Lake Michigan Dance Academy is a reputable dance studio located in the heart of Allendale, Michigan, less than a half hour outside of Grand Rapids and just three hours outside of Chicago. We pride ourselves on developing the whole dancer - creatively, technically, and artistically. Lake Michigan Dance Academy will provide students with expert instruction by professional and pre-professional dancers, while fostering a safe and encouraging environment for our students to grow and mature in their art form.

Lake Michigan Dance Academy is dedicated to providing students with quality dance instruction,
​and instilling in them a passion for the art form that we share with our community.

Alissa Tollefson
Founder, Director, Company Director, Class Instructor

Alissa graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hope College in December 2010 where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Special Education and Dance Education. While at Hope, Alissa received the Distinguished Artist Award as well as the DeLong Dance Award for outstanding achievement in dance. Upon graduation, Alissa moved to Chicago to pursue her professional dance career. She apprenticed for River North Dance Chicago for two summers and participated in the Scholarship Program at Lou Conte Dance Studio before becoming a full-company member at Thodos Dance Chicago, a contemporary dance company. While dancing professionally, Alissa continued to pursue her passion for educating children in the art form, and spent five years teaching and choreographing for children and adolescents ages 3-25 at various studios and intensives throughout the Chicagoland area. Alissa spent four seasons with Thodos Dance Chicago, before moving to Allendale, Michigan. Alissa worked as a Part-Time Professor at Grand Valley State University for the 2015-16 and 2017-18 school year where she taught Modern and Jazz technique classes and choreographed pieces for the Fall and Spring Dance Concerts. She is also on faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp where she continues to inspire and influence young artists from around the country. Alissa is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, and is excited to continue her education while imparting this knowledge to her students at Lake Michigan Dance Academy.

Caleb Tollefson
Founder, CFO

Caleb Tollefson graduated Summa Cum Laude from Grand Valley State University in December 2009 where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration. While at Grand Valley, Caleb interned at Herman Miller and assisted with preparing their quarterly financial statements. Upon graduation, Caleb worked in the assurance practice at Ernst and Young where he supervised audit teams, assisted clients with financial reporting, and ensured clients maintained adequate internal controls. During the time Caleb was at EY, he also served as Treasurer at Water of Life Community Church. As the Treasurer, Caleb created and implemented policies and procedures to promote the safeguarding of financial contributions. Caleb went on to become a Manager at Baker Tilly where he split his time between the assurance and advisory practices. He assisted clients in a wide array of areas ranging from financial reporting to providing recommendations on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of processes within their companies. Caleb continues to assist Baker Tilly as a contractor, and is blessed with the opportunity to work full-time at Lake Michigan Dance Academy.

Angela Danis
​​​Class Instructor

Angela is from Macomb, Michigan, and currently attends Grand Valley State University as an exercise science major. Angela has been dancing most of her life as a competitive dancer at Dancers Only Studio and looks forward to the opportunity to be part of a dancing environment again. She is also looking forward to meeting everyone!

Melisa Deneweth
Class Instructor

Melisa grew up in Onsted, Michigan and began her dance training at Encore Dance Studio. She studied Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, and Hip Hop, and was a member of their competitive dance company. Throughout her high school career she spent summers at Interlochen Fine Arts Camp and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She also performed in the Nutcracker Ballet for several years at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts, playing the lead role of the Dew Drop her senior year. Melisa graduated Cum Laude from Grand Valley State University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and minor in Advertising and Public Relations. While at Grand Valley, she had the opportunity to train under Carrie Brueck Morris, Hannah Seidel, Edgar L Page, Rachel Miller, Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers and guest artists such as, Qarianne Blayr and Renaldo Maurice. While at GVSU, she was member of Momentum, a student-run dance organization where she choreographed and performed pieces for their shows. In 2023 and 2024, she attended the American College Dance Association where she performed faculty pieces and took classes from other professors. Additionally, Melisa is starting her first season with the Happendance Professional Company this fall. She is so excited to continue sharing her love for dance with the students at Lake Michigan Dance Academy!

Jessica DeGroot
Class Instructor

Jessie is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and began her love for dance at the age of 4. She trained at Dance Network for 9 years where she was a part of the competition company, and then switched to Lake Michigan Dance Academy which she attended until she graduated high school. She has grown up with experience in many styles but her favorites are Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Contemporary. She is currently a student at Grand Rapids Community College as a dental candidate for the dental assisting and dental hygiene program. Miss Jessie is very excited to share her passion for dance with her students and can’t wait for an amazing year! 

