Faculty
Maggie Collum
Owner/Founder/Operations
Maggie began studying dance at Rose Thayer Academy of Dance in Orange, Texas, training in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, character, acrobatics. She began dancing competitively at the age of eight and won various scholarships and awards from regional and national dance conventions and competitions. She studied at the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center and was a member of the Orange Jazz Company under the direction of Lorna Badon Knaus for four years, studying under Steven Boyd, Pattie Obey, Joe Celej, Michelle Smith, and Dorrell Martin. Maggie continued dance at Sam Houston State University and was a member of the Orange Pride Dance Team for many years, winning a national championship. After college, she continued to teach dance and choreographed for high schools and dance schools across Texas. In 2004, Maggie began coaching the Orange Pride Dance Team at her alma mater, bringing the team to another national championship in 2005. Before opening a dance studio Maggie worked for Sam Houston State University as the Director of University Events for the President's Office for over 12 years. She is a Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP). She has been certified in Leap N Learn, a early childhood dance curriculum. In addition, Maggie has brought many competitive teams to regional and national competitions as well as coaches individuals for pageants and professional dance team auditions. She believes in contiuing the education of her self and staff regulary by attending workshops, conference, conventions and online training. She also teaches a course, Appreciation of Dance, at Alpha Omega Academy, She is a member of Dance Studio Owners and has been recognized as the STUDIO OF EXCELLENCE AWARD in 2021 by Elite Dance Cup. She is also proud that for the past 6 years since MC opened it's doors we have been named "The Best in Walker County"! In addition to teaching dance, she also has a strong commitment to the fitness industry with over 15 years experience teaching group classes and personal training. She enjoys teaching all kinds of group fitness, from small group, strength training to larger groups. She loves all the options for getting and staying fit. She has a bachelor’s degree from SHSU in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction. Maggie loves spending time with her husband and three children. Dance has always had a special place in her heart and she is excited to share her passion with others.
Alyssa Andrews
Asst. Director of Competitive Teams
Paula Aragon
Assist Competitive Teams
Tiny Tot/Pre-K/Kinder/Acrobatics
Paula started dancing at the age of 3. She trained in Pearland, Texas where she found her passion for dance. She later moved to Santa Clarita Valley, California where she joined the competition team and trained in every style with teachers and choreographers in the Industry. In high school she made the Valencia Dance Team and won several National Titles with choreography by Tiffany Burton Rojas and Mark Meismer. At age 16 she moved back to Texas and stopped dancing due to a spinal fusion surgery. Her surgery sparked her interest for health. She is now a senior at Sam Houston State University studying Health Science and Business. Paula believes that dance has played a big role in making her the person she is and she is grateful that she is able to share her knowledge and passion for dance with her students.
Faith Spradlin
Tap/Jazz/Contemporary
Faith Spradlin started training in dance at the age of 4. At the age of 7, she became a competitive dancer. She trained in contemporary, ballet, pointe, musical theater, tap, hip hop, jazz, lyrical, and acro. Faith performed with an elite team receiving numerous overalls and awards. During that time, she participated in various regional/national competitions and conventions such as: Platinum, West Coast Dance Explosion, Revive, NYCDA, Spotlight, Dupree Dance, and many others. During her time as a competitive dancer, she received multiple awards and scholarships. At The National Dance Honors she had the opportunity to participate as an Outstanding Dancer Nominee. During the 2022-2023 dance season, Faith served as an assistant for Dupree as a member of the Dance Collective. She will again serve for the 2023-2024 season as a Dupree Assistant. She is a new member of the Orange Pride Dance Team. Faith is so excited to share her love of dance with each and every student at MC Dance.
Blythe Ernst
Tiny Tots & Diaper Dancers
Blythe has been a part of the Huntsville community for over 30 years. The Ernst family has owned their jewelry store since 1893, in which Blythe currently helps her husband operate. She attended Sam Houston State University and gained a position on the Orange Pride Dance team. Her passion for dance began at a very young age and has continued throughout her life. The discipline, hard work and physical conditioning required for dance has helped her throughout life challenges. Blythe loves to be active and was a group exercise instructor and believes in the power of movement. She has a love for teaching preschool children and has served in her churches preschool ministry for over 15 years. Blythe is so excited to be part of the amazing MC Dance family and can not wait to introduce the love of dance to precious little ones!
