About The Dance Gallery

Meet Our Staff

Owner · Artistic Director

Christine Hayes

Christine Hayes began dancing at the age of three and has spent her life sharing her passion for dance with others. A lifelong resident of the Austin area, Christine studied and performed with several local dance companies, including Tapestry Dance Company and The Austin City Ballet. She went on to study theater and dance at The University of Texas at Austin and also earned a degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi.

While living in Corpus Christi, Christine had the privilege of teaching and choreographing for Corpus Christi Ballet. Her passion for dance education continued to grow, and she has now been teaching for more than 25 years with dance studios and companies throughout Texas. Over the years, Christine has developed a comprehensive dance curriculum grounded in strong technique, while fostering a positive, encouraging, and nurturing environment where students can thrive.

Christine opened her first studio, Central Texas Dance Academy, near Waco, Texas, where she served as Owner and Artistic Director. In May 2008, she sold the studio and returned to the Austin area to be closer to her family. In 2009, she opened The Dance Gallery, where she remains dedicated to providing the highest level of dance education to students in Round Rock and the surrounding communities.

Committed to being a lifelong learner, Christine continues to expand her knowledge and training by attending numerous dance conventions and studio business workshops throughout the year, working alongside some of today’s leading professionals in the dance industry.

For Christine, teaching dance is about more than developing skilled dancers — it’s about helping students build confidence, discipline, creativity, and a lifelong love of the art.

Christine is married and is the proud mother of two grown children, Emily and Evan.

Nicole Hancock

Office Manager

Nicole grew up dancing in the New Braunfels area, training in a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, pom, and hip hop. She was a member of both her high school varsity dance team and a competitive studio team, and also choreographed for her school’s pom squad. Nicole has several years of experience teaching and choreographing hip hop and enjoys blending contemporary and hip hop styles. She spent 10 years working in youth development and summer camps and is excited to bring her passion for dance, leadership experience, and organizational skills to support The Dance Gallery’s operations.

Lindsey Jo Bushn

Kinetic Arts Dance Company Director

Lindsey Jo has been dancing as long as she can remember! She grew up dancing in Round Rock, studying ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, and musical theatre under Susan Babcock and Desi Ray for 14 years. As an eight year member of her studio’s competition and performance group, Lindsey Jo enjoyed performing at competitions and community events, as well as attending conventions and workshops all over the state of Texas. Lindsey Jo earned a degree in Elementary Education from The University of Texas at Austin and has been teaching dance full-time since 2005. Lindsey Jo is in her fourth year teaching at Westwood High School where she teaches dance classes and is the Director of Warrior Pride, Westwood’s Ensemble Dance Team. She also works with Stony Point High School’s Golden Dancers, and other dance programs throughout RRISD. This is her 18th season with The Dance Gallery!

Tiffany Lynn

Emerging Artists Dance Team Director

Tiffany Lynn is excited to be back at The Dance Gallery! She has a deep love for dance that dates back to when she began her training at the age of 5. During her time in middle and high school, she specialized in classical ballet, pointe, jazz and tap at the Kansas Dance Academy. Tiffany received a ballet scholarship and attended the University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner!). While performing, her favorite dance to perform was the Dance of the Little Swans from Swan Lake. Tiffany has been teaching and choreographing ballet, pointe, tap, and jazz for over 10 years. She is also the Director of the Petite Performance Team, which she helped start to provide our younger dancers more performance opportunities. Tiffany also has a background in gymnastics and cheerleading. She lives in Round Rock where she is married, a mother of two great kids and a few pets, too. This will be her 14th year teaching at The Dance Gallery.

Izabel Cortinas

Instructor · Assistant Director

Izabel Cortinas is a dancer, choreographer, and educator based in the Austin area! Since the age of three, she has developed her technique and style at studios, primarily at The Dance Gallery, where she was a part of the competitive dance team for six years. After graduating high school, Izabel continued her dance education at Texas State University, and received her B.F.A. in Dance with an emphasis in Performance and Choreography. During her collegiate career, Izabel studied modern, ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, and improvisation under the instruction of Michelle Nance, Torens Johnson, Brandon Gonzalez, Nicole Wesley, and many more phenomenal professors! While training at TXST, Izabel had the opportunity to perform at The Austin Dance Festival, attend Texas Dance Improvisation Festival, and train at American College Dance Association, where her and her peers’ choreography was adjudicated and chosen to perform in the Gala! A highlight from her time at Texas State was being a part of Merge Dance Company, a pre-professional modern dance company directed by Ana Baer and Christa Oliver. Izabel had the privilege of working with Fransisco Graciano, and taking masterclasses from Jo’Nathan Michael (Wicked) and Sayiga Eugene Peabody (The Lion King) while performing with Merge! This is Izabel’s 3rd year as an instructor with The Dance Gallery, and she couldn’t be more excited to train the next generation of dancers!

