Meet Our Dance Instructors
Miss Nicole
After high school, Nicole furthered her dance education studying at Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, as well as many other renowned schools and on convention circuits. She opened Nicole’s School of Dance in 2001 to share her passion for dance with students of all ages. In 2002, the first Nicole’s School of Dance competition team was assembled and has continued to grow ever since, competing at the regional and national level. Nicole continues to develop her dance knowledge by attending conventions with her students and judging competitions and high school dance team auditions. Over the years she has won many choreography awards but her biggest reward is watching students grow throughout the year and performing at their annual recital.
Nicole has four beautiful children that spend a lot of time with their dance family. Outside of the studio Nicole enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
“Compare yourself to the dancer you were yesterday” is Nicole’s favorite quote and she truly believes each dancer brings something to the floor. For Nicole, teaching dance is a dream come true. She strives to instill in each of her students the confidence and poise that will serve them in every step of life.
Miss Courtney
Courtney began dancing at 2 years old. She has spent her life in the studio and on the stage. After graduating from Ankeny High School in 2017 she attended Theater Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas for a short time. Her love for teaching brought her back to NSOD.
Courtney continues her education attending conventions and teacher training. She was recently certified in Alixa Flexibility. Courtney has studied ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theater & tumbling. She is versatile and committed to sharing her knowledge with her students.
Miss Lisa
Lisa has been teaching for Nicole’s School of Dance since 2006. She grew up dancing at a local studio and her love of dance followed her to college. She has been teaching at a studio since graduating from the University of Iowa in 1994.
Lisa teaches all genres at NSOD and does choreography for our competitive team. She is an integral part of the studio in and out of class and works great with students of all ages. She is committed to sharing her love of dance, along with instilling work ethic and confidence in her students.
Lisa has 3 beautiful daughters that are all involved in the studio. Outside of dance class Lisa teaches first grade. She spends her free time enjoying her family and friends.
Miss Kayla
Kayla began dancing around 3 years old, with Nicole’s School of Dance when it first opened up. She began assistant teaching in her high school years and loved spending as much time as possible at the studio. Kayla went on to receive her B.A. in Dance and a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from the University of Iowa. She also auditioned and made the Iowa Dance Team while at college. After graduating, Kayla returned to Nicole’s School of Dance as an instructor. She also became the head coach for the Ankeny High School’s dance team for 2 years. Kayla then lived and trained in LA for a year which ultimately led her to an audition in Denver. Kayla loved living in Denver and dancing as a Denver Nuggets Dancer. Currently, she has moved back to Ankeny to settle down near family. Along with working as a Special Education Associate at Northwest Elementary, Kayla is very excited to continue her passion and expertise in dance instruction and choreography at NSOD once again.
Miss Karson
Karson began taking class at 3 years old. She joined Nicole’s School of Dance at the age of 12 where she trained as a member of the competition team. She has trained in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop and tumbling. She was a class assistant throughout high school. After graduating from Ames High School in 2019 she continued her education attending Des Moines Area Community College where she has finished the Fitness and Exercise Management program and earned an Associates of Applied Science and is currently studying elementary education.
Karson is certified in Alixa Flexibility and continues her dance education by taking convention classes. She loves getting to know each dancer and sharing her passion for dance.
Miss Leah
Leah joined Nicole’s School of Dance in 2015 and added a great energy to the NSOD staff. Leah brings a unique style of Hip Hop to her classes and her enthusiasm for dance is contagious.
Before joining NSOD, Leah taught at local studios and choreographed for dance teams across the state, which she continues to do. As co-creator of the Midwest Vision Dance Crew, she taught at workshops across Iowa and the Midwest. Leah has trained with multiple teachers in the industry, including: Debbie Reynolds Studio Los Angeles, California, Movement Lifestyle Tour, Industry classes at Monsters of Hip Hop in Chicago and Nuvo teacher classes.
In addition to teaching dance, Leah is going to school to become a Science teacher.
Miss Faith
Faith joined the Nicole’s School of Dance staff in 2016. She trained at NSOD for 5 years, during which time she was a member of our competitive team.
Faith has experience in ballet, lyrical, jazz, tap and hip hop. She is a great addition to a high energy staff as she is full of life and is very personable. She enjoys seeing the progression of dancers and the excitement of young dancers as they build their foundation.
In addition to dance, she enjoys spending time with her family and dogs, watching movies and attending Iowa State athletic events.
Miss Taylor
Taylor joined Nicole’s School of Dance her senior year of high school and it has been an integral part of her life ever since! In high school, she was a member of the NSOD competition team and the Ankeny/Ankeny Centennial Dance Team. She continued dancing in college, where she competed with the Iowa State Dance Team for three years.
Taylor has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and musical theater. Her favorite part about teaching dance is watching students grow and develop a love for dance.
Outside of dance, Taylor is a 3rd-grade teacher. She enjoys spending her free time with friends and family cheering on the cyclones!
Miss Lindsey
Lindsey began dancing and tumbling when she was 2 years old. When she was 6 years old, she began the Junior Olympic competitive gymnastics track – which she continued on until her junior year of high school. She was an accomplished level 8/9 gymnast who always excelled most on the floor exercise. Senior year of high school, Lindsey started a dance team at her high school and participated in classes at a local studio. She began coaching gymnastics and tumbling during college while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and spearheaded a new competition gymnastics program for a local gym once she moved back to Iowa.
Lindsey recognizes the similarities between the worlds of dance and gymnastics. She welcomes any opportunity to work with dancers to further their tumbling skills in a safe and sustainable way.
Lindsey has 2 stepdaughters who are both involved at the studio and is excited to help strengthen our tumbling program. Outside of the studio, Lindsey is an associate partner at an architecture firm in Ames, Iowa.
Miss Katherine
Katherine was born and raised in the Madison, Wisconsin area. She started dancing at age 3, and her love and passion for it has not stopped since that first class. She was competitive throughout her career, having success at both the regional and national levels. At age 14 she traveled to New York to study for 10 days and perform off Broadway.
She is thrilled to be teaching at NSOD and sharing her passion for dance. Her goal is to share her ability to express feelings through dance as well as helping her students find their powerful, inner confidence.
Katherine and her husband have 4 kids. A daughter who is part of the competition team at NSOD, 3 energetic boys and their beloved dogs.