Our Team
Our team combined has over 100 years of dance experience.

Founder/President
Katie Stahlhut
Katie started dancing in 4th grade under the direction of Beverly Smithey at Stage I Dance Academy. Katie Stahlhut has the distinct honor of carrying on Ms. Beverly’s legacy of dance excellence. Ms. Beverly passed the torch after 55 years of ownership. Katie has served as the Executive Director for Stage I Dance Academy for over 7 years. She received a Bachelors of Science from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis's Kelly School of Business in Business Management. She is a proud graduate of Leadership Johnson County's best class ever- the class of 2018. Katie feels blessed with the opportunity to serve the community in such a powerful way through Dance Every Journey.

Vice President
Rachel Newbrough
Rachel Newbrough — BS Indiana University – Bloomington (2012) currently works as Artistic Director at Stage I Dance Academy. During her four years in the IU Contemporary Dance Program Rachel performed works by Martha Graham, Bella Lewitzky, Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott, as well as Laurie Eisenhower. She has attended the Lar Lubovitch Summer Intensive and the David Dorfman Dance Summer Intensive and has taken classes from David Hochoy, David Parsons, Laura Poole, Connie Dinapoli, Sandra Kaufman, Liz Koeppen, Ben Munisteri and Nicole Wolcott. Rachel dances professionally for Elizabeth Shea Dance with whom she has had the distinct honor of performing on the Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She has traveled to Israel, NYC, Washington D.C. and San Francisco as well as throughout the country to perform at numerous dance festivals and assist in setting works on dancers. She also enjoys every opportunity given to perform locally and has had the pleasure of performing with the Indianapolis-based Dance Kaleidoscope as a guest artist. In addition, Rachel has collaborated with and danced for choreographers Rebecca Pappas and Brittany Bain with work having been showcased throughout Indiana. In addition to the stage, you can find Rachel dancing in two films. “Breath | Light | Stone” a film by Allen Hahn & Elizabeth Shea as well as “Beautiful by Design: The Indiana University Bloomington Campus.” Rachel’s personal choreographic work can be seen throughout Indiana. She has choreographed for Motus Dance Theatre’s Cultivate. She sets multiple pieces per year on dance students of Stage I Dance Academy for presentation in the community. Most recently her choreography was presented at The White Rabbit Cabaret in association with Flourish: A Modern Dance Showcase. Rachel has been on faculty for the IU-Pre College Program, as Adjunct Faculty at IU and Nashville Dance Studio. As Adjunct Faculty at IU, Rachel has been involved with the IU Summer Dance Intensive for High School Students in addition to her work with elective and dance major classes.

Ballet Faculty/Curriculum Coordinator
Roberta Wong
A native of California having embraced hoosier heartland as her home, Roberta specializes in ballet and modern dance teaching using instructive guidance and high expectations grounded in reality of process, long term development and goals of her students. Trained at Davis Ballet, Theatre Ballet of Sacramento, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and others, her professional work included Boston Ballet and Indianapolis Ballet Theatre. Modern dance teachers have included David Hochoy, Norman Walker and others. Primary company work included Dance Kaleidoscope (dancer, company teacher, rehearsal director). Choreography presented through Jordan College Academy of Dance, Stage 1 Dance Academy, Indianapolis School of Ballet, Anderson University, Indy Convergence, Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival. Guest teaching includes Indiana Dance Festival (Ft. Wayne), Lafayette Ballet, Dance West Virginia Fall Festival. Adjunct faculty appointments have included Anderson, Butler and Indiana (contemporary dance) Universities. Recipient of Indianapolis Arts Council Creative Renewal and Indiana Arts Commission IAP grants, she continues to develope and refine teaching through workshops, including Paul Taylor and Mark Morris summer workshops, Limon Europe (Netherlands), Hubbard Street Dance Company Adaptive Dance and Dance For Parkinsons. She believes dance is a foundation for life and an experience available to all. Current memberships: Dance For Parkinsons International Dance Council CID

Instructor
Andrea Bruce
Andrea Bruce began her dance training at age seven at Charisse Dance Studio in Indianapolis. She later transferred her training to The Dance Company, continuing classes in Tap, Jazz, and Ballet. After graduating high school, while still at The Dance Company, Andrea began her teaching career as a student teacher. It was here that she discovered not only her talent for teaching but also her passion for it. It was impressed on her that in order to be a good teacher she also needed to continue to be a student. She began attending a number of teachers training programs and workshops, including the Teachers Training Seminars held at Kent State University, by the Dance Masters of America. There, she was tested and certified to teach by the in the areas of Tap, Jazz, and Ballet. She also attended and became a post graduate of the Intensive Teaching Seminar, held by the Florida Dance Masters. Her continuing education also included multiple trips to Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Some of the teachers that have had the greatest impact on her teaching style and technique are Tom Ralabate, Edith Royale, Bo Wagner, Beverly Fletcher, Frank Hatchett, Judy Bassing, Peff Modelski, Ken Phieffer, and Diane Gudat. In 2000, she accepted an offer from Jordan College Academy of Dance to teach their tap program. While there, she restructured the tap program syllabus, and class levels. She also choreographed each year for the annual Peggy Dorsey Memorial concert. She occasionally substituted in the lower school ballet classes as necessary. In 2003, she became an adjunct faculty member for Butler University, where she instructed a level one tap class for their dance majors. While at Jordan Academy she also had the pleasure of choreographing tap solos for the Jordan Dance Ensemble, as well as teaching group pieces for the Jordan Dance Ensemble II. In 2006 and 2007, she had the pleasure of teaching for IUPUI, for their Music Academy children’s summer program. In 2011-2018, she was hired to teach the upper level Tap classes at Indianapolis School of Ballet.
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