Heart of America Dance Centre Faculty
HADC CLASS FACULTY
Cynthia Monaco
Cynthia Monaco, Director of HADC, has introduced and taught ballet to thousands of students over the last 30 years. Her love of ballet began at the age of 8 with training from Miss Tatiana Doukoudovska and Miss Shirley Weaver at the UMKC Conservatory of Music in Kansas City. She studied ballet in New York with Valdimir Doukoudovska at Carnegie Hall along with David Howard, one of New York City's leading ballet instructors. Formerly a soloist with the Kansas City Ballet, Cynthia was one of the youngest dancers to join the company. In 1990 she founded the Heart Of America Youth Ballet . HAYB is one of the largest youth ballet companies in the Midwest. Cynthia has developed a ballet prep program for those competing in YAGP (Youth America Grand Prix). Cynthia received her undergraduate degree at UMKC in Communications and her Masters degree from UMKC in Counseling. Cynthia opened her dance studio in historic Downtown Lee’s Summit, in 2001.. The studio Heart OF America Dance Centre (HADC), offers dance lessons for all ages, and styles of dance. She resides in Lee's Summit with her husband, Michael Monaco, MD. She has two grown children: Christina Rellergert, who is an integral part of the development of HADC’s competitive dance team, and her son, Nicholas, MD. She is a proud grandmother of three precious girls, Siena, Sloane and Stella.
Christina Rellergert
Christina Rellergert has been dancing all her life. Growing up, Christina was a member of the Heart of America Youth Ballet where she played lead roles such as Alice in Alice in Wonderland and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She also competed with HADC ~ The Team from 2001-2006 and won numerous awards, scholarships and titles at various conventions and competitions. After high school, Christina attended Arizona State University where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies focusing on dance and communication. While attending ASU she was a member of the ASU Sun Devil Dance Team. During college, Christina taught and choreographed at local studios and was on the Universal Dance Association Staff where she taught various camps around the Midwest. After college Christina moved back home to Kansas City where she became a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders. She was with the Chiefs for three years and served as co-captain for one season. Christina is currently teaching all levels at HADC and is choreographing for HADC ~ The Team while also serving as the head dance team coach for St. Teresa's Academy. Christina lives in Kansas City with her husband, Aaron and their three daughters. Her love and passion for dance is shared immensely through her students, whom she loves dearly.
Lisa Anderson
Lisa Anderson is the Co-Director of Heart of America Youth Ballet, an instructor at Heart of America Dance Center, and a choreographer for HADC ~ The Team. In 2011-12 Lisa was a member of Perceptions Contemporary Dance Company in New York City. Lisa graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Missouri State University with a focus in Dance Studies and Performance. As a student in the MSU dance program, Lisa was selected to takeher choreography to ACDFA to get adjudicated. Lisa was also a member of the Sugar Bears Dance Team at MSU, taking first place bids to nationals. During the summers in college, Lisa worked for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) as an instructor for high school aged students at the midwest summer camps. Lisa has lately offered her available time for local high school teams to work on jazz technique and has choreographed their competition routines. Growing up, Lisa trained with HAYB, and had many lead roles including Sugar Plum Fairy and Queen of Hearts. Lisa was the captain of her high school dance team 2003-2006, and choreographed for her high school musicals “Wizard of Oz” and “42nd Street”. Lisa also performed at Starlight Theater as a kid in “Casper the Friendly Ghost”. Lisa currently resides in Kansas City, MO with her husband, Paul, and their sons, Noah and Alex. As a former HADC student herself, Lisa loves passing on her passion for dance to her students. We are all a family at HADC.
Melissa Morgan
Melissa began her dance training at age 4 in Kansas City. Skilled in the styles of ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and theater, she has spent her entire life dancing. Melissa has competed regionally and nationally since the age of five. In 2001 she was a founding member of HADC Dance Ensemble (now HADC ~ The Team). As an alumni of the Heart of America Youth Ballet, she also performed many lovely ballets with the company. Starting in 2006, Melissa began to pass her love of dancing on to her students at HADC. She currently is a choreographer for the competitive dance program, HADC ~ The Team. She also teaches dance sampler, combo, tap, jazz, lyrical, and ballet classes to all ages at HADC. In her off time she enjoys her life on the farm in southern Overland Park, KS with her husband, Bryce.
