meet the staff
Marisa Mailhes
Owner & Artistic Director
Marisa trained at Cherrilane School of Dance in Dallas, Texas for 13 years in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical & hip hop. She has also studied contemporary, modern, theatrical dance, and pointe. Marisa began her performance career early as an actress on the Barney and Friends television show as Hannah. She danced and sang on the show as a regular cast member for three years. This experience encouraged her love for performing and opened the doors for many other opportunities throughout her childhood both in the dance, acting and modeling world. She went on to study dance at Texas A&M University where she graduated with the first ever University Studies, Dance Concentration degree from A&M with a focus on classical modern dance as well as the art of teaching. She also obtained a minor in both communications and business. While in college, she was a principal member of the EmSu Dance Company and took master classes from many of their guest artists. Marisa also attended ACDF, American College Dance Festival all 4 years and was selected to perform at the festival in faculty works several years. While in College Station she also professionally danced with the Armstrong Bergeron Dance Company, a modern based dance company. During College, she found her passion for contemporary dance and choreography. Marisa loves to find new and inventive ways to move and interesting themes and stories to portray through her dance.
Marisa began teaching in 2004 and has always had a love for children. As her dance career grew, she could never let go of teaching. She has taught at various studios throughout Texas as a lead instructor as well as teaching workshops for out of town studios. Expressions Dance and Music in College Station became her home studio for many years and she attributes Expressions with where she grew the most as a dance educator and choreographer. She became the director of several of their competitive dance companies and won various awards for choreography throughout the competition scene.
Marisa opened Red Door Dance Academy in 2010 to bring her passion for dance to the Wylie area. Red Door Dance was opened to create a place with high quality dance educators where dancers can fall in love with the art, be inspired, and have fun while learning. Marisa lives in Plano with her supportive husband, Trey and 3 beautiful children. Her daughter, Colbie, and twin boys, Asher & Hudson, have started dancing at Red Door!
Lauren Howard-Celis
Artistic Director of Company Inspired,
Leveled Program Director & Dance Instructor
Lauren began dancing at age five at Forcher’s Dance Center in Irving, TX where she studied classical ballet in the Balanchine style under Jacquelyn Ralls Forcher. At age 11 she was accepted to the Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet and studied with the Debbie Allen Dance Academy summer intensive and Fort Worth School of Ballet programs. After competing with Forcher’s Dance Center Company for several years she began studying at various studios throughout the Metroplex. She landed at Rhythm Nation Studios for 4 years where she began teaching at age 15. She performed with their professional company at venues such as Six Flags Over Texas and local festivals as a featured dance and vocal soloist and choreographer. At 18, Lauren began to dance with Momentum Dance Company in their professional pointe and contemporary companies where she danced in the corps de ballet and as a demi-soloist for two seasons. During college, Lauren was a member and served as an officer of the Texas A&M Dance Arts Society that allowed her to continue to perform and develop her choreography skills. Lauren is currently serving as Artistic Director of Momentum Dance Company and just brought their 16th Nutcracker season to a close while also performing as Waltz of the Flowers and Waltz of the Snowflakes Princess and Marzipan principal dancer.
Lauren graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas A&M with a BA in Spanish in 2008, an MA in Linguistics in 2010 (Whoop!). While at school, Lauren began working full time at Expressions Dance and Music Studios. She became the Artistic Director of Competitive Dance for four of her five years there. Under Lauren’s direction, the competitive teams and soloists won First Overall titles and placed Top 3 at regional competitions and Top 5 in national-level competitions such as Showstopper, American Dance/Drill Team, Crowdpleasers, Open Call and Encore. Her award-winning choreography has been recognized both regionally
and nationally, as well. Several dancers under her direction have gone on to become officers of their high school dance and drill teams, as well as the Kilgore Rangerettes. Several long-time students of hers were accepted to the New York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theater summer intensive and year-round programs, as well as the Houston Metropolitan, New York City Dance Alliance and Debbie Allen Dance Academy summer intensives.
Jamie Williams
Shining Stars Program Director, STAR Director, Company InspiRED Assistant Director, & Dance Instructor
Jamie started her dance career in the eighth grade by joining her award winning drill team, the Ford High School Blue Belles in Quinlan, TX. It was there that she built experience in choreography, event participation, and leadership, as she was named Lieutenant her junior year and Captain her senior year.