Angela DeVrou
​​​Class Instructor

Angela grew up in the small town of Marcellus, Michigan and fell in love with dance at a very young age. She danced in numerous studios across west Michigan and later majored in Performance Art at Western Michigan University. Angela currently lives in Hudsonville with her 11 year old twin daughters (Lexi & Logan) and dog (Skyla). Lexi and Logan are also very passionate about dance, and are teaching assistants at LMDA. With a heart full of love for dance and a dedication to nurturing young talents, I am excited to be a part of your child’s dance journey!

Lori Esteves
Office Manager

Lori graduated Summa Cum Laude from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Special Major, Computers in Art, Design, Research, and Education (CADRE), in 1994.  She went on to pursue a graduate degree, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from San Jose State University with a Master of Fine Arts (Computers in Fine Art), in 1999. She worked in the President’s Office at San Jose State University in various positions for 15 years, and the last 6 years there as Presidential Aide.  She has varied experience  including working at Bank of America;  the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority; Clark-Biondi Real Estate and Property Management; Intel Corp.; the SJSU Foundation; Managing Editor of Cadre Institute’s new media arts journal; Production Assistant for an installation/multimedia performance work; Co-Chair of the annual Fairglen Art Festival (attended by over 5,000); worked with children at Computer Camp at the Virtual Reality Lab at University of Washington; created docent notes for the permanent collection at San Jose Museum of Art; was Assistant Site Coordinator for a multimedia performance work in Palo Alto, CA which culminated in the city’s bicentennial; has created and exhibited interactive multimedia installations.  She is a transplant from California, and has enjoyed living in Michigan since 2005, after retiring early from the university.  Lori has traveled to Europe and the Caribbean, and after a number of years of retirement and traveling, decided she needed something else.  After an appeal to the heavens, and a quirk of fate, she met Alissa and Caleb, and joined the LMDA Team.  Lori absolutely loves being a part of Lake Michigan Dance Academy!

Lindsay Filcik
Class Instructor

Lindsay Filcik graduated Summa Cum Laude from Hope College in 2008 with a bachelors degree in elementary education. She went on to earn her masters degree in educational differentiation from Grand Valley State University. Lindsay grew up loving children, and pursued that love both by nannying, and by teaching preschool, and early childhood dance classes for her dance studio. After graduating college, Lindsay was hired as an elementary school teacher in Allendale, Michigan and has taught there for ten years. Lindsay grew up dancing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and chose Hope College for its high reputation in the dance community. She spent her four years at Hope dancing in faculty concerts, student choreographed concerts, and she also performed as a member of the IDT jazz and tap company. After she graduated, Lindsay danced with IDT for four more years until she became a mother. Lindsay is now a mother of three, continues her elementary teaching career, and sincerely enjoys bringing the joy of dance to the littlest dancers!

Jillian Gasper
Class Instructor

Jillian Gasper grew up in Gowen, Michigan where she began her dance training at the age of 11. She was classically trained in Ballet through the Cecchetti method and in many dance styles including Pointe work, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Hip-Hop as well as the opportunity to participate in competition teams. She is a 2011 graduate of Hope College where she earned a bachelors degree in dance with a focus on performance and choreography and a minor in psychology. During her time at Hope College she performed and choreographed many original pieces. Post graduation she had the opportunity to travel to Buffalo, New York and take part in the Lehrer Dance summer intensive.  She has enjoyed six years of teaching experience and continues to share her passion for dance by teaching and choreographing at various locations; including being a faculty member at the Grand Rapids Ballet School.

Sacia Gilbertson
Class Instructor, Teaching Assistant

Sacia Gilbertson grew up in Holmen, Wisconsin and trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, and Hip Hop at Applause Dance Academy until graduating high school in 2020. From 2016 to 2020 she was a dancer, choreographer, and assistant artistic director for Affinity for Dance, a semi professional nonprofit company in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She also attended many competitions and conventions including Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and Dance Masters of Wisconsin. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hope College in 2023 with a BA in Psychology. While at Hope she performed in a faculty showcase and took classes in Modern, Tap, and Improvisation. She danced and choreographed for student showcases and had a piece selected for the Detroit City Dance Festival College Showcase in 2021. She is currently a second year graduate student at Grand Valley State University in their School Psychology program. She is so excited to get to know her dancers and help foster their growth and creativity this year! 