Lindsay Weaver
Lindsay Weaver is a former University of Missouri Golden Girl and former head dance instructor for Universal Dance Association. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in Early Childhood Education. In Columbia, Lindsay was a Jazz and Hip Hop instructor at Columbia Performing Arts Centre and was also a Kindergarten teacher for Columbia Public Schools. Over the past 10 years, Lindsay has judged competition pieces at UDA camps, UDA Staff tryouts, the Missouri Dance Team State Championship, the Kansas City Classic, and the Oklahoma State Dance Team Championship. She has been a private choreographer for dance teams throughout Missouri and Illinois for over 10 years. Lindsay is an instructor at HADC and choreographer for the pre-team and petite competitive program with HADC~The Team. Outside of the studio, she enjoys spending time with her husband and four children.
Carly Crowder
Carly Crowder is a graduated from Oklahoma City University, she received a Bachelor of Performing Arts degree in Dance Performance under the direction Jo Rowan, along with receiving a Minor in History. Crowder was the female deputy of OC's America Spirit Dance Company. Since graduation she has toured internationally in Austria, Italy and Germany with Remix Dance Company and was the featured dancer for a National Commercial for National Geographic's Brain Games, presented by Acura. Crowder performed in Chicago as a company member for Inside Chicago Dance. She also held the positions of Junior Company Director and Jazz/Contemporary Dance for Hindsdale Dance Academy in Westmont, Illinois, where her choreography qualified for YAGP Finals. Currently, she travels nationally as full-time adjudicator for BravO Dance Competition!
Carissa Heldenbrand
Following the footsteps of her dance teacher mom, Carissa grew up dancing and competing. She competed with P&Ds, winning many awards and titles at local and national competions and conventions. After high school she attended the University of Missouri where she received a degree in Communications. During that time, she was also a member of the Golden Girls Dance Team. She had the pleasure of being a co-captain her junior and senior year and enjoyed winning the USA National First Place Title her senior year. During college and after, she taught and choreographed competiton routines for a local studio in Columbia, Missouri. After college she moved back to KC and earned her degree in Elementary Education, she is a 2nd grade teacher. Carissa enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 girls, who both share her love of dance.
Emily Begnaud
Dance and music have been a passion of Emily’s since she started performing at very young age in Iowa City, Iowa. She trained and competed with National Dance Academy for many years and was fortunate to spend time in New York City during the summers attending conventions and studying dance at various studios. After high school, Emily was on staff at the National Dance Academy while studying vocal music and education at the University of Iowa. She was an active member of the University of Iowa Dance Department. She participated in performances with the dance program as well as performing in the Kantorei Chorus and the Old Gold Singers. She graduated with her Bachelors Degree in Vocal Music and Music Education. Emily was the 2004 recipient of the Marcia Thayer Fine Arts Scholarship and the 2006 recipient of the Cora Curtis Hayes Music Education Scholarship. Emily was a member of the City Circle acting company and as well as the Fame All-Stars 2005 European Tour. Prior to moving to Kansas City, Emily was the vocal music director at Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa where she founded their first competitive show choir, Surround Sound. During her time in the Quad Cities she also taught voice and dance lessons at the River City Music and Dance Academy. Emily is currently working as a freelance choreographer for dances teams, show choirs, musicals, and community groups throughout the Midwest including shows like High School Musical, Annie, Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, Pirates of Penzance, South Pacific, and Shrek. Her groups have won multiple state titles in dance as well as best choreography awards and titles at competition. Emily is thrilled to be on staff at Heart of America Dance Center. She currently resides with her family in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
Hailey West
Hailey West is from Norman, Oklahoma, where she grew up dancing and competing with Massay's Dancestar Productions for 13 years and was a four year member and captain of her high school's Dance Team. She then decided to further her dance education at Texas Tech University where she graduated as a Dance major and Business minor. During her time at TTU she was a four year member of the Texas Tech Pom Squad and is a 5 time NDA National champion. Throughout her time as a dancer she has performed a variety of styles such as jazz, pom, lyrical/contemporary, hiphop, tap, modern, and ballet, and has had the privilege to set works on a variety of studios, high school/college dance teams, and in traditional and site-specific shows produced by the Dance Department at TTU. Most recently, she has moved to Kansas City after becoming a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders and is loving her time as a rookie member. She is ecstatic to be in the HADC family and can't wait for this upcoming season.
