Rana has been teaching dance since the age of 18 and has been the proud Owner and Artistic Director of NEW Fusion Dance & Performing Arts (formerly Northern Dance Academy) since 2001. Her studio approach - providing high-quality education in a fun and encouraging environment - is what makes her classes so in-demand, and what sets NEW Fusion apart from the rest. Her choreography has received many high awards both regionally and nationally. Her goal as an instructor is simple - to bring out the very best in all of her dancers.
Rana began dancing at the age of 7, when she began studying ballet, tap, jazz, and pointe at the Youngquist Performing Arts Center in Maple Grove, MN. She participated in many competitions in both solo and ensemble numbers. She expanded her training by traveling to master classes and conventions across the country. Rana continued her training through high school and joined her high school dance team, where she was the captain/choreographer for her Junior and Senior years. Rana’s dance training moved on to college at UW-Green Bay. She was a member of the Phoenix Pride Dance Team during her freshman year and also participated in the university's Danceworks program for 4 years as a dancer and choreographer. She achieved her Bachelor’s in Human Development with a Minor in Dance.
As a studio owner, Rana loves expanding the NEW Fusion Dance & Performing Arts curriculum and programming to give budding students a place to indulge their creative dreams. Supporting her staff and all of her dancers is what brings her the most joy. When she is not teaching, working the desk, or in her office creating new and exciting opportunities, you will find her sitting in on classes or walking through the halls smiling and chatting up her dance family.
Bailey grew up dancing in Marshfield, WI training in jazz, ballet, pointe, hip hop, modern, and tap. After establishing a love for dance, Bailey went to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for a bachelor's degree in Dance and Arts Management.
At UWSP, she discovered Pilates and ended up becoming a certified Balanced Body mat Pilates Instructor. During her studies, Bailey also danced on the UWSP Dance Team where she performed at numerous football games and competitions, including NDA Nationals.
Upon her graduation in May of 2023, Bailey continued her 3rd year of teaching dance at Main Street Conservatory of Dance in Marshfield. Bailey has most recently became an apprentice Pilates Instructor at Waveforms Pilates and is currently working towards her fully comprehensive Pilates Teacher Certification.
Bailey is so excited to be a part of the NEW Fusion Dance family! Her favorite part of teaching dance is being able to encourage her students and to see all of their progressions in her class.
Hadley grew up dancing in Eagle River, Wisconsin. She instantly fell in love with dance and always knew it was something she wanted to pursue further.
In December of 2021, Hadley graduated with a degree in Dance and Marketing from Minnesota State University-Mankato. During her time at MSU, Hadley was able to study dance on a specified Private Studio Teaching track which allowed her to take both movement and theory-based dance classes.
In 2023, Hadley moved back to Wisconsin after living and teaching in Minnesota post-grad. Passionate about every facet of the dance world, Hadley enjoys contributing to NEW Fusion through various roles, whether it's managing administrative tasks, handling marketing efforts, taking dance photography, or making fun social posts! Her teaching primarily focuses on beginner-level dancers where she creates a safe and engaging space for all to learn and grow!
Tori is a dedicated performer who has had the privilege of sharing stages with renowned artists such as Beyoncé, Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, and Madonna. Through years of training in jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, and tap, Tori has developed a diverse range of dance skills and styles.
Her commitment and hard work have opened doors for her to participate in prestigious fashion shows, including, Victoria’s Secret, H&M, and Moncler, music videos with Madonna, body doubling for Kendall Jenner, and live shows in LA, NY, and India. Tori also had the honor of being a featured dancer on NBC’s Maya and Marty starring Maya Rudolph and Martin Short.
Ever seeking new challenges, Tori transitioned from professional dancing to a CrossFit Trainer in Brooklyn, New York, further demonstrating her versatility and dedication to physical fitness.
Having recently returned to her roots in Wisconsin, Tori continues to inspire and empower others through her journey as a dancer, performer, and fitness expert.
