KIBLER DANCE - Key Persons
Amanda began dancing at the age of three at The School of Canton Ballet and later became a company member. She has attended summer intensives to train with professional ballet companies in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, and Ohio. Amanda earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kent State University and during her junior year was awarded a scholarship as Outstanding Dance Major. After college graduation, Amanda gained teaching experience at private dance studios, preschools and public schools including Plain Local Schools and Akron Public Schools. For the past six years Amanda has choreographed Summer Stage at Young Actors Studio; "Chicago" being her favorite musical to choreograph to date! She is also the choreographer for the Green High School fall musical and co-choreographs the Hudson High School show choir with Jennifer Kibler. At KDA, Amanda instructs recreation and competition level classes. She enjoys choreographing for the competition team and her dances have won numerous special awards. Amanda loves being a part of the KDA family and sharing her passion for dance with her students!
Job Titles:
- Office Administrator / Dance Instructor
Celine has been a part of the Kibler Dance family since 2005. She grew up dancing at KDA and has loved giving back to the studio through her roles as office administrator and dance instructor. Throughout her dance career at Kibler, she competed in jazz, lyrical, hip hop, tap, and musical theater. Celine went on to graduate from The Ohio State University in 2022 with a degree in Health Sciences and a minor in Dance. During undergrad, she choreographed and taught the hip hop class for the Studio Dance Club. Currently, she is studying to get her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Cleveland State University. Celine is excited to be back in the Cleveland area and working at her happy place! She is looking forward to sharing her love for dance and having fun with all the Kibler dancers this season!
Izzy graduated from Miami University in May 2020 with a degree in Political Science and is currently in her second year of Law School at Case Western Reserve University. Izzy is originally from Naperville, IL and began dancing at three years old. While growing up, Izzy danced with Vaughan Dance Academy in Plainfield, IL, training vigorously in ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, tap, and jazz. In addition to competitive dance, Izzy performed with and choreographed for her high school through the Neuqua Valley Orchesis Dance Company. Once in college, Izzy was a member of Miami University Dance Theatre from Fall 2017 to Spring 2020, choreographing three pieces for the company as a student, and returning in Fall 2021 and Spring 2023 as a guest choreographer. Izzy adores working with children and watching their passion for dance blossom. Izzy has loved working with the students at Kibler over the last few years and is looking forward to another successful and rewarding season with the KDA family!
Job Titles:
- Director of Kibler Dance Academy
- Studio Director & Dance Instructor
Jennifer is the director of Kibler Dance Academy as well as an instructor and artistic designer. She began her dance career at the age of three and studied at the Melissa Popovich Dance Studio, Al's Gymnastics and Susan Powell Dance Center. Jennifer attended Baldwin-Wallace College and received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Business and Minor in Studio Art. She continued her dance education throughout college where she performed on the dance team and in dance concerts. Jennifer is a competition choreographer at KDA and has earned numerous awards for her dance pieces including the Nexstar Dance Excellence in Choreography nomination for Choreographer of the Year 2020. In 2018, she earned the ADCC Studio of Excellence Award. Jennifer is also the director of the Hudson High School Swing Marching Band Dancers and co-choreographer of the Hudson High School show choir, Vocal Impact, with Amanda Hahlen. Jennifer combines her love of dance and art to share with the studio, community and beyond. Kibler Dance Academy is Jennifer's second home and the students are her family. She is excited for another amazing year at KDA!
Kelly Saucier began dancing at the age of four and quickly moved on to dancing competitively just two years later at the age of six. She has trained in a diverse range of styles with many experienced dance instructors in the Akron/Cleveland areas. Her areas of training include Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Musical Theater, Hip Hop, Pom, beginner-intermediate Acro, technique, Cecchetti and other styles of Ballet. Kelly attended the University of Akron where she continued her dance career with the University of Akron Dance Team (UADT). With UADT she performed at football games, basketball games, special events, and competed at the National level. Kelly has attended camps and Collegiate Nationals with Universal Dance Association and the National Dance Alliance as well as many other conventions and competitions throughout her dance career. To continue her dance training, Kelly participated in her first showcase with Cleveland Dance Project in Season 7 and continued with Cleveland Dance Project for Season 8 and 9 as both a choreographer and a dancer. Beginning this Fall, Kelly will also be volunteering as a club advisor for Stow-Munroe Falls High School's first ever dance team! Outside of the studio Kelly is a 2nd Grade teacher. Kelly loves getting to combine her two passions of education and dance through being a dance instructor and works hard to continue to learn and grow as both an educator and a dancer.
Michael has been invested heavily into the Dance world since the very beginning of his life. Early on, he competed year after year, achieving numerous overall and high score awards during his competitive tenure. Michael holds a handful of Titles, including Jr. Mr. Dance of Ohio 2003, Teen Mr. Dance of Ohio 2005, as well as Mr. Dance of Ohio in 2012. Aside from the competition scene, Michael was highly active in choir and musical theater during his school years, while also landing the lead role of Ren McCormack in Footloose the Musical. In 2015, he went on to audition for the hit TV show, "So You Think You Can Dance", where he advanced past the first round of more than 600 people, into the television round to perform in front of celebrities like Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, and Jason Derulo. He is currently a member of the New Vision Dance Company based in Columbus, Ohio, where different styles and cultures come together to put on amazing shows and workshops throughout the year. Michael is incredibly passionate about his work, and is persistent on making sure that his students not only unleash their full potential, but also have fun learning, and celebrating this incredible art form that we're all able to experience together.
Rachael is a dancer, choreographer, and educator from Northfield, Ohio. As a performer and choreographer, she has enjoyed working with area dance companies, schools, and theater companies throughout Northeast Ohio. Rachael has taught in private dance studios, non-profits, and higher education, specializing in ballet training for all ages and levels of experience. She previously worked as a dance studio Owner/Director for 10 years and is a member of the National Dance Education Organization. Rachael holds a B.F.A. in Dance from The University of Akron, where she performed with The University of Akron Dance Company. She went on to New York University for graduate studies, and received her M.A. in Teaching Dance in Higher Education and the Professions in 2013. Additionally, she holds her Statement of Eligibility for Alternative Resident Educator License in Dance from the Ohio Department of Education. Most recently, she enjoyed choreographing Rubber City Theatre's productions of Matilda and Mean Girls. Rachael is excited to be a part of Season 20 at KDA!
Stephanie founded Kibler Dance Academy in 2004. She began her dance career at the age of seven and
trained at the Susan Powel Dance Center and the Canton Ballet. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in
Job Titles:
- Office Administrator / Dance Instructor
Tori started dancing at the age of three, right here at Kibler Dance Academy! She has been in the KDA family since the very beginning... and has LOVED every moment of it! While at KDA, Tori competed in Lyrical, Jazz, Musical Theater, Tap, and Hip Hop. She also trained in Ballet the entirety of her time and has experience in Acrobats. Tori continued her training at the University of Kentucky, where she had two majors; dance and psychology. She deepened her understanding of dance, but primarily focused on Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Improvisation. She participated in numerous performances, but her favorite was "Points of Origin," by Stephanie Harris. This piece was a collaborative dance work exploring improvisation within the live performance setting. After studying dance as an art form, Tori has begun appreciating every detail and aspect of dance! She really loves understanding and experimenting with the mind and body connection as she continues dancing through life. Tori is so grateful to have this opportunity to help guide young artists on their dance journeys but even more excited to learn from her students. She looks forward to having an amazing year!