Our teachers are among the most talented in the industry.
OUR TEACHERS
Mrs. Melanie has truly been dancing since she took her first step. By age 11 she had put together her first dance group for her brother's Little League Football team. She was Senior Captain of National Champion High School Dance team, the Eastwood Trooperettes. There she was awarded with MIss High Kick, Best Jumps, Miss Showtime, and NDA All-Star. She then went on to BYU to receive her degree. While she was there, she started a performing Hip Hop Dance group called Club Style. She also taught and choreographed the prestigious "Dance Showcase Company" and "Ballet Academy". She was a member of the "Wasatch Fever", the official dance team of a Minor League Football Team- the "Wasatch Wildcats". She choreographed and performed for a professional basketball team in Mexico at that time and then moved to Costa Rica where she had the privilege of dancing with an awesome hip hop group and teaching at a local studio, "Merecumbe".. Since her move to Arizona, she taught and coached dance teams at East Valley High School and Queen Creek High School. directed the dance team at East Valley High School, choreographed for various advanced dance groups around the Valley, and taught advanced Hip Hop at some local studios before beginning her dream of owning her own studio. She has now settled in San Tan Valley with her husband and 4 wonderful kids and is currently the dance teacher at the distinguished Benjamin Franklin High School as well as the head coach of the Varsity Chargerettes.. Melanie loves sharing her talents and love of dance with all of her students and always strives to uplift and inspire.
Melanie Ellis
OWNER, DIRECTOR
Miss Emily has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She was a Company dancer for Lynn's School of Dance and AZ Desert Dance for 5 years. She then went on to dance on the Varsity Pom Squad at Queen Creek High. She has competed numerous times and has won many top awards. She is a wonderful teacher who shares her love of tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical and pom with all of her students. Her routines are very innovative and she is known for focusing on the details. Dancing has always been her passion and it is a huge excitement when she sees her students improve and grow into beautiful dancers. Her little ones inspire with their amazing routines! She currently is the Assistant Coach of the Benjamin Franklin High School Chargerettes. Her choreography led us to a state championship in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. She is a talented and creative choreographer who emphasizes technique, technique, technique! She is married with an amazing little boy and girl!
Emily Augustin
CHOREOGRAPHER & TEENIES TEACHER
Miss Kayleen grew up in Snowflake, AZ and had the opportunity to dance in studio and as a part of her high school team. She went on to earn a degree from Brigham Young University in Dance Performance. While she attended BYU she participated on the International Folk Dancing team! She has been taught by some of the best in the industry and is a master of teaching and perfecting technique. She has worked for other studios as their main choreographer and director and we are so lucky she has decided to park with Freestyle and bring her expertise to our company. Her dedication to helping her students improve is evident in every practice. She is currently teaching Dance at Benjamin Franklin High School.
KAYLEEN PALMER
DANCE TEACHER
Miss Emily started dancing when she was 4 years old at Just For Kix. At age 10, she was taught flamenco dance while living in Puerto Rico. She continued her dance education after moving back to Arizona in various styles including contemporary, tap and hip hop.
In High School she was part of the varsity pom team at Queen Creek High, and even had the honor of being captain. She was coached by Miss Emily Augustin, Miss Melanie Ellis and Miss Rachel Larson. She has been teaching at Freestyle Dance Co. since 2017. Miss Emily is known for her creativity, patience and has a real gift to motivate young dancers.
Emily Smolke
SENIOR COMBINED + SENIOR COMPANY TEACHER
Karissa Cook
TECHNIQUE TEACHER
Karissa Cook is a dancer, performer, and teacher from Queen Creek, Arizona specializing in Classical Ballet and Jazz. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance, with an emphasis in pedagogy, from Brigham Young University-Idaho. During her time at BYU-Idaho Karissa was a member of their Touring and Performing company "Dance Alliance". During her time with Dance Alliance, she had the opportunity to dance on many different stages across the country.