With over 15 years of dance experience, Lyla brings passion, creativity, and expertise to every class she teaches. Beginning her dance journey at the age of five, Lyla has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop at NEW Fusion. She was also a member of her high school dance team, where she gained experience in pom and kick.
Lyla has attended numerous dance conventions, providing her the opportunity to learn from and dance with many world-renowned dancers and choreographers.
Currently, Lyla is pursuing a degree in Elementary Education, Spanish, and ESL at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. In addition to her academic commitments, she coaches the Bay Port High School Dance Team. Lyla is deeply passionate about teaching and is thrilled to be entering her 5th season with NEW Fusion!
Carla was the owner and artistic director of Inclusion Dance for 10 years. She wanted to be able to focus on her passion of teaching and choreographing again without the added pressure and stress that comes with studio ownership. It made perfect sense for her to join the team at NEW Fusion and work with her long time friend, Rana.
Carla has been teaching and choreographing for over 25 years. She believes strong technique lays the foundation for a solid dancer. Her strongest medium is ballet, having trained her entire childhood and early teen years at the Makaroff School of Ballet, but also finds joy in lyrical and contemporary. Carla is a strong believer in movement quality over tricks and flash - emphasizing texture, dynamics and storytelling in her choreography and teaching as to create a well rounded dancer.
With a background in social work, Carla cares about her students and has created connections with dancers that have remained long after they were her students. She believes in creating a space that is safe and empowering.
Aside from dance, Carla’s other passion is fitness, and she looks forward to strength training and injury prevention work at NEW Fusion.
Though closing her studio was not an easy decision, Carla is excited to create and connect with the NEW Fusion family!
Lynn began her dance training when she was 3 years old. Over the years, she studied tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, and pointe. She continued to pursue a Bachelor’s degree from UW-Green Bay, double majoring in Arts Management and Dance.
In addition to teaching at NEW Fusion since 2014, she is also part of the marketing team at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. One of her favorite dance memories was having the opportunity to work with tap master, Debbie Dee.
Lynn is excited to continue to share the art of dance with the next generation!
Lindsey received her early training in ballet, jazz, and tap while growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 2006, Lindsey moved to Chicago Illinois where she was a member of the Lou Conte Scholarship program for 3 years. During her first year in Chicago, Lindsey debuted with dance company Hip-Hop Connxion Chicago under the direction of Trae Turner and Suave. She was a dancer, choreographer, and named assistant director to HHCC for 3 seasons.
In 2009, she joined Hip-Hop Dance Company Design, under the direction of Karlo Familara and Angelina Grima. While dancing with Design they were named best in the Midwest for 2 consecutive years at the Prelude Midwest Dance Competition, as well as 2nd and 3rd finishes at the World of Dance Competitions, and 10th in the US at the HIp Hop International Dance Competition. Lindsey has performed in some of the country’s biggest dance festivals including Dance Chicago, Hip Hop International, Prelude Midwest, World of Dance, and Carnival. She had the privilege to help create one of the world’s biggest, and perhaps most referenced flash mobs to date as an assistant choreographer and dancer for the “O Project,” which paired on the Oprah Show in September of 2009 featuring the Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Hudson, and Rascal Flatts. Additional credits include, the McDonalds International Convention in Orlando, Krewella, the B96 summer B Bash performing for DJ Flipside, as well as up-and-coming Chicago artist, Adero, and Fox Cable TV commercials.
Lindsey has taught and choreographed all over the Midwest and East Coast receiving many choreography awards for her work. Her students have gone on to some of the most reputable college programs in the country, many receiving partial or full dance scholarships. Some of her teaching credits include the Lou Conte Dance Studio (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago), the DARE Dance Program, and Visceral Dance Chicago.
Lindsey specializes in jazz, contemporary, lyrical and hip-hop. She is also Rhythm Works certified and teaches NEW Fusion’s LEAD program for people with special needs. Lindsey loves working with her colleagues at NEW Fusion and loves to be in the classroom with her students.
