OUR INSTRUCTORS

Lachan Niedbala is a dance artist based in Kalamazoo. Lachan wears many hats within the dance world ranging from dance educator, choreographer, administrator, business owner, and board member. She is passionate about honoring individuals as the whole person through dance while focusing on informed and intentional practice of dance. She is thrilled to be joining BSD Studio as the Studio Manager this season!

After achieving her Bachelor of Arts in dance from Hope College, Lachan has worked with dance companies throughout Michigan such as CPR Dance: Inhale Movement, Wellspring, and Chamberlain Dance. She has had the opportunity to showcase her choreographic work at various dance festivals and collaborations in cities throughout Michigan, Chicago, and even Paris, France. Lachan founded her dance company Movement Reservoir Dance Company in 2022 and Co-Founded West Michigan Dance Festival in 2024. She also is a board member of Michigan Dance Council and Dance Playhouse. She earned her Horton Modern Dance Technique Teacher Certification from MIU and her Progressive Ballet Technique Level 1 in 2025. In 2026, she will begin working towards her MFA in dance from Jacksonville University.

Outside of the many hats she loves to wear within dance, Lachan enjoys spending quality time with her husband, their son, and their dog (Pug), Percy. She enjoys drinking coffee, mentoring high school students, being outdoors (if it is warm), watching movies or TV, and spending time with friends and family. Lachan is excited to be joining the BSD Studio team as the Studio Manager this season and connecting with you at the studio!

With over 20 years of teaching experience, Autumn brings precision, passion, and a deep love for dance to every class she leads. She’s known best for her top-tier lyrical, dynamic jazz, crisp pom, and hip hop routines. Autumn has trained and inspired generations of dancers—many of whom have earned top honors and continued their dance career throughout college and Adult life.

Autumn is a graduate from Dance Masters of America’s Teacher Training School and holds certifications through Acrobatic Arts, ensuring her students receive technically sound and developmentally appropriate training.

Autumn’s passion is fueled by the joy of watching the students grow. “It’s the connection that’s made when they know they have a safe place at the studio,” she says. “Seeing the excitement in their eyes when they finally nail that trick or move—that’s the real reward.”

Brooke has been immersed in the dance world since she learned to walk. With seven years of competitive training and two years of commercial industry experience in California, she’s developed a strong foundation in many styles with a special love for contemporary, ballet, and tap. As a teacher, Brooke is passionate about creating a fun, supportive space where students can grow, gain confidence, and enjoy the process together. She found BSD through adult classes and is now thrilled to be part of the BSD family and share her love of dance with the community!

Emily just graduated from Portage Central High School with 14 years of dance experience. Specializing in acro, ballet, and contemporary. Emily has grown a deep passion for dance from a young age, starting at just 5 years old. Over the past five years, she has assisted various teachers across different dance styles, and in 2024, she began co-teaching, then moved on to teaching her own classes. Inspired by her teachers, Emily is motivated to create a fun, supportive, and healthy learning environment that encourages students to improve every day.

Emily completed her B.F.A. in Dance at Western Michigan University in 2022. While at WMU, she performed in works choreographed by David Curwen, Seyong Kim, Kelsey Paschich, Cat Manturuk, and Francisco Gella. Emily also has a certificate of completion from the Gibney Professional Training Certificate Program.

Emily started dancing when she was 4 and started competitive dance at the age of 7 at Body Language Dance Company. At age of 16, she received a full-ride scholarship to attend Michigan Ballet Academy, where she trained in Vaganova Technique under Nikoloz Makhateli and modern dance under Amy Wilson. She also attended multiple summer intensives such as the American Ballet Theater Intensive, Visceral Dance Chicago Intensive, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Pre-Professional Intensive, New York University Tisch Summer Dance Residency, Francisco Gella Dance Works Seattle Dance Advance Intensive, and Peridance Blueprint Intensive.

Emily was an Emerging Artist with CPR Dance: Inhale Movement. A company dancer with Wellspring, a company dancer and Education Assistant at Currents Dance Theatre, and with Essence MVMT Collective as part of their performance/competitive team.

Erin and her children have been a part of BSD for the past 9 years and have enjoyed their dance journey along the way. Erin has been in the Adult Hip-Hop class since it started at BSD and has also taken adult Jazz, Lyrical, and Tap classes. Erin’s motto has been, “Just remember you are never too old to do something you love to do.” Erin has recently transitioned from one of BSD’s adult dancers to a BSD adult class instructor. Erin has 2 children, both of which share her love of dance.