Francis Rodriguez

Program Support Specialist

Francis is a performer, choreographer and dance educator currently based in Austin, Texas. Originally from Brownsville, Texas, her dance training included studying ballet, tap, jazz, folklórico and flamenco, and she attended multiple summer intensive programs with the American Ballet Theatre, the Texas Ballet Theatre, the American Repertory Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet Chicago. Francis holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance from The University of Texas at Austin, and is a graduate of the UTeach Dance teacher certification program. During her time at UT Austin, she studied abroad at the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in Angers, France, chaired the UTeach Fine Arts Student Council, and was a featured student choreographer in the Department of Theatre and Dance’s Fall for Dance in 2017. This is Francis’ 8th year with The Dance Gallery and she looks forward to another exciting season with her TDG family!

Amber Arnold

Instructor

Amber Arnold has been dancing since she was three years old, in and around Austin, TX. She started her career at The Dance Center and Ballet Austin where she fell in love with dance and music. She continued training as a Blue Belle at Leander High School, where she learned all things drill/dance team related as an officer for two years. She followed her bleeding maroon heart to Texas A&M where she was a member of Dance Arts Society and a founding member of Delta Eta Pi. She attended ACDFA every year to continue to expand her craft and her senior year was invited to attend ADF at Duke University. Following graduation, she moved to New York City to continue her training in dance. In 2004, she returned to Texas to join the public education field as a dance director. Ms. Amber has instructed award-winning 5A High School teams, Middle School teams, and Elementary Teams through her career. She continues to expand her dance knowledge through conventions, as Ms. Amber believes you should never stop learning. She is skilled in numerous genres of dance and is excited to share her passion and love with the Dance Gallery community. Ms. Amber is the proud mother of two daughters, who both train at The Dance Gallery. This will be her 7th year teaching at The Dance Gallery.

Angelina Barba

Instructor

Angelina Barba was born in Los Angeles, California and began her training in hip hop at the age of 8. Her family made the move to Austin, Texas where she would continue her training at local dance studios. Angelina has received Grand National titles and many awards and scholarships throughout her competitive dance team years. She has continued her training at an industry level, along with receiving prestigious assistant and performance opportunities by her mentors and other artists. Angelina’s found love for teaching has given her many opportunities such as being a regular staff member at local studios, a choreographer for schools and studios, as well as a consultant for competitive dance programs. She has also held director positions of preprofessional hip hop companies such as eSTREET Hip Hop Company at Evolution Dance Center and REALM Hip Hop Company at The Dance Academy where she has been awarded for her choreography, as well as earning highest scoring titles for her routines. Angelina wishes to continue her training and growth as both a student and a teacher. She is excited to continue to create, teach and share her passion for dance! This is her 4th year with The Dance Gallery!

Staci Bybee

Instructor

Staci began dancing at the age of 5 in Austin. She studied and performed throughout the Austin area for many years. Staci taught for several studios in the Austin and surrounding areas before moving to North Carolina in 1998. While in North Carolina, she taught and took professional classes at North Carolina Dance Institute under the artistic director Kirstie Spadie. After moving back to Texas in 2006, Staci took some time off to go back to school and is now a Registered Nurse. One interesting side fact…Staci and Christine danced together in a ballet production many years ago when they were teens. The dance world is small indeed! Staci is the proud mom of 2 children, Cade and Emma. Staci is excited to be a part of The Dance Gallery staff for the 15th year.

Ashley Duncan

Instructor

Ashley began dancing at the age of five at a local area dance studio. Through the years, she continued to train in studio dance where she studied ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, tap, and musical theater. In middle school, she performed in musical theater productions such as Beauty & the Beast, Seussical, The Wizard of Oz, Annie, and Les Miserables. She attended Cedar Ridge High School where she served as a Social Officer on the Royalty varsity dance team, and served as the Dance Captain of the Musical Theater program where she performed as a featured dancer and assistant choreographer. In high school she performed in the award-winning productions of Aida, CATS, and Grease. Ashley is also a registered nurse specializing in oncology at Seton Medical Center. This is Ashley’s 8th year with The Dance Gallery and she looks forward to having an amazing year with our TDG family!

Jenna Friedheim

Instructor

Jenna graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in dance. Shortly after graduation she moved to L.A. where she was a work-study at the world famous Millennium Dance Complex. Looking for adventure Jenna moved to Seattle where she taught and had the opportunity to perform with Seattle dance companies. Jenna then moved to Chicago where she created and implemented a dance program at Chicago Athletic Clubs and performed with numerous dance companies including Chicago Review’s top rated company, Matter Dance Company. Back in Texas, Jenna performed with the dance company Woven Feet for the band Sorne at SXSW. Jenna is thrilled to be back teaching at The Dance Gallery for her 12th year!

