Phone: 702.778.8688
Email: info@merakidanceacademy.com
STAFF
Keri Seiger
Studio Owner/Director
Aside from being a long time dance teacher, Keri brings her experience from the business side of the dance world as well a degree in Special Education. She was a dance instructor in Minnesota teaching tap, jazz and hip hop to dancers ages 18 months-18 years old, as well as performing studio manager responsibilities for a local St Paul dance studio. She continues her dance education by attending numerous dance teacher conventions across the country including Fluid Dance Conventions, Rhee Gold’s Dance Life Teacher Conference, the Dance Teacher Summit and other regional and national workshops. Keri is so excited for her vision to become a reality with Meraki Dance Academy, bringing in extremely talented instructors and being able to offer a variety of classes at her studio.
Karly-Rose Dains
Studio Manager/Team Director
Karly comes to Meraki Dance Academy with nearly 20 years of experience that is both diverse and noteworthy. An award winning competition choreographer and judge, Karly has been running dance studios, designing programs, coaching and teaching dance and gymnastics to children and adults in Florida, Georgia and the Upper Midwest. Classically trained in RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) with experience in Cecchetti and Vaganova, Karly is a well rounded instructor and has taught classes in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Hip-hop, Acro, Lyrical, Modern, Cheerleading and Tap including classes that focus on strengthening, conditioning, flexibility and injury prevention.
Karly continued her dance training in Colorado dancing with the Denver Ballet and becoming a company member for Youth Ballet Colorado before eventually moving to Iowa. While still a high school student herself she worked setting up after-school dance programs for elementary students. She has choreographed award winning routine for High Schools cheerleading and competitive dance teams. Karly has worked closely with Any Given Child, a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., to provide an equitable arts education by teaching Hip-hop in P.E. classes in Iowa.
Kasey Liscum
Instructor
Kasey began her dance training at age three, and is skilled in various styles of dance including
Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Musical Theatre, Hip-Hop, Improvisation, and
several styles of Ethnic dance. Along with seventeen years of performance based training, Kasey
competed nationally from age eight to age eighteen. She has received numerous scholarships and
prestigious awards from dance competitions, conventions, and master classes including New
York City Dance Alliance, Tremaine Dance, Dance America, Dance Olympus, Adrenaline
Dance, JUMP Dance, World Class Dance, and SHARP International. Kasey’s dance training has
provided her with opportunities to appear on television (the Paul Pepper Morning Show and
FOX5 Vegas) and model for dancewear stores (The Dance Shoppe), as well as participate in
“UNLV Dance Day” at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for two years in a row.
Jess Jourden
Instructor
Lucinda "L.Jay" Luevanos
Instructor
Lucinda (L.Jay) Luevanos has been dancing since she was four, and started her training with the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano Company. She is trained in the techniques of hip hop, contemporary, ballet, jazz, lyrical, improv, ballet folklorico, and modern. She has a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography from the University of Nevada Las Vegas as well as graduated with UNLV Department of Dance's "Outstanding Performer Award". She has experience training, teaching, choreographing, and performing all throughout Las Vegas, as well as experience performing in Indianapolis, New York, and South Korea. Her choreographic works have not only been premiered in four UNLV Dance Concerts, but also in concerts for dance studios and companies throughout Las Vegas. Her love for videography is shown through the visual choreographic art projects that she has choreographed, released, and has also been featured in. Her choreography draws inspiration from mixing the genres of contemporary, modern, and hip-hop.
Lonnie Chaney
Instructor
Lonnie Chaney III, 26, from Las Vegas, found his love for dancing at 18 years old. With a major interest in the hip hop company at High Profile Dance Academy, he auditioned and became a powerful leader and choreographer for the team. Chaney graduated with a Bachelor of fine arts in Choreography and Performance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has training in multiple techniques including ballet, various modern and jazz techniques, West African, contemporary as well as hip hop styles. Lonnie has participated in many tribute shows (legends on tour) but a recurring performer for Moonwalker, a tribute show to Michael Jackson that travels all over the US: Las Vegas local full time job is MJ Live- a live show at the Stratosphere casino nightly in Las Vegas. He's traveled and performed at the International Association of Blacks in Dance conference and alongside UNLV dance performance ensemble to Seoul, Korea to train in ballet twice. Lonnie Chaney III has media credits with Cirque du Soleil "AMANZI", and many opportunities to work on dance concept videos and exhibitions with local artists. Lonnie is able to give back as a volunteer at The West Las Vegas Art Center with the performance and theatre company, where he began his training. He is directing The Village dance collective (2018), his very own dance collective for showcases and exhibition in Las Vegas as well as teaching community classes to the public to share his passion with the world through dance.
Laurie Belleume
Instructor
Laurie, has been teaching dance for over twenty years and is excited to share her talents with all of the littles at Meraki. After a career as a Romantic Classical ballet dancer, and raising her children, Laurie began teaching in dance studios. Laurie enjoys teaching all ages and has helped many studios develop a successful children's program based on combining imagination and dance skills. She looks forward to bringing her love of children and dance for another year to Meraki Dance Academy!
Michael "Mic" Washington
Instructor
My name is Michael Washington, I’m from Anaheim California, I’m 25 years old, & I’ve been dancing for as long as I can remember. I learned Tap, Stomp, & African dance while in elementary school. When I got older I was introduced to a few street dance styles called Popping, Waving, Krump, & Chicago Footwork, & those have been my core based dance styles ever since. When I turned 20 I moved to Las Vegas & began street performing on Fremont Street & The Strip for a few years. About two years ago I started taking dance more serious, so I began taking dance classes & joined a dance team for training & it helped out tremendously. I’ve had the chance to open up & perform with music artists, I’ve danced on big stages like World of Dance, & now I get paid for gigs & shows throughout Las Vegas! My goal now is to become a better teacher so one day I can be able to teach all around the world to spread the joy of dance!