Jamie graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Dallas with a degree in Psychology and Performing Arts. As a dancer at UTD, she studied and performed under the direction of Micki Saba, head of the dance department at UTD, Michelle Hanlon of Elledanceworks, and Jennifer Mabus of Robert Battle’s company in New York, Battleworks. While at UTD, she participated in the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) and worked with many prestigious choreographers from around the nation.
Jamie has choreographed for showcases at UTD, a multitude of local high school drill teams, a variety of high-scoring competition solos and group routines, and even the musical “Beauty and the Beast” for Colleyville Covenant Christian Academy. Fun fact! She coached cheer for 6 years at Wylie Preparatory
Academy.
In continuing her education as a dance professional, she attended Rhee Gold’s DanceLife Teacher Conference in 2008 and 2019, The Pulse in New York in 2010, Dance Teacher Summit in California in 2017, and Dance Teacher Web in Vegas in 2023. At these conferences she was able to work with and learn from the top professionals in the industry.
Jamie is a Level 1 Certified MuvMethod Instructor. MuvMethod is a mind-body movement system designed to meet the physical, mental, and emotional needs of dancers. This science-based approach to dance conditioning specializes in weekly stretching made safe, easy, and effective to help dancers reach their full potential while avoiding injury.
Jamie has been at Red Door since 2014, but has been teaching dance since 2006. She continuously strives to grow as a choreographer and dance educator in learning new techniques and styles. She is proud to be Red Door’s Shining Stars Director, the STAR program director, and Company Inspired's Assistant Director. She currently lives in Wylie with her husband, Blair, and their son, Carter.
Taylor Waters
Marketing and Public Relations Manager & Dance Instructor
Taylor started dance at the age of three at KJ Dance in Plano and continued her dance education at Morrow’s Performing Arts Center from age four on. She has competitively danced since she was eight and began teaching her own classes at age 14. During her competitive dancing years, she won awards such as “raw emotion”, “most potential”, “best feet”, and numerous first place overall scores. While she enjoyed the completion side of dance, she always stayed true to her roots: ballet. Ballet is the foundation of all styles of dance and Taylor realized that from an early age. Her favorite thing about ballet is the discipline it teaches and how that can translate to many other areas in a dancer’s life.
In high school, Taylor was the inaugural 1st Lieutenant at McMillen High School in Murphy. Upon graduating from Plano East Senior High school, Taylor moved to College Station to attend the best university on Earth: Texas A&M. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics in May 2018. While in College Station, Taylor worked at Expressions Dance and Music. This is where she was able to grow as a dance teacher and unlock her true passion for teaching. She was in charge of the Pointe program and wrote curriculum and tests. She assisted the Artistic Director with all aspects of the company and competitions.
As the Marketing and Public Relations Manager, Taylor handles all things social media, graphic design, website, and more!
Taylor has loved teaching at Red Door since 2018. She enjoys motivating her students to reach their full potential and encouraging them to be the best they can be as dancers and as people too! Her students have gone on to be professional and collegiate dancers on the Aggie Dance Team, University of Houston Dance Team, University of Texas Pom, Rangerettes, Houston Texans, and Dallas Cowboys Rhythm & Blue.
Marianne Kuers
Studio Administration and Costume Management
Marianne is in her second career as an employee with Red Door Dance. She is excited to be working with her daughter (Marisa Kuers Mailhes). Marianne’s business experience includes over 30 years in the mortgage banking business. She retired from Bank America in 2015, decided to join the Red Door Dance team and has enjoyed every day since.
Marianne has the experience most important to the operation of a dance studio – she has 25 years as a Dance Mom for both a girl and a boy. She has worked with every aspect of preparing children for dance class from clothing to scheduling and preparing that essential dance bun. Marianne has also been a back stage manager for every Red Door Dance recital since it opened. She is no stranger to the art of dance either, as she is accomplished in country, ballroom and swing dance. She has performed on stage at the Majestic Theater in Dallas.
As Costume Manager Marianne plans, coordinates and implements all things related to costumes for Company, Teams and Recital. She works to make costume season easy for parents. Marianne loves helping dancers feel confident and look great on stage.
