Toni Jennings
Toni Jennings started dancing when she was three years old, training largely at Chamberlain School of Performing Arts. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and dance composition. A few of her teachers included Kathy Chamberlain, Suzette Mariaux, Debbie Bray, Joseph Jones, Shannon Werthmann, and Kevyn Robertson. Mrs. Toni has also attended multiple workshops which included guest teachers such as Michelle Kittrell, the dance captain for multiple Broadway musicals such as Hairspray and Legally Blonde. For three years in a row from 2011 to 2013, Mrs. Toni worked with Tracy Jordan, Joe Cutaia, and Ann Briggs at the Dallas Summer Musicals as part of the Hoofin’ Crew. The Hoofin’ Crew is an audition-only tap performance group that performs at the Tap Dance Celebration. She has performed with the Hoofin' Crew during the Dallas Tap Festival and on WFAA Channel 8's Good Morning Texas. Mrs. Toni danced as part of the dance ensemble in McKinney Summer Musical’s (MSM) "My Fair Lady" in 2012 and was the title character of the Fiddler in MSM's "Fiddler on the Roof" in 2013 under the direction of Kevyn Robertson. In addition to being on the stage, Mrs. Toni has been seen working behind the scenes on the sound crew for Dallas Summer Musicals’ High School Musical Theatre Awards Ceremony in 2012 and 2013. In 2012 her ballet students auditioned for and were offered performance spots with the Moscow Ballet for their 2012 Dallas performance of The Nutcracker.
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Mrs. Toni worked with Tamara, founder of Tamara’s Dance On Broadway since 2010, before transitioning into Studio T Dance & Acro in 2019. Mrs. Toni has experience teaching many different classes from Preschool Tap/Ballet all the way up to the most advanced Ballet & Jazz. She has taught dance to many students around the DFW area and is certified to teach acro through Acrobatic Arts, a leading acro dance syllabus worldwide.
Mrs. Toni shares her talent and joy for dance by helping her students achieve their very best through discipline and exceptional training based on anatomy and mechanics.
Tiara Saddler
Tiara Saddler was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Stephens College, which was her number one choice. She graduated with a major in Dance and minor in Business Management. She started her love for dance at Studio One Dance Theatre in Chicago. She was heavily trained in ballet with Nicole Clark Springer, jazz with Florence Walker Harris, Horton modern technique with Tracey Franklin, and tap with Robyn Haynes. While still bettering her technique at Studio One, Tiara also landed a job with After School Matters- Dance Ensemble, where she danced with the ensemble all over the Chicagoland area. At Stephens Tiara was trained in Ballet by Elizabeth Hartwell, Humphrey-Weidman/ Limon, Modern Technique by Deborah Carr and many world dance teachers such as: Nancy Stoy, Russell Sultzbach, Francisco Granciano, Monique Jones, Brandi Coleman, Martha Tornay, David Shen, Hettie Barnhill, Tawanda Chabikwa, Kathryn Alter and Tony Parise. For the past 4 years, after graduating from Stephens, Tiara landed a job as a dance instructor and choreographer at Reflections Dance of Mckinney. Now her path has led her to share her passion for this art form at Fly High Dance and Performing Arts. She is happy to add Studio T Dance and Acro as a studio she can call home as well.
Michael Mayes
Originally from Dallas, TX Michael began his professional career in 1988. He has performed and choreographed professionally for Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet Company / AKLDC, Texas Ballet Theater, Contemporary Ballet Dallas, Company Mayes, Ballet Dallas, Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, Collin County Ballet Theatre, BCSA School of the Arts, Texas Youth Ballet Conservatory and Ballet Metrocrest. He has trained under the direction of Alonzo King, Ben Stevenson, Soili Arvola & Leo Ahonen, Thom Clower, Norma Shields, Ben Houke, Joyce Seaborne Bader and Kirt Hathaway. His credits include principal spots in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen, Giselle, La Bayadere, Dracula and many others. Michael received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Journalism at the University of North Texas. He has made acting appearances in feature films such as Dakota, Born on the 4th of July. He has also choreographed and danced for television and commercial work. Michael also travels nationally teaching, choreographing and judging for several top competition circuits. His artistic ability has resulted in award winning performances and professional productions nationally. Michael’s classical and contemporary ballet training and career has transformed him into a successful Ballet Master and Company Director. Mr. Mayes' unique, clean, interpretive classical, contemporary lyrical, and jazz fusion, combined with a strong technical ballet background quickly attracts ‘cutting edge’ dancers.
