Kelly Smith
TDM Founder / Owner, Company Director, Master Choreographer and Instructor
Kelly Smith has been dancing since the age of 3. Raised in Dearborn, Michigan, Kelly trained at a highly competitive and technical studio. After obtaining her BA in Psychology while continuing her dance training, Kelly relocated to Colorado with the desire to utilize her unique artistic voice to develop and support dancers of all ages and abilities. She founded The Dance Movement out of her passion to provide dancers with a loving, supportive environment while instilling a solid foundation in training and technique. Kelly is dedicated to excellence and specializes in choreography, performance artistry, technical training for all levels, flexibility, conditioning and movement. She has trained many dancers who have continued their dance careers in a variety of avenues such as signing with college dance teams, receiving dance scholarships for college studies, and booking industry jobs on television, off-Broadway and with the Radio City Rockettes. Kelly thoroughly enjoys teaching dancers of all ages and making dance a fun, positive learning experience. She is the proud mom to her daughter, Prairie, one of Colorado’s Top Competitive dancers who is a member of our TDM Company Competitive Team.
Bree Ray
Company Director, Choreographer, Master Instructor
Bree has been dancing and performing for over 25 years, including spending time as a member of professional dance teams including Colorado Crush and Rockstarz. She is renowned in the dance community for skills such as educating dancers on proper technique in a variety of genres, building a safe and encouraging environment and injury prevention to ensure the opportunity for career longevity. Bree has been recognized for her choreography both regionally and nationally. Bree is the Director of our award-winning Competitive Company Team. Her daughter is a part of our Squad Competitive Team.
As a master dance instructor, Bree feels it is essential for her students to feel inspired, powerful, confident, passionate and supported.
Claudia Parsons
Company Co-Director, Master Instructor, Choreographer
Claudia began dancing at the age of 2. Since then, she has extensively trained in several styles including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballroom, tap, musical theatre and hip hop. Throughout Claudia’s competitive dance career, during which she trained and competed for The Dance Movement, she received numerous overall high scores, scholarships, Titles and recognition for her technique, stage presence and quality of movement. At only 15 years of age, Claudia began assisting with both technique classes and group dance choreography. She was a part of the LADM company for 3 years and also was recognized as an NRG Dance Project Prodigy. This led to an apprenticeship for NRG Dance Project, as well as an internship for the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop.
Claudia completed her Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a special certification in Hip Hop at the University of Colorado. She is thrilled to share her love of dance with this generation of TDM dancers, and to work with her students to develop their technique, build their self-confidence, nurture their love for this sport and encourage their artistic expression.
Natalie Weaver
Squad Leader, Master Instructor, Choreographer
Since the age of three, Natalie has dedicated herself to the art of dance. She has trained heavily across multiple disciplines, including jazz, musical theater, contemporary, ballet, and hip hop. Some of her proudest milestones include being accepted into the first season of CLI and performing with the Metropolitan State University of Denver Dance Team.
Her passion for the art form transitioned into leadership during high school, where she began teaching and choreographing. Currently, Natalie is expanding her professional skill set by pursuing a degree in Business Management at MSU Denver. As a dance educator, she is deeply committed to nurturing her students, helping them grow into exceptional dancers and remarkable individuals.
Michele Jongeneel-Olson
Master Instructor, Choreographer, Resident Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Michele is a dynamic movement educator with a BFA in Dance Performance from California State University, Long Beach. Over a 21-year career in New York City, she toured globally with modern dance companies and starred in the world-renowned Off-Broadway spectacle Fuerza Bruta.
A former member of the NBA Clippers Spirit Dance Team who performed at Los Angeles' iconic Staples Center, Michele’s performing credits span NYC, Las Vegas, Moscow, Stuttgart, Zurich, and Buenos Aires. Alongside her artistic success, she has built a fruitful career teaching Pilates, Yoga, Barre, and dance. She holds an ABT NTC PP-L3 Classical Ballet Teacher Certification, as well as Yoga and Pilates certifications. Passionate about both the expressive and biomechanical aspects of movement, Michele is thrilled to share her expertise and artistry with TDM.
Lauren Hughes
Acro / Tumbling Master Instructor
Lauren started gymnastics at the age of 5 and grew up competing in Colorado in both the CARA and USAG programs. She finished her career competing collegiately for Texas Women's University in 2005. She coached recreational and competitive gymnastics, as well as cheer tumbling before joining TDM. Lauren has a love of working with children and a passion for acrobatic dance skills. She helps dancers create amazing results while emphasizing the importance of safety and proper form in her acro classes. Lauren is also the proud parent to her two children. Her oldest, Arabella, is a part of our TDM Company Competitive Team.
Thomas Grassia
Master Instructor
Thomas began his dance journey at The National Dance Institute of New Mexico, followed by training at The Colorado Ballet Academy and Premier School of Dance before college. Thomas has studied and performed in a wide variety of dance styles, including ballet, modern, tap, contemporary, hip hop, jazz, and musical theater. His performance experience includes The Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream with The Colorado Ballet, along with works by André Megerdichian and the late Salvatore Aiello at CSU. Thomas graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. As a choreographer, Thomas has developed a growing repertoire of original pieces, establishing himself as a talented artist. He has been commissioned to choreograph for an operetta and an opera at CSU. Additionally, his talent has been recognized with all award-winning dances created for fraternities and sororities.
Melissa Halpin
Resident Master Ballet Instructor
Melissa received her training at the School of Orlando City Ballet for 13 years under the direction of Beatrix Aldana and spent her summers training with renowned teachers including Luba Gulyaeva, Mark Spivak, Valeria Sinyavakaya, and Veronica Aldana. She performed with the student company until 2001, and upon graduation was accepted into the 2002 Youth America Grand Prix finals in New York City. In Orlando, she performed with Russian Ballet under the direction of Vadim Fedotov, and also spent five seasons with Central Florida Ballet under the direction of Vasile Petrutiu. She has had the opportunity to travel as a guest artist for many venues in the United States. Her repertoire includes classics such as The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and The Nutcracker, and contemporary works.
Darcy Glenn
Front Desk / Office Manager
Darcy Glenn is a Colorado native who resides in Erie, CO with her husband and two children. She graduated from Metropolitan State University (Denver) with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. Darcy has a passion for working with children, and has spent over 20 years as a preschool teacher. Her daughter, Birdie, started at TDM in 2021 and is a member of The Dance Movement Competitive Team. Darcy is focused on providing friendly and professional service to all of our amazing dancers and families. Please don’t ever hesitate to stop by and see Miss Darcy at the front desk. She is happy to help or answer any questions!