Kailyn Goodman
Director of Groove Crew
Lyrical/Jazz/Hip Hop
Kailyn Goodman is an award-winning dancer and choreographer from Huntsville, Texas. Goodman recently received a bachelor's degree in Dance Studies and a minor in Business Administration from Texas State University. She is now a World-Famous Texas State University Strutter Alumni. While on Strutters, she performed on the Liberty of the Seas cruise, Dallas Mavericks Half Time show, Texas A&M Kyle Field, The Alamodome, and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City with Strutters. She began dancing at the age of 12 at Hot on Your Heels Dance Productions. After dancing at HOYHDP she later went off to join the Huntsville High School Grenadier Guard Drill Team where she served as Lieutenant her Junior year and Lieutenant Colonel Senior year. Throughout her career, she has won awards such as 4x Best Dancer, Outstanding Dancer, Citizenship, 2x All-American Dancer, 3x Top Gun Leaps winner, Leadership, and many more. Within the past few years, she has had the opportunity to take classes from Bobby Newberry, Torrance Johnson, Nan Giordano, Aliya Janell, Dana Molina, Matt Steffanina, and many more artists across the country. In 2021, she joined the Releve Dance Convention staff and recently finished her second season. To conclude, she is now in the process of receiving her Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of North Texas.
Beth Hale
Musical Theatre & Kindergarten
Beth began dancing at the age of 11 and trained with various studios and companies until her high school graduation in 2022. She has had the opportunity to work with wonderful choreographers and performers such as Kyle Craig-Bogard, Jacob Major, Justin Ray, and Darius Wright. She is well versed in ballet, jazz, musical theatre, lyrical, and tap. Beth fell in love with the theatre when she was 13, and has performed in countless productions since. In the fall of 2022, she began attending SHSU for a BFA in Musical Theatre with a Dance Emphasis. Her days are filled with dancing, singing, and performing, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Beth discovered a passion for teaching dance during her junior year in high school, and has had the privilege of working for several local studios. She has also choreographed for National Youth Theater. Her goal is to always encourage and inspire the next generation of dancers to follow all of their biggest dreams.
Dorothy Jeffries
Ballet & Pointe
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Dorothy fell in love with ballet when she was seven years old and never stopped dancing after that! She grew up in Northern California, training primarily in ballet and pointe, and she began teaching in 2009. Dorothy co-founded and co-directed a pre-professional ballet company in California that focuses on telling stories in the form of “mini” ballets. She has choreographed and coached numerous classical and contemporary ballet pieces for competitions and shows, assistant directed productions, established a scholarship program for dancers, and built up adult ballet programs. In 2017, Dorothy received a Bachelor of Music in Theory and Composition and is also now a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor and works as a rehab movement coach. She is passionate about sharing the art of ballet and walking alongside her students on their unique journeys as dancers and humans.
Aliya Lane
Competitive Teams & Acro
Virginia Mathiews
Ballet & Pointe Instructor
Virginia Mathiews has studied ballet since the age of 3. She trained under Victoria Ayers, former principal of the Atlanta Ballet. She began teaching ballet at age 16 at the Ballet Conservatory in the Dallas area. She is a trained Leap N' Learn ballet instructor. In addition to ballet, Mrs. Mathiews has taught 1st through 4th grade in the public school system for the last 16 years. She holds a bachelor degree in Elementary Education from Baylor University with a specialization in Early Childhood Development. She and her husband, Shawn, have two children, Hannah and Haylee, and many fur babies.
Kamryn Waldron
Assist Competitive Teams
Contemporary/Jazz/Hip Hop/Lyrical
Kamryn Waldron graduated from Paetow High School in 2020 where she served as colonel of the Silver Strutters Dance Team. She trained and competed with Soreal Dance Studio for three years before she went on to attend Sam Houston State University in pursuit of her BFA as a dance major. She is now going into her fourth year on the Orange Pride Dance Team and is a 2023 double national champion in Jazz and Team Performance.
