Our Team


The Instructors

Miss Kristin

Owner/Director

Kristin started dance at the age of 4 and has not slowed down since.  She graduated from Baldwin Wallace College (now University) with a degree in Sport/Dance/Art management and minors in dance and health.  The day she graduated, she signed her first lease in Avon Lake to begin creating the dream she always had…her own dance studio!  She has built her studio from the ground up and 29 years later is still working hard to offer her MKDS dancers the best dance education in the area!  She is an active I.D.E.A. member (International Dance Entrepreneur Association).  She has been tested and certified through both Dance Educators of America and Acrobatic Arts.  She attends many conferences and seminars all over the country each year to continue to grow and expand her skills, knowledge and her business.  Kristin teaches with energy and a smile!  She can’t wait to meet you and your dancer!

Miss Hilary

Hilary began dancing at the age of three at a small studio in Wellington, Ohio. She was a competitive dancer throughout  high school.  Upon graduating high school Hilary was asked to join The Dee Hillier Dance Company and this is where she met Kristin Perry.  She trained with many teachers here in Cleveland and traveled to New York as well.  She performed in many Cleveland area shows and events with Dee and her company for over 10 years. Hilary began teaching immediately out of high school.  She has been a studio and competitive dance teacher for 25 years and she has been with Miss Kristin’s for 15 years.   She also loves decorating and spending time with her family and friends. She has been married for 19yrs to her husband Matt and they have two children, Victoria and Charlie.

Miss Tara

Tara Kunzelman has been dancing for 39 years. She went to college at Ohio Northern University where she majored in Pharmacy and minored in Dance.  Tara was part of the ONU Dance Company where she performed in many shows with groups such as The Tom Evert Dance Company, LA Jazz Tap Ensemble, River North, Ballet Memphis, Especially Tap Chicago and the African American Dance Ensemble.  She also performed as a dancer/singer/soloist in “Rockin’ Round The Point” at Cedar Point, and she traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland to perform in the Fringe Festival.  Since college, Tara tap danced in NYC for two summers with “Break The Floor.” She enjoys teaching all of the talented students at MKDS, where she has been for over 6 years!

 

Miss Molly

Molly Jean Stanton is currently a senior at The Ohio State University where she is working towards a dual degree in Dance and Arts Management with a Business minor. For the past four years she has been a member and choreographer for the nationally ranked Ohio State University Club Dance Team and President of the 3D Urban Dance Team on Ohio State's campus. She has choreographed locally for Rocky River High School, Avon Lake High School, Magnificat High School, and for various studio competition teams. She has more than five years of teaching experience for dancers of all ages and abilities and has most recently been accepted into Broadway Dance Center's Professional Semester in New York City. Molly is very excited to be teaching at Miss Kristin's Dance Studio this year! 

Miss Morgan

Morgan Sabol began dancing when she was 3 years old. She started off at a local dance studio and then joined the MKDS family taking classes. After graduating from Avon Lake High School she went off to the University of Akron to dance for the Zips dance team. Morgan also grew up as a gymnast and cheerleader for many years. She has been teaching tumbling and gymnastics for 12 years at area gyms and loves what she does!  She is certified through Acrobatic Arts to teach Acro. Outside of the studio/gym Morgan loves spending time with family and friends, enjoying the outdoors and playing with her 3 dogs!

Miss Eden

Eden Lengauer has over 30 years of experience choreographing and instructing dance. She was a former dance studio owner for 18 years and is versed in jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical and musical theater. She has choreographed for many community events including the Independence Primary and Middle School concerts, the Cleveland Stars-n-Motion, and for a fashion show in downtown Cleveland. Eden received her training from Dee Hillier and has taken many master classes with renowned instructors from NY to LA.  Eden resides in N. Ridgeville with her husband and two sons.   

 

Miss Caitlyn

Caitlyn Guyer is a dance and choreography major and sports medicine minor at lorain county community college. She has been dancing for 16 years, assisting for 6 years and is a Company Dance Team alumni at Miss Kristin’s. Teaching dance is Caitlyn’s passion!

Miss Becky

Becky is from Cleveland, OH where she began dancing at the age of 3 years old. After graduating from Magnificat High School, she went on to graduate with a degree in dance from Loyola University Chicago. While in Chicago, she studied under professors who danced professionally with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Chicago, and Luna Negra Dance Theater. She also travelled to Havana, Cuba in 2016 to take classes at the National Arts School. She performed in various historical works such as Grieg Concerto (Doris Humphrey), La Ventana (August Bournonville), and Paquita (Marius Petipa). After graduating in 2017, Becky returned to Cleveland and began teaching and choreographing at local studios. Becky is very excited to be teaching at Miss Kristin’s Dance Studio this year!

Miss Ari

Ari is a dancer, teacher, and performer. Ari graduated in 2018 with a BFA in Dance from The Ohio State University. Ari went to MKDS her whole childhood, from the age of 3 until graduation, and she is so excited to be back as a teacher! Ari has her 200-Hour Yoga license and an Opacize Greek Dance Fitness license. After graduation, she worked with Ballet Chicago as a summer chaperone, then began teaching at The Mark Morris Dance Center as an assistant teaching artist in NYC. In summer of 2019, she completed the 3-month Training Program at Broadway Dance Center focusing on Street styles. In NYC, she performed at Lincoln Center-Keenan Fellowship performance, ABC T.V.’s Annual Columbus Day Parade, NYC Korean Choseok Festival, Broadway Dance Center, and for many peer/teacher projects. Recently, Ari just completed her first summer performing with Universal Studios in Orlando. Ari loves teaching all styles and is so excited to be working with the students of MKDS!