Additionally, she holds a minor and certificate in Human Resource Management, allowing her to blend her passion for movement with a keen understanding of teaching and mentorship.
Inspired by the legendary works of Marius Petipa, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, and Bob Fosse, Karissa infuses her technical choreography with both classical elegance seen in ballet and the expressive nuances of jazz.
Throughout her career, Karissa has cultivated her belief that strong technique and a passion for dance can thrive in any setting. Her diverse experiences in various learning environments have shaped her teaching approach, enabling her to create engaging and supportive spaces for dancers of all levels. “Everyone should get their chance to dance!”
Hayden Snow
TUMBLING DIRECTOR
Hi, I’m Hadyn Snow. I am originally from a small town called Salem, Utah. My husband, 4 kids and I moved here to Arizona in 2020. I began dancing when I was 4 years old. At 8 years old I found my love for gymnastics and began a new journey. I transitioned through the sport quickly and competed in competitive gymnastics for the next 9 years until injuries prevented me from progressing further. This led me to cheerleading my senior year as Co-Captain. I began coaching gymnastics when I was 15 and continued to coach gymnastics on and off for the next 13 years. During that time I also coached city cheerleading and private coached tumbling on the side. When we moved here to Arizona I began coaching ballet for a year and a half then decided I needed to take a break while our family grew.
Miriam Padilla
POINTE TEACHER
Bio coming soon…
MILLIE Blair
MINI ELITE & MINI PREP TEACHER
Millie loves Freestyle Dance Company and working with all the cute kids. Millie was part of the varsity pom team at Benjamin Franklin High School and was a captain her senior year. She loved this experience as she learned how to express herself through dancing and became so close with the girls on the team. Millie also has lots of experience teaching children including teaching dance, teaching at church, and teaching english to kids in Thailand. Outside of teaching, Millie is attending Chandler Gilbert Community College and working another job. She loves to spend time with friends, go to the lake, and travel. Millie is so excited to be able to teach your kids and get to know them all better.
TINIES + MINI PREP TEACHER
LILY AGUERO
Lily Aguero is on her 4th year teaching at Freestyle! She teaches the tumbling classes and Teens. She has been dancing for 6 years and has been on Varsity Pom for 3 years and Varsity Cheer for 4 years. She just recently graduated class of 2024 from Benjamin Franklin High School and is attending Chandler Gilbert Community College in the spring semester to get her degree in Radiology. Lily is so excited to get to know all of your kiddos and teach them what she loves to do!
With 11 years of dance experience, Abby is thrilled to be back at Freestyle Dance Company, as an instructor. She is currently a sophomore at Arizona State University studying biomedical sciences. Her passion for dance was ignited in high school as a member of the Benjamin Franklin Chargerettes, and she continued to dance as a member of the NAU Dance Society. Abby is excited to share her love for dance with students and help them grow as dancers and individuals.
ABBY Willis
JUNIOR ELITE TEACHER
Sydney Aguero is enjoying her first year teaching with Freestyle! She has been dancing for 6 years and was a part of the Chargerettes team when she attended Benjamin Franklin High School. Sydney is currently a preschool teacher and also a pom coach at Queen Creek Junior High. She is also attending school online at NAU and is two semesters away from her bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. She is excited about teaching this year and hopes to make the most of it!
Sydney Aguero
TEEN + SENIOR ELITE TEACHER
PAYTON BLANCHETTE
HIP HOP TEACHER
Miss Payton started dancing at a very young age. She trained in all genre’s of dance competitively. When she got to High School, she decided to join the pom team where she was taught by Miss Emily Augustin, Miss Melanie Ellis and Miss Rachel Larson. She also got to meet her life long friend Miss Emily, as well as be Co-Captins with her. Miss Payton loves all styles of dance but really gravitates towards Hip-Hop. She is very excited to be a new addition to this faculty and can’t wait to get to know everyone more!
