since she was 3 years old with Ms. Carol and then in future years, Ms. Emily also.
She has studied ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop. Kami has danced with Madison
Contemporary for their holiday performance and our Nutcracker Remix in 2019. She is currently
attending Edgewood College for her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. Kami has been with Madison
Dance Academy since 2020..
Courtney Kopchinski is a dancer, choreographer, and certified Pilates Instructor from Plover,
WI, currently residing in Madison, WI. In May of 2021, I graduated with a BFA in Dance from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am trained in a multitude of dance styles but specialize in
Hip Hop and Contemporary with an emphasis on Floorwork technique. As a creator, I
emphasize the use of isolations, foundational and dynamic movements to challenge those I
work with. I value the community that dance creates between every mover and the use of artists
bodies as a means of communication.
Becca grew up in the Madison area, and has been part of the Madison Dance Academy family for 19 years!! Starting with ballet and tap, Becca has grown her love for dance in all genres including lyrical, contemporary, jazz, pointe, and hip hop. Dance has taken her from competing in local towns all the way to performing at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Becca started teaching for Madison Dance Academy at the age of 16 as an assistant teacher and by 17 started teaching classes of her own. Becca has recently moved to the Green Bay area, but comes back often to work with our dance team and is a master at cutting music.
Brad is a Sussex, WI native, and has been dancing for 17 years. He started in Accompany of Kids in Menomonee Falls, which he still choreographs for today. Additionally, while in college, he was a choreographer for 4 years on Case Kismat Fusion Dance Team, and captain his sophomore and junior years where he took Kismat to get 4th at Bollywood America—the national championship competition for Desi Dance Network.
In 2018, he was a choreographer on the hip-hop team Watchlist, and currently, he works for Epic during the day, but he also coaches UW-Madison’s Bollywood fusion team, Wisconsin Surma. Brad has been with Madison Dance Academy since 2019.
Brittney grew up in Phoenix, AZ. She began dancing at the age of 5, studying jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, and other styles at Royal Dance Works in Phoenix. She began assisting at the age of 12 and teaching at the age of 14.
She has taught dancers and gymnasts of all ages at various dance and gymnastics studios around AZ and WI. She has worked with dancers in both a recreational and competitive capacity. Brittney has been with Madison Dance Academy since 2017
Callie began dancing at the age of 3 and grew up dancing alongside Miss Emily and under the guidance of Miss Carol. She has studied ballet, jazz, tap, pointe and hip hop. Callie was also a member of her high school’s Show Choir for three years and participated in their musical productions all four years.
She choreographed many of the Show Choir’s numbers her last two years of high school and returned for two years post-graduation to continue teaching. Callie has been with Madison Dance Academy since 2017
Carol started dancing at the age of 4, studying ballet, pointe, jazz, tap and lyrical. In the 6th grade she knew that she wanted to teach dance and now has over 42 years of teaching experience. Carol has choreographed plays, danced in productions and has many years of dance training. As a former member of DMW and CNADM, she has received her master certification in dance. Carol joined the Madison Dance Academy when her daughter, Ms. Emily, opened the studio in 2017
Lexie has been dancing since a little girl. She danced with Crystal, Emily, and Lexie for many years taking tap, jazz, and ballet. She absolutely loves tap and everything that goes with it…the movement, the rhythm, and the flow. Lexie has been with Madison Dance Academy since 2020
Abby is a dancer turned dance mom, turned dance teacher. She grew up dancing in Madison, WI starting at the age of 3. Abby has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and musical under the direction of Sharon Butler. She also danced competitively for 9 years up until high school. At the age of 16, Abby helped Ms. Emily coach the drill team, and then started working for Mary Lou at Rosy Cheeks & Company.
Dance has always been a part of her life, even if it was just through working at Rosy Cheeks. When she had her daughter Riley she knew right away she would be a dancer. When Ms. Emily opened the studio, she reached out to Abby about the new adventure, and how she wanted to work together again. Abby has been with Madison Dance Academy since 2018.