 

Miss Natalie

Natalie is from Livonia, Michigan and started dancing at the age of 3. She danced competitively winning many titles at both regional and national levels with her studio’s competition team. Throughout her dance career she also had many performance opportunities including performances for Detroit sports teams such as the Detroit Lions and Tigers as well as with Kid Rock and Nickelback for local performances. She began assistant teaching at age 13 and teaching her own classes at 16. Natalie attended Bowling Green State University and earned her Bachelor’s degree in business administration with specializations in marketing and international business while keeping her passion for dance alive by teaching classes at her local dance studio. Outside of the studio she enjoys to travel, spend time with family and friends, and works for an advertising agency. She made the move to the Cleveland area in 2021 and is very excited to be joining the staff at Miss Kristin’s this year!

Mr. MIKE

Michael has been heavily active in the dance world since the very beginning of his life. Starting his training at the age of 2, he studied all styles including Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Musical Theater, and Hip Hop. He started his competitive tenure at a very young age. In 2015, he went on to audition for the hit TV show, "So You Think You Can Dance", where he advanced past more than 600 people to perform in front of the celebrity judges.  Michael frequently judges for several competitions and conventions. Aside from judging, he also holds numerous workshops, master classes and intensives across Ohio, Michigan and New York.  Michael has around a decade worth of experience teaching Tap and Hip-Hop, while currently on staff at several dance studios in Northeast Ohio, for whom he’s choreographed multiple award-winning competition routines for. 

Miss Amanda

Amanda M. Grega, from Cleveland, Ohio, graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance: Performance and Choreography. She has performed for choreographers Jessica Lynn Fox (2019), Alexandra Beller (2020), and in various student dance works. While at Ohio University, she was head of programming for the student-run Movement Organization. In January of 2021 she was chosen to be a guest speaker for Ohio University’s MLK Jr. Celebration to discuss her solo choreography, Manipulated Hysteria, a work that criticized gender inequality in the workplace. Manipulated Hysteria was selected to be presented as part of the Cleveland Dance Fest 2021 virtual gallery for dance films. She taught non major jazz classes during her time at Ohio University and has since been teaching and choreographing at local studios.


The Friendly Front Desk Staff

 

Miss Holly

Studio Manager

Holly Armbrecht was a Certified Public Accountant after graduating from Miami University and worked in that capacity for 11 years.  She is Kristin’s sister and had also helped Kristin at the dance studio for years.  In 2007 she left public accounting and joined Kristin at the newly expanded dance studio location.  At the studio Holly does just about everything except teach.  You can see her working the front desk, helping customers schedule classes or working behind the scenes on the mkds dance team.  She and her husband Scott have four daughters and reside in Avon Lake.  In her spare time Holly enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors (especially at the beach), and reading.   

 

Miss Caroline

Caroline Szocs has been working at Miss Kristin's since 2007.  She is married to Frank and they have two daughters, Alexandria and Natalie, who both danced at mkds.  Her oldest daughter Alex started dancing when she was five. Alex was a senior in high school the year the mkds built the current location and Caroline was given the opportunity to work the front desk.  Caroline also sells promotional products and has been supplying a lot of the mkds spiritwear for years.  In her spare time Caroline enjoys exercising and visiting her daughters.  

Miss Jenny

Jenny Walsh has been working at MKDS since 2014, but has been walking through the front doors since 2001 when her oldest of three dancing girls started this journey. The girls have never looked back and would do it all over again as it has shaped them into the people they have become!  Jenny spends her days at Play and Learn Preschool working in the pre-k classroom.  In her free-time she reads, watches movies, plays with her golden retrievers and spends time with her husband and family. 

Miss Dawn

Dawn Crannis has been working behind the desk at MKDS since May of 2018, however, she has been with the studio for many years! Her oldest started dancing with MKDS in the fall of 2000 and danced with us for 15 years. Now her girls, Sophia and Charlotte, dance with us and have since they were three years old! Dawn has one more little guy, Quinitin, who prefers karate. Dawn lives in Avon Lake with her husband, Damion, children, dog Otis and many other small house pets.  When she is not at the studio Dawn teaches Pre-K at Cornerstone Preschool in Avon Lake. She loves to read, golf, practice yoga, be with friends and continually work on her teacher education. She says she is a lifelong student.

Miss Cindy

Miss Cindy is retired from working with Cuyahoga County for over 32 years, and she loves working at Miss Kristin's Dance Studio. She loves seeing all of the students and their parents. Miss Cindy was a dance mom for many years, and knows first hand how dance enriches a child's life!  Miss Cindy lives in Avon Lake with her husband, her daughter, her two cats Stanley and Stella, and her two Australian Shepherds Caesar and Ruby Sue. In her free time she enjoys swimming and walking Caesar and Ruby Sue!