Marianne balances her work at the studio with family time involving her three children and 7 grandchildren. She loves helping children and their parents in managing the difficult task of time management so essential to the lessons, costumes, and recital preparation that every family must coordinate. She loves all children, especially dancing children! A plaque above her desk at home proclaims “Why walk, Mama, when you can dance?”, a phrase Marisa would proclaim as a young child.
Emily Thomas
FiRED Up Director & Dance Instructor
Emily was born in Fairfax, Virginia and moved to Texas when she was 5. She has always had a passion for dance since the day she could walk, from living room dance parties, to dancing in the grocery store! She began her official dance journey at age 11 with Wylie Drill Team in 5th grade. She continued with drill team at Cooper Junior High being on 1st and 2nd line of CJHS Sparklers and then went to Wylie High School where she was a member of the Wylie Pirate Pacesetters all 4 years of high school. Her junior year she was a Lieutenant and her senior year she held the position of the team captain.
From there she went on to dance at Collin College where she was a part of their modern dance company, Collin Dance Ensemble for 3 years. While at Collin she was trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Improvisation, Dance Choreography, Pilates for Dancers and Laban Studies. She had many opportunities to perform at the American College Dance Festival where her and her company were honored with many awards. Along with her performances with CDE, Emily had the opportunity to take master classes from wonderful dance educators such as Debra Knapp, Darby Wilde, Matthew Henley, and Anjali Austin.
After her 3 years at Collin College, Emily transferred to The University of North Texas, where she pursued her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance. While at UNT she continued her training in ballet, modern, and jazz, as well as Kinesiology, Dance Pedagogy, Stage Production, Principles of Dance Performance, Music for Dancers, and Choreography. Emily had the privilege of being casted as a soloist in a piece Bill Evans choreographed. Bill selected a small group of dancers at UNT and the dance was performed at the American College Dance Festival. Along with the soloist position, Emily also performed in many staff and student choreographed dances throughout her journey at UNT. While in Denton, Emily was a dance teacher at Silhouette Dance Company for 3 years. She taught many classes along with being the Dance Team (the non-competitive dance group) director for the studio.
After her time in Denton was done, Emily moved back to Wylie and continued her teaching here at Red Door! She began teaching at Red Door in 2019 and has loved it ever since! Emily is the director of our Fired Up Dance Team in addition to teaching Shining Stars and Leveled classes! She also has a Dance Kinesiology Certification through the International Fitness Professionals Association.
When she teaches, her goal is to educate her students about their bodies and how to efficiently use their muscles , as well as create a safe environment for them to learn. She is energetic, encouraging, and bubbly and ALWAYS expects the best from her students. She has a huge passion for teaching and an even bigger heart for her students!
Lily Jones
Dance Instructor
Lily has been dancing, singing, and studying theatre since the age of 11. Originally from Greenville TX, she started her journey in the arts through a community theater in Rockwall, having done one show with her older sister. Interest growing in the direction of dancing, she started taking a Ballet class at Timbrel School for the Arts, and from then on immediately added more classes, such as Theatre Dance, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, and later, Pointe. She was also a part of the studios Lyra Company, dancing at conventions, events, and a few competitions. She continued and progressed in all her classes and was offered a place in the Assistant Teacher program, where she began learning teaching skills. She assisted multiple classes at the age of 13, and at 16 was given her own class. The next year she took on an employed position as Dance Instructor of Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Theater, & Contemporary. While continuing to teach at Timbrel, she started branching out in her area, and choreographed a few numbers for The Greenville Christian School’s Choir play in the spring of 2015, and Greenville Family Theater’s Fundraiser in the fall of 2015. She taught a semester of Ballet for the Vocal Students of Texas A&M Commerce Music Department that same year. In the Spring & Summer of 2017 she choreographed Greenville Family Theater’s “Singin’ in the Rain” which featured many dance numbers such as Tap, Ballet & Jazz. She has a love of singing as well, and started taking vocal lessons in Dallas with several instructors such as Barbara Doubt, Patricia Ivey, and most recently Dr. Jennifer Glidden at Texas A&M Commerce. She attended and placed in vocal competitions in Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth & Oklahoma City University. She has a background in Musical Theater, doing multiple shows in the Dallas area. She did many shows in her hometown of Greenville including Fiddler on the Roof (as Tzeitel), Hello Dolly! (as Dolly Levi), and Meet Me in St. Louis (as Rose Smith) to name a few. More recently she was featured in Allen Community Theater’s Production of “Young Frankenstein” as Inga. Lily is thrilled to be part of the Red Door Dance Team!