Jenna Hoffman
Class Instructor

Jenna began dancing at the age of 3 years old. She grew up in Shorewood, Illinois where she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Minooka High School in 2022. She trained at Encore Dance Productions and was a member of the competitive dance company for 7 years. Jenna grew up with experience in a variety of dance styles, with an emphasis on Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, and Hip Hop. Her senior year she was selected to instruct a Jazz class at her home studio and choreograph a piece for their Spring recital. That year she also choreographed 3 state qualifying and placing routines for Troy Middle School. Currently Jenna is a Junior at Grand Valley State University with a major in psychology and a minor in dance. In the dance program she is studying Modern, Ballet, Hip Hop, West African, Choreography, and Improvisation. Over the summer Jenna was given the opportunity to develop and instruct a dance program for the Boys and Girls Club of America in Elgin, IL. Jenna is so excited to share her passion of teaching at the Lake Michigan Dance Academy!

Lexi Hunt
Communications Coordinator

Lexi originates from Dallas, Texas and fell in love with the stage at the very young age of 2. Beginning at Pat Riddle School of Dance, she trained in the styles of ballet, jazz, and tap. During that time, she pursued vocal training and spent her remaining adolescent years pursuing piano, voice, and theatre. Moving to Michigan in 2011, she graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelors of Science. After graduation, she spent the following 11 years at Allendale Eye Care and Sensory Learning Center as the Clinical & Human Resources Manager and SLC Clinical Director/Specialist. These days she spends her free time serving as a worship leader at Life Stream church. She's a mom of 2 daughters who have been dancing with LMDA since 2021. Lexi is very excited to be a part of the LMDA team handling the day to day communications. 

Sofia Jacobus
Class Instructor, Teaching Assistant

Sofia started dancing at the age of 4 with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company. She danced with them for about eight years, 3 of those with their Junior Company. She was grateful to be in many productions they put on including, The Nutcracker, performing at Devos Performance Hall four years in a row. She then moved to another studio to pursue a more diverse array of dance. Sofia took jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre style classes. She is now in her fourth year at Grand Valley State University. She's studying elementary education. Sofia is so excited to be apart of the LMDA team and create and foster and positive dance environment!

Savanna Javello
Class Instructor, Teaching Assistant

Savanna is from Plymouth, Michigan and currently attends Grand Valley State University. She has been dancing since she was two years old, and competitively since seven years old. She grew up dancing at Planetdance and taught all ages from 4-18! She taught technique, jazz, combo and assisted her dance teachers in their recital classes. Savanna looks forward to being able to meet everyone, and being able to continue her career in teaching! 

Zina Lo Giudice
Class Instructor, Teaching Assistant

Zina began dancing at the age of 2 at Body Language Dance Company in Jenison, Michigan. Here, she studied ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop, among many other disciplines. Zina danced competitively for 11 years, and her passion for dance and working with children has led her to becoming a faculty member at Lake Michigan Dance Academy. She is also currently attending Grand Valley State University to study business. She is so excited to dance with her students this year!

Karley Malone
​​​Class Instructor

Karley, originally from Metro-Detroit, started exploring her love for dance at the age of 3. She trained at The Turning Pointe School for the Performing Arts where she studied an array of dance styles. As a member of the studio company, she danced competitively and regularly performed for the community. Her favorite performances include dancing in several Lion’s Thanksgiving halftime shows alongside Mariah Carey, Jesse McCartney, and The Goo Goo Dolls. Karley spent her summers training at workshops such as Giordano Dance Chicago, Break the Floor in NYC, and classes at The Edge Performing Arts Center and Millennium Dance Complex in LA. Her passion for dance led her to Grand Valley State University where she was a recipient of the Dance Department Scholarship, and graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. During her time at GVSU, she had the privilege of working with many guest artists such as Charles Askegard, Julie Blume, Lauren Edson, and Autumn Eckman. Since graduating, Karley has spent the past 5 years teaching Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, and Lyrical at several studios in the Grand Rapids area, working with students ages 3-20. She was an Adjunct Professor at GVSU from 2016-2017 where she taught Jazz and Modern, and choreographed works for the Fall and Spring Dance Concerts. She has also had the opportunity to choreograph and perform for community events, the most recent being Bid for Bachelor’s 2019 which benefits Friends & Families of Cystic Fibrosis. Aside from her dance life, Karley works for Grand Rapids Public Schools as a Paraprofessional in the Special Education Department.

