Meet Our Team

Brooke is the owner and director of JDSD and the founder of Dancing for Life, a breast cancer benefit. She is from Mansfield, Ohio where she began her dance education at the age of three. Since then, she has had intense training in ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, hip hop and acro. Brooke has won many awards during her dance career and was the first to hold all three titles of Little Miss Dance Ohio, Jr Miss Dance Ohio and Miss Dance Ohio. She holds a degree in early childhood education from The Ohio State University where she was a member of The Ohio State Dance Team and a Delta Gamma. Brooke was a member of the MSL Columbus Crewzers professional dance team and a choreographer for the AFL Columbus Destroyers dance team. As a choreographer, she has won numerous national titles as well as choreography awards. Many of her students have gone on to dance professionally. Brooke has traveled the country teaching dance camps and doing choreography for many studios. She continues her dance education by attending numerous conventions and taking classes from some of the top instructors including Chris Judd, Travis Wall, Dave Scott and Tyce Diorio.  Brooke has also judged for multiple dance competitions and pageants. Brooke enjoys running the studio with her husband Chris Hull and is a proud mother to her daughters, Harper and Chloe. "It has always been a dream to share my passion of dance with dancers of all ages. I believe everyone should be given the opportunity to have their hearts touched by the art of dance."

Tiffany currently resides in Delaware, Ohio with her husband Doug and daughter, Tara. She has extensive training in ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, musical theater and several styles of tap dancing including Broadway to Hoofing. Growing up as a competitive dancer, she won many Regional and National Titles and even performed and served as Dance Captain for the Ohio State University at age 16. Due to her accomplishments, Tiffany was nominated as a Who’s Who of American High School Students and at the age of 17 and received a full dance scholarship to the prestigious Gus Giordano Dance Center in Chicago, Illinois. While teaching and choreographing for the Gahanna Lincoln High School Chorale, dance studios, conventions, pageants and parades, she has captured many top awards including the titles: Teacher of the Year & Elite Top Choreographer of the Year on a National Level. She has been recognized by the Stanford Who’s Who of America and the Ohio House of Representatives for her dedication to the Arts and is a member of the International Tap Association. Her students can be found on television, Broadway, movies and professional dance companies. Tiffany was especially honored to have her choreography and JDSD students featured in the New York City, Tap Extravaganza and one of only six tap dances across the country to be nominated at the KARTV Awards, Las Vegas in 2012. Another highlight in 2012 was being chosen to Choreograph 2 national competition opening numbers in Las Vegas. She continually elevates her own dance education by attending local and national workshops, including travels to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Currently, Tiffany proudly serves as a Head Adjudicator for the Kids Artistic Revue National Dance Competition and continues to travel the country as a Master Teacher and choreographer. Since joining JDSD, in 1998 she created the Elite program and is the Elite Company Director. Tiffany is committed to sharing her love of dance through mentoring, educating and teaching proper technique across the country.

Roni graduated from Franklin Heights High School and the Fort Hayes Performing Arts School. She then graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. Roni is the former Executive Director of Showcase Camps & Productions where she helped in the production of the Capital One Bowl halftime performance for several years. She is also the past Director of Dance for AmeriDance where she ran summer dance camps and competitions. She choreographed the halftime of the All-State Sugar Bowl. She was a founding member of the Columbus Crewzers dance team (Columbus Crew-MLS), she served as captain, choreographer and Assistant Director. She is a former coach of the Columbus Destroyers professional dance team "The Bombshells". She is a Judge and serves on the Board of Directors for Showcase America, a non-profit dance organization. Roni currently resides in Gahanna and has two amazing children.

Denise has been a dance instructor at JDSD since 1985.  Her dance education began at Georgia Gay Studio when she was five years old.  She also studied under and received scholarships from Richard Kimble, who was a renowned Columbus, Ohio dance instructor.  Her specialty was ballet and Denise was a member of the Columbus Civic Ballet Company, which was the forerunner to Ballet Met.  She was featured on the cover of the Columbus Dispatch Sunday Magazine section.  Her performances included appearances at the Hartman Theater,, Ohio Theater, Columbus Museum of Art, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus Festival of Arts and many other local venues.  She studied ballet at the Princeton Festival under Madame Valentina Pereyaslavec, who was one of Nureyev’s favorite teachers. She also took classes with instructors from the School of the American Ballet. 
Following her dance career Denise became a Licensed Practical Nurse.  She remained in the dance world and taught ballet to students for several years.  In 1985 while performing with the dancers in the local production of The Music Man, Denise met Judy Dollenmayer and soon she was teaching at the studio.  Her three daughters, Megan, Molly and Abby were all students at JDSD.  Abby has continued her dance education at Wright State University and also is a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II. 
Denise enjoys teaching dance students of all ages at JDSD.  When she is not at the studio, Denise loves being a wife to her husband, Columbus attorney Paul Leithart, a mother to her children – Megan, Molly, Abby and Andrew, and grandmother “Anna” to her grandson, Drew. 
As a JDSD ballet instructor, Denise wants to instill a passion for dance but more importantly to teach her students to be disciplined, hard-working and mature young people, because those qualities will last them a lifetime.

