We pride ourselves on hiring only the best instructors. All of our instructors have numerous years of experience in their area of expertise, along with a passion for what they do. Our greatest pride is the atmosphere of family and friendship present at Center Stage. Read below to meet some of the members of our dance family.
Michelle Hensel, Owner/Director
Michelle has had more than 30 years of dance experience and 20 years of teaching experience. After earning a Bachelor’s of Arts in Dance from Sam Houston State University, she went on to complete a Master’s of Education at Texas A&M University. At Sam Houston State University, she choreographed dances for the spring show and danced in ChoDance Company. She was a member of Chi Tau Epsilon, a national dance honor society. She has taught all ages of students in a variety of dance forms. Michelle has choreographed several award-winning routines at national dance competitions. She has had dancers win National titles under her direction and has won recognition for her choreography. Michelle has studied under Dana Nicolay (former dancer of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Dayton Ballet), Jonathan Smith (former Broadway Dancer in A Chorus Line, Jesus Christ Superstar, and many others), and Jennifer Pontius (former member of Pacific Dance Ensemble and Birmingham Ballet). She opened Center Stage in 2004 and looks forward to many more years of teaching.
Tori Rey, Office Manager
Ms. Tori earned her Bachelor degree in Music Theatre at Arizona State University. Tori began instructing students at the middle school and high school level in a range of genres, from ballet and tap to modern, jazz, and even flamenco. Along with her teaching, Tori also has an impressive performance background. She currently sings with The Pictures and Stella and the Hey Dudes. She is also the worship leader at Pflugerville Community Church. She has performed in several professional musical theatre productions including “Smokey Joe’s Café”, Delee (for which she won an award for Best Female Lead), “The 1940’s Radio Hour”, Connie, two productions of “A Chorus Line”, Bebe and Connie, “Footloose”, Ariel, and “The Music Man”, Zaneeta. She was also a featured dancer and singer in a show based on the history of her hometown called Viva! El Paso. Tori has been trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, clogging, flamenco, and folklorico by various instructors in both El Paso and Phoenix. Her two daughters, Elyssa and Isla, have both danced at Center Stage. Tori has led many company teams, solos, and duets to compete on the national stage. She is delighted to work with dancers of all ages, levels, and styles to help them find their own passion for dance.
Monica Erskine
Monica has been teaching at Center Stage since 2015. She found her love for dance at the age of 3 and grew up dancing with Center Stage Productions in College Station, Texas. Dancing on their Platinum competition team, she attended numerous national competitions and conventions in New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, and more. Her specialty dance style is tap, prompting her to attend Slide, a week-long tap intensive in NYC. Monica has studied and competed with ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, pointe, lyrical, hip-hop, kick, pom, and country-western swing pieces. She danced in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008 and 2009, and has recently provided master classes and choreography for the Rouse Royals Drill Team and Danielson Dynasty dance team. Her competition routines at Center Stage have won numerous overall titles and awards. Monica is a graduate of Texas A&M University and loves to read, run, two-step, travel, and spend time with her husband and three kids. She is thrilled to share her love for dance with students at Center Stage.
Brittany Johnson
Brittany earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Minor in Management from Sam Houston State University (SHSU). Brittany began dancing at the age of three in Austin, TX. She has advanced training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Improvisation, Partnering, and Pilates.
Brittany has performed for notable artists such as Andy Noble, Dionne Sparkman Noble, Dana Nicolay, Evelyn Toh, and Vincent Calleros. She performed at The Vortex Theatre as a part of The Austin Tap Ensemble and danced professionally for Nicolay Dance Works in “A Wynne Home Alice.” Brittany also performed in two works at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) South-Central Conference, both of which were chosen for the ACDA Gala Concert.
In addition to performing, Brittany presented her own choreography in several shows at SHSU, and set work at McNeil High School on both the McNeil Majestics and the McNeil Sapphire Dancers.
She has also choreographed award-winning competition routines and worked as head choreographer for several musicals at The Georgetown Palace Theatre.
Brittany has been teaching at Center Stage since 2019. She has experience teaching a wide range of dance styles to students of all ages and levels. Brittany is a strong believer in fostering a love of dance within her students and is excited to continue sharing her passion for the art form through teaching.
Nicole Martinez
Nicole is from Santa Cruz, California. She grew up dancing at Dancenter in Capitola, California where she studied ballet, tap, jazz and modern. Nicole became faculty at Dancenter after becoming ABT NTC certified. Wanting to expand as an artist, she later accepted the invitation to become a trainee at BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio. As a trainee, Nicole performed in Balanchine’s “Who Cares?”, “Serenade,” and “Walpurgisnacht” as well as classical works such as La Bayadere, Giselle, and Swan Lake. She received the BalletMet Academy Certificate of Outstanding Performance and became faculty the following year. Nicole then returned to California as New Ballet faculty and Studio Company Member. While at New Ballet, she was give the opportunity to perform principle roles in Marika Brussel’s “Ruth’s Crossing,” Le Mai Linh’s “Awakening,” and Naomi Sailor’s “Reverse Entropy.” She is currently a resident artist with Metamorphosis Dance performing neoclassical and classical roles such as the Dew Drop Fairy, Esmeralda and Odile. She looks forward to sharing the joy of dance with the students of Center Stage.