Leah Markee
Assistant Director, Company Director, Class Instructor

Leah originates from Libertyville, IL where she grew up dancing at Talent Forum under the instruction of many of Chicago's professional dancers. She performed with their youth jazz company, Forum Jazz Dance Theatre, for five years, including in Eddy Ocampo's Gold Shoe Award-Winning performance in the Leo's Dancewear Competition at Jazz Dance World Congress 2011. Upon graduation, Leah went on to study at the the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University where she performed works by Doug Varone, Douglass Bentz, and Alyson Laury. She graduated in 2012 with Honors and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, along with a Business Management minor. After college, Leah trained and performed with jazz/modern company LehrerDance in Buffalo, NY and Inaside Chicago Dance in Chicago, IL, all the while continuing to teach a variety of styles and ages at dance studios in those areas. Leah completed Module 1 of her Acrobatic Arts Certification and is excited to grow this program at Lake Michigan Dance Academy as the Assistant Director.

Allison Rice
Class Instructor

Allison started dancing when she was just two and a half years old, and never plans on leaving the stage. She fell in love with dance when she started at a studio in her home town on the east side of Michigan called L&L Dance Studio. There, she danced for 8 years and practiced all styles of dance including ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern and musical theater. Allison currently studies at Grand Valley State University and is majoring in Business Administration in hopes of opening her own dance studio one day. On top of being a student, Allison spends most of her free time dancing. Not only does she enjoy making up dances for fun, she deeply enjoys teaching dance for all levels. Her freshman year of college, she was on the Grand Valley Elite Dance Team where she danced and choreographed many routines. She also currently teaches multiple classes at Haus of Glass Dance Studio in Grand Rapids, and is a member of C.Glass Dance Company. On this company, she choreographs and dances regularly, along with performing in many community events. Miss Alli is so excited to start teaching at Lake Michigan Dance Academy!

Sarah Robins
​​​Nutcracker Artistic Director, Company Director, Class Instructor

Sarah Robins fell in love with dance at a very young age. She grew up dancing at Studio G Performing Arts Center with Gina Urso Dudash where she studied Ballet, Pointe, Partnering, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Musical Theater, and Contemporary. She spent her summers training with The Joffrey Ballet School in Manhattan and competed at numerous dance competitions. Sarah danced principle and lead roles in full-length Ballets with the South Eastern Michigan Classical Ballet including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle. She continued to study dance at Grand Valley State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science. She had the opportunity to perform multiple guest artist pieces as well as study technique with Samantha Shelton, Lara Fauche, Carrie Morris, Alissa Tollefson, and Hannah Seidel. Sarah has spent the past three years living in St. Louis, Missouri where she was a Trainee with the Big Muddy Dance Company and just completed her second season with Ballet 314 under the direction of Rachel Bodi and Robert Poe. She is very thankful to recently premiere their new Ballet, “Ragtime, The American Experience” in July 2021. She taught at multiple dance studios around the area as well as Pilates and Barre classes at TruFusion STL. Miss Sarah is so excited to be back at Lake Michigan Dance Academy! ​

Haley Rosendale
Class Instructor, Teaching Assistant

Haley Rosendale is originally from Holt, Michigan, where she started dancing at age 3, and is now currently a sophomore Dance Major at Grand Valley State University. She previously studied under Diane Newman at Happendance, as well as previously trained at Powers Dance where she taught over the summers. Haley performed for ten years with the Children’s Ballet Theater of Michigan, with over twenty performances including Nutcrackers and spring ballets. She spent her summers in their summer touring company as well. Haley has also trained with Giuseppe Canale and Scott Heinrich at the Northeast Academy of Dance (2018-2021), as well as doing Grand Rapids Ballet summer intensives (2016, 2017). Haley grew up training in ballet but has recently opened up her training to many new styles.

Jamie Schmitt
Class Instructor

Jamie grew up in Greenville, Michigan, and began her love for dance at the age of 3. She trained at Dance Dimensions for 15 years, where she was a member of the competition team and was exposed to many performance opportunities through regional and national competitions. She also participated in numerous conventions and intensives, furthering her education in the styles of ballet, lyrical, contemporary, modern, hip hop, tap, and jazz. Throughout her training, Jamie was a part of the Hark Up Christmas cast from 2018-2024, where she danced and traveled around West Michigan performing in shows. She also taught classes at Dance Dimensions, and choreographed pieces for their annual recital. She now attends Grand Valley State University, majoring in exercise science and minoring in dance. With her continuing dance education, she was able to perform in senior capstone pieces, semester concerts, and attend the American College Dance Association, where she both performed and took classes from well-known teachers and dancers around the country. Jamie is also a member of Momentum, a GVSU student run organization that promotes student choreography and performance opportunities. Jamie is now involved in the Greenville organization of Dancing With the Local Stars, where she choreographs and performs as a pro with a local star to raise money for Greenville educational resources. She is very excited to share her knowledge and love of dance with Lake Michigan Dance Academy!