​Corinne has been not only a dancer, but a member of the Judy Dollenmayer Studio of Dance since she was three years old. She has studied various forms of dance including tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and hip hop throughout her life and continues to study. She has had the extreme privilege to take tap classes from some of the best tap dancers in the world including Savion Glover, Sam Weber, and Lane Alexander. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2006 with a B.S. in Human Ecology. In addition to working at the dance studio, she is employed as a pre-Kindergarten teacher and caregiver.

Alexis is a Columbus, Ohio native and has been dancing and teaching in the area for over 10 years. Growing up, she was a recreational, competitive, and elite dancer at Judy Dollenmayer Studio of Dance training in ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and musical theater. Alexis was a student apprentice all 4 years of high school, where she was given the opportunity to assist and teach JDSD students of all ages and skill levels. She choreographed her first competitive routine in 2016 and never looked back. While in high school Alexis was also the co-founder of the JDSD mascot, Patrice the Peacock, which was created in 2018! Since becoming a staff member of JDSD in 2018, she has been able to work with students at the recreational and competitive level to help them in becoming skilled dancers and performers. She prides herself on giving students the tools to be successful in dance outside of the classroom by focusing on things such as audition preparation, adaptability, and creating an environment that is safe for students to make mistakes in, because that’s how you learn! She teaches jazz, hip hop, lyrical and musical theater, which is her specialty. Alexis has won a variety of awards and accolades for her choreography, including a ‘Best in Choreography’ award and National Championship in 2021 as well as a National Grand Championship in 2022. Outside of the studio, she has choreographed high school theater productions, competitive cheerleading routines, wedding dances, and just about anything else you could think of. Alexis is also a licensed and practicing social worker, and she enjoys using her knowledge of mental health to help her students become great dancers, but also great people. She prides herself on cultivating inclusivity and incorporating social justice into her classes while also providing top-notch dance education to her students. Alexis is incredibly grateful for her students here at JDSD who teach her just as much as she teaches them!

Tara is a native of Columbus, OH. She started modeling at age 2 and dancing at age 3. She continued her dance in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and hip hop, at Judy Dollenmayer Studio of Dance, until graduating from Bishop Watterson in 2017. Her performances have earned Tara many awards & scholarships, including national acclaim at the Industry Dance Awards in Hollywood, CA, Best Performance, Regional Champion and National Grand Champion. During her time at JDSD, she has been a competitive dancer, assistant instructor, a selected member of the apprentice program, an Elite Company member & a scholarship recipient. She furthers her training by attending dance conventions and tap festivals. Her performances include Varsity Varieties, Dancing For Life, Strides For Pride, recitals, Kids Artistic Revue opening number & festivals. Professionally, Tara is an assistant choreographer at Gahanna Lincoln High School & tours the country, as an assistant, teaching master classes, conventions & setting choreography. Tara made her debut as professional performer in 2017 as a solo tap artist with a live orchestra. She looks forward to pursuing her dance career and teaching at JDSD.

Sara grew up with a passion for dance, dancing at Judy's since the age of 5, participating in competition and Elite classes as she grew older. After graduating high school, Sara joined the JDSD staff in 2006 to teach and assist in a variety of dance classes, including tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and gymnastics. Sara graduated from The Ohio State University in 2009 with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Science and currently works for St. Vincent Family Center, a non-profit agency in Columbus, Ohio. Sara now teaches and assists with several dance and fitness classes at the studio and feels so blessed to be a part of the JDSD family.

