Lisa Bottitta
lisabottitta@yahoo.com
Teaches ballet

Lisa (Bottitta) Busfield is originally from Allentown, Pa., where she received her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Dance from Muhlenberg College in 2002. Lisa went on for her graduate studies at Temple University in Philadelphia where she received her Master of Education in Dance (Ed.M.) in 2003. Lisa moved to the Midwest in the summer of 2003, and she is currently an Associate faculty member of dance in the Department of Theatre at IPFW and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Art and Visual Communications for the University of Saint Francis. Lisa also teaches modern technique and dance history for the New American Youth Ballet Conservatory and teaches dance technique in the evenings for Northeast School of Dance and Fort Wayne School of Dance. She is currently a member of the Arts Council for the Fort Wayne Dance Collective.

Karmen (Schnelker) Casey* is a 1988 graduate of Northeast School of Dance. That same year, she was accepted into Young Americans, based in Los Angeles, Calif. In 1989, she opened her own studio, which she was director of for 16 years. Her training consists of tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, gymnastics, and hip hop. Karmen has choreographed and competed students from age 3 through adult for 15 years. Her groups have received many awards and recognition at the regional and national levels. Karmen returned to Northeast this year with her four children to continue to do what she loves most. By day, she works for Crossroad Children’s Home. “Children are my passion. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t spend the majority of my time working with kids. Thank you to everyone at Northeast for making one feel welcomed and for letting me continue to learn through children.”

Mandy Gosheff* was a student at Northeast for 10 years and competed at the national level. After graduating from Purdue University in 1993 with a major in French and a minor in math, she worked in “Corporate America” for several years. She has taught tap, jazz, and gymnastics for the past three years in Fort Wayne and is now happy to be teaching at Northeast also. Mandy and her husband, Tim, have been married for 10 years and have two daughters, Alaina, 7, and Madelaine, 4. She always has been grateful for her dance education at Northeast and enjoys teaching  others the lifelong benefits of dance.

Danielle Irons
danielle_irons@nacs.k12.in.us
Teaches jazz and hip hop

Danielle Irons* is a graduate of Ball State University where she earned her degree in elementary education. Currently, she teaches second grade at Perry Hill Elementary. While she attended Ball State, she was a four-year member—and captain her senior year—of the Code Red Dance Team. She has also danced with Universal Dance Association for six years as the Indiana Head Instructor. Alongside teaching at Northeast, she is the coach at Carroll High School of the Electric Blue Dance Team. She has been coaching at Carroll High School for three seasons. During those three years, the Electric Blue Dance Team has been State Runner-up each year.

Leah

Leah Knoblauch * began dancing at Northeast 23 years ago. First as a student for 12 years and now as an instructor for the past 7 years. In these years, she has had the opportunity to learn from many wonderful people and now to hopefully pass on what she has learned. In the interim, Leah attended Indiana University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Hearing Sciences and a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. She is currently working at the Communication and Learning Clinic where she has the opportunity to work with kids and adults with language and learning difficulties. Leah and her husband Nik also have a new baby, born on March 21 of this year.

Anna Magnuson * is in her third year of teaching at Northeast School of Dance. Currently, she is teaching ballet, pointe, and jazz. Anna has been dancing for 17 years and is a graduate of Northeast School of Dance where she was involved in the Royal Academy of Dance program and the competing groups in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, and modern. Anna is currently a student at IPFW working towards her degree in biology. Anna and her husband John are parents to Ryon (3) and Gavin (7 months).

Carolyn Miller earned her Bachelor of Arts from Western Michigan University and Master of Arts from Northwestern University and has a teaching certificate. She has taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Carolyn has been a Royal Academy of Dance certified teacher for 27 years and has entered students for both children’s and professional exams.

Kelly Monasa

Kelly Monasa * is a former student and teacher from Northeast School of Dance. Kelly graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and graduate work in Specialized Writing. She taught elementary school for 13 years in northern Indiana, where she was the owner and director of the Monasa Dance Academy. Kelly has taught tap, jazz, production, and lyrical. Her choreography has won regional and national titles. She also has coached preschool through high school gymnastics. She is currently the owner of the Fred Smith Group, Inc. Media and Marketing Services. Kelly and her husband, Ben, are parents to daughter Lauren (5 years) and Lucas (1).