Megan Garcia
Megan grew up dancing at Heart of America Dance Centre. She danced competitively as a member of HADC~The Team, where she trained and performed in all styles of dance, and was also selected as a member of the Heart of America Youth Ballet Company. During her time with the company, she starred in many solo roles, including Mouse King, Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in HAYB’s rendition of The Nutcracker. While training at HADC, Megan also danced on her high school dance team, and was a member of the 2014 Missouri Class 5A State Champion Westside Girls. Dancing on the sidelines at games and representing her school on the competition floor led Megan to pursue dance in college. She was selected as a member of the Missouri State Sugar Bears Dance Team for four years and served as captain senior year. After graduating from MSU with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, Megan moved back to Lee’s Summit and currently works in digital advertising. She is continuing her love for performing, now on the sidelines of the NFL, as a rookie Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader. Megan is blessed to back in the place that gave her the courage to pursue her dreams, and can’t wait to share her heart and passion with the dancers at HADC.
Kendra Burke
Kendra Burke has been sharing her love of dance with dancers of all ages for 21 years. Dance has been a significant part of her life since the age of three. Kendra studied various styles of dance, cheerleading, theater and acro as a student. She was a member of the University of Central Missouri’s Mulekicker Dance Team while she earned her teaching degree in Special Education. Kendra has had the pleasure of choreographing for competitive dance teams in the Kansas City area. She served as assistant coach to the Lee’s Summit West High School dance team the Westside Girls. While she is not dancing, Kendra enjoys spending time with her family, husband Ryan, son Calvin, and dancing daughter Bailey. She can’t wait to share her enthusiasm for dance!
Summer Ross
Summer graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree in elementary education from the Institute for Urban Education. She grew up dancing at Ann's Performing Arts Centre in Springfield, MO, and has been teaching dance for fifteen years. She led the PreK recreational program at Ann's Performing Arts, instructing and choreographing tap, jazz, ballet, and hip hop classes for ages three to ten. Summer also choreographed for the competitive team from 2015-2018. She was a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader for six years where she was also a captain and represented the team at the Pro Bowl in 2014. Summer continues to work with the Chiefs as an alumni staff member and has travelled with the cheerleaders to assist with the content shoots. She has been an elementary school teacher for seven years and is currently a third grade teacher at Grain Valley Schools. Summer lives in Blue Springs with her husband, David, and two children, Beau and Henley.
Sammee Schirmer
Sammee sparked her passion for movement at Bluffton School of Dance in Bluffton SC, at the age of 3 under the direction of Dawn Rosa Miller. With a passion to perform, she began her career on the stage of the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina performing in Mary Poppins and White Christmas . Sammee went on to attend Marymount Manhattan College in New York City to complete a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Ballet as well as a minor in Business Studies. While attending school, she worked with artists and choreographers such as Chase Brock, Anthony Morgerito, Pedro Ruiz, Lisa Harvie, Linda Sims and many more. Graduating in the pandemic, December of 2020, she unexpectedly landed herself in Kansas City, MO. She has danced in multiple performances with the Tristan Griffin Dance Company including Alinea (2021 & rework in 2022), several performances held by the Charlotte Street Foundation and the ‘Spring to Dance Festival’ in St. Louis, MO. She assisted in the creation of a new work choreographed by Tristian Griffin for the Kansas University Dance Department in spring of 2021. She simultaneously was working with the Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, performing in Art Remains (2021) at Hotel Kansas City and their 30th Anniversary Concert in October of 2021. With a passion to teach the next generation of professional movers, she currently trains dancers at Artists Revealed Dance Company (Kansas City, MO) and guests at many studios in the area. She specializes in contemporary movement, improv, yoga, body understanding, self development and ballet. She continues to expand her passions with choreography and enjoys living in the process of dance. Sammee is currently touring with Adrenaline and Revive Dance Conventions as a tour assistant. She continues to travel the country performing, assisting, teaching, taking class, choreographing and all things movement and remains in a state of gratitude.