Heather Brown
Dance Instructor
Heather started dancing at Whistle Stop Dance Company at the age of 3 in 1987 and performed as a ‘Superstar’ in her first recital, Broadway Beat. In junior high Heather started drill team as a Liberty Junior High Belle and a Talent ‘N More Shining Star, and in high school she was a Berkner High School Bandolera. She has competed in many competitions over the years including Starmakers, American Dance/Drill (ADTS), and Showstoppers, just to name a few. Heather continued her training at Whistle Stop through high school and began teaching at Whistle Stop in 2002. Heather has also trained at Richland College, the University of Texas at Dallas, and Collin College as a part of the Collin Dance Ensemble, Collin College’s resident modern repertory company. She has judged competitions and try-outs for Dallas Select Football League, Spirit Event Coordinators, and at many junior highs, middle schools and high schools in the DFW metroplex. Heather has served as Dance Captain for several church and community musicals and taken part in many community performances including Wildflower! Festival, Candlelight at Dallas Heritage Village, Plano Balloon Festival, as well as many others. In 2009 Heather became a member of the Texas Association Teachers of Dancing, Inc. (TATD). She is also a member of the Dance Council of North Texas and a former member of the Shufflin’ Shoes cloggers, a clogging team hosted at Studio 3 Dance in Plano. Heather has previously taught classes at The Dance FX Studio in Garland, KC Dance & Cheer Center in Sachse, and is currently on staff at Talent N’ More Dance Centre in Richardson. Heather’s heart and soul go into her dancing and teaching as she loves to see a student’s face light up when they achieve a goal or walk onto the stage. She loves passing on an art form that she has such a passion for.
Heather works as a Conference Associate at Learning Forward. She loves being a part of the staff at Red Door Dance Academy!
“Great dancers are not great because of their technique,
they are great because of their passion.”
-Martha Graham
Alexi Grant
Dance Instructor
Alexi put on her first pair of tap shoes at the age of two when she began taking tap lessons at Steps a Dance Studio, and hasn’t taken them off much since. Her love of dance grew as she continued to train in tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, musical theater, and hip hop at Steps, as well as at Chamberlain School of Ballet, The Ballet Conservatory, and Dance Industry.
Growing up, Alexi pursued dance in a variety of ways. She competed solos, duets, and group routines with Steps for 16 years. She performed various roles with the Moscow Russian Ballet from 2008-2010. In high school, Alexi earned a position on Dallas’ Drawbacks Youth Tap Ensemble, where her passion for tap dance was cultivated under the instruction of Katelyn Harris and Keira Leverton. As a member of DYTE, Alexi had the opportunity to perform at various events including National Tap Dance Day, Plano Dance Festival, Dance for the Planet, and Good Morning Texas, among many others. With DYTE she traveled to participate in tap festivals such as Soul to Sole, Third Coast Rhythm Project, and Chicago Human Rhythm Project. She has trained with some of the greatest tap instructors and performers in the world, including Dianne Walker, Jay Fagan, Barbara Phillips, Acia Gray, Derick Grant, Jason Janas, Gene Medler, Josh Hilberman, Michelle Dorrance, Nicole Hockenberry, Jason Samuels Smith, Nicholas Young, Max Pollak, and Sarah Savelli, to name a few. Her junior year of high school she became a member of the Dallas Christian Chargerettes drill team, where she would later go on to serve as 1st Lieutenant her senior year. As a Chargerette, she was recognized as an All-American Dancer both years by the American Dance and Drill Team organization, which afforded her the opportunity to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2011 and 2012.
Alexi began teaching dance at the end of her senior year of high school. She has taught a variety of dancers from the youngest dancers in beginner combo classes, up to adults taking class for the first time, to everything in between, including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, musical theater, and hip hop. At Baylor University, Alexi obtained a Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders in order to pursue a career as a Speech Language Pathologist. She also obtained a Dance minor that focused on the pedagogy of dance and choreography. During this time, Alexi was also a member of the Rhythmic Souls Tap Company. Here she had the opportunity to bring classic tap dances back to the stage by performing iconic pieces such as Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s famous “Stair Dance” and “Moses Supposes” performed by Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in Singin’ in the Rain. In college she continued teaching for two years at Joy’s School of Dance in Waco, TX. She also sought out opportunities to dance at Baylor by performing with Baylor’s hip hop group, Poppers, Lockers, and Breakers.