Anna Harrington

Instructor · Event Coordinator

Anna has a tremendous love and passion for the performing arts. She grew up in Round Rock, traveling with a performance choir and competitive theatre company. She discovered her love of dance when she became involved in musicals through her later years. She built her love for dance through her four years with the Stony Point Tiger Dancers and discovered her new love of a team atmosphere. Through the years, Anna has continued to work on her dance background by attending conventions and dance events such as the Teachers Summit in L.A. where she trained under names such as Travis Wall, Mandy Moore and Tyce Diorio. Anna has been teaching multiple styles to numerous ages for the past 17 years and has even spread her love by teaching hip hop through the local recreation centers and to elementary schools for their after school enrichment programs. Anna also teaches 2nd grade for Round Rock ISD. This is Anna’s 17th year with The Dance Gallery.

Dahee Lee

Instructor

Dahee fell in love with dance at just three years old, beginning a lifelong journey that has continued to shape her passion for ballet. At eleven, she began training under Marina Almayeva, earning top placements in prestigious competitions including YAGP, UBC, and WBAC. She later joined Texas Ballet Theater’s Professional Division before continuing her education at The University of Texas at Austin. Dahee is thrilled to join The Dance Gallery, where she looks forward to sharing her passion for ballet, strong technique, and joy of movement with her students. She is dedicated to helping each dancer build a solid technical foundation while developing confidence, artistry, and a lasting love for dance.

Antonette McLaughlin

Instructor

Antonette began dancing in Long Island, NY with a focus in Ballet and Tap. She studied with notable instructors Jeanine Ecklund, Denise LaJoie, Phyllis Drennan and Lynda Gache. During her time as a student, Antonette was able to perform with the JC Lynn Dancers at the Tillis Center and alongside Ms. Gache. While the studio was Antonette’s first love, she found true passion in the theatre. She was titled Dance Captain in shows such as A Chorus Line, The Producers and Damn Yankees and received her first hired gig as an Assistant Choreographer for MAME starring George Hearne. In college, Antonette began directing and choreographing department productions which led her to a resident choreographer position at 2 local school districts and the community theaters. Antonette was honored to be mentored by Terpsie Toon, who offered Antonette her first teaching position. While under Ms. Toon’s guidance, Antonette was able to attend the American Ballet Theatre Teacher Certification Program. She was later the lead ballet instructor at Center Stage Dance in Plattsburgh, NY for nearly ten years building the studio with owner Heather Van Arsdel, former NYC Knicks dancer/choreographer, before moving to Texas with her family to pursue new opportunities. Antonette is excited to be with The Dance Gallery for her 6th year!

Stephanie Staggs

Instructor

Stephanie has been dancing since the age of 5. She grew up dancing in Round Rock studying under Susan Babcock, Beth Hickman, Joni Starr, and Desi Ray. She is a member of The Texas Association of Teachers of Dancing, Inc. and received her Bachelor’s of Arts in Dance from The University of Texas in Austin in 1996. At UT, she studied under Heywood McGriff, Lathan Sanford, Yacov Sharir, Andrea Beckham, Ricardo Garcia, Densie Prasky, Lynne Grossman, Sondra Lomax, Sharon Vasquez, and Llory Wilson. She had the opportunity to take master classes from Savion Glover, Karen Herbet, Robert Christopher, Twyla Tharp Dance Company, The Merce Cunningham Dance Company, The Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Company, The Martha Graham Dance Company and The Ghana Dance Ensemble. Stephanie is married and is a proud mother to a wonderful daughter who loves dancing and swimming. This is Stephanie’s 17th year with The Dance Gallery.

Adisyn Warr

Instructor

Adisyn grew up in the Round Rock area and started dancing at the age of two years old! It wasn’t long after that, she fell in love with the art and started dancing competitively. At the young age of nine she was awarded a scholarship to L.A., where she trained under names such as “Fiction”, Janelle Ginestra, “Twitch”, Travis Wall and many more. She attended multiple conventions throughout her years of dance including Monsters of Hip Hop, Showstoppers, Tremaine, and Radix to name a few. She then joined The Dance Gallery where she competed with the dance troupe as well as the hip hop crew. Adisyn is currently a student at Texas State University where she plans to graduate with her Master’s in Sports Science. She is extremely excited to be back at her dance home and doing what she loves! While Adisyn has been a guest instructor and assistant for many years at TDG, this will be her 3rd year on staff!

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