Amadeus Luevanos
Instructor
Amadeus Luevanos is an emerging dance performer who has performed with Kravenko Youth Ballet for seven years since 2013, performed as a guest artist with Nevada Ballet Theatre in the Smith center since 2018 in four productions alongside the company members, and has been trained in ballroom under Tristen Sosa since 2017 and is competing in the Junior Ballroom Olympics. He is a Neo-classical and classical ballet dancer who has many years of experience in all forms of dance ranging from: hip hop, to modern, to ballroom. He has also received the Gateway Performing Arts Scholarship in 2019 for performing a New Works ballet piece. Amadeus has trained the past three summers at ballet intensives in: Austin Texas with American Ballet Theatre 2017’, New York with Ellison Ballet 2018’, and Seattle with Pacific Northwest Ballet 2019’. Amadeus has recently attended and made the top nine spots at the Juilliard audition in San Francisco and is awaiting results from admissions. He has also been accepted to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy as a musical theatre major and plans to continue his performing career in New York. Amadeus has accomplished all of these achievements while simultaneously attending a dual credit High School and College, and is currently on track to graduate with a Regents High School diploma and an Associate of Science Degree. Amadeus is a forward thinking innovative performer and is ready to flourish from every single day coming in his performing career.
Aly Nevarez
Instructor
As a former member of the Meraki Dance Company, Aly Nevarez is so excited to be teaching classes at Meraki as well as helping new and returning dancers and families at the front desk. This season Aly will be teaching Acro, Fairytale Ballet, and the Poms/Cheer classes. Aly is a former competitive gymnast and is so excited to be able to share her talent with Meraki dancers.
Marina Tipler
Instructor
Marina Tipler grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota where she trained as a competitive dancer. When she graduated high school, Marina moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to continue her training at Theater Arts Preparatory School. Here she trained not only in commercial and theater dance, but in singing and acting as well. In her career she has performed with RWS' Step One Dance Company touring on Holland America Line, Walmart, Microsoft, Tony Coppola's Rhythm Emsemble, Elite Tap Feet in the Twin Cities, Bellusicous Productions and More
Tiffanie Kalisz
Instructor
Tiffanie Kalisz, originally from Canonsburg, PA, began dance at the age of three! Tiffanie trained in ballet, point, contemporary, tap, jazz, lyrical, musical theater, clogging, modeling and acrobatics. By the age of eleven, she was a Junior Elite level gymnast. Tiffanie went on to receive a full scholarship at the University of Maryland Baltimore County for Gymnastics. After landing Radio City Music Hall the ‘Easter Extravaganza’, a lifelong goal to perform at ‘Carnegie Hall’ and becoming a member with New York based dance and Gymnastics Company; “Antigravity” Tiffanie spent several months working in NYC. Tiffanie was a member of “Spirit of Atlanta” performing in the closing ceremonies in the 1992 Olympic Games. Tiffanie has also been in several commercials as well as music videos. She enjoyed working in films such as National Lampoons Vegas Vacation, For Which He Stands, Oceans 11, Leaving Las Vegas, and Mars Attacks to name a few! Currently Tiffanie is co-owner and National Director of Dance USA Performing Arts Championships based out of Las Vegas Nevada.
Tiffanie shares these golden words with all fellow dancers; past, present, and future….Dream Big and Reach for the Stars!
Daniel Winston
Instructor
Daniel Tate Winston has been training hand balancing for seven years, most recently under Jean-Luc Martin at the San Diego Circus Center where he did the preparatory program for two years. Before that he went to Encore High School for the Performing Arts where he took their circus program under Kylee Moats for five years. During this time he also did competitive sports acro gymnastics at Realis Gymnastics in Redlands, California. During his Junior and Senior years of high school he was a student teacher in the middle school intro to circus class. He is a strong acrobat, hand balancer, and coach!
Cassiopeia (Cassie) Haberle
Instructor
Cassiopeia (Cassie) Haberle is a trained aerialist who has been working on perfecting her craft for the past 13 years. She has trained atPhiladelphia School Circus Arts, Aerodynamics, Secret Circus and most recently the San Diego Circus Center. Cassie is also a trained dancer, training at various dance schools and went to Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts. Cassie is a dancer and aerialist who has worked and performed with several circus troupes, including: Give and Take Jugglers, Tiny Circus, Aerodynamics and Tangled Arts. Cassie has been teaching various aerial classes including: : Lyra, Silks, Static Trapeze, Dynamic Trapeze, Rope, Straps and Aerial Cube for years. Cassis, as a well as aerial, has also taught acro dance, tumbling and partner acro classes. We are so excited to have her join Meraki Dance Academy and share her amazing talents with our students.
Abbie Campbell
Instructor
Michelle Armendarez
Instructor
Michelle started dancing at the age of 3 in San Bernardino, California. She started training as a dance major at Riverside City College in 2012 and continued her education as the student choreographer/director for Celebrate Dance from 2014-16. She has received numerous scholarships to Boulder Jazz Dance Workshops in Boulder, Colorado. She is currently a student at The University of Nevada, Las Vegas pursuing her Dance Management and Production degree. Michelle will be joining the competition teams this year as one of the coaches as well as teaching Lyrical and Musical Theatre. We are so excited to have her back for another season!