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

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.

Leah Markee
Assistant Director

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.

Sarah Robins
​​Class Instructor/
​Administrative Assistant

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! ​

Melisa Deneweth
Class Instructor

Melisa grew up in Onsted, Michigan and began  her 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 is currently a student at Grand Valley State University and she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance. 

Karley Dorner
​​​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.

Maddy DuHadway
Class Instructor

Maddy grew up in Alma, Michigan and began her dance training at her family’s studio, DuHadway Dance Dimensions at the age of 3. She trained in a variety of dance styles including tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, modern and more. She attended many dance conferences and also taught her own classes at her home studio before moving on to dance in college. Maddy graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Dance in 2020. She was pleased to receive the Branstrom Fine Arts Scholarship from the Grand Valley Dance Department during her final year in the program. Maddy currently resides in Grand Rapids, MI and has now been an instructor at DDD again for 2 years. She has also had the opportunity to teach and choreograph at other studios around Michigan. Aside from dancing and teaching, Maddy currently works in the wedding industry as a floral assistant

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.

Auburn Kilian
Class Instructor

Auburn grew up in Naperville, IL. She started her dance training at The School Of Performing Arts where she was an Ensemble member and competing soloist. Auburn is a versatile dancer that has studied Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop/Urban Dance, Contemporary, and Modern. Auburn is a 2017 Naperville North High School graduate who earned the MVP award as a freshman on the Varsity Dance Team. Throughout her high school career she spent her summers participating in dance intensives including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance, and Camp Kate (with Kate Jablonski). While at Camp Kate, Auburn was awarded the All Star winner as a result of her versatility. Auburn is a student at Grand Valley State University where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, English, and Education, with a minor in her Elementary Certification. During her time in the dance program, Auburn has had the opportunity to perform at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) regional conferences in 2019 and 2020. Auburn has a passion for working with kids and has experience teaching various styles of dance, as both an assistant and substitute teacher, within Illinois and Michigan dance studios.

Mary Kovalchek
​Class Instructor

Mary grew up in Grayslake, IL and started training at Dance Connection. She studied Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical, Musical Theater, Contemporary, Modern and Hip Hop in her hometown as well as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Aside from her studio, Mary has also been involved with Orchesis, a high school dance organization, where she had the opportunity to choreograph and work with high school students. She has also worked with kids ages 2-13 for 4 years and is now a student at Grand Valley State University. While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Business, Mary has worked with many artists throughout her college career thus far and continues to work with kids within Illinois and Michigan. 

Emily McKenzie
Class Instructor

Emily grew up in Grand Blanc, MI. She attended L&L Grand Blanc School of Dance where she was a member of the advanced competition team, an assistant teacher, and a student teacher. Emily graduated Summa Cum Laude from Grand Blanc High School in 2017 where she served as captain of the Grand Blanc Varsity Pom Team. Emily graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Dance and Communication Studies and a minor in Advertising and Public Relations. At GVSU, she served as President of Momentum, a student-run dance organization, from 2019-2021. Emily worked with guest artists Kristi Faulkner, Amy Cova, Natasha Davis, Brian Enos, Helanius J. Wilkins, Ty Lozano, and Justin Koertgen. She was a residential mentor at American Ballet Theatre's Summer Intensive in Austin, TX in 2019. During her senior year, she was on the student panel at RADFEST. Her senior capstone dance film, EVERYTHING, NOTHING, was selected for presentation in the Spring Dance Concert.
Currently, Emily is the coach of Kenowa Hills High School’s Varsity Dance Team.

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, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary and Hip Hop. In addition to training, she assisted instructors in classes for younger kids, worked as a substitute instructor, and performed administrative tasks for her home studio. Jayma attended Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp during the summers of 2011-2013, and performed in cities across Western Europe while touring with Blue Lake International Ballet during the summer of 2012. Jayma graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training.

Mary Twietmeyer
Class Instructor

Mary grew up in Traverse City, MI. She began her dance training at The Dance Center when she was four years old where she studied ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, and lyrical. In addition to technique classes, she was a member of her studio's competition team and ballet ensemble. Mary graduated in 2022 from Grand Valley State University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in both dance and exercise science. Throughout college, she was an active participant in Momentum, a student-led dance organization. Mary has previously taught at her home studio, The Dance Center, and she is excited to continue her passion for teaching at Lake Michigan Dance Academy.

Samantha Tort
Class Instructor

Samantha Tort grew up in Williamston, Michigan. She bagan dancing with Elizabeth Williams School of Dance in Williamston and later, Children's Ballet Theater in Lansing. During her time at these studios she danced with Elizabeth Williams, Elzbieta Alabuszew-Kutek, and Jesse Powers learning ballet, pointe, pas de deux, jazz, tap, and modern. While at these studios she performed principal and lead roles in the ballets Nutcracker, Robin Hood, Camelot, and Alice in Wonderland. Throughout her high school summers she spent her time studying at Grand Rapids Ballet, BalletMet, and Happendance. In her final years of high school, she additionally studied at Lansing Community college and choreographed for their "Back to Roots" production. Samantha now studies at Grand Valley State University as a Dance and Exercise Science Major, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science. There she has had the opportunity to continue pursuing ballet and modern while expanding her horizons in dance to study African dance, choreography and pedagogy. Samantha is very excited to begin pursuing teaching part time and sharing her love of dance with everyone!

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.