Born and raised in Green Bay, Kristin began dancing at age 4. She quickly developed a love for the art and continued her training through competitive studio work and her high school dance team. Kristin graduated from UW-Stevens Point in 2013 with a Dance and Spanish degree. During her time as a student, she performed and choreographed works in yearly dance productions. She was fortunate enough to perform in guest artist Luc Vanier’s work, “Triptich” in 2012 and her piece, “Dandelion” , to the American College Dance Festival Association in 2013.
After graduation, Kristin attended Radio City Rockettes Summer Intensives and performed in various benefit concerts around Wisconsin.
She worked as an actress and company choreographer for Let Me Be Frank Productions for several years. She is also a hired actress through First Choice Talent Agency for commercials and other advertising campaigns.
Kristin is certified in Acrobatic Arts and Rhythm Works. She is also a comprehensively certified Pilates instructor with many specialized trainings under her belt including Scoliosis Rehab, Booty Barre, Anatomy in 3-D, and others. She attends yearly Pilates summits and monthly rehab workshops to advance her skills in training strong, balanced, and mindful movers.
Toni’s journey into the world of dance began with karate and cheerleading at a young age. However, it wasn’t until she was 17 that she discovered her true passion for dance. Over the past 35 years, Toni has been dedicated to guiding young dancers in their development, helping them hone their skills and achieve their goals.
Throughout her career, Toni has choreographed a wide variety of performances. From high school and community musical theater productions to performances for all level dancers, ice skaters, and gymnasts. She also served as the coordinator of the Dance Department at the Heart of the Valley YMCA for 15 years.
For the past 8 years, Toni has been a beloved member of the NEW Fusion community, where she continues to inspire and mentor young dancers to find their own passion and reach their full potential. Her experience, expertise, and unwavering dedication to her craft have made her an invaluable asset to the dance community, both locally and beyond.
Kennedy grew up in Greenville, Wisconsin, where she began taking dance classes at age 8. Throughout her pre-teen years she trained in all styles, but fell in love with ballet and contemporary. In her teen years, she began training pre-professionally in those styles, as well as Graham technique, in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2016, she toured across the country as a convention assistant for Dance Olympus/Dance America’s Summer Tour, learning and demonstrating choreography for professionals in all styles. In high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts and was a semi-finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix. She began teaching and choreographing at age 15 and has been awarded numerous choreography awards at both regional and national competitions. By age 18, she was teaching and choreographing across the state of Wisconsin before moving to California, where she continued to cultivate her talents. She is so excited to be back in Wisconsin to share her passion for dance and join the family at NEW Fusion!
Lily has been dancing for 16 years and is on her second year of teaching dance. Her journey began at Pep in Your Step at the age of 3, and quickly became the thing she loved most. As the studio transitioned to NEW Fusion, she was trained in multiple styles including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and more! Lily is studying at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where she is majoring in Education and minoring in Dance. Lily is very excited to continue sharing her love for dance with her students and cannot wait to see what the year brings!
Reanna has been dancing since the age of 2 but came to NEW Fusion when she was 8. A year later, she joined our competitive teams and absolutely loved it! She was a member of NEW Fusion's competitive program until she graduated high school in 2023.
Reanna now attends St. Norbert College. While there, she is working towards earning an Elementary Education Degree. English and French classes are also a main part of her studies at the school. In 2023, Reanna became a member of the St. Norbert Dance Team where she has been able to compete at multiple high level competitions, including the Dance Team Union's 2024 Collegiate National Championship in Florida.
As a teacher, Reanna works to share her love for dance with her students while having a ton of fun! She ensures a welcoming and exciting environment in all of the classes that she teaches.
Gabi has been teaching at NEW Fusion since 2018! Gabi was also a student at NEW Fusion from the time she was little until she graduated high school in 2016, attending ballet, tap, and jazz classes.
After high school, Gabi attended the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where she studied Elementary Education, Spanish and ESL. During her time at UWGB she joined the dance team. She could not imagine her life without dance and the dance team made her college experience even better! She performed at many men’s and women’s basketball games and competed locally with the team. Gabi was also part of the dance ensemble of the St. Norberts Center Stage production of Mary Poppins in 2018.
