Miss Donna started dancing at the age of 8 and hasn’t stopped. She attended Sheridan High School where she danced at The Dance School under the direction of Miss Sandy. During that time she was a helper and also taught and won many awards at competitions. She also studied dance with many master teachers and choreographers all over the country. After high school, Donna attended the University of Utah where she studied ballet. She was specifically trained in the Cecchetti method. During her studies at the U of U she was involved in many performances. She was the Ballet Mistress for Conrad Ludlow’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. She was also the only undergraduate ever to teach for the University of Utah Ballet Department when she taught a Ballet II class to non-majors. Donna graduated from the Ballet Department in 1990 with a BFA in Dance. After graduation she continued to teach at studios throughout Salt Lake City, UT until 2001. At which time she moved back to Sheridan and started teach with Miss Sandy. In 2002, she took over the studio for Miss Sandy who retired. Donna has been teaching in Sheridan and running the studio ever since. She has many accolades such as best choreography, teacher award, and excellence in all routines to name a few. In 2020 she opened a second location in Buffalo, WY. In 2023 she attended Starpower Nationals in Wisconsin Dells with a select group of her dancers. There she and her students won a choreography award, a National Title and joined the Starpower Circle of Excellence. Donna is always eager to share her love of dance with all! She is excited to have the opportunity to educate all dancers in all dance genres and help them become well-rounded dancers as well as people.

Miss Jenn started dancing with Miss Sandy at The Dance School in Sheridan, WY at the age of 3. She studied tap, jazz, ballet, tumbling and lyrical. Jennifer was also a cheerleader starting from elementary age and cheered all the way through college. She went on to study photography at Northwest Community College in Powell, WY. While at Northwest she was on scholarship for cheer and dance. Every chance she had she attended dance camps to learn from other fantastic teachers. She started to teach tap in Cody, WY in 2014. She moved back to Sheridan in 2014 and has been teaching at Donna’s Dance Academy ever since. She is currently working toward obtaining her Dance Degree through Sheridan College. During her time at DDA she has loved watching her students learn and compete and has won numerous awards, including choreography. Jenn loves being able to share her love of dance with her students.

Miss Tara’s lifelong love of ballet started as a child in Valdez, Alaska after seeing a performance by a touring company. She started class in a small studio in Valdez and continued to take class when her family moved to Juneau, AK. She started taking jazz in addition to ballet, which led to a spot on the State, National and International award-winning Juneau-Douglas High school Drill Team. While attending the University of Wyoming, Tara was awarded a scholarship in the Theater & Dance Department where she continued to study and perform ballet, jazz and modern dance. After college and a brief hiatus to focus on her four small children, Tara was drawn back to ballet in the role of a teacher. Since that time she has returned to her studies with a keen interest in the history of ballet and ballet pedagogy. She is always excited for the opportunity to educate young dancers and foster an appreciation of ballet in a new generation.

Bio coming soon!

Miss Leslie started gymnastics at age 7 and was a competitive gymnast for 10 years in Sheridan, WY. She ended her competitive career at a level 8 USAG Junior Olympic level. She has experience coaching all levels of gymnastics from toddlers to competitive levels. She started teaching tumbling at DDA in 2018. Leslie has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Special Education. She loves teaching students new tumbling skills and helping them to reach their full potential!

Miss Zhoe began dancing at the age of 3 with Miss Sandy, Miss Trudy and Miss Donna. She has trained in various types of dance that she fell in love with. Zhoe continued dancing at DDA for 15 years. She competed from the ages of 14-18 and won multiple awards with her team. Throughout her years of dance, Zhoe found a passion in life that will never fade. Dance has brought so much love and strength into her life. Zhoe loves being back in the studio after a short hiatus this time teaching her own classes. Zhoe hopes to inspire her students just as her teachers did for her. She is so grateful to be back at DDA and continue doing what she loves most- dancing!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Miss Jodie was a dance mom for 15 years and has been a dance grandma for 22 years and counting. She has never missed a recital. Jodie started dancing with Miss Sandy in 1996 at The Dance School where she danced for 10 years. She also worked at the The Dance School. When Miss Donna took over the studio in 2002, Jodie continued working for her for 4 years until she retired in 2006. After retiring from the studio, JOdies spent many wonderful years traveling with her husband, Ed. Her granddaughter, River worked for Miss Donna until she moved to Laramie for law school. It was at that point Jodie made the decision to come home to her dance family and started working for Donna once again. This is her 7th year back at DDA and she is loving every minute of it!