Our teachers are among the most talented
in the industry.
OUR TEACHERS
OWNER, DIRECTOR
Melanie Ellis
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.
DANCE TEACHER
Rachel Larson
Miss Rachel began dancing at age 4. She danced at Champion Studios in El Paso, Texas and went on to be captain for the nationally ranked Eastwood Trooperettes. She was chosen as an All-Star dancer and held honors in best jumps, best funk dancer and all-around dancer. She is known for her spunky personality, stage presence, amazing teaching abilities, and modern creativity. She really brings out the best in her students and always encourages hard work while having fun. She has a phenomenal ability to connect with young children and teenagers alike! Everybody loves Miss Rachel! She works her dancers hard! Their hard work has paid off as her routines have frequently won the high score in every category. Miss Rachel enjoyed coaching pom at Queen Creek High School and now guest choreographs for different teams. She is married with three beautiful children.
DANCE TEACHER
Emily Augustin
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, and 2021. She is a talented and creative choreographer who emphasizes technique, technique technique! She is married with an amazing little boy and girl!
DANCE TEACHER
Kayleen Palmer
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 and Theatre at Benjamin Franklin High School.
DANCE TEACHER
Brooke Arave
Coach Brook grew up in Queen Creek, AZ. She teaches dance and tumbling as well as gymnastics at USA. She was a gymnast when she was young and that is what sparked her love for all things cheer and dance. She was a varsity cheerleader as well as a Chargerette at BFHS. She has been coaching for about 4 years now and she absolutely loves it. Being able to help kids grow and get stronger and more confident in themselves brings her so much joy.
DANCE TEACHER
Emily Smolke
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.
DANCE TEACHER
Abby Kimball
Miss Abby recently graduated from Brigham Young University and now work in Human Resources. She loves a good excel spreadsheet and empty email inbox but also have a creative side to her that she expresses through dance!
She has danced her whole life and finished off her time as a QCHS Pommie (Go Bulldogs!). She absolutely loves sharing her passion with others and seeing the joy and camaraderie that dance brings.
She also loves spending time with family, seeing movies, cooking, and playing pickleball!
Her hope is that her classes are a fun and positive experience while also being a place for learning and growth.
DANCE TEACHER
Abby Peterson
Abby Peterson is so excited to be teaching for Freestyle Dance Company. She is teaching the Teeny and Tiny classes. She is looking foreword to helping your kids love of dance grow as they learn the basics of ballet, tap, and jazz.
Abby has been dancing her whole life. She love to spend time with her friends and family. She loves to read and go on hikes. Abby can’t wait to see what comes next with her dance experience. She hopes she can teach the kids to the best of her ability.
DANCE TEACHER
Kaylee Jones
Kaylee grew up in Mesa, AZ and is attending Benjamin Franklin High School. She likes to sing, bake, tumble, and dance. She’s been tumbling for 5 years and dancing for 4. She competes with the Benjamin Franklin Chargerettes, and has also competed with a hiphop duo that she helped choreograph.
She loves teaching the mini prep class as well as assist in teaching the advanced tumbling class. She enjoys seeing her dancers every week and hopes her class is a fun and uplifting environment.
DANCE TEACHER
Abby Gonzalez
Abby Gonzalez is a Junior at Benjamin Franklin High School. She has been dancing for eight years. She is a member of the Varsity Chargerettes at BFHS. She has danced at Artistic Motion Dance Company, Stacee’s School of Dance, and Benjamin Franklin High School.
Outside of dance, Abby enjoys reading and hanging out with her friends. She is also a member of the cheerleading team at Benjamin Franklin. She is so happy to be teaching Freestyle this year!
DANCE TEACHER
Brianna Moffat
Brianna started dance around the age of 7 years old and attended Freestyle Dance Company for the majority of those years. She is a native to Queen Creek, Arizona and is currently a Senior at Benjamin Franklin High School. She enjoys music, academics, and, of course, dance. This is her third year on the Chargerettes pom team at Benjamin Franklin and her second year as a group leader/captain.
She is now in her first year as a teacher at Freestyle Dance Company and is co-teaching the mini prep class. She enjoys instructing her class and the energy and enthusiasm they bring. She looks forward to continuing to work with the young dancers as they grow in skill and their love for dance.
YOUTH HIPHOP TEACHER
Sophia Rendon
Sophia’s love for dance started at The Dance Loft at the age of 8. She is now 14 years old and a freshman at Benjamin Franklin High School. Sophia has 7 years of experience in dance including hiphop, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary. She also has competed at the intermediate and advanced levels for more than 3 years. Currently she competes for Benjamin Franklin Varsity cheer and the Varsity Chargerette Pom team.
Sophia enjoys having the opportunity to share her love for hiphop with anyone interested in learning.
YOUTH HIPHOP INSTRUCTOR
Bethany Ridgeway
At 9 years old Bethany started gymnastics. She loved it and continued to compete until she was in the end of her 8th grade year. During this year she realized how much she enjoyed dancing and wanted to do it competitively. At that time, she chose to focus solely on dance and left gymnastics behind. As a freshman at Benjamin Franklin High School, she joined the Junior Dance Company and had a great learning experience! As both a Sophomore and now a Junior, Bethany’s competed in hip hop, jazz, and pom with the Chargerettes.
Bethany enjoys teaching the Youth Hiphop class and is glad she has this opportunity.
DANCE TEACHER
Jorsyn Taylor
Jorsyn loves fun, fitness, and Freestyle Dance Company! She has loved dancing with Freestyle for over 4 years! She loves setting new dance goals and working with her amazing coaches to achieve them. Thanks to her experience at Freestyle she is a member of the varsity dance team at her school, she has earned dancing roles in multiple theater productions, stays in shape for soccer season and has made lots of great friends!
DANCE TEACHER
Lydia Ellis
Bio coming Soon