Brylee Brandt
Brylee began dancing at the age of 2 as one of the first students right here at Center Stage. She is trained in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, and modern. Brylee served as captain of the Liberty Hill Liberty Belles dance team for two years and won Miss Danceline USA in 2018 and 2019. She has choreographed for the officer lines of both the Liberty Hill Liberty Belles dance team and the Danielson Dynasty dance team. Brylee attended Texas Christian University and earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies, and is currently attending the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. She has been teaching at Center Stage since 2018 and is eager to share her passion and knowledge of the art of dance!
Gracelynn Thomas
Gracelynn started her dance adventure here at Center Stage when she was 9 years old. She has competed with our award-winning jazz/lyrical company teams and hip-hop company teams for 7 years. Her most recognizable accomplishments include winning first runner-up at Dance Showcase Nationals, earning an invitation to Starpower’s Power Pack Convention, and receiving multiple Act 1 Talent callbacks for her solos. She found a strong passion for dance and often spends over 11 hours dancing at the studio every week. Gracelynn prides herself on her desire to improve, to help others improve, and to help others discover the same love she has for dance. Gracelynn is working toward her dream of attending Texas Tech and performing with the Texas Tech Pom Squad. Gracelynn is very excited to share her love for dance with her students!
Brenna Hensel
Brenna has been dancing for 16 years. She has been on the competitive dance team at Center Stage for the past 12 years where her teams have brought home numerous top honors. Her team won 2nd Overall at Dance Showcase Nationals in Arlington. Brenna was a member of the Liberty Hill Belles dance team. Through her high school drill team, she had the honor of performing in a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade and on the DallasCowboys field at the state playoff game. Brenna has been teaching classes for two years now. She has hosted birthday parties at the studio and was a member of our mentor training program for two years. Brenna absolutely adores children. Brenna plans to pursue a degree in physical therapy and hopes to work as a pediatric physical therapist in the future. She is so excited to be able to share her love of dance with her students.
J Mendl
J has over 20 years of dance experience, including hip-hop, jazz, ballet, tap, and musical theater. J grew up in Abilene, TX studying at Dance Discovery Studios and NYU’s CAP 21 summer program. He studied in New York for over two years and has taught dance professionally in various studios and theaters across the country. J has also worked as a singer, dancer, and actor in Casa Manana, La Comedia, The Prizery, and other theaters across Texas, Virginia, and New York. He specializes in hip-hop, musical theater dance, and theatrical acrobatics. J received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Abilene Christian University. He is excited to teach classes at Center Stage and inspire the next generation of dancers!
Aikman Lee
Aikman has danced with our Center Stage family for the past 12 years. She has been a member of our competition teams since the age of 8, competing with jazz, lyrical, pom, and hip-hop. Her teams have won several overall titles throughout the years, and Aikman has earned many awards for her competitive solos and duets, as well. Her training has also included ballet, tap, contemporary, drill, pointe, and more. Aikman was the captain of the WMS Silver Spurs dance team and is now a lieutenant on the Rouse Royals. She has served as an assistant and substitute teacher at Center Stage for the past 5 years. Aikman hopes to help students grow not only in their dance skills, but in life skills, as well.
Nataleigh Blay
Nataleigh Blay began her dance journey at the age of three at MA Dance Project. At seven, she joined Evolution Dance Complex, where she became a proud member of the Evolve Dance Company. During her time with Evolve, Nataleigh earned numerous scholarships from prestigious dance conventions and competitions, including Streetz, Dance Makers, and Intrigue. In high school, Nataleigh was a dedicated member of the Liberty Belles drill team. She served as an officer for three years—first as Junior Varsity Coordinator during her sophomore year, then as Junior Lieutenant in her junior year, and finally as Senior Lieutenant in her senior year. Nataleigh’s extensive dance training includes ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, hip hop, pom, and drill. She is currently pursuing a degree in education at Concordia University Texas. Nataleigh is thrilled to be a part of the Center Stage family and looks forward to inspiring and working with our talented dancers!
We are accepting instructor applications. We are always looking for energetic instructors who love working with kids and sharing their talents. Send your resume to centerstageleander@gmail.com.
1602 S. West Dr. in Leander, TX 78641
512-259-0445
Center Stage 