Emma has been dancing since the age of 2, and is currently a junior at SHSU pursuing her BFA in Dance. She danced competitively with June Badon Dance Company for 8 years in the styles Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet, Hiphop, and Acrobatics. She has won numerous awards including Miss Dance of Texas 2020, Top 5 Acro Score Miss Dance of America 2021, Teen Miss Dance of Texas 2018, Dupree Dance All-Star 2019, iDance4acure Heart of Gold Award, and high score scholarship awards from Dance Masters of America Chapter #3 in Acrobatics, Ballet, Modern, and Jazz. Emma has performed in works by Travis Lake, Gregory Dolbashian, Andy Noble, Dionne Noble,Joshua Manculich, and performed “Photobox D” with NobleMotion Dance. Emma is currently training under Francisco Graciano, Travis Lake, Andy and Dionne Noble, Adele Nickel, Evelyn Toh, Rasika Borse, and Colette Kerwick. She received extensive training from Shannon Gillen, Jason Cianciulli, and Natalie Lomonte. She is certified by Acrobatic Arts and has been trained in Acrobatics since the age of 3.
Taylor has been dancing since the age of three. She loved her ballet, tap, and jazz classes, but at age 7, when a clogging studio opened up closer to home, she began shifting her focus to clogging with Absaroka Mountain Thunder in Powell, Wyoming. From 2nd grade to 10th grade, Taylor performed and competed all around the US. She won many national solo titles for freestyle and was named part of the America on Stage (Nationals) All-American team in 2009. Taylor was trained by some of the best cloggers in the country including Joel Harrison, Blake Bartlett-Dunn, and Gary Larsen. Some of her favorite memories come from being a performer at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. In college, she assisted with beginner and intermediate university clogging classes. Taylor has seen how clogging is a type of dance that is enjoyable for every age and body. She loves sharing her passion for clogging with anyone willing to get out of their comfort zone and try something new!
Allyson Millier
Kindergarten & Pre-K
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Ally has trained for seventeen years and is an alumna of Marjorie Jones School of Dance and competition team. She has studied at various schools and companies across America including the Joffrey School of Ballet, Giordano Dance Chicago, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Currently, she is completing her BFA degree with a dance major and a kineseology minor at Sam Houston State University.
Charlee Poulin
Acro & Jazz
Charlee Poulin is a Sophomore, at Sam Houston State University, pursuing a BFA in Dance. She has been dancing since age four and grew up as a competitive dancer, as well as being on her High School Drill Team. She has intense training in Lyrical, Contemporary, Acro, Jazz, Ballet, Hip-Hop, and Pom from Stacey’s Dance Studio in Kingwood, TX. A few of the incredible choreographers she was privileged to work with include Dominique Hill, Rachel Green-Curtis, Sloan-Taylor Rabinor, Derrick Schrader, DJ Guthrie, and Andy Noble. Charlee takes every chance she has to perform, including her most recent in “Accelerate” organized by Noblemotion and multiple performances in the Dance Department at SHSU. Her love for teaching dance began during her freshman year of high school and she loves creating a positive studio environment, working with dancers ages to 3 to 18. She cannot wait to continue her teaching journey here at MC dance and meeting all the wonderful dancers!
Jasmin Velasquez
Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet
Hi everyone !!! My name is Jasmin Velasquez. I’m from Victoria texas, I currently attend Sam Houston for my BFA in dance and I’m also apart of the Orange Pride Dance Team. I have been dancing since I was 2 years old, immediately falling head over heels for the artistry and sport. I quickly learned that dancing brought a lot of outlets to my life by allowing me to express myself and be who I was meant to be. It taught me growth and responsibility out of dance as well. I love teaching and also challenging individuals, only because we are all capable of so many things that we do not know yet !!! So excited to meet everyone and to be apart of the family !