Michele Schiebel

Michele Schiebel* graduated from Ball State University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Health Sciences and minors in Dance Performance and Counseling Psychology. While attending Ball State, Michele was a part of the Ball State Dance Theatre. She performed in numerous stage performances and danced at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the National College Dance Festival. Michele is currently employed at the AIDS Task Force and works with HIV+ individuals with drug and alcohol addictions. Michele also volunteers her time on a Rape Crisis Hotline. Michele has been teaching at Northeast since 1999, and her choreography has been recognized with awards at the local and national level. Michele has a son, Gage Connor, who is 9 months old.

Renee Schiebel
raschiebel@aol.com
Teaches ballet

Renee Schiebel* began dancing at a young age at Northeast School of Dance. She became involved in the helper program and then became a teacher at Northeast in 1983. Renee participated in Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) ballet examinations and became a certified teacher in 1989. Renee is also a Registered Nurse with a bachelor’s degree. She is currently employed by Parkview Health System and CANI Head Start. Renee and her husband, Matt, have two children—Lauren (8 years) and Andrew (6 years).

Greg Sitcler
relctisgerg@hotmail.com

Greg Sitcler * has been with Northeast for 23 years and has either helped or taught 16 of those years. He graduated from R. Nelson Snider High School in 1998 and Ivy Tech in 2004 with an associate degree in Computers and Electronics. He currently works for Verizon as a Fiber Network Field Tech and is planning to go back to school to obtain a bachelor’s degree to further his career.

Ann Slen
annslen@aol.com
Teaches ballet, pointe and tap

Ann Slen * graduated from St. Olaf in Northfield, Minn., with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and Psychology. She also received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Indiana University. Ann studied overseas, teaching English in Japan for two years. She has danced in a wide-range of arenas, but has danced at Northeast for 35 years! She leads a group of liturgical dancers at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church. Ann works as a developmental therapist for children from birth through age 3. She has two daughters, ages 8 and 1.

Ashley Stoneburner

Ashley Stoneburner* graduated from Hope College with a double major in business management and dance. By day, she is a fund raiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). By night, she teaches modern, jazz, ballet, lyrical and tap at Northeast School of Dance. Ashley hopes to enable the dancers to create, express, and develop the art of dance outside the box. She also aspires to instill her joy of dance from the many memorable years during her tenure at Northeast. Ashley is also actively involved in the Fort Wayne community with dance. She choreographed and performed for the IPFW main stage dance show, Purely Dance 2006, and was a participant and performer of the 2nd annual Indiana Dance Festival. Ashley also enjoys spending time with her friends and family, especially her two nieces Madison (6 years) and Elle (1 ½ years) and is looking forward to her new baby nephew on the way!

Andrew Welch
andrewdavidwelch@msn.com
Teaches tap

Andrew Welch* has been teaching at Northeast since graduation from high school (10 years). He graduated from IPFW in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Public Communication and minors in journalism and public relations. In 2003, he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Administration, as well. He is Print Production Director/Graphic Designer for IPFW Publications, teaches Editorial Practices and Corporate Publications courses for the IPFW Journalism minor program, teaches for IPFW Continuing Education’s Adobe Creative Suite certificate program, and has freelance graphic design work and music editing on the side. Andrew is a member of the Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana and also stays active in local volleyball and softball leagues throughout the year. Last fall, he was cast in his first main stage dance show, Purely Dance 2006 at IPFW, where he performed in the tap, jazz, contemporary, and ballet pieces. Andrew was grateful to be back on stage, and the best part of it was being able to reunite with old friends from Northeast and having the opportunity to dance with teachers and students from right here at Northeast. His choreography for Northeast has been recognized nationally.

Arlene Wunderlin
Arlene0327@msn.com
Teaches tap and jazz

Arlene Wunderlin* started dancing at age 6 at Northeast School of Dance—one of Mrs. Schiebel’s first students. Arlene has been teaching for 28 years and has performed in many local productions. She has judged various dance competitions and has choreographed numerous local productions and groups. Arlene and her husband, Dan, have been married 22 years and have three children—Maria, Jake, and Melanie.

Missy Yeager

Missy Yeager * is currently attending IPFW for her degree in education. Missy has taught at Northeast for four years and took dance at Northeast for 15 years. While dancing at Northeast, Missy competed at the national and regional level. Missy truly enjoys teaching her students at Northeast.