Graduating college in 2020, Gabi is thankful she can continue her love for dance and spread her love to the little ones. Not only does Gabi teach at the studio, she is also a first and second grade teacher in the Green Bay District. She is very thankful for the opportunity to inspire children at school, but also through dance. Her two favorite things!
Karissa started dancing at Menasha Park and Rec when she was four years old. While dancing there, she met Miss Carla. After Miss Carla opened Inclusion Dance, Karissa followed her there. She learned her foundation of dance and much of her training by Miss Carla herself. After Inclusion Dance closed, Karissa made the choice to join the dance family at NEW Fusion. With it being her senior year of high school, she knew she wasn’t quite done with dancing.
Karissa couldn’t have been happier with the people she met as well as the teachers who guided her to many successes at NEW Fusion.
After graduating high school in 2024, she will be attending UW-Oshkosh this fall while also being a part of the UWO dance team! She will be competing and performing at games at the collegiate level. The transition to college brings the transition to becoming part of the NEW Fusion staff! Karissa is so excited to learn and teach as a new developing teacher.
Olivia started dancing when she was 10 years old at NEW Fusion and continued to dance throughout highschool at the studio. She was trained in ballet and competed in hip hop, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary. Olivia recently graduated from Appleton North High School and Renaissance School for the Arts. She gives a lot of her credit to Renaissance, with it being the place she got to explore choreographing and teaching dance more in depth, while finding a love for it!
Olivia is extremely happy to be a part of the amazing staff at NEW Fusion and to share her love for dance by teaching!
Mina is a performer, choreographer and professional dance educator who uses dance to enrich the lives of others while creating lasting impact. Mina began dancing at the age of 4; training in Ballroom, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, and Irish Step Dancing.
She has performed in Dublin, Ireland as well as with Gaelic Storm, Big Bad Voodoo Daddies. In addition, Mina is a World Irish Dance Show Dance Champion, Rising Star American Smooth Champion, and Rising Star American Rhythm Champion.
Mina’s commitment to dynamic excellence and talent for growing dancer’s passion and skill creates high demand for her teaching style and philosophy as owner and director of Studio 303 and Le Carnaval Ballroom Competition. She is an industry leader who remains dedicated to professionally mentoring, coaching, and developing performers.
Lauren grew up in Appleton, WI. Her professional training began in college and she received her BFA in Dance at The Boston Conservatory. At the conservatory she studied contemporary and ballet with a special focus on ballet. She spent a summer dancing in Israel, studying with the Batsheva dance company. There, she expanded her education in improv technique. Professionally Lauren has danced with both classical ballet companies as well as contemporary modern companies. She danced with José Mateo Ballet Theatre in Boston for five seasons. There she danced many principal roles including Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen and roles created for her by the director José Mateo. She has also danced with Convergence ballet company where she expanded her performance experience doing both featured roles in the contemporary work as well as being a soloist in classical ballet pieces. She has also danced with Neos Dance Theatre where she performed a wide range of work. She danced the ballerina doll in Bobby Wesner’s reimagined ballet “Petrushka”. Lauren finished her professional career with Twin Cities Ballet where she was their Sugar Plum in the Nutcracker and had a new Firebird choreographed on her by the director Rick Vogt along with many other exciting roles.
McKenna danced at NEW Fusion for 13 years and has been teaching for 4! She has trained in almost all styles including jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, modern, and musical theater; her favorite being jazz and tap!
Throughout her dance training, she has been to numerous convention and competition settings, where she has excelled and received several outstanding awards. A few places she has trained additionally include Celebrity Conventions, College Dance Team Intensives, Nexgen Artist Workshops, and CLI Conservatory classes.
Dance has always held a special place in her heart she cannot wait to share that with all her students! From the youngest tiny dancers to the oldest teams, she finds joy in encouraging all dancers along their journeys with an emphasis on hard work and dedication to the arts.
Miss McKenna is double majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications and Sports Media Culture at the University of Iowa; but plans to come back and continue to share her love of dance with NEW Fusion when she can!
