Amy Berry |
Owner
Studio Director
Instructor
Competition
Choreographer
Amy has been dancing practically her whole life in a variety of platforms from the studio to professional performance dance. She has been teaching dance and dance fitness classes since 2009 with a focus on hiphop, tap, jazz, Latin, Middle Eastern/Bellydance, Bollywood, and other International/cultural forms of dance. Amy was also an original member of the professional performance troupe Karma in Lansing, MI from 2012 to 2016 before the troupe moved to Ann Arbor. Amy has a love for all forms of music and dance, and offers classes that are focused on letting music guide the movement, with the intent of personal expression. Musicality and the art of dance as well as mind/body/soul connection is very important to her and she conveys this to her students. Amy choreographs for the competition team, both Imagery and Minis, and her 2023 Hip Hop piece won the National Championship at Nexstar. She is also a licensed Zumba Fitness instructor, and loves the freedom and joy this class brings to adults, and primarily the cultural exposure it provides.
At Fusion Dance Center Amy is Owner/Director and instructor/choreographer. She is an involved and present owner, overseeing all aspects of the business from classes to marketing and even studio infrastructure construction and fixes. Amy is very passionate about providing a welcoming and inclusive environment at Fusion Dance Center and her mission is that all dancers may feel comfortable to thrive under the support of their dance family. In particular, she knows that providing opportunities like dance is vital to the mental wellness of children especially in the tween/teen years, and wants to ensure that FDC is a place where they can find belonging and allow for expression of self. Because of this, she has become certified as a Mental Wellness Dance Educator from Danscend, and Youth Mental Health Wellness from the National Council of Mental Wellbeing. She implements a Mindfulness Training class for Competition Team members and strives to be a mental health wellness advocate in all she does. Amy lives in Holt with her husband, two almost-adult kids, and four furbabies!
Julie Bushart | Instructor
Julie is current on a maternity break from FDC!
Julie started dancing at the age of 8 and trained extensively in tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, pointe, and hip hop as well as competed as a teen. She has continued her love of dance as an adult through teaching at various studios. She also has vital experience with teaching preschool-aged kids having been a daycare provider and is a mom to two of her own. Julie loves not only watching her dancers develop and teaching them the art of dance but also building relationships with them through the years. She truly enjoys being a part of the FDC family and the bond she forms with her dancers! Julie lives in Eaton Rapids with her husband and two children whom she adores and that keep her busy with their hilarious antics.
Babe Dyer | Instructor
Babe Dyer began her dance career at the age of three in Eaton Rapids, MI. Under the instruction of Marceil Warren and Brenda Hampton, Babe studied ballet, tap, and jazz through her senior year of high school and later added lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop. Additionally, she trained in gymnastics until the age of 12 at Michigan State University’s youth gymnastics program. As a student, she competed in regional competitions, had the opportunity to showcase her talents in many local performances, and was a dance assistant at her studio in her teen years.
Upon graduating high school, Babe chose to further her dance education at Lansing Community College. While at LCC she trained in ballet, tap, Jazz, and modern while supplementing her technique classes with courses in anatomy and dance history. Babe also attended numerous dance conventions and took master classes with many instructors.
After a brief period away from the dance world, Babe returned to classes in 2001 and has been a dance instructor since 2006. Though she has taught at several studios in the area, Babe is thrilled to be teaching at her home studio, Fusion Dance Center! She has a way with instilling the love of dance in our young dancers, which is so vitally important! When she’s not dancing, Babe enjoys watching sports, auto racing, traveling, and spending time with her husband Brent and their children – Skyler, Brody, and Breann.
Harley Moore | Instructor
Competition Choreographer
Harley is a proud alumni of Fusion Dance Center, graduating in 2014, after which she stayed on as a teacher and choreographer. Harley is versed in all genres of dance and is an amazing choreographer known for her quirky and fun pieces. She has been recognized at many competitions for her choreography being exceptionally unique and visually enriching. Harley has a bubbly and emotive personality that the littlest dancers especially love and is what makes her an amazing musical theater instructor! Harley also has a bachelors degree in marketing and is a talented seamstress, running a boutique clothing booth of her own designs in Mason.
Dani Platte | Instructor
Dani is a proud graduate of Fusion Dance Center. She has been dancing since she was 6 and was a competition dancer from 13-18. Dani is well versed in jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, and ballet. She achieved a bachelors degree in Dietetics at CMU, where she was the president of her dance team and furthered her dance education through college courses. She is currently a student at MSU where she is working on her Masters with the goal of becoming a Registered Dietician. She is also trained as an infant through preschool caregiver through her family’s in-home daycare business. She has a very positive, patient, and easy going personality and enjoys making dance fun for kids!