CHLOE SCHNIEDER
TUMBLING COACH
Chloe began dancing at Freestyle Dance Co at age 3. She has always been an exciting performer! She switched gears at age 13 and became an amazing cheerleader. She is so patient with the tumblers and loves that she's had her feet in both cheer and dance to help our dance students further their goals! She enjoys being a part of the ALA Queen Creek cheer team.
Caylee Quinn
TUMBLING COACH
Caylee has been blessed with lots of tumbling experience for 6 years with the help of the ALA Queen Creek cheerleading program. This is her second year teaching tumbling and she can’t wait to help others do what she loves to do. Caylee enjoys helping tumbling become a hobby and not just a sport. She finds joy in watching her tumblers progress and reach new heights with their skills!
Gia Lombard is currently a Junior at Benjamin Franklin High School. She is a member of the Varsity Chargerettes, and has been on the Varsity Cheer Team up until this year. She has been a dancer since 7th Grade and a cheerleader since 8th Grade. Fun Fact: Gia is a two time state champion for Cheer in All Girl Stunt as well as Show Cheer. This will be Gia’s first year teaching at Freestyle. She loves to teach tumbling and can’t wait to help all the girls learn and achieve new skills!
GIA LOMBARD
TUMBLING COACH
Miss Sofia Duran grew up dancing at Freestyle Dance Company from around ages 6 to 14. She is originally from San Tan Valley, AZ but has now been living in Gilbert for about 5 years. She attended Higley High School and participated in pom and dance and just recently graduated in 2023. When she is not dancing, she is reading or hanging out with friends. This is Sofia’s first year teaching at Freestyle and she is thrilled to be teaching alongside the teachers who helped her discover her love for dance.
SOFIA DURAN
JUNIOR PREP TEACHER
AALIYAH REID
YOUTH COMPANY TEACHER
Miss Aaliyah Reid is entering her first year at Freestyle! She is a passionate and accomplished dancer with over 13 years of training and competitive experience. Born and raised in Queen Creek, Arizona, she is an alumni of Higley High School, where she was a dedicated three-year member of the Varsity Pom team and former Freestyle dancer.
Aaliyah played a key role in helping her team achieve top 5 placements in Arizona’s Division 1 Pom and Gameday categories in 2025, and a top 10 national ranking in Division 1 Gameday in 2024. She also proudly performed on the sidelines during Higley’s back-to-back state championship football seasons, exemplifying her school spirit and leadership as a team performer.
Beyond the sidelines, Aaliyah has showcased her talent at high-profile events such as the Super Bowl NFL Experience and the Fiesta Bowl. She has also represented Sharpen Up! at various community and charity events, reflecting a diverse and well-rounded background in performance.
In addition to her dance career, Aaliyah completed specialized training in criminal justice at the East Valley Institute of Technology. She is now pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology’s and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Aaliyah is so excited to share her knowledge of dance and help grow their love for this art.
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER
Emilie began teaching for Freestyle Dance Company in 2019! She loves choreographing and her favorite style of dance is contemporary or hip hop. While Emilie Teaches at freestyle she is also a Pom Coach at Queen Creek Junior High and enjoys being in the competitive pom environment. When she is not teaching dance Emilie is either at School studying aesthetics or at home spending time with her husband Will and her puppy Reggie.
EMILIE Crouse
Miss Shelby is a former Senior Company dancer at Freestyle, and currently a Senior at ALA Gilbert North. One unique thing about her is she has lived in 3 different countries! She was born in Utah, lived in Seoul South Korea for a year, raised in Vancouver Canada, moved to Gilbert in 2020, and has lived there ever since.
Shelby has been a dancer on and off since the age of 3. However her passion really took off when she joined dance at school in 7th grade. She is now a proud member of her school's Momentum Dance Company, and has also participated in Eagles Pomline.
This will be her second year subbing at Freestyle. Shelby is so excited to share her passion and love for dance with all the girls, in whichever class she teaches!
Shelby Wells
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER