Our Staff

Premiere Dance Company is a professional dance studio located in Norman, Oklahoma. We offer quality instruction in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary and Lyrical dance forms. We also offer by audition, a competition company and a preprofessional team that performs in dance competitions all across the state of Oklahoma and beyond. We pride ourselves as a company dedicated to coming alongside your child to develop them into strong dancers with quality character.

Whether at the front desk or in the classroom, each of our staff members love students and are trained in dance.

MEET OUR STAFF

Ricki Dillard is the Office Manager here at Premiere Dance Company and is the first face you see when you walk in the door! She grew up dancing in Oklahoma City where she found her passion for performing. She spent three years on her high school pom team. She then attended Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas where she spent 3 years on their dance team. While in Kansas she taught Jazz and Hip-Hop at a local studio. After returning to Oklahoma she jumped into working full-time as a retail manager. Now she has returned to the dance world and couldn’t be happier to be part of the Premiere Dance Family!

Kourtney Rentz has been involved in the dance world her whole life and is excited to continue her dance career as a new teacher here at Premiere Dance Company. She is originally from Utah where she began her training as a competitive dancer in a variety of genres including ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz and hip hop. After graduating high school, she attended Brigham Young University where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance. Kourtney had the opportunity to be a member of and perform with BYU’s Contemporary Dance Theater, Contemporary Dance Ensemble and Ballet Showcase companies. While dancing on these companies, she was also invited to teach college-level ballet and jazz classes at the University and received an award for her teaching. Kourtney started teaching at local dance studios at the young age of 15 years old where she discovered she had a passion for dance pedagogy and choreography. She has since been teaching and setting competition choreography for over 10 years at a number of private dance studios in Utah and Washington State. There is nothing that brings as much joy and satisfaction to her as creating moving art and watching her students grow and succeed. As far as continuing her own dance education, Kourtney is currently dancing professionally with Oklahoma’s R.A.C.E Dance Company. She recently moved to Oklahoma with her husband and can’t wait to explore the state and be a part of it’s dance community!

Hannah Braegger McKeachnie originally from Cedar Hills, Utah is a recent graduate of Utah Valley University (UVU) where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a Modern emphasis. She was awarded the Outstanding Student of the Year for the UVU Dance Department for 2013-2014. Hannah thoroughly enjoyed performing with UVU’s elite dance companies, Contemporary Dance Ensemble and Synergy for 3 years where she has danced solo parts and group works of renown companies and choreographers including Utah's best, RDT and Ririe Woodbury. Additionally while at UVU, she attended ACDFA yearly where she was awarded gala performances as a dancer, worked as the Dance Department Representative for the School of the Arts, an intern for the Dance Department, and has assumed presidency responsibilities for the UVU Contemporary Club and the prestigious UVU leadership scholarship program (CAL)
Hannah loves to choreograph and is fascinated with quirky out-of-the-norm movement. She has done choreography residencies in Utah and hopes to do the same all over Oklahoma. Hannah believes in giving back to those who help shape you and in return, taught Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Tap, and hip hop to all ages for 7+ years at the Academy of Ballet in Utah where she grew up training in all genres since age 7. Hannah moved to Oklahoma in the Fall of 2014 to further pursue her professional goals in the arts while her husband attends OU. This is Hannah's second year teaching at Premiere and absolutely loves it. This studio has quickly become her OK dance family. Hannah has recently accepted a company member position on OKC's professional Modern and Aerial-based dance company Perpetual Motion and is now performing at new heights all over the state!
When she is not dancing, Hannah loves to camp, color, work with and train her black lab Jazzmine, explore the art of photography, and will soon own her own motorcycle. She married her best friend and hero Reuben McKeachnie in June of 2013. Hannah is eternally grateful for her husband who encourages her to live her dreams and share her artistry and passion for dance everyday.

Michelle Rambo has been teaching dance for 12 years, which includes styles of hip hop, jazz/ funk, contemporary, jazz and tap.
She has bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the University of Central Oklahoma and Kinesiology from East Central University (ECU).
She became the first recipient of the ECU Dance Scholarship, where, for two years, she was captain for the Collage Dance Ensemble. She became the Artistic
Director for ECU dance minor program.
Michelle has received several accolades for her creativity in choreography. She has received choreography awards for a contemporary routine in ‘Amongst Us’ and in hip hop routines ‘Elevator’ in 2009 and ‘She Ain’t Got’ in 2010. She received the Dance Spirit Magazine’s Video of the Month Viewer’s Choice Award for ‘She Ain’t Got’ in August 2010. In 2011 Her high school hip hop class routine, ‘Do You Remember’, received the Dance Teacher Magazine’s Video of the Month Editor’s Choice Award. Her choreography recently won state in the hip hop pom category for Seminole High School in 2015.
Michelle has performed in the National Dance Association’s Gala Performance in Baltimore, Maryland and Wichita, Kansas. She has performed in the Oklahoma Centennial Parade and Neiman’s Children Christmas Parade. Michelle has had the privilege to teach alongside some of the best: Keith Clifton, Jackie Sleight, Rhonda Miller, Huggy Ford and Lauren Gaul, just to name a few. Michelle has been fortunate to choreograph for the well-known professional Race Dance Company located in Oklahoma City, OK. She has choreographed national hip hop pom routines for McLennan Community College and University of Oklahoma (OU). She has taught at the American College Dance Association at Southeast Missouri State University and Anderson Indiana University and the Soul De Soul dance convention as a guest artist in Oklahoma City, OK.
Michelle's talents have been showcased during the pre-game performance for the Oklahoma City Thunder and at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Currently, Michelle has been focused on judging for The Dance Effect competition. She continues to spread her energy, knowledge and her love for teaching master classes to everyone who appreciates the art of dance. This summer Michelle will be teaching for the professional Dallas Black Dance Theatre Summer Intensive in Dallas, Texas. She’s excited to continue her dance faculty position in the Musical theatre department for the University of Oklahoma (OU).

Morgan Pawloski grew up in Dallas, Texas and began dancing at the age of 3. She trained with Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre where she studied ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip-hop. In 2014 her and her team were awarded The Studio of The Year in Las, Vegas at The Dance Awards. Since graduating she was accepted into the University of Oklahoma’s Modern Dance program but is now pursuing a degree in Health and Exercise Science. She performed in OU’s Young Choreographers Showcase last winter and has performed with Wanderlust Dance Company in Dallas the past two summers. Morgan plans to pursue dance professionally after she graduates this spring.

Mitzi Labrie grew up dancing in Whittier, California where she studied ballet, tap, and jazz from the age of two. In 2000 she was accepted into the dance program at Oklahoma City University. She spent 3 years performing with the American Spirit Dance Company . While in school, Mitzi began her teaching career at a local studio where she taught all ages and levels. In 2003, Mitzi earned her BS in Dance Management. After graduation she taught for the dance department at St. Gregory's University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. After a 9 year hiatus to be home with her boys, Mitzi is excited to be back in the studio as an instructor. She looks forward to sharing her knowledge with Premiere Dance Company.
Mitzi is married and resides in Norman with her husband , Tom , and children: Jonathan , Chase and Chandler.