Gracie Prudhomme | Instructor,
Pom Coach
Recreational Performance Team Leader
Gracie is currently a student at MSU majoring in packaging engineering and was a member of two collegiate dance teams, including MSU Elite Dance Team. She grew up in Brighton, MI and attended Glenn’s Dance Academy studying all styles of dance in both recreational and competitive programs, and was a member of her high school dance/pom team. She is very excited to share her knowledge and experience with the FDC dancers, as well as work to grow and lead both our Pom and Recreational Team programs.
Elisha Savage | Instructor
Competition Choreographer & Manager
Dancing since the age of 3, Elisha has trained in all forms and styles of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern and hip hop. After graduating high school, teaching and choreographing quickly became her one love. Focusing primarily in the genre of tap and hip hop, she has choreographed several pieces placing in the Top Ten, with many of those numbers winning Overall Titles & Judge’s Choice Awards, at competitions all across Mid-Michigan such as Kid’s Artistic Revue, Masquerade, V.I.P., Onstage New York, CRU, Nexstar, and Dance Makers Inc. In 2021 her jazz piece received a CRU Choreography Review nomination, and in 2022, her hip hop piece won 1st overall in their division and the CRU National Championship! In 2023, two of her jazz-based pieces won Entertainment Awards and top overall rankings, including recognition for best technique and Total Package. Elisha also manages the Competition Team and continues to share her talents and time caring for the FDC kids like they are her own!
Bethany Scholten | Instructor
Bethany Scholten took her first ballet class at the age of five in Lansing under the instruction of Barbara Banasikowski Smith at Academy of Dance Arts. She later became a performing company member in the Children’s Ballet Theatre/Capital Area Ballet Theatre and Academy Ballet Theatre.
Throughout high school, Bethany trained and performed in ballet, modern, and jazz while assisting in many ballet classes at the studio. She was one of the six dancers from Academy Ballet Theatre chosen to participate in a dance exchange with Mozaika Russian Dance Troupe and Vaganova Ballet School, traveling to St. Petersburg, Russia. She also trained under Dmitri Roudnev, director of Ballet Intensive from Moscow.
Bethany’s love for dance continued in college where she studied and performed under Dr. Dixie Durr, professor and director of Michigan State University’s Dance Program. She also taught ballet classes to MSU theatre students. After completing her degree in Elementary Education at Spring Arbor University, she danced and performed at the Academy of Dance/Jackson Ballet Company (Jackson, MI) while beginning her teaching career at Western Middle School.
Bethany and her family reside in Holt and her daughter has been part of Fusion Dance Center since 2014. Seeing her daughter’s love of dance has renewed Bethany’s passion to be part of the dance community again and she is excited to bring her ballet and teaching experience to Fusion as an instructor! Bethany is one of the most patient and kind people which makes her perfect for teaching our young students! She is sunshine embodied.
Dustin Schonhard | Instructor
Dustin graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance focused on Ballet and Modern/Contemporary. He began dancing as a teen performing in theatre productions with Center Stage of Jackson, and trained at Jackson Academy of the Arts in Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and Broadway. He also was a member of their competition team, and competed at events such as Tremaine and Nuvo, winning a Breakout Artist scholarship.
While in college, he trained under incredible Ballet teachers such as Samantha Shelton (American Ballet Theatre), Brian McSween (Joffrey Ballet & Ballet Memphis), and Calin Radulescu (Opera Națională București) as Ballet professors. At GVSU he discovered his love of Modern dance, being inspired by Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, and Pina Bausch.
Some of his past performances include working with the Children’s Ballet Theatre of Lansing in Don Quixote, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Cinderella, and multiple Nutcrackers. He guest performed for Ballet 5:8 Chicago and Caledonia Dance & Music Center in the productions of the Nutcracker, as well as for Wendi Dubois with Ballet Chelsea in productions of the Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Additionally, he performed in Modern productions choreographed by Carrie Bruck Morris, Shawn T. Bible, Eddie O’Campo, Mike Esperanza, Bryn Cohn, Lauren Blaine, and Ann Sofie Clemmensen.
As a teacher Dustin focuses on providing a safe, judgement-free learning environment for students to explore their creative imagination without fear of rejection during movement discovery. Another main focus for him is working with his students on proper body alignment and placement in all techniques to help prevent injury.