Anna Boehm
Anna Boehm is a movement artist currently based in Kansas City. Her recent performance work settings include: Kansas City Ballet’s Creative Intersections (Kansas City), Scratch Night (Kansas City), Waterperry Opera Festival (Oxford, UK), The Glitch Project (London), Fubunation (London), and Kostas Contemporary (Kansas City). Anna attended Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, England earning a BA in contemporary dance and has trained at GagaLab NYC, BalletMet, and Joffrey. She has taught with the Kansas City Ballet, Take the Stage (Owen/Cox Dance Co), and various other training programs across the United States. She has recently moved back to Kansas City from New York and is looking forward to working with the young artists at Heart of America.
Allie Demps
Alexandria Demps (Allie) is a dancer/choreographer from Kansas City, Missouri. She is currently pursuing her BFA in dance at The University of Kansas, where she is also a member of the University of Kansas Dance Company. Alexandria performs in the genres of ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and musical theatre. In addition to her dance major, Alexandria also student teaches and choreographs for dance department classes and events. She currently serves as President and choreographer of the University of Kansas student organization, Unity Hip-Hop Dance Crew, established in 1995.
No stranger to the competition world, Alexandria wowed judges and audiences alike throughout her years of competing on both regional and national stages. She has been recognized for her powerful artistic expression, passion, and fluidity in dance and earned countless awards, titles, special judges awards, and scholarships for her contemporary & jazz solos, as well as holding multiple national improv champion titles. Alexandria is also a member of several dance companies, which she holds dear to her heart, such as KinFigure Kollective, iPush, and Troupe Dance Co.
Alexandria finds joy in fostering the love of dance in performers of all ages through teaching, mentoring, choreographing and private coaching. She is excited to have recently joined the teaching staff at Heart of America Dance Centre (Lee’s Summit, MO). Allie is adored by students and parents alike and is known for her infectious smile and the positive energy she brings to each and every environment.
HADC GUEST FACULTY
Karlee Cline
Karlee began her training at the age of 2. She spent her youth training at Heart of America Dance Centre and was a member of HADC~THE TEAM and has won numerous regional and national awards for her dancing and choreography. She is an alumni member of Heart of America Youth Ballet. During her time as a company member in HAYB, she was featured as the Sugar Plum Fairy in "The Nutcracker". Karlee spent four years supporting Tremaine Dance Conventions and Competitions as a member of the Tremaine Performance Company. She assisted Derrick Schrader, Tony Bellissimo, Tiffany Maher, Meghan Sanett and Keri LaGrand to name a few. Since graduating high school, Karlee lived in California for a semester and trained intensely as a dancer. She also trained in New York, Canada, and many other locations. She returned to Missouri and began focusing on her teaching career while still going back and forth to LA and continuing to train. During that process, she was selected to perform in the “Capezio ACE Awards” in January of 2020. Karlee is thrilled to be a part of the HADC staff. She hopes to share her passion and love for dance with her students in the same way that it was shared with her while growing up at HADC.
Aubree Johnston
Originally from Lee's Summit, Missouri; Aubree grew up dancing at Heart of America Dance Center training in styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, as well as pointe work. Aubree is also a member of the Kinfigure Kollective under the direction of Caleb Brauner and Carly Lawrence where she trains in hip hop, contemporary, heels, and many other commercial dance styles. Along with being a member of iPush "theCOMMUNITY" where she trains in hip hop. After graduating from high school in 2020, Aubree now remains a student at the University of Kansas where she is studying to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance and graduate in December of 2023.