Click Thyrsa Da Rosa Hartel is a native of Asuncion, Paraguay. She graduated from the National Institute of Fine Arts of Paraguay with a degree in Classical Ballet Pedagogy, then studied modern dance at the University of Oklahoma with extensive focus in Graham and Limon technique. She has performed with the National Ballet of Paraguay, and was a member of Momentum Dance Company of Guatemala City, touring Guatemala and Mexico. As a founding member of the OKC based dance company Hartel Dance Group, she has performed in Oklahoma City and Tulsa; Sioux Falls, SD; Fort Myers and Orlando, FL; Austin, TX; New York City; and Asuncion, Paraguay. In 2009, Ms. Hartel was invited to perform on the 9th Gala Latinoamericana de Ballet in Asuncion, and has been a member of the jury of the Seminario Internacional de Danca de Brasilia, Brasil since 2014, teaching classes, coaching, and judging one of the oldest dance competition in Brazil. Every summer since 2016, she has travelled to teach Pilates and coach dancers at the Centre de la Dansa de Catalunya in Barcelona-Spain. She is the mom of an energetic 13 year old boy, the Executive Director of Hartel Dance Group and the rep. and distribuitor of Sansha in Paraguay. Thyrsa has taught ballet and modern dance at Oklahoma City Ballet Conservatory and Inner City Dance OKC, among others, and is a certified Pilates instructor. Thyrsa is an American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum Affiliate Teacher in Primary through Level 3 of the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum, currently teaching the Pre-Primary A and B, Primary A, and Level 1A classes at The Dance Center of Oklahoma City Ballet. This is Thyrsa's first year as part of the Premiere Dance Company Family.

Alexis Leffel is from McKinney, Texas and is currently a senior Ballet Performance major at the University of Oklahoma. Before coming to OU, Alexis trained at Texas Ballet Theater school in Dallas, Texas and spent her summers at Houston Ballet and Orlando Ballet School. She has studied mainly classical ballet technique but has also taken classes in modern, jazz, and character. During her time at OU, Alexis has had the opportunity to learn from well-known teachers and choreographers including Nilas Martins, Amy Hall-Garner, Jamy Meek, and Trey McIntyre. When Alexis is not dancing at OU or teaching for Premiere, she enjoys volunteering at the J.D. McCarty Center in Norman and assisting a weekly dance therapy class. Upon graduating Alexis plans on pursuing a professional career in dance. Alexis hopes to share her knowledge of dance with her students and to inspire them to love dance as much as she does at Premiere!

Melissa Blake is a 27 year old choreographer based out of Oklahoma City, OK. Her genres are: Contemporary, technique, Jazz, Lyrical, with Contemporary being her specialty. Melissa graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a BFA in Dance Performance in 2014. She has choreographed for LA's RAW artist Showcase, LA's Kidz Carnival, and also won Peoples Choice at Celebrity CREATE. She has also created for Oklahoma's own RACE Dance Company, many competition teams, and high schools. Melissa's strives not only to help dancer technically, but to help them find who they are through movement.
Melissa looks forward to her 2nd year at Premiere!

Liz Smith has been dancing since the age of 3. Growing up, she studied ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop at Modern Dance Arts in Norman. She developed a passion for competitive dance during her 3 years on the Norman North Pom squad. Her team won several state championships and won runner-up at the NDA National competition. She also earned many individual awards, including the NDA All-American award, and was selected to join the Oklahoma All State Dance Team. After graduating high school, she spent 6 years teaching and choreographing at Modern Dance Arts before joining Premiere Dance Company in 2016. She has choreographed many award winning competition pieces and has done work for local cheer/pom squads as well as the Sooner Dance Company at OU. Liz is passionate about dance and is excited to share her knowledge with the dancers at Premiere!

Outside of dance, Liz holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma and works for a real estate team in OKC.

Makayla Fontaine is from Edmond, Oklahoma and began her dance career at age 4. She studied briefly at the Academy of Ballet and Theatre Arts and then later trained under Amy Reynolds Reed at Dance Unlimited in Edmond OK. Makayla has a huge passion for dance and is so excited to share this passion with her students. She believes dance has a big part in what makes her who she is today. As well as her passion for dance she loves kids. She is excited to combine both of her passions while working at Premiere. Although Makayla loves all dance styles she truly loves jazz. She was on Varsity Pom for three years at Edmond Memorial High School and later went on to coach the Pom team at Oakdale Middle School. She has appeared in two summer shows at the Oklahoma Civic Center produced by Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. These shows include Dreamgirls and West Side Story. Makayla recently had the opportunity to travel to Honduras to share and teach her love and passion of dance to children and looks forward to return trips.