TCH Dance Faculty

Renee Wood Director
Renee Wood began her training in Michigan and later continued with masters from the Bolshoi, American Ballet Theatre and Royal Danish Ballet. She studied pedagogy extensively with Jurgen Schneider, former Ballet Master of American Ballet Theatre and attended Western Michigan University. She also studied pedagogy at the Nutmeg Ballet in Connecticut and with the renowned ballet master David Howard NYC. Ms. Wood directed the Metropolitan Ballet Center and was Artistic Director of the Lake Pointe Chamber Ballet Company. Her excellent work with students was honored in 1997 with the Michigan Dance Teacher of the Year Award. She has served on the boards of Michigan Dance Council as President and the Michigan Youth Arts Festival as Dance Chair. Renee continues to keep current with trends in teaching and performance; in 2007 she attended the CORPS de Ballet International Teacher Conference. In 2008, she returned to New York to study with American Ballet Theatre and Miami to study the teaching methods of the Paris Opera Ballet with Gilbert Mayer. She is a member of the IADMS - International Associations of Dance Medicine and Science. Renee enjoys traveling throughout Michigan and the Midwest teaching master classes and presenting workshops in dance to high schools, universities and summer camps. Ms. Wood’s former students have received scholarships to universities and are dancing with professional companies all over the country.

Lauren Bauer
Former Director of TCH Dance Academy and the student performing ensemble “Allegro”, Lauren Bauer has taught classical ballet for over 35 years and offers classes in RAD and Vaganova (Russian) Method. Her Vaganova pedagogical training was with Sharon Dante at Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory. In addition to having a school and dance company in Connecticut for 15 years, she was guest teacher for dance Masters of America, Lehigh Valley Dance Association, Greater New Haven Dance Association, and several private dance schools. She danced professionally in New York and the tri-state area training extensively in ballet, jazz, musical theater and tap with dance legends and master teachers such as David Howard, Charles Kelley, Luigi, Savion Glover, Danny Daniels, Gelsey Kirkland, Ann Reinking and Mme. Darvash. She is a member of Dance Masters of America, Michigan Dance Council and the National Dance Education Organization. She has adjudicated for Michigan Youth Arts Festival, Michigan Ballet Theater and the Cultural Arts Award of Birmingham Bloomfield. Most recently Ms. Bauer returned to New York to attend American Ballet Theater’s National Training Curriculum launch, as well as the DanceLife Conference in Phoenix, AZ. In addition, she has completed training in Stott Pilates Matwork.

Shannon Einhardt
Shannon has been a guest teacher for TCH Dance Academy Summer Ballet Intensive Camp for the past three years. She has been dancing and performing since the age of two under the tutelage of her mother, Sheryl Einhardt, with whom she is Co-Director of Dance Expressions in St. Clair Shores. Shannon has a BA in Dance from Western Michigan University and has been a guest performer with MoreDances Contemporary Dance Company. She teaches ballet at the St. Clair Shores Skating Club and was dance team coach for Lakeview High School. Shannon has a high energy teaching style and brings a wealth of knowledge to her students, having grown up in a dance studio. Spring 2010 Shannon with co-directors Bill Janisse and Sheryl Einhardt premiered a new jazz dance company in Novi, MI. The Allure Dance Company featured new choreography and performances by Shannon as well as co directors and opened to great reviews.

Susanna Michaels
Ms. Michaels is joining us as a consultant and educator for our New Outreach Programs. Susanna Michaels received her B.A. in Dance Education at San Francisco State University and her M.A. in Curriculum and Administration at Oakland University. She is currently on the board of the Michigan Dance Council, a statewide dance organization that she co-founded and served as president. She has conducted Creative Dance workshops for the Education Department through the Intermediate School Districts and has taught Creative Dance at dance studios, private and public schools and universities. She acted as a dance consultant for the Getty Foundation of the Arts in collaboration with CBC television of Canada. She danced professionally with the Ishvani Dance Theatre and Way of the Dance Company of San Francisco and trained and performed in the classical South Indian form of Bharata Nytum. Most recently Susanna taught in the East Detroit schools with a focus on healthy lifestyle, including classes in nutrition, dance fitness and yoga.