Angelique has been part of the JDSD family for over 20 years, beginning as a dancer at age six and later as a member of the competition team and Elite Company. As a choreographer, she has earned a number of high-point and choreography awards regionally and nationally. Angelique holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Morehead State University. She performed with the MSU Dance Team and choreographed for the Modern Dance Ensemble. Angelique is a proud Delta Gamma alumna and led her sorority to victory in several Greek philanthropic dance competitions as a choreographer. Outside of the studio, Angelique is the Manager of Organizational Measurement + Impact at Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX), a national non-profit that focuses on creating generations of confident girls. She is passionate about creating a positive, inclusive environment where dancers feel supported, challenged, and confident while developing skills that extend far beyond the studio. Fun fact: Angelique is also the co-founder of our beloved mascot, Patrice the Peacock! 

Kalea Collier

Reece started dancing at JDSD at the age of 8, participating in a recreational hip hop class. She began competing the following year in hip hop as well as jazz, and as years continued she began to expand other genres such as lyrical, acro and tap. Reece competed years of solos in different genres, bringing home many high point and first overall awards. She began cheerleading in 8th grade and made her school's varsity team in 9th. She participated in sideline cheer for 5 years for both basketball and football. Reece was one of the first athletes at her school to receive Varsity recognition 8 separate times! During her senior year in 2021, she had the opportunity to debut her own choreography for herself as well as for her younger siblings. In 2023, she got to experience her first professional audition process for an NFL cheer team. During the day, she attends school majoring in early childhood education. Reece Is very excited to return to JDSD, now as a teacher, to share her love and passion for dance!

Emma began her dance training at twelve years old after a not-so-passionate stint with softball. After trying one hip-hop class at JDSD, she knew that this was where she was meant to be! During her time at JDSD, she trained in ballet, lyrical, jazz, musical theatre, hip-hop, tap, and acrobatics, which earned her a spot in all five elite company groups at fourteen years old. She’s been a part of multiple regional and national award-winning routines, but it was teaching and assisting dance classes where her true love for dance lay. Emma began teaching at the studio in 2023 and has earned numerous high-point, entertainment, and choreography awards regionally and nationally. Some highlights from her teaching career consist of receiving four choreography awards at the national level, having a soloist receive the highest scoring routine of the day, having a national overall winning group routine, and choreographing and leading the Junior Elite Lyrical Company to a national grand championship! But if you were to ask Emma what matters most to her, it would be the students and family that JDSD has built. Being able to share her love and passion for dance with all the JDSD dancers is what makes her heart full, and it’s something that she does not take for granted! She is currently a member of the Whirlwind MOVE Company in Columbus, OH where she is learning new techniques and abilities while honing in on her craft. She is also a regional judge for Nexstar competitions. Emma is looking forward to another fun-filled dance season with her JDSD family!

Miss Audrey grew up around the studio and started dancing at Judy Dollenmayer when she was 2 years old. She then continued over the years to become part of the competition and elite company for over 10 years. While dancing she trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip hop, acro, and musical theater. She participated in conventions and dance fests throughout her time competing. Audrey has always loved dance as it was a way to connect with people and express herself. She assisted alongside teachers as an apprentice for 5 years in many different styles and ages. After she graduated, she stepped into teaching, and has loved it ever since! She absolutely loves working with kids and getting to see them grow! Away from the studio, Audrey currently attends The Ohio State University, studying business at the Fisher Business College. She is also a part of a nonprofit organization that works alongside kids diagnosed with chronic illness and their families and is a mentor to younger students in the Fisher Mentorship Program. Audrey feels so lucky to be a part of the JDSD family!

Malerie has been a JDSD dancer since the age of 3. She began competition classes at age 10 and joined the elite company in 2006. She trained in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip hop, Irish, and musical theater. After graduation from GLHS in 2013, she went to Otterbein University to study Allied Health with a minor in Dance. Malerie went on to Ohio University to earn her Doctor of Physical Therapy and now practices PT at Select Specialty Hospital in Columbus. She knew dance would always be a part of her life and is thrilled to be able to teach at JDSD. With her knowledge of both dance and PT, Malerie takes a comprehensive approach to dance education, emphasizing the importance of proper technique and injury prevention while fostering a love for the art form. 

Nikki Bowles

Christy is the co-founder of UNITE and BridgED. Unite is a consulting, training and technology company developed to help “unite” universities and industry partners while BridgED works to “bridge the gap” between K-12 and the business community.

Christy received her Bachelor of Science Degrees in Marketing and Business Administration at Franklin University. Christy serves on the board for The Upper Arlington Community Improvement Corporation, Columbus Startup Week and is active with various organizations and her children’s school. She also served on the Board of Directors for Relā. Christy lives in Upper Arlington and stays busy with her son and two daughters. Growing up as a dancer herself, Christy has the opportunity to share her love of dance with her daughters.