Sitemap: History, Rules, Links

Christie Shaff, Tap

Christie has been the Owner and Director of the Studio since 1984. Christie began dance lessons at age 4 in Greensburg, continued through college, and has taught dance classes for over 40 years! While earning her Bachelors Degree in Education at Ball State, Christie was a University Singer and choreographer for 4 years and also entertained and choreographed each of those summers as a “Schussycat” at Schuss Mountain in Michigan. She earned her Masters Degree in Education from Indiana University and has taught Special Education for over 30 years at Richards Elementary School. Christie is the “master” instructor in the discipline of tap dance!

Mandy Shaff, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical

Mandy began dancing in 1982 and has been an instructor at her mother’s studio since 1993 and the Operations Manager since 1999. She studied dance throughout college and continues to take master classes each year as well as continuing ballet studies at CDS. Her choreography has been seen over the last decade in various local arenas, including churches, cheerleading teams, and community theater productions. She has focused her recent works specifically at Columbus North High School, where she has choreographed and directed dance for the Debuteens & Music Men and North Stars showchoirs, the musical theater productions, and the PepSteppers dance team. We are proud to announce that she has recently been named a Qualified Member of Dance Educators of America! Mandy holds a Bachelors Degree in Human Resources & Business Management from the IU Kelley School of Business, and works full-time at Columbus Regional Hospital as the Recruitment & Retention Coordinator. She has a broad dance focus, instructing jazz, tap, lyrical, and hip hop, and occasionally ventures back into dance team-mode with pom and kick routines.

Carin Spalla, Ballet

Carin has danced professionally with the Milwaukee Symphony, Florentine Opera Company and as a member of Mid-America Dance Theater. She is a former Miss Wisconsin and won the talent award in the 1978 competition for her ballet performance. Carin is employed at ­­­Home Federal Bank in Seymour. Carin is a skilled instructor in classical ballet.

Lane Ferris , Tap, Jazz

Lane has been dancing since she was 4 years old with a concentration in tap. She has trained at Dixie’s Dance Studio, Winchester Indiana, The Performance Academy and The Premiere Dance Center, Muncie Indiana. Lane made the Senior Tap Company at Premiere Dance Center in 2001 and participated competitively for four years of high school. She won many awards in tap at competitions such as platinum and high gold and made it to Nationals in 2005. She was also apart of the Delta High School Dance Team for all four years of high school. Lane was top five at Miss Delaware County in 2004 and was the dance coach of the Yorktown Dance team for one year. She has recently graduated from Ball State University with a concentration of Food and Hospitality. Currently, Lane studies Veterinary Technology at Harrison College.

Martha Richards, Ballet, Pilates

Martha Parshall Richards was born in Tokyo, Japan, but grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. There she began her dance training in tap, ballet and jazz with Ed Holleman and Larry Howard who had both worked under Bob Fosse. Later, she studied with the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, Eric Bruhn, Letitia Gray, Francelle Fuller, and also at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet, for four summers under full scholarship. Mrs. Richards was with the Fort Worth Ballet and has also performed extensively in musical theatre as a member of Actor’s Equity Association. Her professional credits include Connie Wong in A Chorus Line, Eliza in The King and I, Liat in South Pacific with Cathy Rigby, and Charity in Anything goes with Van Johnson. Martha is currently the dance instructor at Columbus East High School and choreographs for the CEHS theater department. She is currently a member of Flamenco Olé in Indianapolis, IN. Martha is certified in Pilates instruction through Body Arts and Science International and is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. She focuses her instruction at CDS on ballet and Pilates.

25 YEARS OF DANCE
HISTORY OF THE STUDIO

In 1984, Christie Shaff bought the previously named “Dixon Dance Studio” that resided in Holiday Center in Columbus, Indiana. She named it “Holiday Dance Center,” and we remained at that location until 1995. By that time, the Studio had outgrown its home, and we moved to the corner of Maple and 25th Streets, across from North High School, where the name was changed to “Christie’s Dance Studio.” In 2002, the Studio was able to obtain space in an old warehouse off the back of a large building that previously housed Burd’s Cleaners, across from Kroger on Central Avenue. Today the front of the building has been converted into Caddie’s Pub, and the Studio remains on the South side.

We have two spacious studio rooms with mirrored walls and advanced stereo units. Waiting rooms for parents are available on the main level as well as on the loft of the 2nd floor. There are two large bathrooms for customer use and a 2-roomed office for the staff. Since we share parking with Caddie’s we have more than enough parking spaces to accommodate our customers, as our peak hours are different from the Pub’s.

When Christie first bought the Studio, the only classes offered were tap, jazz, and ballet. In the mid 1990’s, clogging was added as a regular discipline, and in 2003, lyrical also became part of the regular offerings. Although clogging was discontinued in 2007, other specialty classes such as hip-hop and ballroom are taught on occasion.

The Studio has been blessed with wonderful staff members over the past two decades. Dorothy Brown was the Office Manager for 22 years, from 1984 until her retirement in 2006. Dorothy’s daughter, Beth Wagner, was also an instructor with us for those 22 years, focusing on tap, jazz, ballet and clogging classes. Other previous instructors include: Karen Sluder (tap, clogging), Sheryl Nulph (ballet), Billie Park (tap, jazz), Sarah Kushman (tap, jazz, clogging), Jenna Shymkus (jazz), and Georgeanna Dent (ballet). Christie’s daughter, Mandy, first began as a teacher in 1993 while completing high school. After college, Mandy returned to Columbus in 1999 and continued her dance instruction while also taking over financial management of the Studio. Currently, Mandy and Christie run the Studio together as a mother-daughter team, with Mandy focusing on everyday operations and Christie focusing on long-term strategic decisions.       

STUDIO RULES

1. Minimum attendance requirements are 3 classes per month. Students missing more than 2 sequential classes will be given an attendance warning. Teachers reserve the right to withdraw a student from the recital performances for poor attendance.
2. Students are to stay in the waiting rooms until their teacher comes for them.
3. Restrooms should be used before class time.
4. No gum or candy allowed for students' safety.
5. Students must wear leotards, tights, and/or exercise clothes and the appropriate shoes by the 2nd week. NO JEANS. Students not dressed properly will be given one warning, and after that will be allowed to observe only.
6. Hair must be pulled back off the neck into a ponytail, braid, or bun for all classes.
7. Pink ballet slippers are required for all ballet students. Split-soled shoes are required for jazz. Shoes for tap classes vary according to teacher preference and/or student age. If you have a question about the type of shoe your child should wear, ask his/her teacher before purchase. You may purchase all of your shoes through our studio.
8. Dance shoes should NOT be worn outside of class or practice time. Excess dirt is collected from street wear and ruins both the shoes and the studio dance floors. Student’s name MUST be written inside each pair of dance shoes. We can assist you with selling old shoes or buying new ones. We can order new shoes for you at a discounted price from what you would pay in retail stores, and we “recycle” gently-used shoes for resale at a bargain price.
9. Parents are encouraged to observe their child’s class during the first week of each pay period, during the final 10 minutes of class. There will be no observation day in August or May.       

LINKS

Dancewear Sites