Our Staff
Emily Sweet, Director/Owner
Miss Emily is a senior staff member with over ten years of service at Academy of Dance Arts. Emily is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in business. She is an award-winning choreographer specializing in Jazz, Lyrical, and Pom. She has performed at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando with our dance troupe as well as performed in the half time at the Citrus Bowl, and worked extensively with the Moscow Ballet with their production of the Nutcracker in Kalamazoo. Her love for dance is unsurpassed and has inspired many young dancers to reach for the stars.
Christina Butkiewicz, Senior Instructor
Miss Christina has been dancing since the age of 4 and has been teaching at Academy of Dance Arts for 5 years. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University where she received a minor in dance and a major in Psychology. She has since received her Master’s degree in psychology. She has been trained in all forms of dance but is partial to Ballet. In ballet, Christina prefers teaching a combined method, Cecchetti, French and Russian. She believes students benefit from each style. She enjoys teaching all students from the very young through adults, from beginner through advanced. Miss Christina has danced competitively with the Dean/Black school of Performing Arts in Midland, Michigan under Sandra Black and worked with the Moscow Ballet with their production of the Nutcracker in Kalamazoo. When Miss Christina isn’t dancing she is a Mom to Abigail, 2 years and Max, 1 year.
Melissa Leininger, Senior Instructor
Miss Melissa is the choreographer of our Jr. and Sr. Performing Troupe Musical Theatre Routines. She has been dancing since the age of 3 receiving her training from Charlotte Needham's Dance Studio, Bunny Sanford's School of Dance, and WMU. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a B.A. in Theatre Education and Theatre Performance and a minor in Music. Melissa also teaches dance and theatre with Education for the Arts, voice at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, and theatre at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. She is a talented choreographer, music director, and director for productions all over the Kalamazoo Area including the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, Center Stage Theatre, and Kindleberger Summer Festival.
Erin Hamilton, Instructor
Miss Erin started dancing at the age of four, at Miss Kathy's School of Dance in Decatur, MI. in seventh grade she started Encore Dance company and competed all over the country, being invited to dance in Tomorrowland of Disney world and Epcot, in Las Vegas, and winning numerous awards and trophies. To date, Miss Erin has been in dance for approximately 16 years and has no plans to stop anytime soon.
Stephanie Oatten, Instructor
Stephanie started dancing at Joan Malone Dance Center in Saginaw, Michigan at the age of 3. She started competitive dance at the age of 10 and has won numerous awards. Stephanie loves to see the valuable lessons her students learn from being on the stage! Stephanie has studied under many choreographers such as Joe Tremaine, Wade Robson and Jackie Sleight through conventions. She is trained in numerous styles of dance and credits her later dance years to Piazza Dance Company in Northville, Michigan. In high school Stephanie was a member of the creative and performing arts program and she devoted two hours of class time to dance, her 5 th and 6 th hours were always dance! Stephanie loves the teaching side of dance and hopes to see the love she has for dance grow in her students!