Caitlyn Spoelman
​​Class Instructor

Caitlyn grew up in Ravenna, MI and previously danced here at LMDA. She graduated summa cum laude from Muskegon Community College in 2023 and is currently pursuing a B.A. in dance with a sociology minor at Grand Valley State University. When she graduates, Caitlyn plans on continuing to teach dance.

Shelby Stewart
​Teaching Assistant

Shelby grew up in Burton, Michigan, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Davison High School in 2023. Her dance training began at 3 years old and she started training at Academy de la Danse at age 6. She danced competitively for 9 years in various styles such as ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop. Throughout high school, she was also a part of the dance team. Currently, Shelby attends Grand Valley State University as a dance major and business minor. She is also a part of GVSU’s Momentum, a student-led dance organization filled with student choreography. Shelby cannot wait to share her love for dance with LMDA!

Jayma Tagliavia
Class Instructor

Jayma grew up in Ortonville, Michigan, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandon High School in 2015. She spent the majority of her childhood at Creative Dance Center training in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and hip hop. In 2020, Jayma graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training. During weekdays, she works as an Athletic Trainer at Hope College where she works with the dance department in managing, rehabilitating, and preventing injuries. Jayma is an adjunct professor at GVSU in the Dance and Athletic Training departments. She has been a teacher here at Lake Michigan Dance Academy since 2016, where she has specialized in teaching toddler, Creative, and Combo-level classes as well as beginner levels of hip hop. Jayma got married to her husband Michael in 2019, and she is a mom to 2 boys, Levi and Theo, and 2 dogs, Zena and Orso.

Patty Villanueva
Class Instructor

Patricia Villanueva graduated from Hope College with a B.A. in Dance. She has been a Lansing area teacher for many years, teaching at Happendance-Okemos, The Dance Conservatory-Charlotte, Adjunct faculty at MSU Department of Theater and Dance, Lake Michigan Dance Academy- Allendale, and summer sessions at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Her choreography has been shown in venues across the state of Michigan, as well as in Chicago and Martha’s Vineyard; in 2014 Patricia was among the four finalists for the Maggie Allesee Choreography Award. She has served as Repititeur and Ballet Mistress for the Children’s Ballet Theater of Michigan, the Junior Division of Greater Lansing Ballet Company, and the Junior Division of Holland Area Youth Ballet. Her performing credits include the Happendance Professional Company (now Velocity!), Happendance Education Exchange, Greater Lansing Ballet Company, and Aerial Dance Theater. She is now in the leadership positions of Artistic Director of the Conservatory Ballet Company at Dance Conservatory, Charlotte, Assistant Artistic Director of Impulse (a student dance company) and as Dance Department Co-Chair at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Patricia is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Jenna Wenzel
Class Instructor, Teaching Assistant

Jenna is currently in her junior year at Grand Valley State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Birth–Kindergarten Education. She began dancing at the age of three and quickly discovered a deep passion for the art form. Most of her training took place at Studio G Performing Arts Center and Haja Dance Company, where she dedicated countless hours to perfecting her craft in jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, ballet, and musical theater.
Over the years, she has performed in numerous award-nominated pieces, including numbers recognized by the Industry Dance Awards. In 2021, she had the exciting opportunity to travel with her team to Las Vegas for Radix Nationals. In addition to performing, she has loved spending her summers teaching at princess dance camps and sharing her joy for movement with young dancers.
Her favorite classes are those that focus on technique and growth, and she is thrilled to combine her background in early childhood education with her passion for dance. She looks forward to inspiring the next generation of dancers with energy, love, and optimism.

Lizzie Wick
Class Instructor, Teaching Assistant

Lizzie grew up in Portage, Michigan. She danced at Excel Dance Centre since she was 3 years old, where she studied all styles including hip hop, jazz, contemporary, modern, ballet, and pointe. Throughout her years in the company, she traveled to Disney to dance at Magic Kingdom and at Disney Springs CityWalk. Also, she performed in Nashville at the Music City Hall of Fame. Lizzie performed in her studios Nutcracker 4 times as the Music Box Doll and the Arabian Princess. During her four years in high school she traveled to conventions like Artist Simply Human, Dance Revolution, and many more. She received awards including choreography skills, standout routine, and judges choice. To add on, Lizzie will be attending Grand Valley State University to pursue a career in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. She wanted to continue her love and passion for dance and kids, and she is beyond excited to be a part of Lake Michigan Dance Academy!