Alexi holds a Master’s of Speech Pathology from the University of Texas at Dallas, and is working as a Speech Language Pathologist in Wylie ISD. She is also an instructor for the Dallas youth tap ensemble, Choreo Records, and a performer with their professional company. Tap Dance is Alexi’s greatest joy and passion. She is overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to share this passion with her students at Red Door. She is eager to learn from the immensely talented staff and grow alongside her students.
Madeline Smith
Dance Instructor
Madeline started dancing at the age of 2 and never stopped! At 7 she started competing and fell in love with performing. Over the years she competed in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and contemporary, and won awards like “most passionate performance” and “best emotion.”In high school, Madeline joined drill team with the McMillen Dazzlers and became first lieutenant her sophomore year. At Plano East, she was junior lieutenant of the Golden Girls before becoming the Captain her senior year. Drill team helped Madeline find her joy for teaching, and she loved being able to do drill team and competitive dance at the same time.
In 2020 Madeline started college at the University of Oklahoma. She found ways to dance through her sorority and an organization called University Sing in which she assisted teams of sororities and fraternities in creating a Broadway style show to compete with at the end of the semester. Madeline graduated from OU in 2024 with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in criminology. She is now pursuing her Masters in Counseling at Southern Methodist University and ultimately hopes to become a child trauma therapist.
Madeline is beginning her teaching career at Red Door and is so excited to be learning from the other teachers and be inspired by the students.
Gabrielle Tilley
Dance Instructor
Gabrielle began dancing recreationally at the age of four at Pat Riddle School of Dance in Colleyville, TX, starting with Ballet and Tap which sparked her love of performing. At age six she joined company and started dancing competitively in Jazz and Tap. As she continued competing she picked up other styles including, Modern, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theater, and her personal favorite, Hip-Hop. At age eleven she moved to Studio A Dance in Southlake where she competed on Teen and Senior company. During her time at Studio A, Gabrielle had the opportunity to dance off broadway in a week-long production of The Weaving at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts. During the trip she was able to meet and take classes from some of the principal dancers from the New York City Ballet. Once she reached high school, Gabrielle danced for the drill team all four years at Colleyville Heritage High School (CHHS). Her freshman year she was a Line Officer for the Pantherettes where she performed Kick, Jazz, Modern, and Pom. She spent the next three years on the Premier Panteras Varsity Dance Team performing field routines and competing in Jazz, Pom, Contemporary, and Lyrical. She was a Senior Lieutenant her last year when the team placed 1st Overall at Crowd Pleasers Grand Nationals. She also took theater in high school, dancing and singing in the musicals Hairspray and Curtains. During this time, she was also on Artistry in Motion’s Hip Hop Crew where she had the opportunity to compete at Dallas World of Dance. After graduating, Gabrielle went to The University of North Texas (UNT) where she majored in Political Science and History. She was in many student organizations on campus including the North Texas Dancers (NTD). For two years she performed Jazz, Pom, and Hip-Hop routines at every home football game and basketball games. Her team also competed at NDA Nationals in the Jazz D1A division. While she was on NTD they not only made it to NDA finals for the first time in program history, but also danced alongside the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and the Dallas Cowboys Rhythm & Blue. During and after college, she also worked at the Universal Dance Association (UDA) for three years. As a UDA staffer she traveled to several camps throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. She taught dances as well as Team Building, Gameday Prep, and technique classes to hundreds of middle school and high school dancers. Upon completing her undergraduate program, she stayed at UNT for her Master’s Degree in International Studies. While studying for her Master’s she joined a local all-female Hip-Hop training team, Team Brownies. She was on Team Brownies for two years where she studied Hip-Hop foundations and performed at Team Athena’s Renaissance Showcase and The Underground Movement Festival in Plano. Gabrielle has learned so much throughout her dance career from experiencing so many different dance worlds and meeting many incredible people. She wants for her students to experience the best of dance by growing into well-rounded students, artists, and athletes. She is very excited to begin teaching at Red Door Dance Academy and hopes to share her love for dance, music, and culture with everyone!
