photo
courtesy of
Vonda Hussey Janie
Christy
Owner and director, of the Janie Christy School of Dance.
Janie has been dancing since the age of 3, when her pediatrician recommended ballet lessons to remedy signs of weak ankles. Little did her mother know that giving her daughter dance lessons would be the gift that would last a lifetime. It was the beginning of a life of dancing.
Growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas, Janie was trained in classical ballet by European dancers Frank and Irina Pal and performed with the Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre. As a high school senior, she began student teaching with the Pals, and loved instructing young children.
Continuing to dance and teach through college, as a theatre arts major, she also performed musical theatre in summer stock with the Music Theatre of Wichita, Kansas.
After her marriage to husband, Glen, she continued to perform and teach ballet in Austin, Tx., St. Louis, Mo., Houston, Tx. and then in Dallas, at the Schaffenburg/Cross Dance studio and the Dallas Ballet Center.
Making Lake Highlands their home in 1986, Janie and Glen raised their three children, Amber, Tori and Ryan. With her husband’s encouragement and business background, her dream of opening her own studio in Lake Highlands became a reality in August 1993.
Celebrating the 19th anniversary of the Janie Christy School of Dance this season, Miss Janie, as she is known by all her students, still enjoys sharing her love of dance and music with children from age 3 years old to teenagers.
Now a grandmother, Janie has recently added Mom & Tot classes, so she can sing and dance with her 3 grandchildren, while teaching moms of toddlers fun songs and creative movement.
She looks forward to dancing with all her many children of Lake Highlands, Dallas, Richardson, Garland, Plano, and as far as Rockwall, for years to come, giving them the “Gift of Dance” her mother gave to her.
Gina
Baker
Tap and Jazz Director and Office Manager, of the Janie
Christy School of Dance.
Gina Baker has been a faculty member at Janie Christy School of Dance since 1993 and currently serves as Tap and Jazz Director and Office Manager. She began her training at age five in Zanesville, Ohio at the
Marjorie Holzschuler Sellers Dance Arts Centre. Gina moved to Dallas in 1988 where she continued her training. She studied with the Dance Departments at both Richland College and CCCCD and was a member of Dance Express. She also attends Musicworks Unlimited workshops yearly. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and their family pets.
Amanda
Hunt
Amanda Hunt has been dancing since the age of three, training at the Academy of Dance and Gymnastics, in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and pointe. While there, she trained at Broadway Dance Center in New York, and was a guest performer on a Carnival Cruise ship. Amanda was also asked to be a staff member, during a month-long tour of Australia, where she taught young dancers and cheerleaders. She studied modern at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she competed her under-graduate degree in May 2007. During her four years in college, she was asked to represent U.T. Dallas at the American College Dance Festival Association by performing at adjudicated shows each spring. Amanda began her professional performing career with Dallas Dance Company in 2007 and is currently dancing with Elledanceworks, the artist in residence at Collin College. She will celebrate her first wedding anniversary with her husband Chase in September, still lives with her precious dog ("daughter") Maggie. This is Amanda's fourth year teaching at Janie Christy School of Dance.
Katie
Lang
Katie began dancing at the Janie Christy School of Dance in preschool and later became an assistant teacher with Mrs. Janie before taking on classes of her own in high school. In 2009 she graduated from Baylor University with a degree in French language. During her time at Baylor she completed various courses in dance technique. Katie was also a member of Baylor Dance Company and choreographed for Baylor's All-University Sing. She is thrilled to be teaching for Mrs. Janie again and loves the opportunity to share her passion for dance with others.
Morgan
Zerelle Ambrose
Morgan was born and raised in Austin, Texas where she received dance training from the likes of Mary Margaret Holt, Annette Duval, Alexandra Nadal, Eugene Slavin, Igor Youskevitch, Yacov Sharir, Stanley Hall, and Leon Danielian. She also danced with Columbia City Ballet, Ruth Mitchell in Atlanta, GA, Al Gilbert, and Gary Harrison, who was a renowned jazz teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. She danced various roles in The Nutcracker Suite, and performed corps work in Les Sylphides, Swan Lake, La Fille Mal Gardee, Gaitee Parisienne, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Morgan specialized in ballet, but also enjoyed tap, jazz, hip hop, and modern. She also performed in various other productions such as opera, musical theater, and music videos. She taught classes with the Columbia Conservatory of Dance in South Carolina, The Studio Atlanta Dance, the Academy of Ballet in Norcross, Georgia, and City Ballet in Dallas, Texas. Additionally, she developed and taught An Introduction to Dance, which was an after school dance program at E. Rivers Elementary in Atlanta, GA.
Morgan looks forward to her second year of teaching at Janie Christy’s School of Dance.
Catie
French
Catie has been training in Dance and Gymnastics in both Boston, MA and Austin, TX since she was four years old. She studied several disciplines, including Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, Tap, Acrobatics, and Cheer. Catie attended Westlake High School in Austin where she served as a Lieutenant on the Westlake Hyline Dance Team and was a member of their elite Jazz Company and Honor Kick Line. After high school, she attended The University of Texas at Austin where she was a member of the Texas Pom Squad and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre and Dance. Throughout her dancing years, she earned several awards for her ability and positive attitude, including Starmaker Solo Finalist, Texas Pom Squad Game Day Performer of the Year, and the Texas Pom Squad “Best Attitude” award. In Austin, she worked at several studios and instructed children 18 months through 16 years old in jazz, hip-hop, gymnastics, cheer, and drill team prep. Catie enjoys working with young dancers and is proud of her 100% success rate in several of her drill team preparation courses. Currently, Catie serves as the Assistant Director of the Lake Highlands Highlandette Drill Team and is excited to bring her passion and expertise to the students at the Janie Christy School of Dance.