About Us

Miss Mary started her dance career in 1999 at the age of 4 with MKSOD. She is skilled in the styles of Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Acro, Modern, Pointe, Hip Hop, & Early Education Dance. Miss Mary found her passion for teaching dance when she decided to become a Teacher Assistant at the age of 10, and teaching on her own at just 16! She graduated from WMU with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology: Behavioral Science & a minor in Dance. During college, she traveled & performed all over the Midwest with the dance troupe Hip Hop ConnXion. As director of Green Dance Academy and Company, Miss Mary has travelled and performed in LA, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Detroit and more. Her teams have been awarded many special awards including the Professionalism Award at the Groove National Competition two years running! In her spare time,

Miss Mary loves a good cup of coffee, and spending time outside with her husband, two dogs, kitty cat & soon-to-arrive baby boy! Miss Mary is dedicated to sharing her knowledge & passion for dance with her students and is excited for the new season at Green Dance Academy!

 Miss Marisa has been teaching since 2012. She is skilled in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Clogging, Hip Hop, Acro, Early Dance Education, and Lyrical. Miss Marisa has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She went to Lansing Community College for 2 years where she studied dance.  Miss Marisa loves teaching all ages of dancers especially her younger dancers. When she is not teaching Miss Marisa can be found hanging out with her friends and family. 

  Miss Kira started dancing at age 3 in the Chicago area, competing for 8 years before moving to St. Joseph. She brings 6 years of teaching experience from Power In Motion, where she also served as the Assistant Dance Department Leader and helped start their competitive dance team. Skilled in Hip Hop and Jazz, Miss Kira loves choreographing for both recitals and competitions across all age groups. She combines high technical discipline with energy and humor, and she is so excited for an amazing season at GDA! 

Miss Annabelle has loved dance ever since she started her first ballet class at four years old! She was able to study ballet for ten years, occasionally taking lyrical and pointe classes. In recent years, her passion has only grown as she gets to see her students improve in class and succeed on stage! Most importantly, Miss Annabelle wants her students to love dance as much as she does. One of her favorite parts of teaching is getting to know new people, as well as choreographing fun routines for recital! In her free time, Miss Annabelle loves curling up with a book or movie,

making art, playing board games, and spending time with her family (and her dog, Pumpkin). She loves the holiday season, and her favorite ballet is The Nutcracker. She is beyond excited to spend another year teaching at GDA!

Brandi grew up in the area and studied all forms of dance at Miss Julie's in Coloma and ballet/modern at the summer program at Interlochen. She then went on to dance at Disneyworld in Orlando, throughout south Florida, and then on to Los Angeles. She traveled with Kaya Jones including a USO tour to Iraq, was a guest on television shows and videos, then pursued her true calling of teaching at Sophie Dance in LA. This led to many opportunities to teach various celeb kids, travel the world dancing/teaching, and starting a competitive dance studio of her own, "Studio B". Now coming back to her roots in Southwest Michigan, she is looking forward to sharing all the incredible experiences and knowledge she's

picked up along the way with aspiring dancers at Green Dance Academy!

Miss Rachel started her dance career at the age of 4 with MKSOD and has continued her dance career with GDA. She is skilled in the styles of Ballet, Tap,

Jazz, Lyrical, Acro, Modern, Pointe & Hip Hop. Miss Rachel found her passion for teaching dance when she was a substitute teacher. Her favorite styles of dance are Lyrical & Acro. Miss Rachel graduated from Decatur High School and is now

attending Ross Certification to be an ultrasound technician. She likes to spend time with her friends and shopping when she isn’t teaching. Miss Rachel is very excited to start the new year teaching with Green Dance Academy and share her knowledge with all her students!

Miss Abi has been dancing for 6 years. She started dancing at MKSOD when she was 12 and continued dancing at Green Dance Academy until she graduated from Brandywine High School in 2024. After graduating, she knew that she

wanted to share her love and passion for dance with others by teaching! Her favorite styles of dance are Jazz, Tap, and Lyrical. Outside of the dance studio, you can find Miss Abi at the beach, getting coffee, or spending time with family and friends. Although, she is most likely just relaxing at home with her dogs, enjoying a good book!

Twyla Pojetta is a passionate ballet teacher and accomplished dancer with a deep love for the arts. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, she earned her BFA degree majoring in Ballet, and was awarded

Academic Honors and a scholarship, studying with some of the greatest Ballet Masters. Twyla’s extensive training also includes time at Ballet Chicago and Southold Dance Theater, where she had the privilege to learn from many inspiring

teachers across various ballet techniques, including Russian technique, Balanchine technique, and American Ballet Theatre (ABT) style. She’s also proud to have competed and placed as an ensemble finalist in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP). As a professional dancer, Twyla performed for the Lexington Ballet,

bringing her passion to the stage in various classical and contemporary roles. Her experience on stage deeply informs her teaching, allowing her to offer students insights from her own career. For 8 years, Twyla has been sharing her passion for

ballet with students of all ages. She loves helping dancers grow technically while also nurturing their love for the art form. Twyla believes in creating a positive and encouraging environment where students can thrive and find joy in dance.

Miss Katelyn started dancing when she was 3 years old, and graduated from Decatur High School, and Green Dance Academy in Spring 2026! She has been trained in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Acro and Hip Hop through her 15 years of studio training. Her favorite styles of dance are Hip Hop and Acro. Miss Katelyn began teaching dance in the Fall of 2024, and has been

truly loving it! In her free time, Miss Katelyn enjoy spending at home and with my friends. You can always find Miss Katelyn with an energy drink and a snack! She is so excited for the new season with Green Dance Academy, and all the students she will get to teach!

 Ever since she could walk, Miss Allison loved to dance and started dreaming about being a dance teacher.  At 6 years old she started studying dance at MKSOD and continued her dance career with GDA. She is skilled in the styles of Clogging, Lyrical, and Ballet. After 13 years of dancing at a studio, Miss Allison still found time to dance even in her college years at SMC, then at Grace College in Indiana. When not teaching, you can find her having fun with her family and friends, creating art and music, or exploring the outdoors.