Haley graduated from BSD as a student in the spring of 2024. She danced for 6 1/2 years and developed a great passion for it. Her favorite styles are tap and lyrical, but she truly loves all of them. Haley is now studying Elementary Education at Western Michigan University. Her love for teaching combined with her love for dance has made teaching at BSD the best of both worlds. Haley has been teaching for several years now and is beyond excited to continue working with students to hopefully foster the same passion in them that she has for dance.

Ivy has been dancing her whole life and joined BSD several years ago, where she quickly fell in love with the studio’s welcoming community. Her passion for dance and connection with others led her to stay involved and give back. Ivy has experience as an assistant teacher at the Kalamazoo Civic Theater’s day camps and loves working with kids. She is currently studying Early Childhood Education at Western Michigan University. Ivy hopes to inspire her students to embrace who they are and build confidence through dance.

Jessica first discovered her love of dance through participation in her middle school’s show choir.  She took jazz, hip hop, and tap throughout high school.  In college, she danced with the Lady Hawk Dance Team at Quincy University, where she also studied psychology.  She stepped away from dance for several years while growing her family and pursuing her Ph.D. in psychology at WMU. She discovered Zumba dance fitness in her early 30s and was quickly hooked! She loves how it embraces dance rhythms from around the world and fosters an environment where all are welcome. After 10 years of doing Zumba as a participant, Jessica completed the certification course and is now part of the Zumba Instructor Network. If anyone wants to “ditch the workout and join the party” come check out our adult fitness class. We always have a blast!

Kayla has been dancing since age 2 and instantly developed a passion for the art form! Growing up she trained competitively in dance, competing at regional and national competitions both in studio and dance team styles of dance. Complementing this training, she trained at various ballet schools during her summers, including Cincinnati Ballet, Orlando ballet, and Carolina Ballet. This love for dance continued as she grew, leading her to WMU, where she is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance. Kayla has a passion for dance and teaching!

Kaylee has been dancing since she could walk. Starting at age two with ballet, tap, and jazz, to end up exploring many different styles and variations throughout her career. Kaylee was competitive for many years, dancing with her team, Positively Dance, under MKSOD. She assisted and co-taught under her mother, Amanda Bilton, at the very same studio. She went on to win many awards for her solos and duos, including first place for the first dance she’d ever choreographed.

Kaylee’s favorite styles are contemporary, modern, and hip-hop. One thing she hopes to continue to do is inspire other young dancers to push forward with their dreams, even if it feels hopeless at times. In her spare time, she enjoys making art. Such as: portraits, t-shirt designs, jewelry, etc. She also has a cat she loves named Stella!

Kersten just graduated from WMU’s Dance Program. She has been dancing for 21 years, along with gymnastics for about 12 years. She was a competitive dancer for 6 years and an assistant teacher for 2 years. Kersten trained in Cecchetti ballet up to grade 6 and almost every style of dance, but her favorite is contemporary. Kersten is super excited to share all the knowledge and tips she has learned along the way.

Melissa started dancing in her early teens in California when her parents decided competitive roller skating was too much and it became obvious that softball was not her forte.  She danced throughout high school and into college, where she received her BA from Hope with a major in Dance.  She then continued her studies at The Ohio State University earning a master’s degree in dance history and labanotation (a symbol form of codifying dance movement and choreography). 

She taught briefly at Clark State University through the theater department until she returned to Michigan and her hometown of Portage.  She continued to teach dance in local studios until the birth of her children when she stepped away until a few years ago when the desire to return to dance and especially tap was too much to resist.  She enjoys bringing her love for tap to the adults at BSD dance studio and looks forward to another exciting year.

Nora is a junior at Kalamazoo College where she is majoring in psychology and minoring in theater. She’s looking forward to studying abroad next year. Nora started teaching several years ago. Her dance career spans 15 years, with 13 of them at BSD Dance Studio. Her favorite style of dance is tap. Nora’s goal is to foster a positive and fun learning environment in the studio, and she looks forward to sharing her love for dance this upcoming season!

Raquel has been dancing, teaching, and choreographing various styles for over two decades. Balancing her love for tap, jazz, hip-hop, and modern dance styles she was a decorated competitive dancer for 10+ years, her biggest accomplishment as a national tap dance soloist and Dancer of the Year finalist for Dance American in 2005.

As an adult she has been featured in various publications and podcasts regarding her experience with dance and living with rheumatoid arthritis. Her teaching style focuses on developing young people's confidence through challenging them do their best work and having fun every step of the way.