Christina Moss
Dance Instructor
Christina trained at Tuzer Dancenter in Richardson for ten years progressing through the senior company level and dancing in many ballets including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, La Bayadere, and many original ballets choreographed by the legendary Tanju and Patricia Tuzer. She learned the Vaganova style of ballet at Tuzer Dancenter and was accepted to many of the country’s most renowned summer programs including American Ballet Theater, The Joffrey Ballet, The Kirov Academy and Austin Ballet, and Texas Ballet Theater.
She also trained at the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet under the guidance of Anne Etgen and Bill Atkinson. At Dallas Metropolitan Ballet she really focused on her partnering skills and learned the Balanchine technique.
Christina also was accepted to and trained at The Kirov Academy in Washington D.C. While the teachers only spoke Russian, she absolutely loved the experience of furthering her training from principal dancers and directors with The Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Christina was offered a position in the corps de ballet with the Sarasota International Ballet of Florida after completing their summer trainee program where she performed the soloist role in the ballet Paquita. She also danced professionally with Contemporary Ballet Dallas where she performed many original works and the soloist role in The Red Shoes.
While her true love has always been ballet, Christina has also always taken jazz class and was chosen as a lead dancer/cast for three summers at the Mary Kay International Convention where she danced Broadway pieces for audiences of over 14,000 new people every three days. She also worked for the Kim Dawson Talent Agency during her child and teenage years appearing in numerous national print modeling campaigns, commercials and more.
After taking time to dance ballet professionally after high school, she attended the University of Texas at Austin where she majored in advertising with a concentration in photography and graduated in two years with honors. She stayed in Austin to work for EnviroMedia Social Marketing for five years managing environmentally conscious and public health advertising campaigns.
Christina loves spending all her time with her husband Stuart, daughter Mara and son Leo. She is excited to teach the artistry of athleticism meeting beauty that is ballet. The hard work and discipline required is something she hopes her students learn to use in all aspects of their lives.
Tara Teter
Dance Instructor
Tara began dancing at the age of 3 and trained in ballet and tap. After a few years' detour into gymnastics, she returned to the dance floor at eleven, reigniting her passion for dance. She expanded her repertoire by studying ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and acro. During her middle school years, she honed her skills at Arts Avenue Theater and Dance School, where she became a member of their competition team, showcasing her talents across Central Texas and the DFW area. In high school, she found her dance home at Metamorphosis Dance Academy, where she studied the rich ballet techniques of Vaganova, Balanchine, and Cecchetti ballet, alongside the expressive modern technique of Graham and Horton. She took the stage in iconic roles like Dewdrop, German Soloist, and Russian Soloist in The Nutcracker, as well as leading parts in original modern dance productions. After obtaining her diploma, Tara embarked on a new adventure in Jackson, Mississippi, at Belhaven University, where she intertwined her passions for Creative Writing and Dance. Her collegiate journey allowed her to explore diverse dance styles while embracing the mindful practices of yoga and Pilates. She flourished in various performances, performing original choreographic works.Tara loves the arts and her goal is to spread a love for movement, creativity, self-expression, and storytelling with her students. She is passionate about training proper techniques to protect dancers' bodies as well as provide them with the best foundation for growth. Tara is thrilled to join Red Door, eager to share her enthusiasm for dance and inspire the next generation of artists.
Lindy Weisman
Dance Instructor
COMING SOON
Bryn Bergstrom
Dance Instructor
COMING SOON
Lily McGrane
Dance Instructor
Lily started dancing when she was just six years old and immediately loved how dance brings people together and lets her express her feelings. Lily danced at Red Door for five years and was a member of Company InspiRED. She also served as a STAR. After graduating from Plano East Senior High School, she decided to keep dancing with Red Door, but this time as a teacher! Now, she's also studying at Collin College and wants to help make dance a fun and safe place for everyone.
Rachel Kuers
Dance Instructor
COMING SOON
Olivia Carr
Dance Instructor
Olivia began her journey of dancing when she was 3 years old, where she learned many skills in ballet and tap. As she grew older, she discovered a love for many genres of dance, such as tap, ballet, jazz, acro, and contemporary. Olivia is going to continue her love for dancing, as well as teaching the younger kids the joy that dancing brings. She will be attending Collin College to become a sonographer or nurse and is so excited to be teaching at Red Door.