Julie Geggie
Julie studied pre professionally through high school at the Metropolitan Ballet Center. She had extensive training in the Russian Ballet syllabus as well as Jazz, Tap and Modern, Lyrical she was a member of the Lake Pointe Chamber Ballet company. Her dedicated studies awarded her acceptance to study and perform with American Ballet Theatre, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Internationle (Indianapolis) and Ballet Magnificat. She has performed principle roles in the Nutcracker, Coppelia, Les Partinuers, and Paquita ballets, as well as corps de ballet roles and numerous contemporary works. She has taught and choreographed for over 10 years in the Metro Detroit area including Underground Dance Studio in Macomb and at Fabulous Feet in Port Huron. Julie is the proud mother of 3 beautiful children. This is Ms. Julie’s second year at TCH Dance Academy.

Carissa Greenhow
Carissa began dance training at the age of four in Detroit and became a member of the Edge Dance Studio Performing Company from 2003-2010. Her formal ballet training began with Deanne Essien and later with Renee Wood. She has extensively studied ballet pointe, jazz and lyrical. She has performed as a soloist and has danced roles from Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Snow from the Nutcracker, as well as numerous contemporary works. From a very young age she has had a love for science and a desire to understand how the body works as well as a passion for dance. Carissa is a graduate of Greenhow Christian Academy in Detroit and is studying Dance and Physical Therapy at Wayne State University. This is Carissa’s second year teaching at TCH Dance Academy.

TCH Dance Academy Guest Artists

Bill Janisse
Bill Janisse, from Detroit, MI, trained with The Joel Hall Dance Center and The Joffrey Ballet School-American Ballet Center of New York both under full scholarship. Bill has had the pleasure of working with The Joel Hall Dancers, Joel Hall 2, Donn Arden's Jubilee!, Royal Caribbean International Productions, 5star Boogie Productions, Dick Foster Productions, GI Alliance Dancers, Ascensions: The Kirby Reed Project, The Michigan Ballet Theater, M&M American Dance Theater, and most recently, with Detroit Dance Collective to name a few. He has also had the opportunity to teach Jazz and Hip Hop around the country with dance master Kirby Reed at numerous studios and at Dance Olympus Dance Convention. Bill has been a featured performer on the Tyra Banks Show and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Bill has been a National Judge for Encore Performing Arts Showcase. He has been the assistant choreographer for both Paul Mitchell and Redken hair symposiums in Las Vegas and Rome, Italy. Bill choreographed and performed in the Japanese tour of Las Vegas Nights by Q Productions and most recently choreographed an updated version of Dirk Arthur's Xtreme Magic at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. Bill has a true love and passion for dance and enjoys sharing, creating, and developing movement with others.

Roberta “Bobbi” Lucas 
Ms. Lucas is a professional performing artist, choreographer, and teaching artist. She is a National Master Artist for the Wolf Trap Institute and has conducted classroom residencies and teacher training’s for the Institute throughout the United States as well as England, and Greece. Her education includes a BA in Theatre and Dance and an MA in Psychology. Her local training and performing in Modern and Contemporary Dance include Linda Z. Smith, The Detroit Dance Collective and Laurie Eisenhower. Master Workshops and Intensive Studies with Judith Jamison, Deborah Hay, Trisha Brown, Bill Evans and Anna Halprin have and continue to provide her inspiration to teach and create dance. She received the Alumni Arts Achievement Award from Oakland Universityfor her “outstanding contributions to children’s dance”. She is program director for “El Arte – Early Learning” for Living Arts of South West Detroit and a Special Lecturer in Dance Education at O.U. working with dance majors and elementary education majors.

Dianne Clouse
Ms. Clouse has been dancing ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, pom and contemporary for the past 16 years and has been involved in competitive dance for 15 years. She has been a dancer and instructor for DES. Dianne has been a faculty member for the Universal Dance Association and travelled throughout the United States training high school dance teams at their summer camps. She also had the opportunity to staff Regional and National UDA competitions. Dianne has performed with the DES All Star Teams since their inaugural team, and was a member of the 2008 World Championship All Star Pom Team. Dianne has earned many top honors and awards during her competitive dance career including Miss Dance at 2009 Kids Artistic Revue, First Place Open Lyrical Solo at 2010 JamFest Super Dance Nationals, and First Place Senior Solo at 2010 Rainbow Connection Dance Competition, Dianne was crowned Miss Senior Motown two years in a row at the Birch Run Motown Championship, and she was chosen as a Distinguished Performer at the 2008 Starlight Regional Dance Competition. Dianne was selected as a stage dancer for the last three Lions Thanksgiving Game Half-Time shows featuring acts such as the Goo Goo Dolls, Jesse McCartney and the Motown Group.