Danielle Newlin
A Farmersville native, Mrs DaniJo has danced over 15 years in Farmersvilles and the Dallas area. She has studied classical ballet and broadway style tap in addition to jazz and contemporary. She has completed training on early childhood dance pedagogy and theology. Recently, she has started studying classical ballroom and other social dances from waltzing and polka to tango and bachatta.
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"In my experiance and through observation I have noticed Dance to be one of the best ways to instill confidence in children, with a perfect ratio of fun and dicaplin all while getting great exercise in the process."
Lauren Mitchell
Originally from Greenville, SC, Lauren trained in studio dance since childhood, but her passion for dance blossomed during her enrollment at the Fine Arts Center, South Carolina’s first public, audition-only performing arts high school, located in Greenville, SC. She continued her academic journey at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography and Performance with additional studies in Community Arts in 2013. While at Columbia College, she performed with the Columbia College Dance Company (CCDC), serving as vice president during her senior year. She also performed alongside the professional, contemporary dance collective, The Power Company, enriching her development as both a dancer and leader.
In 2016, Lauren earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, where she deepened her choreographic voice and creative research. Her primary fields of study at TWU included modern dance, ballet, somatics, and improvisation—disciplines that continue to influence her creative and pedagogical approach. As Publicity Coordinator for the Department of Dance, she helped promote community engagement through the arts. Her MFA thesis choreography was selected to represent TWU at the American College Dance Association (ACDA-South Central) conference and was further honored with a Gala performance selection—highlighting her emerging voice in the field. Several of her other works were featured in student showcases throughout both her undergraduate and graduate studies.
Some of her performance experience includes working with renowned choreographers such as Nia Love, Ting Ting Chang (Artistic Director of T.T.C. Dance, Taipei, Taiwan), and Brian McGinnis (Lar Lubovitch Dance Company)—opportunities that have shaped her approach to performance and pedagogy.
Since graduating, she has cultivated over 12 years of teaching experience in both pre-professional and recreational settings. Lauren’s dance training includes ballet, contemporary, tap, and jazz, with a strong personal and professional likeness for modern, contemporary, and contact improvisation movement. This diverse foundation informs her teaching and choreography, while modern/contemporary remains her favorite style to explore, create within, and share with students.
Professionally, Lauren has served as adjunct dance faculty at community colleges: Tarrant County College and Collin College. She has also expanded her love of movement into the fitness world, blending dance and wellness through dance fitness instruction. Lauren enjoys working with students of all ages and thrives in environments that celebrate growth, creativity, and personal expression at every stage of life. With a diverse background across dance disciplines and a commitment to community engagement, Lauren is passionate about nurturing well-rounded dancers and instilling a lifelong love for movement in every student she teaches.
Alexa Guajardo
Alexa’s passion for movement started at age 3 and has continued ever since.
Alexa earned her associates degree from Collin College and was a member of the Collin Dance Ensemble for 3 years. In 2019, her choreography was selected for adjudication at ACDA. Alexa's collegiate journey then continued at Texas Women's University where she earned her B.G.S with concentrations in Health Studies, Sociology, and English.
In 2018, Alexa began her official journey as a dance teacher, fulfilling a life-long dream of hers. She has taught at several studios across the metroplex and worked with hundreds of students age 2 to adult. She has taught at recreational and competitive levels, and has earned several choreographic awards for competitive routines.
Alexa is a CPR & First Aid certified teacher, as well as an Acrobatic Arts Module 1 certified instructor, and has taught under the Darby’s Dancers program, which is focused on making dance accessible for those with physical and intellectual disabilities.
In 2020, Alexa founded North Star Dance Project. This professional company is a collaborative space and encourages all of its members to present choreography and push the boundaries of their own artistry. North Star has produced dozens of digital and live performances since its start, and has been invited to festivals and events around the metroplex and beyond to perform work from a variety of its company members.