Ava Wehner
Dance Instructor
COMING SOON
Noelle Porterfield
Dance Instructor
Noelle was a student at Red Door from its beginning until she graduated high school in 2023. As a member of Company InspiRED for 8 years, Noelle trained in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, and musical theater. Her favorite style of dance is tap, and she was a member of Rhythmic Souls Tap Company’s performance program for 5 years. Noelle began student teaching as part of the STAR program at Red Door when she was 11 years old and discovered a love for teaching. Last summer, Noelle was a “Let’s Move!” Camp Counselor. This summer, she is thrilled to join Red Door as a Shining Stars and punch card class instructor.
Noelle is currently a junior at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee pursuing a degree in Politics and Public Law. In her experience working at the Tennessee Senate and participating in Moot Court competitions, she has developed a passion for law and policy. She hopes to eventually attend law school and practice appellate law.
Emileigh Rhoades
Dance Instructor
Emileigh has been dancing since the age of 3 and hasn’t stopped! She began her dance career right here Red Door it has been home since! She danced competitively with company inspired and fired up dance team (both teams offered still at Red Door!) Her love for performing is something that is still so evident! She continued to dance throughout high school and after graduating she attended Oklahoma State University. There, she found ways to dance through her sorority in Greek shows, which are Broadway style shows to compete with the other sororities 3 times a year. Emileigh plans to graduate from OSU in 2028 with a major in elementary education focus in mathematics and a minor in ASL. She hopes to become a teacher one day! Emileigh is beginning her teaching career at Red Door and is so excited!
Kimberly McPherson
Administrative Assistant
Kimberly started dancing in 2006 at the age of 5. She was with Ambassadors of Dance for 6 years before starting at Red Door Dance. At Ambassadors of Dance, she learned Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Pointe. In 3rd grade, she started in Wylie Drill Team and continued with drill team through 6th grade. When she started at Red Door, she focused more on Ballet and Pointe, until her senior year when she added Contemporary.
Kimberly was raised in Wylie and she graduated from Wylie East in 2019. In high school, she was part of the Pride of the East Marching Band for three years as a flutist. She is now studying at Collin College to get a major in Criminal Justice, while also studying dance. Her goal is to become a Crime Scene Technician and to be a dance teacher.
Kimberly is excited to be a part of the Red Door family!
Testimonials
We love Red Door! We've been attending the studio now for almost two years. My daughter has blossomed so much during that time. Dancing is her love. She looks so much forward to dance class. If she could, she would be there every day. The instructors are kind, attentive, and fun. We have gone to a previous dance studio before, and have done many other activities as well, and this is the one place where I know my daughter feels welcomed and appreciated. The studio is also clean and the parents are very friendly. I have met so many other amazing moms there that I now consider my dear friends. Thank you Red Door!
- Nancy K.
This is a wonderful dance studio located in Wylie!!! They offer a wide range of classes...tumbling, tap, and ballet just to name a few! All different ages and levels are welcome!! They are SO organized and so professional!! We also LOVE the recital they put on at the end of the Spring Semester. The dress code and recital costumes are so cute and they have an online shop that makes ordering a breeze! If you have a child that is interested in dance, be sure to check out Red Door!!
- Ellen D.
Contact Us
ADDRESS
125 Hooper Rd, Wylie TX 75098
Monday 3:30-8:00
Tuesday 3:30-8:00
Wednesday 10:00-12:00, 3:30-8:00
Thursday 3:30-8:00
Friday 3:30-7:00
Saturday 9:30-1:00
Sunday : Closed
Check the studio schedule for holiday closures.
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About
Red Door Dance Academy is a children's dance studio located in Wylie with an award-winning team dedicated to providing the best dance instruction and inspiring tomorrow’s leaders.
Opening Hours
Monday 3:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Tuesday 3:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am-12:00 pm, 3:00 pm-8:30 pm
Thursday 3:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Friday 3:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Saturday 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Sunday : Closed
ADDRESS: 125 Hooper Rd, Wylie TX 75098
Email: info@dancereddoor.com
Telephone: (972) 490-4446
@ Copyright 2025 - Red Door Dance Academy - All rights reserved
